Is anyone considering getting the Grom Vline 2 Android nav upgrade for our LS? There's a pre-order sale going on right now. I'm torn. Does anyone know of any other similar upgrade options?

 

I pre-ordered the Vline 2 for my new to me 2013 LS 460. I am really excited that they are finally producing a model that is compatible with LS MY 2013+. Don't know how well it is going to work. I think there's a 30 day return policy after you receive the unit. (Of course I have to pay to have it installed.) There have definitely been some reported bugs with past versions that have caused some frustrations. For me though, I am looking for something that can seamlessly integrate with my vehicle's functionality, using steering wheels controls and remote touch interface (mouse) control and voice recognition. I want to be able to use Google maps to give it a voice command like I do my smartphone, ie. "Navigate to: say address normally". So I really hope it can do this. I just find the stock navigation annoying in the way you need to enter the address backwards (State, city, street name, street number, waiting for the prompt each time takes too long) Right now I can't even find a way to change the state that initially comes up, as I bought my vehicle from out of state and even though I've programmed in my new home address, it still thinks I'm in the old state that was first assigned to the nav system.

 

This version doesn't support 2010-2012 per my emails with Grom. Really bummed about that as I would like to mirror my android.
They also told me they may not be able to get a unit to work for the 2010-2012 because of the way it is wired. They are not actively working on those MY's of the LS460. Really bummed now and jealous that Michele gets one for her car.

 

No way am I gonna be a guinea pig yet again. Until these folks get the bugs out (no matter how "minor"), I'll wait and let others sort it out. I would love a seamless system such as what they ADVERTISE, but unfortunately these things never seem to truly pan out.

 

Same here i am waiting for it to mature .

 

I preordered back in April for my 07 LS. Cant wait. I have a 3k sundown and two sundown x8's being installed right now.

 

Don't be jealous until we know if it will work as advertised. Have to say though, you know I was tempted to buy a 2011 and save some dough, but this was one of the factors that I weighed in spending the extra $ and going for the 2013. Soooo happy so far! Even the DH agreed that there is a HUGE difference when moving up to the 2013+ MY. And he REALLY didn't want to spend the extra $. If you go back to one of my first posts on this forum, you'll see that one of my first questions was the options for screen mirroring and smartphone integration.

 

Checking in to see if anyone has been using the grom vl2 in their LS. How is it?

 

I've had it since they started shipping (also had a VL1). I've got an 07 and it works pretty much flawlessly for my purposes (Waze, Google Maps, CarPlay). Anything in particular you're questioning? I'd never own another LS without having this installed. Huge upgrade from factory.

 

Thanks. I was just wondering if there were any bugs or generally any reasons not to spend $600 on it. Are there any issues at all with it? Was it hard to install? Thanks

 

I'm not a total idiot, but am not skilled, either, and I thought it was pretty easy to install. I took apart the dash and the glove compartment to run my GPS and mic wires. Probably spent 4 hours total - taking my time.

There are most certainly bugs. If you try to use it like an Android standalone device, I'm sure you're going to run into problems on occasion. If you are using this as a CarPlay device - I think you'll be incredibly happy. Very rarely the unit will crash and reset itself or not start up correctly when starting the car (If I were to guess, I'd say once every 3-4 weeks I see something happen).

On the actual Android/Grom interface, I use Waze and google maps (not as much now that CarPlay will have them). On the VL2 - they respond quickly and work really well. I don't use bluetooth for audio so I can't comment on how well it works. I've seen complaints of spotty performance.

 

When you use Waze on the actual Android/Grom interface, how do you interact with waze? Can you touch the screen or do you need some sort of input device connected (wirelessly or not) to the GROM?

 

I have the Vline2 installed in my 2013 LS. It was far from stable until the last of 4 OTA's. It has now been stable for me since the last OTA however I still have a problem with my back up camera coming up when on the Aux input. I have to be on AM or FM radio inputs in order to have the back up camera activate. Personally I think the cost of the unit is a little too high. I have pretty much only used Google maps and Pandora but both work well. But it certainly is nice to have both of those integrated into the vehicle. I had mine professionally installed because i don't want to pull apart panels.

 

 

Any VLine 2 Users out there?
Since android auto is not supported yet (supposedly coming "soon"), I'm looking for a messaging app and an on screen keyboard with a voice input button. Any suggestions?
Does ANYBODY reply to a text via voice while driving using the VLine 2 and if so what app do you use to integrate this?