iPhone and Car Bluetooth Systems

[marcus]

Just a quick note. I tested the iPhone with my BMW's built-in Bluetooth system, and it works better than the Treo ever did. The address book is synced in full (not just the favorites), and it is super easy to transfer a call between the car speakers / iphone speaker / iphone earspeaker.

What other car brands have you had success with?

[priji]

Toyota (Prius and other models) The iPhone integrates well with this system.

[tschertz01]

I've used both a TomTom GPS and BlueAnt Supertooth Light with great success. The TomTom syncs my address book and work great but I don't travel out of my home area all to often so I don't use the GPS all to often. Most of the time I use the Supertooh and I love it. Battery lasts forever, and it's super simple to use. It doesn't sync my address book but dialing from the phone is easy enough. It's also cheap enough that I don't fear it being stolen like I do my GPS.

[kevinbell]

Any one use an iPhone with the aftermarket "Argos" system for Mercedes? Hate to spend $800 on the Argos and not work with the iPhone...

[HawaiiMacAddict]

Aloha marcus,

I purchased a 2008 Lexus RX350 last December and use the hands-free system on a daily basis. I had to manually enter in my contacts, as Lexus doesn't provide for any way to transfer contacts via Bluetooth. I also looked at the Mercedes-Benz ML350 and the BMW X5, but really couldn't justify the extra costs involved.

I wanted to purchase another SUV (to replace my 2002 Lexus RX300), but one with Bluetooth. My model also has the Nav system, which I don't use here in Hawaii, so if I get the 3G iPhone its GPS will only be used when I an on vacation.

My only complaint is that the microphone is only on the driver's side - when I called my Grandmother, she could hear me just fine, but had a hard time hearing my wife from the passenger's side. Still, the Bluetooth system in my Lexus painlessly paired with my iPhone and works flawlessly. I work on an Army base and am precluded from using my cell phone while driving except while in the hand-free mode.

HawaiiMacAddict

[SFguy94131]

I just purchased a new 2009 Audi A4 and cannot get my iPhone's contacts to load in the car's Bluetooth system. I tried calling Apple and all their techs swear the iPhone's contacts cannot be loaded into any car's Bluetooth system, but this is obviously untrue based on the comments in this thread (which indicates some iPhone users having no trouble getting their contacts loaded with certain manufacturers' Bluetooth systems). I also personally observed contacts from the previous version of the iPhone loading successfully on the same model Audi. I'm having no luck getting a straight answer out of either Audi or Apple, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. Thanks.