Radio

[pesticide1480]

Does anyone know if you can put a factory am/fm/6disc. radio in place of the stock single disc radio in a 2011 Base Toyota Highlander,

[Jim Griffin]

If your 2011 HL comes with a USB port, then your music options are nearly endless. My 2008 Highlander came with a 6 CD player. When we brought our 2010 Venza, which had a single disk player, I thought that it would be limiting our music choice. But with the USB port in the Venza you can plug in a flash memory drive which is loaded with all/most of your favorite CDs and MP3 files. Thus you have significantly more music of your own choosing available at your finger tips. with the flash drive you can do a random play option or play by album/artist. I haven't missed a 6 CD changer at all.

[jgayman]

Yep! I couldn't agree more. My '01 Limited had the 6-disc changer and I used it quite a bit. When I was shopping for my '11 HL I decided to go for the SE model (mostly to avoid the silly 19" wheels) which meant I wasn't getting a 6-disc changer.

But I quickly found out that the USB port and more importantly the Bluetooth streaming audio gave me capabilities far beyond what the 6-disc changer ever could. I can now have hundreds upon hundreds of songs at my finger tips. What I find myself using most is the Bluetooth streaming from my iPhone. The sound quality is astonishing and I don't even need to take the phone out of my pocket.

At this point I would consider going to a 6-disc changer as a step backwards.

[pgoelz]

If you are using MP3s on a flash drive, do you find it cumbersome to scroll through the files looking for the one you want? I found that the radio's update rate was VERY slow and it took far too long to update the display as I scrolled. I switched to an iPod Nano (free with points from my credit card) and while it is still slower than I would like, it is a lot faster than a plain flash drive.

The iPod Nano is actually a nifty addition. I made a special right angle USB cable for it and I can fit it in the compartment next to the USB port and close the door.

Paul

[pesticide1480]

Thanks I will give it a try....

[mikmabz]

On the Sport Model aside from being able to load 6 discs, it can also play WMA and MP3 music files. I burn most of my mp3 music files unto a disc and load it into the Highlanders audio system rather than Cds. More songs can be stored this way than other formats.