Tacoma Lifestyle Smart Screen Product Review

Every Tacoma owner from 1996 to 2019 has something in common, none of the Toyota Tacomas produced during this time came standard with apple CarPlay or Android Auto. CarPlay in your vehicle is beneficial for many reasons. It gives you the ability to play music via bluetooth, use maps, see messages you receive, and take phone calls hands free. 

There are a few ways you can solve these issues in an older truck. Using an AUX cord or bluetooth radio transmitter can help you play music in an older truck but does not give you the ability to use maps or see messages while on the road.

The Tacoma Lifestyle Smart Screen is an easy way to solve many of these issues and at only $100 it's one of the cheapest ways to do so. 

Design 

The Smart Screen is user friendly and simple to use. It only takes a few minutes to connect to your phone and once you have it connected Apple CarPlay will pull up. The screen has a high quality resolution and doesn't glitch or lag when you are swiping between apps or typing on google maps. The mount is sturdy too. I installed the smart screen on my dash and was skeptical that it would be able to withstand the bumps of the open road but it held up during all my street driving and even held up during a weekend off roading in Moab.

Install

Installing the Smart Screen is really easy. All you have to do is attach the screen to the mounting arm and then use the suction cup mount to mount it wherever you'd like in your vehicle, that's it! I have mine mounted on my dash and it held up great while doing the Sevenmile Rim Trail in Moab.

You have two ways to play sound through your vehicle. First, you can use the AUX cord to connect the smart screen to your trucks sound system or you can use the radio and set it to a radio frequency that isn't being used by a local radio station. 

You will only need to do this if your truck doesn't already have bluetooth. I chose to use my factory bluetooth connection and use the Smart Screen to control my maps, music, and On X while I'm off road and it has worked great for me. 

Final Thoughts

The Tacoma Lifestyle Smart Screen is the perfect way to add a new infotainment system to your truck without breaking the bank. Starting at only $100 it is less than swapping out your stock head unit with an aftermarket one although you do miss many features that come standard in those units. Overall most people will just want something that allows you the use of CarPlay and this does that. I think it is the perfect upgrade if you are wanting to utilize bluetooth in your vehicle and give it a modern touch. You can find the Tacoma Lifestyle Smart Screen on our website here along with any other aftermarket interior Tacoma accessories that you may need!