Very good, close to perfect
Pros:
User interface, ease of installation, media playback selection, audio quality, input options.
Cons:
Bizarre tilt behavior
The Bottom Line:
A feature-rich unit at a very affordable price.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I purchased this unit in early June so that I could use it on a vacation trip out west during the late June to early July timeframe. It was installed in my 2003 Toyota Highlander SUV using a wiring adaptor harness I purchased from Crutchfield. The installation was very easy, and I installed a Turk XM radio adaptor at the same time so the wife and I could listen to XM radio while crossing the country. Those of you who have crossed the wilds of West Virginia with only the local programming for "entertainment" to can appreciate what a blessing XM can be. The fit on top and bottom was perfect, but there was a 3/4 inch gap on the sides that I filled with foam tape, which resulted in a very clean and attractive installation. The unit came with an IPod interface, which I installed but never used since I don't own an IPod. Before the trip out west I generated a couple of Music DVDs using Toast Titanium on an Intel iMac, which contained 10 albums of music and cover art. I can say that the 8285 performed flawlessly during the trip, playing XM radio, local FM, AM, CD, MP3, Music DVD and Movie DVD without a hitch. I installed a pushbutton switch to "fake" the unit into thinking that the parking brake was set so my wife could watch movies while I drove (Yes I know that this is illegal, so arrest me). The only issue I have had is that sometimes while starting the Highlander the 8285 would "tilt out" as if I had selected a different front tilt value. It's easy to fix, simply select "settings" and reset the tilt slope to 1 (even though it already says 1). Overall I give the unit a 9 out of 10 rating.