The best car stereos for iPod

Kevin Massy, Associate Editor April 6, 2009

Say goodbye to your cassette adapter and FM transmitter; car stereo makers have come up with far more sophisticated ways to let you play your iPod library on the road. Many stereos now feature an "intelligent" or "full-speed" iPod connection, which transfers information from the iPod to the stereo's display itself and gives the driver full search and playback control via the stereo's faceplate buttons. The challenge for these stereos is to present the driver with a user-friendly means of navigating iPod menus on the move. Smaller (single-DIN-size) systems have less real estate to play with, but some manage to do a good job of giving drivers control over their digital-audio libraries. Sony's Sony CDX GT610UI and JVC's KD HDR1 enable drivers to stream songs according to artist, album, or playlist, while Alpine's iDA-X001 was designed with input from Apple and enables drivers to view album art on its LCD display.

Among the larger, double-DIN systems, the Pioneer AVIC-D3 and the Clarion MAX675VD both provide user-friendly touch screen interfaces that display a virtual version of the iPod wheel. The Alpine IWA-200 presents drivers with an equally intuitive means of navigating their iPod song collections. Check out our full reviews of these iPod-friendly systems below.