And the sound quality on the upgrade six-disc Toyota stereo is appalingly bad. The sound is muffled, and unreasonably biased toward the low end of the sound spectrum.

Before buying one of these Toyota upgrade kits, consider whether it's actually cheaper to buy an entirely new third-party stereo with an iPod connector than it is to buy an integration kit like this.

I actually bought an iPod integration kit from my Toyota dealership last month (obviously, it was a third-party kit, and not this one) but returned it because there was no way for my Toyota stereo to show any textual information (e.g. artist or track name) from the iPod.

What I'm trying to say here is this: unless you have a very, very good stereo in your car (such as you might get in a Lexus?) trying to plug in your iPod is a lost cause. Better to get a whole new stereo.

Does it work with the touch screen in a Prius?

I contacted Toyota to find out more about this, and here's what I got back:

Response (Lizeth Escorza) 09/04/2007 01:53 PM Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

We apologize; we do not recommend or assist with modifying our vehicles from their original factory specifications. Ipod integration kits are available for most of our vehicles, but none have been tested or approved by Toyota, for this reason we would not be able to make any recommendations of any kits available.

Modifications could affect the vehicle’s performance, safety or durability, and may violate government regulations. In addition, damage or performance problems resulting from the modification may not be covered under warranty.

Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #(personal info removed). If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.