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Please post up your thoughts as a user on the ILX-107. As far as I can tell it's the only wireless CarPlay unit on the market and it's a year old. The 207 appears to need to be wired up for apple. I have a Scosche painted and ready to go, just waiting for the right head unit to come along and really don't want to go with a wired CarPlay solution (phones connector isn't secure so I've got it wired into a Qi wireless charger that doesn't get fiddled with).
How are voice commands? How is Siri and Maps (can you use google maps instead of apple maps)? If 'off the grid' without cell service, does it show forest service roads and the like (which the Toyota map has built in although it is outdated)? Can you switch from Phone music (bluetooth?) to Radio and back without removing hands from the steering wheel AND without cycling through XM/Pandora/iHeart/... all the Toyota junk? Does it randomly freeze-up/reboot (like the Toyota headhunt)? Any other thoughts on the 107?
Your questions cover most of my general thoughts, so I'll answer them first:
How are voice commands?
They work consistently well, but it's all about where you place the microphone that comes with the head unit. Mine is attached to the headliner above the rear view mirror and picks up my voice perfectly. I rarely have to repeat commands.
How is Siri and Maps (can you use google maps instead of apple maps)?
It's great in my area. You can not use Google Maps, although you can use it on your phone and the audio will still get routed to the vehicle speakers, but the head unit won't display Google Maps or Apple Maps while you do it. Very annoying and it's an Apple limited thing.
If 'off the grid' without cell service, does it show forest service roads and the like (which the Toyota map has built in although it is outdated)?
The 107 and 207 are terrible for this. I don't know if the shop that installed mine messed up or what, but if I don't have cell service I don't have maps. I'm planning on taking it back to them to see if they forgot to install the additional GPS antenna that comes with the head unit or what. Lack of offline maps is one of my biggest gripes with the head unit.
Can you switch from Phone music (bluetooth?) to Radio and back without removing hands from the steering wheel AND without cycling through XM/Pandora/iHeart/... all the Toyota junk?
Yes. You can use iDataLink to map one of your steering wheel buttons to cycle through different inputs. My 107 cycles through AM/FM/CarPlay and that's it. I don't have access to the Toyota junk any more since that head unit is completely gone.
Does it randomly freeze-up/reboot (like the Toyota headhunt)?
I've only had it freeze on me a couple times in the several months I've had it, but it's uncommon. It is annoying when it happens though because you typically need to turn the car off and on again.
Any other thoughts on the 107?
Wireless CarPlay is amazing. I get in the car, start it, my phone automatically connects while it's in my pocket, my music starts and everything is hooked up and ready to go. I don't need to plug it in or anything.
That being said, there are some weird issues that may or may not be unique to me. The Maps app forgets my settings from time to time e.g. it doesn't remember that I want the "3D" view or that I want the "up" direction to be where I'm facing. I think this might have to do with my parking spot being underground, which confuses the GPS when I first start my 4Runner.
My solution to the lack of offline maps is to use Maps.me on my iPhone/iPad. I have a bunch of maps all around me pre-downloaded, so I can use my phone/tablet GPS + the app to navigate when I'm out of cell range.
Apple definitely put an emphasis on keeping you from interacting with your phone when using CarPlay. e.g. if you use your phone to switch to the text messages app, it will switch CarPlay's screen to the text app. If you click on an unread text message on your phone screen, CarPlay will automatically start reading the text message for you. If you fight it, it will drive you insane. If you adjust to it with the thought of "it's safer this way" you'll actually be ok with how it handles things.
The 107 is bare bones compared to the 207 from what I've seen. The 107 is basically a means of using your phone as your head unit via CarPlay. It does have AM/FM radio, it appears to have the ability to connect an XM tuner (I don't have that), and it allows you to use the Maestro iDataLink to pull vehicle data (tire pressures [love this feature], battery voltage, air intake temp, speed, RPM, etc.), but that's basically it. It's a utilitarian head unit.
