XM Radio Kit for 2012 Prius

Does the radio have a SAT button? If so , then the kit usually has the harness, receiver and antenna . I have done these on a Lexus 470 and a 4 Runner and the instructions were straightforward...only requiring basic tools. Most things just unsnap....lots of patience.

You can find deals on EBay sometimes.

 

I have a 2012 Prius II and also desire XM. I too have installed a few in the past. I do not see a icon/button for Sat., but there is one (grayed out) for Aux and Blu tooth.

No apparent Sat. antenna installed.

I hope that we can install an add-on unit, dealers are drawing a blank when asked about the option.

 

I went through this with my purchase of a II back in December. I've had Sirius in two previous vehicles and after reading many of the problems folks were having with XM (poor reception, drop outs under bridges,etc) I decided to stick with Sirius. Besides, Sirius has three birds up there (XM has one I understand) and I've always had great reception from them.

I'm sure you've noticed that the dealers aren't very knowledgeable about the satellite radio and when they quoted me $500 for the kit and installation I decided to go my own route.

What I finally tracked down (on Amazon, of all places) was something called a "Complete Sirius Radio System for Satellite Ready Toyota Lexus Scion" for $143.99 shipping included. This consists of two key items: The "SCC1 Connect Universal Tuner" and the Audiovox "SIRTOY1 Sirius Interface" which allows use of the factory head unit (assuming it's simply satellite ready and doesn't display any XM logo on it. The AM/SAT button is the key.)

The kit is all that's needed for the install. You can't use the factory antenna though, but the provided Sirius antenna mounts discreetly right behind the roof antenna. Does a great job, probably because it is specifically for satellite radio, not a compromise.

BTW, I would have loved to install it myself but was reluctant to go prying pieces of the dash apart. I had the guys at Best Buy do it and I was glad I did. Hey, they didn't even disconnect the battery.

So for the $143.99 plus around $80 for the install I managed to beat Toyota by about 50% of the dealer's quote.

 

The kits have vehicle specific harnesses. I thought that XM/Sirius had merged and share broadcast systems. 3 satellites...named. ROCK, ROLL and RHYTHM. Great reception in FL...on our trips to Vermont,,,,it's spotty reception in the forested hills.

I know on the 2011...version 2 did not have the SAT button/JBL system, but 3, 4 and 5 did. I haven't done any research on the 2012..

 

I have a solution that isn't as elegant, but it's pretty easy and cheap. You can buy a generic aftermarket "plug and play" Sirius or XM receiver with a cradle. Just need to plug in into the 12V power, plug the audio output to the aux input on your Prius head unit, stick the magnetic-mount antenna on the roof, and run the wire under your floor mats somewhere from the radio in the front out the hatch to the antenna on the roof. I've done this on 2 cars that we own, and since I already have the Sirius radio I use in multiple cars, I'm going to put it in my Prius (Four) when my XM trial subscription runs out. The advantage of the plug-and-play unit is you can pop it out of the cradle and plug it into a cradle in another car, so you only pay for one subscription and can use it in multiple cars.

 

We were looking at Fords (which used Sirius) and Toyotas (which use XM) you can get the dashboard receivers that play through an FM channel, But I'm not sure they would offer the discrete, high dynamic range sound that comes through a pure digital SAT ready head unit.

 

Yeah, using FM tranmission for the aftermarket satellite radios is -terrible-. The sound isn't great, and in major cities (like San Francisco where I live) it's almost impossible to find a frequency where you don't have interference from an FM station. But with almost all cars having an aux audio input these days, you shouldn't have to use the FM anymore.

 

Yes, I agree that controlling the satellite radio through the head unit is much better if you can make it work!