I didn't think android auto would be a big deal but it really does make the phone easier to use. With the voice automation built in it makes it stupid easy to just say who to call/text and never take the phone out of your pocket. I have also been amazed by the map function doing everything from warning me about a cop a mile ahead to road hazard that turned out to be the treat of a semi tire laying on its side in the right lane. If I had not been looking for it and hit it full force i could easily see it ripping the bumper cover off as I went over it, at the very least doing some good damage. My only complaint is it eats the phones battery like no other app I know can.
My husband modified the AM radio for my 1967 Triumph GT6 to function as a Bluetooth receiver. No screen, but Android and Apple phones work great with it. I can stream music, and have it assist me with navigation. Regarding obstacles: Since I use Google maps for navigation, it alerts me of police and hazards as well. The hazard ended up being a skunk. Would have been horrific to hit. But I was traveling 50 mph.
In that car, and slight bump could potentially send you to an early grave. It is way too short (roofline comes up to my chest) and the tires are about 6 inches wide. It also has that single rear leaf spring that is “unsafe at any speed.” Was driving it the other day, avoiding the highway, but still dealing with 50-60mph speed limits. There were times when a screen would have been helpful, but mostly avoiding anything that isn’t normally seen as a road hazard, like man hole covers for example. The good thing is that landing 1-2 inches to the left or right still means you’re in your lane because of how tiny it is. The bad thing however is having it happen when you’re in a turn. Those tires will squeal when landing.
Regarding the battery life, the INIU power banks are great. That same car has a non functioning speedometer. My husband got me a HUD that plugs into a USB outlet. Rather than hardwire something, we got one of those and plug it directly into that. If music and navigation is going to eat up battery life, then a GPS speedometer app would destroy it. I used it for a full hour there, charged my phone, then used it for the drive an hour back. When I attempted to recharge it, it still had an insane amount of charge left. It was only $20 too!