“Will there be a subscription fee?”
A Toyota salesman says there’s a little-known customization setting on new Toyotas that drivers will definitely want to check out.
In a TikTok with over 784,600 views as of this writing, Manhattan Beach Toyota (@mb_toyota) demonstrates how to customize the Toyota gauge cluster with a few simple steps.
“If you have a new Toyota with one of these digital readouts, you’re gonna wanna try this,” the salesman begins.
To begin the process, the okay button needs to be held down and toggled to the settings option. After selecting settings, scroll all the way to the bottom to meter settings. Once you are in meter settings, select meter style. This will bring up the different designs available for the digital gauge cluster.
“Click on your style and now you can change your appearance,” the salesman explains.
The different styles include casual, smart, tough, and sport.
“Kind of a cool trick,” the salesman concludes.
Viewers didn’t know about this customization feature and appreciated the tip.
“Thanks, mine has apparently been on tough this whole time,” one wrote.
“Just did it on my sr, pretty cool,” another shared.
Others weren’t as thrilled. Some even wondered whether you have to pay for it.
“Will there be a subscription fee to use that digital dash too,” one said.
“And how do we make it so we don’t have to pay $30 a month to use Apple CarPlay?” another added.
Some commenters brought sarcasm to the post.
“There’s also this crazy book in every glove box called the user manual. A lot of good information in there,” one jibed.
“It’s not a trick, if you read the manual, you would understand you could do that,” another said.
Nowadays, it seems like every company is moving to subscription-based pricing models. Actual ownership seems to be disappearing, as subscription options are getting introduced more and more. This has even made its way into vehicles.
That’s why some found it hard to get excited over a new digital gauge customization when many drivers need a subscription to use functions like remote start.
One woman was shocked to discover that she needed to pay a $15 monthly subscription to use remote start after buying a Toyota. (Toyota drivers have found key fob tricks and workarounds to use remote start without paying the subscription.)
However, Toyota is still trying to put a paywall to access features that in the past were just given. It’s been nearly five years since Toyota introduced subscription models. It appears that they’re here to stay.
According to Toyota, there are three subscription plan options for 2022 and later Toyota vehicles. The first option is music lover which entails integrated streaming with Apple Music and Amazon Music utilizing the vehicle’s connection while on the road. The next subscription option is go anywhere which is the navigation package. Both subscriptions cost $15 per month. The third option is premium, which includes both music lover and go anywhere for $25 a month.
All three of the subscriptions do include remote connect which is the remote start up feature.
Motor1 has contacted Manhattan Beach Toyota via website contact submission form and TikTok direct message. This post will be updated if they reply.
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