Enjoy your iPod® on your factory stereo

Having an iPod is good — playing your iPod through your car stereo is even better. If your car still has a factory stereo system you've got several ways you can make this happen. Wired and wireless FM modulators are inexpensive and can be adapted to any car. But they're susceptible to radio interference and don't offer the same level of sound quality you'll get from a direct connection.

Vehicle-specific auxiliary input adapters and iPod adapters that connect directly to your factory stereo offer the best sound quality. Auxiliary input adapters are relatively inexpensive and accommodate a variety of portable music devices, but they don't have iPod specific features, like track or playlist control and charging capabilities. If you want a higher level of integration with your car stereo, you'll need a vehicle-specific iPod adapter.

The Peripheral Electronics iPod2car adapter is designed to fill this need. The iPod2car works in many different vehicle makes, provides a direct audio connection, and controls some of your iPod functions through your factory radio and steering wheel controls.

The Peripheral iPod adapter will work in almost any car with CD-changer controls — the vehicle-specific adapter cable (pictured in the lower right hand box) is the key.

I gave the iPod2car a test drive for CrutchfieldAdvisor by installing it in the family 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Let's take a look at what was involved in the installation and how well the iPod2car performed.