Sony have come through with the goods with their new flagship car stereo – the MEXBT5750U.

Whilst it’s a great looking unit, with impressive specs, they are giving with one hand and taking with the other. It’s their only headunit I can see that doesn’t use a ridiculously old-school 7-segment style display… It’s got iPhone integration, Bluetooth, handsfree, CD, MP3, 24-bit DAC and 4x 52W amps. It looks pretty clean and unobtrusive and it’s got a full-matrix display.

In the USA (and remember, the Aussie dollar is almost at parity) this unit retails for $299.99 (around $325 AUD) yet here in Australia Sony are retailing it for $769. Even taking GST into account ( meaning a price of $359) and doubling that ($715) we’re still not at the price-point that Sony deem fitting for this unit here.

At $300-400, I’d go out and get one tomorrow. Sure, I’d have a hell of a time integrating it with the CAN-Bus system in my Golf, I probably wouldn’t get steering-wheel controls working for it, but at least I’d have bluetooth handsfree. At nearly $800, Sony can keep it.