newFitOwner

I'm all ready to start using my new iPhone SE's Apple Maps turn-by-turn voice navigation. I thought it would be straightforward to choose a car mount, but as it turns out, there are countless options. And I can only see them online.

I've narrowed them down to ten. It's a large number, but I've already done ruthless vetting. It must be suction anchored, not anchored to the CD slot, cigarette lighter, or cup holder. I wanted the stability of suction, and didn't want the mount to obscure manual access to the dashboard controls. I also didn't want the air vents to be blocked, or the cup holder to be monopolized by the mount.

The only thing I have to live with is the fact a mount taking up space on top of the dashboard or on the windshield, which obstructs my use of a reflector that I place against the windshield to keep the sun out. So being able to quickly remove the mount *might* be good, but removing the mount means that the suction surface will pick up dust, unless I want to wash and air dry it *every* time I remove it (which boils down to every time that I park). I think I will have to figure out a way to make that work after acquiring the mount.

I basically looked at amazon.ca for candidates with the above features, and having 4 stars and up. The "short" list of my candidates for are listed below. At this point reading the reviews isn't all that helpful because each candidate will have a variety of positive and negative comments. I'm hoping to get targeted anecdotes -- I am specifically mounting an iPhone SE, Apple's smallest phone -- (4.9"h, 2.3"w, 0.3"d) and I am mounting it in a 2013 Hond Fit LX. Pictures of the dashboard can be found at:
http://cars.usnews.com/static/images..._dashboard.jpg
http://cars.usnews.com/static/images..._dashboard.jpg

Can those who have gone through this search and now own a car holder please chime in either about my criteria/consideratoins or about the specific candidates? Thanks.

"Short" list of candidates
--------------------------
MoKo Universal Smartphones Car Mount $13
One 5-star review (28 reviews at amazon.com, averaging 3.5 stars)

VicTsing Car Mount Holder Gooseneck Flexible Phone Holder $15
305 reviews averaging 4 stars

TaoTronics Car Phone Mount $12.50
727 reviews averaging 4 stars

TaoTronics Car Phone Mount $20
29 reviews averaging 4 stars

TaoTronics Car Phone Mount with Convenient One-handed Operation $20
8 reviews averaging 4.5 stars

TaoTronics TT-SH07 Holder $11.50
133 reviews averaging 4 stars

Mpow Car Mount Universal 360 Degree Rotation $18
185 reviews averaging 4.5 stars

iOttie Easy One Touch 2 Car Mount Holder $34
853 reviews averaging 4.5 stars
Price a bit steep

iOttie Easy One Touch 3 (V2.0) Car Mount $35
282 reviews averaging 4.5 stars
Price a bit steep

Spigen Kuel Stealth Car Mount Universal Phone Holder $22
157 reviews averaging 4 stars
Priced at the high end

tech8

Sosche MagicMount Dash/Window with suction cup.

newFitOwner

Amazon.ca says it uses adhesives on the dash. Sounds like a permanent fixture. Something to consider. Thanks.

tech8

Sosche has various styles of mounting. If you search for the MagicMount Dash/Window version, it has a suction cup. There is also a Pro version.

newFitOwner

Thanks. From a functional point of view, I actually prefer dash anchoring, since it interferes less with the sun reflector that I like to use, and it obstructs my view less. However, windshield anchoring is removable on a frequent basis. I might go with windshield anchoring simply because I expect to need GPS navigation on a rare basis. Hence, I can remove the mount most of the time. In fact, I was considering a Just-In-Time purchase. It would mean that all my playing around with the mount would be rushed. And the purchase & delivery will also be on a rush basis.

tech8

The Sosche I am referring to can be used interchangeably between the dash
or windshield. There is no real compromise. I have it and use it for the dash. It is one of the best suction mounts out there for the dash.

newFitOwner

I appreciate the further clarification, tech8. Next time I use the car, I'll take a good look at the surface of the dash to see how textured/spongy it is. If you have had good luck anchoring to the dash, however, chances are that the surface of my dash isn't much different, and my prospects of success will also be good. People have mentioned that it would obstruct less than anchoring to the windshield. And it seems way better than vent anchoring, since there's hot air hitting the phone in the winter time.

As I said, I might just keep the information of the product model ready at my fingertips and purchase the product as the need arises. The only reason why I'm looking is because I went on a road trip with others who drove with GPS. Working with paper maps really throws a wrench into things. I committed never to do that again. However, I rarely go on such trips.

newFitOwner

Found this previous thread on phone mounts for the Fit: http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-g...one-mount.html.

I'm intrigued by the Aduro U-Grip Plus Universal Suction Cup Mount mentioned in that thread, for which a better review is available at . It works well even on textured dashboard surfaces. It was shown to work with the narrow iPhone 4s, which is almost identical in width to my iPhone SE. You can clean the suction cup surface when the suction degrades due to dust/lint. It isn't magnetic, which posed concerns for me, and it isn't vent-mounted, thus incurring the risk of heating the phone & battery in the winter time.

I have the option of mounting on the windshield if I wish (though I'm leaning toward the dashboard surface, for the sake of visibility). It's not mounted on the cupholder, so I don't monopolize my cupholder, and it's not mounted on the 12V power outlet, which is quite low down on the 2013 Fit LX. It's cheap, so if it doesn't work out, oh well. My only decision now is whether to acquire one now, for standby availability, or getting one just-in-time (when I anticipate a trip).

newFitOwner

After hearing feedback from Fit owners who have permanently mounted phone holders, I researched it a bit more. One potential concern is that the presence of mounts tends to attract the attention of thieves. Even with a suction mount, you have to remove evidence of the mount when you remove the mount. If thieves see signs that you use a mount, they are likely to break in to find the phone or GPS unit.

Sigh....hooda thunk that a simple phone mount could involve so many considerations.