I still have an old Kenwood radio in my Golf 5 from 2007 and the CD drive is starting to act up. Now I'm thinking about whether I should buy a new radio that has USB and Bluetooth. What makes more sense these days - or should I just go with a good Android Auto system instead?
Bluetooth is just more practical these days because you can connect your phone wirelessly and control maps, music, and calls straight from your phone - you don't really need USB anymore. If you've got the budget, I'd recommend going for a system with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, it's a huge step up from the old radios. But you'll pay a bit more for that. A good Kenwood or Pioneer model with Bluetooth and a big display costs significantly less in the mid-range and will do the job reliably for years - you've just gotta weigh up what that's worth to you.
USB is honestly only relevant today if you have old music files on a USB stick and want to play them - otherwise you're paying for it without getting any real benefit. With Bluetooth you get everything from your phone (navigation, music, calls) and it's just more convenient, especially if you want to connect multiple devices.
A practical trick that a lot of people miss: when you're buying, check whether the radio supports Android Auto or Apple CarPlay - that's often more important than whether it has USB. Then you don't even need to use the radio's own software, you just control your phone through the touchscreen, you get updates and the apps stay current. With a plain USB radio you're out of luck pretty quick if the manufacturer stops supporting it.
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