If you’ve ever stared longingly at your dashboard and thought, “This needs more cassette and less CarPlay,” Pioneer has just read your mind – and then dressed your thoughts in a leather bomber jacket and aviators. Introducing the SXT-C10PS, a new head unit so retro it looks like it should come with a free Whitesnake mixtape. But plot twist: that cassette slot? It’s a USB port. Welcome to the future disguised as 1987.
Now, before you dig your Walkman out of the attic and start trying to pair it with Bluetooth, know this: under the skin of this single-DIN beauty is pure modern tech. You’ve got Bluetooth, DAB+, USB, and even a 3.5mm aux input (for those of us still emotionally attached to headphone jacks). And yes, it supports Pioneer’s Smart Sync app, so you can fine-tune the soundstage like you’re in a Bang & Olufsen boardroom.
But the real story here is the design. It’s all square buttons, clean lines, and that chef’s kiss cassette-flap panel that reveals the real party: USB and aux hiding behind the nostalgia. It looks properly OEM in the best way – like it was lifted straight out of a W124 Benz or E36 Bimmer, before screens took over our lives and every dashboard started looking like a flattened iPad.
Under the hood (or rather, inside the dash), you’ve got 4 x 50W max output, 22W RMS, which is decent power if you’re upgrading an old setup or breathing new life into a project car. And if you’re the kind of person who matches your socks to your ambient lighting (no judgement), you’ll be glad to know you can change the button backlight colour to match your original interior glow.
Available in the UK this October for around£350. You know what to do.
pioneer-car.eu
