Radio/Nav

[kupchu9702]

What are the suggestions for a new multimedia/navigation unit to replace the horrible DNN992 that comes standard with the AI Interstate? I am looking to replace OEM unit as it is incredibly un-userfriendly. Kenwood has several new units with Apple CarPlay. I do want to have navigation, but doesn't have to be Garmin.

[gmillerok1]

Originally Posted by kupchu9702

What are the suggestions for a new multimedia/navigation unit to replace the horrible DNN992 that comes standard with the AI Interstate? I am looking to replace OEM unit as it is incredibly un-userfriendly. Kenwood has several new units with Apple CarPlay. I do want to have navigation, but doesn't have to be Garmin.

I replaced the Kenwood after it bit the dust after 4 years, with with a Pioneer AVH-4200 which does not have nav built in, and used a separate Garmin GPS. It worked out fine, but there were times I wish I had replaced it with the AVH-8200, which is pretty much the same model with Nav. I really like the head unit with CarPlay and it works well with podcasts and news. There are not many apps, though, that you can use with it. I purchased it through Crutchfield and installed it myself. Not an easy job, but easier that many things I've had to do to my 2011 Interstate. I would not buy another Kenwood under any circumstances. It should last longer than 4 years, and getting it fixed is not economically feasible.

You also could get a Fusion from Airstream, although they'd probably charge you double to get it from a dealer.

[amirm]

We had a recent thread on this but no consensus. I now rely on my phone a lot and just use the Kenwood for map and Bluetooth audio. The redundancy is good.

The biggest pain for me doesn't seem solvable which is lack of skip button on the steering. There is up/down volume and source but that is it. I want to go to the next station, I can't. I want to go to the next song, I can't. I want to go to the next podcast, I can't. To add insult to injury Kenwood doesn't have such a set of buttons either. And getting out of map on the phone to the app to do that is just as bothersome.

So I continue to curse the thing but put up with it until I find something better and less projects to do .

[Aircruiser]

I am very happy so far with the Blaupunkt New York 840 I purchased from Crutchfield. I've only used it for one trip so far, but it performed above expectation. Sound is much better than the Kenwood. So is the radio reception, but still not as strong as a factory car radio (I suspect the Sprinter antenna has something to do with this). GPS is not Garmin but the display looks similar (Tom Tom, maybe?), and its much easier to navigate through the menus. One feature I like is the ability to look ahead at exits to see what services and businesses are available. You can even see them in a list with addresses. If the Kenwood Garmin nav also did this, I did not find it. The Bluetooth works flawlessly and connects quickly to all of our devices (The Kenwood would just lock up most of the time). The unit does not offer Sirius/XM or any other services (that I don't want, anyway), but I can stream everything I want with my iPhone or iPad. The only drawback that I find is that at the moment there is not yet an adapter available to hook up the steering wheel controls to the Sprinter, but the unit does have the capability should an adapter become available. But the radio doesn't sit that far from the volume knob and the screen, so I don't really miss having the steering wheel controls.
Can't speak to the reliability question since it is so new, but the quality seems excellent and its performance is superior compared to the Kenwood. It is so easy to use. For $400 bucks, it's a steal compared to the $900 units.
Right now Crutchfield shows that it's not available, but the San Antonio 640 is. The New York 840 is available from another vendor on ebay.

[texasm3]

Has anyone heard anything about the head units in the ERA that uses Rand McNally maps?