It's not fast, so can I be loud instead? - part 2
Any new car worth its salt carries some form of connected touchscreen interface. It's the age of 'infotainment'.
Part 2 - Touchscreen modernities.
Touchscreen interfaces have become the norm for the new car. Gone is the ugly windscreen mounted phone, now it's all connected via your neat flush fitting screen.
Photo courtesy of honda.co.uk - the current HR-V and the age of infotainment.
For an old SUV it's a proper step back in time complete with tiny LCD screen and CD player.
Compare the photos of 2nd and 1st gen HR-V - Top marks for simplicity, zero for failing to kit the old HR-V with any toys, though it was 2005.
Honda where not exactly generous with standard audio equipment in 2005. To be fair, head units are now more sophisticated than their single DIN elders could possibly imagine. So this old SUV feels very dated. Unlike the current HR-V.
Photo courtesy of honda.co.uk - 2017 Black Edition 2nd Gen HR-V.
I prefer the looks of the first generation HR-V, but want some of the modernity of the new model.
Compared to the new model the OEM sound in this first gen HR-V is hopeless.
Whereas the new HR-V has all the kit, the old one? Rear speakers optional, as where tweeters, (certainly no subwoofer in the mix). Coaxial speakers in the front doors where thankfully included.
Hmmm, the clocks don't match up.
A Honda badged Pioneer CD Tuner rounded off the audio equipment. A single DIN unit offering 4x30 watts, (although only 2 speakers to power).
Again i'll look to the luxury marques for inspiration for the HR-V project.
Meanwhile in a galaxy far far away.
The Bentayga has a beautiful control screen, flush within the dash, very elegant.
Photo courtesy of whathifi.co.uk - that does look good - any decent audio system requires a large touchscreen device to control all.
The BMW X5 is also equipped nicely - an example of a popular design whereby the interface appears like a tablet rammed into the top of the dashboard. I prefer Bentley's flush design.
Photo courtesy of bmw.co.uk - interior design for the current BMW X5 and another large interface.
Another widescreen offering for the Jaguar SUV.
Photo courtesy of rtoz.org - Jaguar F-Pace control interface.
The Range Rover Velar has possibly the best looking interface with a dual screen design:
Photo courtesy of slashgear.com - Range Rover Velar interface.
It's obvious the old Honda needs a fresh interface. The CD needs ripping out and a touchscreen unit slotted in. I can't match the functionality or bespoke design of the luxury marques, nor widescreen, however there is a wide range of options available.
Saying goodbye to CD.
In the age where our lives are contained within our robot or fruit based device, the old SUV is seriously lacking. This can be rectified by utilising the double DIN aperture in the dashboard.
Image courtesy of garberautomall.com - Apple Carplay vs. Google's Android Auto. Your phone has become an integral part of the motoring experience, voice control via Siri or Google assistant - far superior to any previous voice control I used.
The aftermarket for head units is stong with plenty of choice. Where previously you had the expense of buying a Sat Nav enabled unit, (a good one could set you back well over £1000), either that or suffer rubber suction cups on the windscreen, wires dangling. Now you can find quality head units at half the price equipped with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
Photo courtesy of pioneer-car.eu - Pioneer AVH-Z9100DAB - In Android Auto mode - Pioneers flagship model, list price £750.
Connected to the head unit your phone becomes your Sat Nav, (via Google or Apple Maps, and Waze is a good alternative). It's rather ingenious and the Apple system impresses as does Android Auto.
Photo courtesy of kenwwood-electronics.co.uk - Kenwood DMX7018DABS - The flagship models have lovely 7" screens - £480 for this Kenwood.
Picking the right headunit can be hard with not a great deal of independent reviews for the multitude of models available. The big three, Kenwood, Pioneer and Alpine, all have strengths and weaknesses. It's hard to comment on which is best, ultimately it can be a personal preference. YouTube is worth checking for videos of the head units in action. They can certainly give you a flavour of the interface.
Photo courtesy of alpine.co.uk - lastly we have the Alpine iLX-7020 - Expect to pay around £650
All the above units offer a high degree of sound tuning options. It can be quite bewildering and tricky to customise the sound the way you want. There are pre set options that provide good starting points, then play until the sound is 'just so'.
A Multitude of features.
Make sure the system has all the connections you might need, e.g. dual USB can be very useful, or does it have wireless connections. Camera inputs are nice for parking asisstance:
Now I can see where my arse ends.
Music.
How will you deliver music to the car? Bluetooth is convenient but lacks quality, (though the new aptX HD is very good). USB drive filled with lossless flac files? For balance I'd recommend 320kbps mp3 files, arguably CD quality with decent file sizes.
Image courtesy of pioneer-car.eu - The Flagship models have a lot to offer. They don't appear to suffer the 'laggy' nature of their forebears.
Your phone may contain a large library of music and via Apple CarPlay you have access to all the MP3's stored on your phone - Easy.
Android Auto can be somewhat limiting. Compatible music apps don't allow you to access your phones vast bank of quality MP3's. It will link various music services so if you store all your music in the cloud then you'll not have the issues I have with Android Auto.
Navigation.
Navigation via Apple or Google maps is nice and clear and has the advantage of constant map updates, including points of congestion and fast alternate routing.
Photo courtesy of engadget.com - WAZE in action, a 3rd party navigation software compatible with iOS and Android.
There is also the excellent WAZE app, different in that other users are able to provide real time updates to the whole WAZE community.
Power.
The standard amplification for these double din units is 4x50 watts. Combine that with an active subwoofer and it'll do ok in a coupe or small car. For the larger car external amplification is desirable for a more powerful sound. For this the head unit will need pre-outs to bypass the internal amplifiers. Better quality, more powerful amplifiers can then drive the speakers.
Pioneer.
In the end I went with the Pioneer head unit. Easy interface and excellent screen. I'm sure the others are just as good, but the Pioneer has audiophile pretentions and does ooze quality.
Paul van Dyk's 'The Politics of Dancing Vol2', great drving music - released in the same year as the car, 2005.
The menus are a breeze, though I've yet to figure it all out. Combined with Android Auto the Pioneer is superb.
It does stand out within the cabin, a sort of obvious point of modernity, but it's not garish.
Next up - Getting rid of the OEM cones.
The upgrade is far from over, whilst the the interface is sorted the car still lacks audio refinement.
Next up the stock speakers are ditched. That's to come in part 3.
Thank you very much for reading.
Regards,
Richard
Enjoy this touchscreen revolution? Or miss the old volume knob that went to 11?
Let me know in the comments.
Part 1 can be found here:
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Comments (2)
I like where this is going actually lol I'm getting interested into Audio components now. hahaha
This is a refreshing read and I'm gonna consider upgrading my Toyota's sound system already, It's something I need to do badly.
Thank you very much - hope you go ahead with some audio upgrades.
A psychosomatic thing perhaps, but the HR-V feels like a different car.
Pick your head unit carefully. I picked too quickly not realising I needed dual USB inputs, (phone and...
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