Dodge Journey SXT 2015

[Dennis Desjarlais]

Well I love that my brand new journey has really low miles as in 378k/m as of right now.

The nice new car smell but I'm already missing my 09 dodge journey SXT because it was fully loaded.

One of the things I am not liking about the new one is the 4.3 screen in it. I was hoping to change it out with a after market DVD olayer but turns out I can't.

Other then that it rides nice sounds great love the dark interior and not the light gray color the 09 had haha.

I will for sure be adding all the extras my old journey had over time and will post updates and what not in the right section on the forums.

[larryl]

Its to the point now where you cant mess with the electronics-they mess up nicely on their own

Not like the old days where you could take out the crap and install nice

[dhh3]

Welcome to forum. I too, hate the radio. I have an 8.4, but really want my RBZ v51.0 MyGig back!

[Dennis Desjarlais]

I want anything nut the stock screens lol. I think from here on in when you get some of these nice feature it's gonna make it harder for people to mod things.

[bramfrank]

I like the RB5 - the non-premium sound system is excellent and the nav does everything I need it to - there's a reason uconnect is rated as the best infotainment system in the industry.

[priell3]

I had the 8.4 touchscreen in my Cherokee and now have the 4.3 in the Journey. Personally, I find it adequate. More tech = more distraction. Enough people are driving while paying attention to their cell phones instead of where they are going.

I want to enjoy driving, not playing with tech. I can do that at home. I kind of miss my '72 Dodge.

Edited December 1, 2015 by priell3

[Lobitz68]

Well I love that my brand new journey has really low miles as in 378k/m as of right now.

The nice new car smell but I'm already missing my 09 dodge journey SXT because it was fully loaded.

One of the things I am not liking about the new one is the 4.3 screen in it. I was hoping to change it out with a after market DVD olayer but turns out I can't.

Other then that it rides nice sounds great love the dark interior and not the light gray color the 09 had haha.

I will for sure be adding all the extras my old journey had over time and will post updates and what not in the right section on the forums.

So the way I am reading this is that you have the 4.3, correct? If so Metra (I think??) has a kit to put in an aftermarket stereo. Look into it...

[priell3]

Thanks.

Edited August 3, 2016 by jkeaton

[QuarterSwede]

Metra does have a Turbokit to add a double DIN space where the climate control knobs are. I had it installed professionally and it works a treat. I had them put in a Pioneer AVH-4100NEX.

Anyone who thinks the stock system is fine is out of their minds. The amp is muddy and the factory speakers are utter garbage. I ended up putting in Infinity Reference dash speakers, Infinity Primus 6x9's, and reused my old 5.25" Kenwood eXcelon speakers from my last car. Just need to add a sub.

I will say that the factory UI is fantastic. It really is easy to use. The Metra Kit keeps the 4.3" screen and uses it mainly for climate control and system settings. So now I have climate always visible and my CarPlay UI in use constantly. I really like it.

Edited January 4, 2016 by QuarterSwede

[dhh3]

I swapped out all of my audio for Alpine, and not the crap paper speakers Dodge is pushing as Alpine. Have an Alpine amp, and a Kicker under seat 8" sub, mounted in a ported box, similar to a Bose Radio. Both factory systems sound like crap.

Edited January 4, 2016 by dhh3

[jkeaton]

My factory system sounds great.

[QuarterSwede]

My factory system sounds great.

I assure you it does not. If you A/B just one side of the car with the old factory speakers you'll hear how muddy they actually are. Change out the factory head unit for an aftermarket one that's decent and you'll hear how clear it actually can be while delivering tight powerful bass.

The only factory system I've been impressed with was the premium Sony one in the Ford Flex. That one is amazing. I wouldn't doubt if Sony designed and manufactures it. It's worth the upgrade.

Edited January 10, 2016 by QuarterSwede

[jkeaton]

I assure you it does not. If you A/B just one side of the car with the old factory speakers you'll hear how muddy they actually are. Change out the factory head unit for an aftermarket one that's decent and you'll hear how clear it actually can be while delivering tight powerful bass.

The only factory system I've been impressed with was the premium Sony one in the Ford Flex. That one is amazing. I wouldn't doubt if Sony designed and manufactures it. It's worth the upgrade.

I'm sorry but I assure you it does sound just fine for our tastes. Yours may be different. It's like paint colors or tires. Everyone will have a different opinion. No worries and it's OK to feel differently.

[QuarterSwede]

I'm sorry but I assure you it does sound just fine for our tastes. Yours may be different. It's like paint colors or tires. Everyone will have a different opinion. No worries and it's OK to feel differently.

I get that and that's how the automotive industry is able to cheap out on decent sound system parts. Most people don't realize how bad their system is until they hear a good one. Good ones don't have to cost a ton. I upgraded my wife's for $100. Adding decent speakers will push another $100. Much cheaper and sounds much better than the factory premium upgrade.

The main reason a quality system is important is because you have no idea what you can't hear in the music until you hear it on a good system. "Oh I didn't even realize that background vocal was there" or "I thought they were saying 'x.' " It's transformative just like glasses are. You wouldn't tell someone not to get their eyes check and get glasses if they can't see 10' in front of them would you?

Edited January 10, 2016 by QuarterSwede

[bramfrank]

The stock system is actually not bad at all as these things go - it can have adequate high end and does have fairly good extended low end response and doesn't demonstrate any of the boominess that most systems which have subwoofers tend to. Of course if your audio source is an MP3 you're starting our with a serious compromise up front and if you are using the Sirius radio as your source then nothing you do will improve anything - it just sucks.

In my youth I worked in the high end sound business (and in the recording industry, AND I worked touring sound for some of the top music acts of the day) and much of our store sales were for people who couldn't actually hear the difference between various options - I was called in to more than one client's home to give my opinion as to which combination of hardware sounded best - and the client would buy whatever I recommended, not that he o she could tell the difference - those are the people that buy $1500 power cables and $1000 speaker leads and 'bit dejitter' boxes and expensive HDMI cables today. We had another term . . . . . suckers.

The reality is that the vast majority of people wouldn't know good sound if it came with a letter of introduction and the psychology of acoustic perception allows us to adapt over time to however good or bad the sound may be and it will sound good unless it is truly, and absolutely disgusting, lacking all low and high end and loaded with distortion.

Whatever it is you may be sticking in the highly resonant, high ambient noise environment of our vehicles to replace the stock hardware, unless you have active phase and frequency compensation and somehow manage to damp out the sympathetic vibrating plastic bits in the vehicle all you are doing is substituting one essentially unoptimised and mediocre sound system for another.

[QuarterSwede]

The stock system is actually not bad at all as these things go - it can have adequate high end and does have fairly good extended low end response and doesn't demonstrate any of the boominess that most systems which have subwoofers tend to. Of course if your audio source is an MP3 you're starting our with a serious compromise up front and if you are using the Sirius radio as your source then nothing you do will improve anything - it just sucks.

In my youth I worked in the high end sound business (and in the recording industry, AND I worked touring sound for some of the top music acts of the day) and much of our store sales were for people who couldn't actually hear the difference between various options - I was called in to more than one client's home to give my opinion as to which combination of hardware sounded best - and the client would buy whatever I recommended, not that he o she could tell the difference - those are the people that buy $1500 power cables and $1000 speaker leads and 'bit dejitter' boxes and expensive HDMI cables today. We had another term . . . . . suckers.

The reality is that the vast majority of people wouldn't know good sound if it came with a letter of introduction and the psychology of acoustic perception allows us to adapt over time to however good or bad the sound may be and it will sound good unless it is truly, and absolutely disgusting, lacking all low and high end and loaded with distortion.

Whatever it is you may be sticking in the highly resonant, high ambient noise environment of our vehicles to replace the stock hardware, unless you have active phase and frequency compensation and somehow manage to damp out the sympathetic vibrating plastic bits in the vehicle all you are doing is substituting one essentially unoptimised and mediocre sound system for another.

I disagree. Everyone I've ever A/B'd a crap vs decent system for has heard the difference and immediately said, "how can I get that and can I afford it?" It may not be as important to some (my mother doesn't care as she "grew up with transitor radios") that I'll agree with. They all thought it was too difficult/costly to do.

For years my wife wouldn't let me change her crap 2004 Jeep factory radio out for a low tier Pioneer one she could play her iPhone from. The only reason she let me finally do it was because the CD stopped ejecting discs and after the third radio having the issue our warranty finally gave out. Installed a cheap Pioneer and she said, "why didn't I do this years ago!?" The MOSFET 50 watt amp in it is more than enough for most people.

Upgrading it is actually quite easy and significantly cheaper than the crap factory premium upgrades. Although, the Journey was a pain I'll admit. Most cars with older style DIN/double DIN head units can do a swap out on 30 minutes now that businesses like Metra and others are making trim kits and wiring harness for specific makes/models. Get a trim removal kit (nylon levers really) for $15, a torx bit set for $10, and pop the trim off the doors in 5 minutes. It's stupid easy to do. The dash is a bit more of a pain but it's all just popping the pillar trim off and the top of the dash off where the speakers are. Three pieces, 15 minutes (less once you've done it) and you can reach the dash speakers. Thanks to clips that are meant to be popped in and out you get no rattling like the old days. Mine is still perfectly silent. And thanks to auto manufacturers finally putting in soundproofing in lower cost vehicles (there's a ton in the Journey in the doors, under the dash, everywhere) I can even tell when the radio goes from analog to HD digital.

Look, I've heard and used some of the best studio speakers out there and were they worth the $50K price tag? HECK NO. However, great speakers don't have to cost a car note. For $50 you'll get a pair that significantly rasies the clarity and tightness of the bass. Most people won't have golden ears but they can hear and appreciate the difference $200 and some time can make.

Edited January 10, 2016 by QuarterSwede

[dhh3]

Mopar used to offer Kicker replacement speakers for most of their cars/trucks. I used them in 2 of my vehicles, and the sound improvement was 100%, keeping the MyGig HU. They just plugged into the factory harnesses. I have no idea when Mopar stopped this, but there are no Kicker upgrade speakers in the DJ Accessory Catalog. As soon as I purchase a vehicle, the first thing that I do is remove the crap factory paper speakers! To each his own.

Edited January 11, 2016 by dhh3

[bramfrank]

M. QuarterSwede;

Again, a jkeaton pointed out, you are entitled to your opinion and I to mine since this is a TRULY subjective issue.

I don't suggest that the systems in our vehicles qualify as audiophile quality - then I have yet to be in any that does, and I've been in some very high end vehicles in my day. And that include vehicles where thousands of dollars have been spent on 'improvements'. The environment is the biggest challenge. But subwoofers almost never deliver qualitative improvements, to mention one common modification.

Initial impressions unfortunately are not definitive; in fact you need to live with a system to see whether that 'clarity' doesn't translate to peakiness with time or that 'tight' bass isn't just a resonant peak present on one particular track.

I don't keep my vehicles long enough that I am willing to experiment (because that's what it takes to realise a real improvement that stands the test of measurements and time) and to invest the not insignificant amount of money necessary for the task - quick switches of speakers and some monoblock amp isn't going to deliver true concert hall sound.

[QuarterSwede]

M. QuarterSwede;

Again, a jkeaton pointed out, you are entitled to your opinion and I to mine since this is a TRULY subjective issue.

I don't suggest that the systems in our vehicles qualify as audiophile quality - then I have yet to be in any that does, and I've been in some very high end vehicles in my day. And that include vehicles where thousands of dollars have been spent on 'improvements'. The environment is the biggest challenge. But subwoofers almost never deliver qualitative improvements, to mention one common modification.

Initial impressions unfortunately are not definitive; in fact you need to live with a system to see whether that 'clarity' doesn't translate to peakiness with time or that 'tight' bass isn't just a resonant peak present on one particular track.

I don't keep my vehicles long enough that I am willing to experiment (because that's what it takes to realise a real improvement that stands the test of measurements and time) and to invest the not insignificant amount of money necessary for the task - quick switches of speakers and some monoblock amp isn't going to deliver true concert hall sound.

While I agree with a lot of what you said in this post I will stand by upgrading the speakers and head unit to deliver a good experience for almost nothing compared to the cost of the vehicle. I'm simply tired of people allowing manufacturers to put in slightly above bottom of the barrel crap because they don't know any different. Teaching is important. How else will they learn?

On subjectivity: yes, audio is subjective like any other art form. However, we aren't even approaching that. Putting out muddy audio is scientific. It's like comparing bud lite to a craft beer. Apple and oranges.

Is a vehicle the worst environment to hear audio? Just about (reflective surfaces are FAR more challenging to get right, cars just require timing adjustments, per speaker volume adjustments, with some sound proofing and noise cancellation). However that doesn't mean you should give up. As I mentioned, some fairly inexpensive upgrades can massively improve the experience. A better experience means more emotion and the ability to touch the soul. Why? Because its meaningful and matters.

Let's just agree to disagree as this could go on forever.

Edited January 10, 2016 by QuarterSwede

[2late4u]

Seems like you are the one doing all the crying and complaining about the extras, the radio is just fine for what i expect and paid for. just another satisfied journey owner here....

[jkeaton]

Seems like you are the one doing all the crying and complaining about the extras, the radio is just fine for what i expect and paid for. just another satisfied journey owner here....

That's what I'm saying. Sure. I could upgrade and it would sound "better", but I'm perfectly happy for what it is. I have no complaints. If I did feel so inclined to sink money into a vehicle I'm making payments on and will probably be gone in a few years, I'll put that money into gas, tires and oil. GTO. I have no problem with people who feel otherwise. Your arguments to the contrary won't sway my opinion. Audio quality is not high on my list of desirables when purchasing a vehicle I know I won't keep.

Edited January 11, 2016 by jkeaton

[SeanTacular]

Love my Journey and everything about it....except the speakers. My 2006 Sebring had much better 6x9's or at least put out more watts to them. All I did was add a 2,000 watt sub and kept the factory head unit and stock interior speakers and it was actually a well balanced sound. I am an audiophile and will be doing my stereo upgrades soon enough. The same songs that sounded good in my factory Sebring just sound bad in the journey. I'm the kind of car guy who falls deeply madly in love with my vehicles and keep them until they die of old age. My Sebring lasted 9 1/2 years and well over 500,000 km's. I plan on keeping this journey for at least 10 years if I can lol again, everything is amazing but to me the stereo is lacking. I don't cry tho becuase my Sebring was around the same price and the most advanced technology it had was cruise control and power locks and windows hahaha this keyless entry and go is amazing and so is the touch screen. Even tho there are hvac knobs I quite enjoy using the touchscreen controls. 2 months in and I'm still reaching for the key in the ignition to turn it off lol

[dhh3]

I do not like the touch controls on the bottom of the screen. Too distracting. I set the heat before I set off on a drive, then use the manual controls to increase or decrease the temperature. The "A" does an amazing job keeping all the windows clear, when there are 4 or more riding in close to 0 degrees. I do have to use the rear defroster; it is the only window that will fog up.

[QuarterSwede]

That's the biggest difference then. I also keep my vehicles until they beg to be put down and I LOVE music. I spend a ton of time in my vehicle so audio quality makes traffic that much less miserable.

I also don't like the controls at the bottom. But there is really no other place to stick them. Luckily the touchscreen has big enough button targets that they're easy to hit so I don't have to use the mushy hard to reach buttons very often.

[priell3]

I find the sound system adequate. Unless you drive the long haul every day, how much time do you spend in your car to worry about the speakers? The majority of my trips are 10 - 15 minutes or less.