Uconnect icon differences between 2011 and newer

[HawtDogFlvrWtr]

I searched and found a thread where someone asked if there was an upgrade to the 8.4n rb5 for the older 2011 units, so the icons are 3d but there was never a response saying it could happen. I have the opportunity to get a 2011 rb5 for my 2015, but i don't want to get it if the interface is going to change. after driving this thing for nearly 2 years, it'll drive me effing crazy. Is there a firmware update for the 2011 rb5's that make them look identical to the 2015+? They have the same part number...

[bramfrank]

The RB5/RB2 are great infotainment systems even if they do have some weaknesses, including the fact that MP3 music sources won't display embedded album art unless they are included in the Gracenotes database installed on the unit and THAT hasn't been updated since 2011.  It also have some trouble with the latest versions of iPhones (I use Android and previously WIndows phones and Blackberries, all of which seem to work perfectly, including support for SMS).

On the plus side the RB5 is one of the very, very few consumer vehicle navigation systems that does 'dead reckoning' navigation, which means that it doesn't require a satellite signal to maintain your location on the map, which works great in tunnels, garages and most importantly in 'GPS Canyons' of the downtown cores of most major cities where the satellite signals can't be directly received and bounce off buildings proving erroneous location reports and 'lost signal' messages.

The only real change in the user interface of the RB5 from the first and second, to the third version is that the icons have changed.  As well, there is different firmware for each of the versions of the radio, so if you plan to self-update you'd need to be able to source the correct files from the uconnect web site - so knowing the VIN of the source vehicle becomes more than useful, since putting the wrong firmware into a radio can 'brick' it.

Where the real differences are have to do with the capabilities of (and an issue with) the product. 

The first version of the radio in it's original firmware releases does not require a security code meaning that you wouldn't need to solicit an unlock code to get it running - not deadly I any case, since it can be generated by the dealer.  It would be based on a combination of the serial number of the radio and the VIN of the vehicle into which it is going.  In any case the latest versions of the firmware, even those or the oldest devices DO implement an unlock code, so ultimately you'd need one if yours gets (or has gotten) updated.

More important, in my opinion is that the older nav units don't do 'XM traffic' which in my opinion and because I live in Montreal, which is 'Orange Cone Land' with something like 500 active road construction sites and major arterial reconstruction and configuration is important to me even if I DID sit in a traffic jam last night at 11PM because they shut down an expressway for service and the closure never showed up on the unit. On the other hand traffic is a subscription service, so you'd need to pay for it.  It does, however provide coverage in a lot more places than the traditional FM SCA service that stand-alone Garmin navigators do.  Traffic services are officially not available outside of the US, though the data for Canada is transmitted by XM (go figure),  

On the other hand, the older nav radios seem to be a lot less subject to the dreaded 'can't unlock maps' problem that plagues some of the devices.  That's good, I suppose, since I've never put together a recovery package for those units and to date no one's actually asked.

There are lots of potential pitfalls to buying an RB5 upgrade, however.  The vendors out there often have no idea what they are selling and in one case a member contacted me to discuss his woes - he bought THREE different radios, each of which supposedly was a navigation radio and they ALL turned out to be basic RE2 base 8.4 radios (no navigator).  Unfortunately there are a myriad of part numbers out there and there's no magic decider ring, nor any sense to be made from the part numbers that would allow you to determine what the particular radio can do - they all have the same physical chassis and the same connectors so there are no external visual clues.

I happen to have my spare radio (one of the latest models) available for sale if that was a direction you might want to go in - it is listed in the classified section here.

Whatever you decide to do I wish you luck.

Edited November 11, 2016 by bramfrank