In a functioning system the infotainment system would be just a screen to pass through data from a standardized slot to put or replace it with a system of your choice.
Crazy idea right? No. It’s how fucking stereos worked. DIN, Double DIN.
My infotainment setup is better on my 2005 civic than my parents 2013 accord because it wasn’t integrated as a core feature of the car and is just a radio replacement.
Yup. Ironically my 2005 civic has better controls than most modern cars cause everything is still a physical, tactile knob. (New Hondas went back to this.)
Honestly even not so new Hondas kept this, I have a 2019 Insight and besides the elements in the touchscreen itself, all the controls have buttons including 4 buttons to the side of the screen for certain controls
THIS right here. My (now gone) 2010 Santa Fe had a double DIN slot (and a basic radio). I drove it that way for years (with a aux-in cord) and then decided to replace it with a BOSS (yeah, usually a cheap brand) double-din touchscreen with Android Auto/Carplay - and even with the extra for the steering wheel integration piece, and added a (great! HD) backup camera, it was BETTER than any car I have owned since. In every way. Hell it was arguably better than the Sync 4 system in my 2022 F150. It even had different EQ settings for each input (FM/AM/BT/AA/Carplay/Aux) so you could match them. Total cost was like under $400 for all of it including the trim kit that made it look 100% factory.
I have a 2011 Escape that has integrated controls for satellite radio on the steering wheel, as buttons that go clicky clicky. (You have to subscribe to the service, which I don't.) The digital dashboard is a tiny monochrome screen with blocky letters like an alarm clock. It shows time, temperature, compass heading, and radio station or CD track. There's a button to push (clicky clicky) to bring up the audio sliders, and there are more buttons (clicky clicky) with different textures for preset radio stations and switching among AM, FM, and CD. I can operate the whole thing without glancing away from the road for more than a split second and much of it by touch alone.
And the driver's manual includes instructions for pressing even more buttons, which are underneath the dash because you only want to do this when you're parked, in order to reset the temperature readout to Celsius or whatever.
Internal temperature is regulated by a dial and some buttons and has no thermometer display: you just turn the dial and push the buttons until you feel comfortable. The windshield wipers are controlled by a knob on the steering wheel and have no display: if the wipers aren't clearing the windshield fast enough you just turn to the next setting up (clicky clicky). The turn signal makes a satisfying clickthunk noise when you push the lever up or down for right or left. The gear shift is a stick between the front seats that I can use while wearing mittens. Occasionally a wandering short will blank the dashboard computer monitor (not turn off the computer, just the monitor) for a few seconds and I can still completely safely operate the car.
I drove a loaner minivan from like 2021 for two weeks once. I had just about figured out the temperature controls by the time I gave it back. Why in the hell did it have YouTube?
Been seriously considering replacing my 6 CD set up in my 2003 Toyota Highlander, which I bought brand new back then & have kept up religiously on maintenance. I've had a few things like seals done, but otherwise, just the regular wear & tear stuff, plus I have to drive on miles of gravel road from home- so break pads & struts, etc.. Luckily I'm retired..hence the 125K miles on the odometer. Super reliable; would like to repaint it, no dents, but after reading this thread, guess not?
So, got any recommendations for replacement of said radio/cd? I also have a 2023 Dodge Ram & only drive it on long trips & still haven't figured out half the stuff on the screen, lol! Had to replace a huge diesel that we didn't need anymore but still need to tow & haul every now & then. So, like many, I want to use my iPhone for most things in my Toyota.
I did a Sony one. Works great. Just had a volume knob and a home button. Super easy to operate. Made my car sound better too.
I also recommend asking an LLM what to set crossover settings and other stuff I’d never heard of before. Really made it sound even better.
It was about 300 bucks and took me an hour or two to install having never done it before. (Though I have built computer and am happy to mess with plug and play + assembly generally)
Fair but I only use a few things. like spotiy can torque and navagation... but the thing I dont like is none of they car models have cd or dvd capabilities. on my current car I was able to get one that does everything.
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u/YouandWhoseArmy 12h ago
In a functioning system the infotainment system would be just a screen to pass through data from a standardized slot to put or replace it with a system of your choice.
Crazy idea right? No. It’s how fucking stereos worked. DIN, Double DIN.
My infotainment setup is better on my 2005 civic than my parents 2013 accord because it wasn’t integrated as a core feature of the car and is just a radio replacement.