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2017 vs. 2016 Opinions

tmg19103

Well-Known Member
Joined
February 12, 2014
Messages
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City, State
Philadelphia, PA
Year, Model & Trim Level
2011 XLT AWD
You know what, though? As good as Google navigation is, it only works when your phone has a signal. I live in Colorado, and there are still a lot of places up in the mountains where there is absolutely none. That's the only thing that keeps me from completely rejecting OEM navigation systems.

That is one downside, but it works when you lose signal if the route was set when you had signal. You are out of luck if you have no signal to begin with. Being in a major east coast corridor city, not a concern for me, but in the middle of Wyoming I can see the need for onboard nav.
 



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That is one downside, but it works when you lose signal if the route was set when you had signal. You are out of luck if you have no signal to begin with. Being in a major east coast corridor city, not a concern for me, but in the middle of Wyoming I can see the need for onboard nav.
Same argument in favor of satellite radio, which is really miserable in any other situation.
 






Google is close to offline nav, though.

Right now I can save a Google map of the entire Philly metro region (and any remote region I may choose) on my phone. If I have no signal, I can pull up the offline map and see where I am on the offline map by GPS and it shows you moving along the offline map.

Still, pretty useless as no turn-by-turn nav offline, but that is the next step for Google. They are looking to implement turn-by-turn offline.

Still can't top Google Nav where you have coverage. It's the best - and its free.
 






2017 eta?

do we have a good idea of when the 2017 is going to be available for delivery?
 






I found out yesterday that the top-tier audio system from the 2016 Platinum will be available on the 2017 Sport. That's another draw to the 2017, for me. I didn't feel like the Sony audio in the 2016 was quite as good as it should be.

That would have gotten me to wait. If I had known. Oh well. I'm enjoying it anyway.
 






I have yet to hear a stock audio system of any kind that sounds worth a damn.
The first thing I do is visit my local audio shop and rip out all of the paper speakers and weak amps, and replace it all with aftermarket quality audio.
Although most don't go to this extreme, my point is that moving up to get a better stock sound system is money not well spent. JMO.
Spend it on an aftermarket system.
 






I have yet to hear a stock audio system of any kind that sounds worth a damn.
The first thing I do is visit my local audio shop and rip out all of the paper speakers and weak amps, and replace it all with aftermarket quality audio.
Although most don't go to this extreme, my point is that moving up to get a better stock sound system is money not well spent. JMO.
Spend it on an aftermarket system.
That had also been my MO for years and years. But I'm beginning to find that the more modern and integrated these car computer systems are, the tougher it is to upgrade the audio. Gone are the days where we pull out the factory cassette deck and throw in an Alpine unit that precisely fits, running preamp outputs to an amp under the passenger seat and then to a couple sweet sets of Polk Audio speakers. Boy, that was fun. Most of the time, like with the Explorer, replacing the head unit at all is not even feasible.

I still usually upgrade speakers, especially the front door ones that are most important to me as the driver. Even the amps, which are usually the OEM component most in need of upgrade, can be tricky. They often get post-crossover signals from the head unit with all manner of signal processing, and the entertainment audio may or may not be coming into the amp via the same lines as the in-car chimes and stuff. And this is all setting aside all of the Saturday afternoons I used to spend stuffing myself under the dashboard of my cars making stuff work, time I no longer have, much.

It's just becoming more realistic to hope for a good-enough OEM unit.
 






That had also been my MO for years and years. But I'm beginning to find that the more modern and integrated these car computer systems are, the tougher it is to upgrade the audio. Gone are the days where we pull out the factory cassette deck and throw in an Alpine unit that precisely fits, running preamp outputs to an amp under the passenger seat and then to a couple sweet sets of Polk Audio speakers. Boy, that was fun. Most of the time, like with the Explorer, replacing the head unit at all is not even feasible.

I still usually upgrade speakers, especially the front door ones that are most important to me as the driver. Even the amps, which are usually the OEM component most in need of upgrade, can be tricky. They often get post-crossover signals from the head unit with all manner of signal processing, and the entertainment audio may or may not be coming into the amp via the same lines as the in-car chimes and stuff. And this is all setting aside all of the Saturday afternoons I used to spend stuffing myself under the dashboard of my cars making stuff work, time I no longer have, much.

It's just becoming more realistic to hope for a good-enough OEM unit.

Time or ambition?
I hear you. As a kid, I would be stripping the car down myself. Now, it sounds more like work:thumbdwn:

My wife's Denali has a GM Bose system, which is a total joke to me, but she's not complaining. Anyway, to upgrade it, the entire system needs to be junked and she's not an audio nut like me, so were sticking with it.

The new GMC 2500HD that I just bought did not have the Bose, so I was able to keep the head.. The rest of it was replaced because it was total junk. The Head is a POS, but the only acceptable replacement is from Alpine, which retails for $4,500.
I'll deal with the horribly slow processor in the stock head..

Ironically, the stock audiophile system in my 2008 Super Duty wasn't half bad.

Back on track... So, I've learned to be leary of taking the bait from an automaker when it comes to sound.
I doubt that I'll change out the system on this Explorer. If it were my full time vehicle, it would be at the sound shop before it came home.
 






MFT is not bad to use. It always gets beat up, but it really was not a bad system and of course now is showing its age. I have grown to like the MFT system with all of its quarks. I feel like the worse system I ever used was the iDrive system on BMW. It has finally been corrected in the last couple of years. For those of us that have had both vehicles you know what I am talking about.

The 500 watt system in the Platinum is pretty good. Still not great, but a vast improvement compared to the the premium system offered in the Sport or Limited.

I would not wait to buy if these things were the only reasons I was waiting. You will not be getting a huge upgrade based on SYNC3 and stereo...
 






MFT is not bad to use. It always gets beat up, but it really was not a bad system and of course now is showing its age. I have grown to like the MFT system with all of its quarks. I feel like the worse system I ever used was the iDrive system on BMW. It has finally been corrected in the last couple of years. For those of us that have had both vehicles you know what I am talking about.

The 500 watt system in the Platinum is pretty good. Still not great, but a vast improvement compared to the the premium system offered in the Sport or Limited.

I would not wait to buy if these things were the only reasons I was waiting. You will not be getting a huge upgrade based on SYNC3 and stereo...

I agree, but the Apple car play feature is the one thing that will make the system easier to use for the technically challenged, specifically my wife.

I'm one of the few who purchases, and not leases. Since time is not a problem, the reason I am waiting for a 17' simply revolves avoiding an extra year's worth of depreciation. It's so late, that buying a 16' now is the same as buying a one year old vehicle. I'm guessing that the depreciation number will be somewhere around a $3,000 to $4,500 loss. Unless there is a gigantic rebate on the horizon, it's simply not a good move it if timing isn't a problem.
 






I feel like the worse system I ever used was the iDrive system on BMW. It has finally been corrected in the last couple of years.
Indeed. I had a 2005 5 series, which was one of the first cars to have iDrive. It was silly and clunky; really it did so little that it didn't need to be there. And there were almost no physical buttons on the dashboard, with functions buried inside menus.

The iDrive in my 2013 5 series is vastly improved; one of the best MMI systems in the industry at this point.
 






MFT is not bad to use. It always gets beat up, but it really was not a bad system and of course now is showing its age. I have grown to like the MFT system with all of its quarks. I feel like the worse system I ever used was the iDrive system on BMW. It has finally been corrected in the last couple of years. For those of us that have had both vehicles you know what I am talking about.

The 500 watt system in the Platinum is pretty good. Still not great, but a vast improvement compared to the the premium system offered in the Sport or Limited.

I would not wait to buy if these things were the only reasons I was waiting. You will not be getting a huge upgrade based on SYNC3 and stereo...


Thanks. At this point, I have just a couple of job things to get sorted out and then plan to move on a new vehicle. We'll learn tomorrow what the new incentive package is (was 0%/60 or $1450, ends today).

I'm also probably a unique buyer. It will be bought on Z-plan. I plan to keep it for ~7 years, putting 200K+ miles on it. Locked in on a Platinum in one of four colors (Platinum White, Ruby Red, Guard, or Denim) with black leather and 2 seats in the second row. I'm not an audiophile (years of being around race cars and gun fire have wreaked havoc on my hearing), and having Apple Carplay would be a nice to have vs. need to have for me. So, I guess I'll just see what's available when I'm fully ready and the '16 vs. '17 decision will be made then.
 






There is one aftermarket company working on an upgrade to Apple Car Play for some stock units.
Whatever seems bad to some, can't hold a candle to GM's 2015 offerings. The System in our 2015 trucks must be powered by a Commodore 64 processor. It's maddening how unresponsive it is when trying to switch between songs. Sometimes it takes up to 20 seconds before the switch occurs. By then, I have hit the button twice, which sends the unit into a full blown tizzy.

This company http://autospatech.com/navi/general-motors/2014-gmc-sierra-factory-navigation-system-138.html offers a GM solution. They claim to fix the substandard processing, and to add ACP.
I haven't checked if there is a FMC solution, but anyone who may be interested should call.
 






The System in our 2015 trucks must be powered by a Commodore 64 processor.
Heh. Now there's a reference that will date a guy. ;)
 












Hey I had one of those back in the day. In fact I first started with a Vic 20...Now how is that for showing someones age...!!!
 






Hey I had one of those back in the day. In fact I first started with a Vic 20...Now how is that for showing someones age...!!!
I'll see your Vic 20 and raise you a TRS-80.
 






I'll see your Vic 20 and raise you a TRS-80.

OMG!!! I had totally forgotten about those days! And, Yes, I had a TRS-80 from Radio Shack, and then went to VIC20 and finally CMD 64....oh man that brings back memories of the early to mid 80s!

How about those stupid memory cartridges for them, and talk about a clunky floppy drive for the Trash80...did you have one of those? I think they cost as much or more than the computer!

I thought I had struck gold when I upgraded to a Gateway 2000!

Andy.
 






OK...so back on topic...

I'm holding out for a 2017 at this point. I still have my 2010 Expedition Limited, and it's still getting the job done, but I'm really ready for a new Platinum. My problem is down to color....Ruby Red or White.

Any suggestions or comments for my color issue?

Andy.
 



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OK...so back on topic...

I'm holding out for a 2017 at this point. I still have my 2010 Expedition Limited, and it's still getting the job done, but I'm really ready for a new Platinum. My problem is down to color....Ruby Red or White.

Any suggestions or comments for my color issue?

Andy.

Ruby Red!
 






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