Two Months new ownership thoughts

1117 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Hamsquatch, 1 mo ago

wvhemis

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

So this coming weekend we will have had our Durango for two months now and I wanted to share some of our likes and dislikes.
Likes...

The ride is pretty good (nice actually) you know you have an SRT suspension under you as it will transmit rough roads but the trade-off for the planted feeling is worth it.
The power, yep I know it is not an HCDD but still the 392 can move you through traffic with authority. The 8-speed is a big upgrade over the NAG5 we had in the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.
Most of the technology is pretty good as well. We had Adaptive Cruise, Lane Change and Cross Path, and Emergency Braking in the GC SRT but the addition of lane change assist and better parking technology are welcome additions.
Additional space with three-row seating is a welcome addition

Dislikes -

No puddle lights... what the heck our 2012 GC had these I can't believe a SUV 10 years newer does not have these
The wonky parts of the FU connect can be annoying, the wife lost her voice command for the phone and she has not had the time to problem solve the issue
Interior lighting leaves a little to be desired could be brighter
HK Stereo does not seem to be as good as it was in the GC. I have not taken the time to dig into this so maybe with some time spent working on the system I can make it better. The bass does not seem to have the power we had in the GC
No locking fuel door sucks, the push to release is a PITA
Loss of the spare tire was a huge disappointment with no rebate and I paid for the stupid thing I want my spare tire!! Now I am going to have to pay out of my own pocket to get one.
No option for HUD, 360 camera is a bummer but we can live without it.

Conclusion; As some of you know when the build for our 2022 DDSRT got into the 9th & 10th month I really started having second thoughts on if we should buy this or move on to something else. Now that we have had it for the first 60 days I am happy we stuck it out. We placed our order with Koon's on 03/17/2022 and took delivery on 01/27/2023, so almost 11 months. There are rumors that the 5.7 DD and 6.4 DD are going to survive into 2024 but I don't know how the new body on frame is going to compare to our uni-body design. It may in fact be an upgrade but only time will tell.

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DDC

· #2 · 2 mo ago

wvhemis said:
So this coming weekend we will have had our Durango for two months now and I wanted to share some of our likes and dislikes.
Likes...

The ride is pretty good (nice actually) you know you have an SRT suspension under you as it will transmit rough roads but the trade-off for the planted feeling is worth it.

The power, yep I know it is not an HCDD but still the 392 can move you through traffic with authority. The 8-speed is a big upgrade over the NAG5 we had in the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.

Most of the technology is pretty good as well. We had Adaptive Cruise, Lane Change and Cross Path, and Emergency Braking in the GC SRT but the addition of lane change assist and better parking technology are welcome additions.

Additional space with three-row seating is a welcome addition

Dislikes -

No puddle lights... what the heck our 2012 GC had these I can't believe a SUV 10 years newer does not have these

The wonky parts of the FU connect can be annoying, the wife lost her voice command for the phone and she has not had the time to problem solve the issue

Interior lighting leaves a little to be desired could be brighter

HK Stereo does not seem to be as good as it was in the GC. I have not taken the time to dig into this so maybe with some time spent working on the system I can make it better. The bass does not seem to have the power we had in the GC

No locking fuel door sucks, the push to release is a PITA

Loss of the spare tire was a huge disappointment with no rebate and I paid for the stupid thing I want my spare tire!! Now I am going to have to pay out of my own pocket to get one.

No option for HUD, 360 camera is a bummer but we can live without it.

Conclusion; As some of you know when the build for our 2022 DDSRT got into the 9th & 10th month I really started having second thoughts on if we should buy this or move on to something else. Now that we have had it for the first 60 days I am happy we stuck it out. We placed our order with Koon's on 03/17/2022 and took delivery on 01/27/2023, so almost 11 months. There are rumors that the 5.7 DD and 6.4 DD are going to survive into 2024 but I don't know how the new body on frame is going to compare to our uni-body design. It may in fact be an upgrade but only time will tell.

@wvhemis I'm glad that you're overall liking your DDSRT. on the topic of the HK stereo, below is a post where we really dug into the EQ settings and what it does for the HK sound. the short version is once I set my EQ to Bass: -4 Midrange: +5 and Treble: +2 the HK really came to life.

lots more details in the posts. the really important setting is the Midrange: +5. some members agreed with me on the sound, some didn't agree. I encourage you to read over the posts and use those EQ settings as a start and then tune to your personal preference.

Harman Kardon correct EQ settings (Alpine also) - try these

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CaptMoe

· #3 · 2 mo ago

@wvhemis the BOF rumor is just that so far, a rumor. Don't hold your breath.

The EQ settings were already addressed above. UConnect quirks can usually be resolved by resetting the system. Unfortunately for many of us, that became a weekly thing, at a minimum.
The "missing" tech is really annoying as the DD is basically the same vehicle as the GC. Maybe they wanted the GC to feel more upscale in comparison. But even my wife's KIA Telluride has stuff that the DD omits.

Hope you're able to continue enjoying it.

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63gearhead

· #4 · 2 mo ago

DDC said:
@wvhemis I'm glad that you're overall liking your DDSRT. on the topic of the HK stereo, below is a post where we really dug into the EQ settings and what it does for the HK sound. the short version is once I set my EQ to Bass: -4 Midrange: +5 and Treble: +2 the HK really came to life.

lots more details in the posts. the really important setting is the Midrange: +5. some members agreed with me on the sound, some didn't agree. I encourage you to read over the posts and use those EQ settings as a start and then tune to your personal preference.

Harman Kardon correct EQ settings (Alpine also) - try these

I really enjoy the HK with these settings. For you old school rockers try listening to Stairway to Heaven (Sunset Sound Mix). It will raise the hair on the back of your neck…..

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DDC

· #5 · 2 mo ago

63gearhead said:
I really enjoy the HK with these settings. For you old school rockers try listening to Stairway to Heaven (Sunset Sound Mix). It will raise the hair on the back of your neck…..

Stairway to Heaven, Ramble On, In the Air Tonight... the old school stuff almost all sounds excellent with these settings.

I play 90's music a lot as well and those songs are smooth as well.

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S8ER01Z

· #6 · 2 mo ago

The really great thing about Uconnect 5 is you get to custom tune your EQ every time you drive your vehicle since it’s resetting to default each time. 😂

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wvhemis

Discussion Starter · #7 · 2 mo ago

DDC said:
@wvhemis I'm glad that you're overall liking your DDSRT. on the topic of the HK stereo, below is a post where we really dug into the EQ settings and what it does for the HK sound. the short version is once I set my EQ to Bass: -4 Midrange: +5 and Treble: +2 the HK really came to life.

lots more details in the posts. the really important setting is the Midrange: +5. some members agreed with me on the sound, some didn't agree. I encourage you to read over the posts and use those EQ settings as a start and then tune to your personal preference.

Harman Kardon correct EQ settings (Alpine also) - try these

I read your post last night. Great information, thanks for sharing!

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Hamsquatch

· #8 · 1 mo ago

wvhemis said:
So this coming weekend we will have had our Durango for two months now and I wanted to share some of our likes and dislikes.

Dislikes -

HK Stereo does not seem to be as good as it was in the GC. I have not taken the time to dig into this so maybe with some time spent working on the system I can make it better. The bass does not seem to have the power we had in the GC

We had the "Beats" OE system in our 18 Charger SP, an (not gonna say "the", cause I don't know if our example was identical fleet-wide to different vehicle models) Alpine OE system in our 19 KL Trailhawk, and the HK OE system in our Challenger SP WB. And disclaimer here, in that I'm admittedly a loony audio snob of sorts from way, way back LOL- a musician, and I was into all kinds of floor standers, like 901s to everything Klipsch and CV during the glorious 70s-90s.

Of these three OE systems, in my purely subjective opinion, the Beats system was by far the worst sounding - I just could never get any quality balance in its sound no matter the adjustments or levels. Conjecture here, but perhaps it was geared more toward rap or hiphop genres, and I'm mostly a rock dude.

Conversely the Alpine system was a pleasure because IMO it sounded great at ALL volume levels. It was not the most powerful system, but IMO with proper adjustment I got a beautiful, balanced, clear sound at both conversation level playing, and at thump the car with the sub levels.

IMO the OE HK in our WB is by far the most complex . I can get a good, but not stellar, sound at low to moderate volumes. However, IMO it REALLY shines at high to stupid high volume levels only. For me, it did require a bit of adjustment tweaking and experimenting to get it to my liking, and I've since accepted that, again for me, it's only gonna be truely magnificent when really, really loud. Our HK actually provides the strongest or most intense bass of the three systems, too. It just seems, to my ears, the HK has to be driven fairly hard to reveal its impressive capabilities.

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