Journey41 Posted April 12, 2014 Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 We are currently looking for a new vehicle and we have tried everything in the segment that includes the DJ. This week we tested the 2014 DJ-R/T. It was early morning and we went to the local dealer and due to a call the day before he had the vehicle ready for us. It was a cool morning so he had the vehicle running to get it warmed up. Also had the seats and steering wheel turned on. We left the dealership and headed for our test drive. I have a test drive set out that includes 15 miles of highway @ 60 mph and then a return via the old hwy which has a very rough surface and bad road seams. We then have a route through the city which includes a lot of stop and go situations. Well the vehicle was nicely warmed up and we headed out on the hwy. The temp was getting too warm so we touched the screen to lower the heat. When I touched the screen it went black! Pulled over but could not get the screen to come back on. As a result we could not figure out how to lower heat on the seats. Also could not adjust the mode of the air direction etc. Turned back to dealer and he could not figure out what happened. Gave us another vehicle and we headed out again. This time everything worked and we completed out test. However it made me ask the question in regards to the screen going black how do you then control the heat, seats, steering wheel, air direction etc . In regards to the vehicle performance it rode really well and the wind noise was not present. Seats I found were comfortable and the road noise was non-existent. The 8.4 screen in the replacement vehicle was very bright and the graphics were excellent. However I feel that the lack of backup controls for seat warmers, air direction and wheel heat are a weakness here. The other vehicles we tested with similar screens, (Ford, GM, Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia) all had back up buttons to make these adjustments in the event of failure. The overall aesthetics of the DJ are okay and they give the DJ a distinct look which separates it from the other bland looking CUVs. It is getting long in the tooth however and needs an update which is apparently in the schedule for 2016. The next weakness I found was the cargo area. We are golfers and found that the clubs did not fit between the wheel wells. This is due to fact I believe that Chrysler finishes the wheel wells in order to accommodate the third seat if opted for. This takes away from the width. I was surprised that with the size of the DJ this was a factor. However there are only two vehicles I this entire segment of CUVs that do have this width and they are the 2014 SFS and the Kia Sorento. Overall I was impressed with the vehicle in regards to performance, comfort and options for the price. One thing that I was warned about in this forum was if you are looking for fuel economy then look at something other than the DJ especially if AWD is your requirement. I would have to agree computer to monitor mpg.here. Now I know this vehicle is new but so were all the other we tested. Before going out on the hwy I reset the computer to monitor the mpg and it showed 12.5 L/100KM. @ 90 km/hr. (55 mph - 18.8 mpg US) That is about 3 L/100KM higher than the competition. During city stop and go it showed 14 L/100KM.(16 mpg US) Also higher than others we have tested. Talked to a gentleman yesterday about his DJ-R/T 2013 and he indicated that the readings I got were close to his with the winter fuel being used here currently. He too was disappointed with his mileage and he had 20K on his vehicle. He felt the AWD in this vehicle was the culprit in the fuel economy as his brother has the 2013 Crew with FWD V6 and he is getting much better mileage. The lack of control due to loss of screen was a concern and I know it would be a major concern if my wife was driving alone in the winter. Now maybe there is a work around which is know to owners but with not having any knowledge of the vehicle we could not find it. Lack of cargo space is also a concern in regards to the golf clubs. I could see if travelling maybe putting the luggage on bottom and then putting the clubs on top would give enough height to clear the side well covering but this is not a preferable way to accommodate. Anyway that is just my observations on my test drive. Have any of you ever experienced a screen black out. If you have is there any way to make the adjustments manually without the screen in regards to seat heat, steering wheel and mode. Back to the test drives. Although not sure what we will test as we have already tried the; Hyundai SFS, Kia Sorento, Ford Edge, Chevy Equinox, Nissan Rouge, Mazda C5, Toyota Highlander, Rav4, Nissan Murano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryl Posted April 12, 2014 Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 The dials below the screen didnt work either? Maybe they changed the setup but my 13 has dials that also control the heat air etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey41 Posted April 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 Yes we found the two buttons with arrows which adjusted the heat up or down and the dial that controlled the fan speed but the windows were fogging up and we could not change the "Mode" to direct air onto the windshield. My wife then noticed the button under the screen that indicated "Heat" and a picture that looked like windshield. We activated that and it helped. However the seats were getting pretty warm and we could not turn off them or the wheel heat? I have researched this on the web and found out that this is one of the problems that some of the owners are finding in regards to the screen. They feel that maybe Chrysler has put too much (seats, wheel, mode) on the touch screen. I loved the Uconnect in the second vehicle but this would be a concern if it ever blacked out like that and my wife was alone in the vehicle. Never did hear from the dealer as to why this happened? Sometimes we get to reliant on these new technologies and when they don't operate as designed we are in a bad situation. Maybe just a fuse or something but quite alarming just the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted April 12, 2014 Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 There have been a few with blackouts, but very intermittent. Certainly not a common theme on this forum. Mind did blackout once soon after I got it. A restart corrected it. Has never happened since. Best of luck with whatever you decide on. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowDuck Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 There is definitely a hard button for front defrost, and of course also to control the fan speed. So far have never had a screen blackout. Agree that fuel efficiency is not great but the car also has way more power than something like a CX-5 (plus of course much more space). On our RT we are now typically getting 10.5 l / 100 km, but that is with at least 2/3 highway miles. I am curious why you would cross shop the Rogue and Highlander but skip over the Pathfinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey41 Posted April 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 There is definitely a hard button for front defrost, and of course also to control the fan speed. So far have never had a screen blackout. Agree that fuel efficiency is not great but the car also has way more power than something like a CX-5 (plus of course much more space). On our RT we are now typically getting 10.5 l / 100 km, but that is with at least 2/3 highway miles. I am curious why you would cross shop the Rogue and Highlander but skip over the Pathfinder. Really do not like the look of the Pathfinder. ! Looks more like a station wagon than a CUV. Also like the Highlander it is a three row vehicle and we do not have the need for that option. One of the reasons we dropped the Highlander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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