Has Chrysler bounced ahead of the competition with its new infotainment system? Yes and no. Recently, we got a hold of a MyGIG-equipped vehicle and investigated what the new multimedia system had to offer.
First, let's cover some background. MyGIG is a double-DIN head unit with a 6.5-inch touchscreen display that offers navigation with real-time traffic, hands-free communication, a USB port, hard-drive storage and playback, as well as a jukebox function. On the entertainment front, the system allows for photo viewing and stores your favorite picture on screen, like a screen saver, while playing music from satellite radio, AM/FM radio, CD/DVD, a 20 gigabyte hard disc drive, jukebox or a portable music player. MyGIG has been released in three vehicles in 2007, with the system showing up in more models for the 2008 model year. Listed as optional equipment, the MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment Radio with Navigation will list at a semi-steep price of $1,700, which includes Sirius satellite traffic service for one year.
Put On Your Reading Glasses
With all the hoopla we'd heard about MyGIG, we were surprised that nowhere in our test vehicle did the name "MyGIG" appear, which prompted us to look at the owner's manual to make sure the car did have a MyGIG system. The only information we found using this name was a page in the navigation manual that directs users to go to the MyGIG website for downloads. The infotainment system is not the sort of head unit you can just play around with for five minutes and have it all figured out. So, after reviewing sections of the manual, we were ready to test the MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment System.
Voice And Touch Controls
The system uses hard keys, which are located on the left and right sides of the head unit's screen, as well as soft keys, which are located on the actual display via the touchscreen. Both the hard keys and soft keys are easy to see and make contact with while driving without being a distraction. However, if you are a driver who is easily distracted, the system has a voice dialogue system, which recognizes more than 100,000 words, and has the capability of learning and growing. One can change from listening to the radio to a CD, and then forward or rewind a track on the CD, all by voice. The speech dialogue system and voice-recognition system controls AM/FM/SAT, disc player, navigation, HDD storage, and acts as a memo recorder. In case you have an accent or speech impediment, MyGIG has a voice-training system included that allows it to learn your speech pattern.
Navigating The Daily Commute
The navigation can be operated by touchscreen or voice-activated input, and the map views are available in 2D or 3D. GPS fixes the vehicle's position on the map data that is stored on the hard drive. Software and database for the maps can be downloaded from www.chrysler.com/mygig onto your computer, saved on a USB stick, and plugged directly into the USB 2.0 port located on the front panel of the head unit. The system also uses a gyroscope and a vehicle speed sensor, so the navigation information remains reliable if the GPS signal is interrupted.
The navigation hard key directs to a menu of soft keys, which include selections such as destination entry, and recent destinations. As we pressed the "Where am I now?" soft key, the system provided the latitude, longitude, and elevation, plus provided nearby points of interests. The other two noteworthy options were emergency information, which would provide the closest hospitals, police stations, and fire departments, and the record-new trail button, which would record a trail in an area where no map is available. This is especially useful if you are off-roading. It records a breadcrumb trail to help you find your way back to a road on the map.