1500

Make
Ram
Segment
Sports Car

Intuitive, progressive, and housed on large touchscreens, Fiat Chrysler's Uconnect infotainment is among our favorite systems on the market. It even allows drivers to pay for fuel and other items without even getting out of the car. Yet the carmaker isn't resting on its laurels, having announced in 2019 that it would be making the system even better with a new Android-powered connected interface. That moment has now come.

FCA has today introduced its new Uconnect 5 Global Platform, which will be rolling out to Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles in the near future. The system will be optimized for FCA's 8.4-inch screen, like the one pictured on the Jeep Grand Cherokee (below), and the 12.3-inch screen on the Ram 1500 (below). Uconnect 5 will pack a ton of new features, making an already great infotainment system even better.

Some of the new features include wireless for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as Amazon Alexa virtual assistant, which can work in the car or from your home. Owners can ask their home Alexa to start the car, lock/unlock the doors, and more. Once they get in the car, Alexa can play podcasts and music, add items to a to-do list, check the weather, and perform thousands of other skills. Even if you don't have Alexa, Uconnect 5 also includes natural voice recognition with a wake-up command such as, "Hey Chrysler, change the temperature to 70 degrees."

In other unique addition, FCA says its new system can connect to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, a task that is normally impossible in most cars. Drivers can even set priority to one device for navigation, phone, music selection, and text messages. Speaking of navigation, Uconnect 5 uses an updated TomTom navigation system with tons of new features.

Of course, car infotainment is fast-moving, so FCA will ensure Uconnect stays up-to-date at all times. Like Tesla, the system supports over-the-air updates powered by a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. FCA has even included the capability for 5G when it becomes more readily available. FCA didn't provide a specific timetable for the Uconnect 5 rollout but says it will debut in a new vehicle in 2020. Expect to see a rollout to other FCA vehicles sometime this year.