Back in November, I looked at Fiat Chrysler’s Uconnect infotainment system and CarPlay integration in the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan, discovering a pretty positive user experience that incorporates CarPlay into Uconnect almost seamlessly. This seamlessness is thanks to an 8.4-inch Uconnect display that keeps a top status bar and a bottom menu bar always visible for easy navigation.
FCA isn’t stopping at an 8.4-inch display, however, as the company’s 2019 Ram 1500 offers a larger 12.3-inch portrait display as an optional upgrade. I had the opportunity to spend some time with a Ram 1500 Laramie, so I thought I’d share my impressions of this large portrait display.
Disconnect on the big screen
Given my previous look at the Uconnect 4, I wouldn’t spend much time on the infotainment system in general, except for the unique difference in the larger display. Suffice it to say, I found the Uconnect to be one of the better infotainment systems out there, and its fixed position and menu bars at the top and bottom of the screen make it easy to transition between functions. The interface is relatively clean and easy to use, and performs various functions well.
When it comes to the Ram 1500’s hardware, it’s impossible to miss the 12.3-inch portrait display with rich, vibrant colors. It dominates the entire center stack of the car with only a selection of hardware knobs, buttons and switches.
You might think that a large 12-inch rectangle of glass can create a significant amount of glare, and in certain situations with direct sunlight it can be a bit of a problem. It’s not really enough to make the screen hard to see, but it’s noticeable at times. The display is also a bit like the fingerprint magnet you might expect, but again, they’re usually not too noticeable in person unless you’re in the right lighting.
What the large portrait display allows for Uconnect is a choice between a unified single app interface or what is essentially a pair of 7.5-inch displays stacked on top of each other. Regardless of the setup you choose, the top and bottom status and menu bars remain visible
The single app view may be a bit overkill for some functions, but it allows for large, easy-to-hit buttons and an impressively expansive map view. I generally found the split-screen interface more useful, allowing, for example, navigation and audio functions to be viewed in full at the same time.
Configuring the split-screen display is as simple as hitting the home icon in the top left corner and then choosing what you want to display on the top and bottom cards from the five available options: Media, Comfort, Navigation, Phone and SiriusXM Travel Link, which Offers data like neighborhood gas prices, game scores for your favorite team, and more.
If you want to swap the positions of your two screens, there is an icon in the upper left corner of the bottom card that will do this. And the bottom menu bar remains active to easily enter a full-screen app, for example.
carplay
CarPlay – By itself isn’t designed to be used on a large portrait display, so when using CarPlay you’re limited to the split-screen Uconnect interface, which allows you to simultaneously display a Uconnect app for convenient access to vehicle systems outside of CarPlay. . While Uconnect usually lets you swap the top and bottom app cards, CarPlay is limited to the top card, so you can’t customize that layout.
The CarPlay interface, especially the maps, can start to feel a bit cramped on smaller screens, but thankfully the Ram 1500’s display is large enough that even in split-screen mode you still have 7.5-inches of screen dedicated to CarPlay. Typical infotainment display range.
This setup has some hiccups with the integration of CarPlay and Uconnect, driven largely by the fact that the systems are designed to only allow one of each app to be open at the same time. For example, you understandably can’t run Apple Maps and Uconnect navigation at the same time, because you’ll end up with a confusing conflict of information. Similarly, the system is designed so that you cannot access your phone through ‘CarPlay’ and Uconnect Bluetooth setup at the same time.
These restrictions are present in all car infotainment systems, but they’re a little different on the Ram 1500’s portrait display as it’s one of the few systems that lets you see ‘CarPlay’ and a full native infotainment app at the same time.
The result is that if you activate CarPlay, it fills the top app card in the system and still offers the full set of app options for the bottom card, but if you tap Navigation or Phone, it only activates Apple Maps or Phone. Bring up the app on the ‘CarPlay’ screen instead of bringing up the Uconnect versions on the card below. It’s not a huge deal, but it takes some getting used to when things don’t react the way you expect
Like the Pacifica Hybrid and other Uconnect vehicles, there’s no “Ram” icon on the CarPlay’ home screen to take you back to the Uconnect system, thanks to a menu bar at the bottom of Uconnect that lets you easily enter and exit CarPlay controls from anywhere. You are in the system.
Both Uconnect and CarPlay can of course be controlled via voice using a button on the steering wheel, with a short press bringing up the Uconnect voice assistant or a long press bringing up Siri.
Finally, while CarPlay is best controlled via the touchscreen, you can also control it using the hardware scroll/enter knob on the right side of the display. As with other knob-based control systems, the CarPlay system isn’t as easy to navigate as it is through direct touch manipulation, but if you prefer a more tactile input method, the option is there.
Climate control
While the Uconnect offers access to comprehensive climate controls via the touchscreen, FCA has thankfully retained hardware buttons on the left and right sides of the display to control the most commonly used climate control options.
Adjusting the temperature via hardware buttons, for example, briefly pops up a temperature display on top of your existing screen content rather than exiting entirely to Uconnect’s full climate control app.
Ports and charging
As a work truck, the Ram 1500 surprisingly has several available power ports scattered throughout the cabin, including a 12V power port above the dash and two 115V conventional power outlets, one under the center stack and one behind the center console.
The Ram 1500 has no dearth of USB ports with USB-A and USB-C variants. The center stack has two easily accessible sets of ports, each set containing one USB-A and one USB-C port. Either set can be used to connect to the Uconnect system, including for CarPlay.
Rear passengers get two more sets of USB-A and USB-C ports, with one set allowing UConnect/CarPlay access while the second is for charging only. Inside the lid compartment of the center console is a single USB-A port with Uconnect/CarPlay access – if you want to hide your phone and cables completely.
My test car included a Qi wireless charger underneath the center stack. A rubber holder holds the phone upright and pressed against the vertical charger, a blue light lets you know your phone is charging. Its low position in the center stack means you won’t be able to see your phone’s screen while driving, but it’s better not to be looking at your phone anyway.
Wireless CarPlay – Not supported on the Ram 1500 or any Uconnect system, so you’ll need a Lightning to USB (Type-A or Type-C) cable to connect things. The rubbery phone holder in the center stack can hold a second phone to the right of the Qi charger, though larger phones with cable tangles can get in the way of some toggle switches for parking sensors.
wrap up
The 12-inch portrait display available on the Ram 1500 is a rare feature among automotive infotainment systems, and it makes an impressive appearance when you first encounter it. Being able to see two full-size app screens simultaneously is certainly handy, though few other manufacturers have managed to get away with nearly as much functionality packed into a split 75/25 widescreen display.
I appreciated that Ram retained the hardware buttons for the most important climate control options, as well as the volume and tune/scroll knobs for those times when you want to change by feel. And I really like how Uconnect makes it easy to access frequently used functions through a customizable menu bar at the bottom of the screen.
More than that, like the Pacifica, I love the way CarPlay feels so integrated into Uconnect, making it incredibly easy to jump back and forth between the two systems. The split-screen portrait display helps integrate things further by giving you access to both systems without even needing to switch.
Yes, “CarPlay” introduces some features that take over some of the functions of the traditional infotainment system, made more apparent by the dual app screen that lets you interact with both systems simultaneously. But overall, it’s a net positive.
I still have some concerns about the shift towards increasingly large touchscreens in vehicles, which can make it harder to shift by feel and take your eyes off the road for long periods of time. A portrait display magnifies these problems by bringing significant portions of the display below the center stack and out of the driver’s line of sight. I would have appreciated it if the display could have been moved to the top of the stack to minimize this problem as much as possible.
pricing
The 2019 Ram 1500 starts at $31,795 for the Tradesman trim, but it only comes with a 5-inch Uconnect 3 infotainment system that doesn’t support ‘CarPlay’. If you want ‘CarPlay’, you’ll need to step up to at least the second-level Big Horn/Lone Star trim with the Level 1 equipment group which bumps up to an 8.4-inch Uconnect 4 system, bringing the total up to one. Over $40,000.
The 12-inch Portrait Display reviewed here requires the minimum Laramie trim Plus Level 1 equipment group and the 12-inch display upgrade, tipping the scales at a little over $44,000. You can of course add all sorts of other upgrades to the Ram 1500, with my tester coming in around $55,000 and a maxed out Limited model coming in at over $65,000.
Pickup trucks like the Ram 1500 have to meet a wide range of needs, so they’re usually highly customizable with a variety of options in different price ranges, and the Ram 1500 is certainly no exception. It would be nice if the 12-inch display system could be an option on lower-level trims for tech-heavy users who may not need any other upgrades as you move up the trim chart, but it’s definitely limited to higher vehicle trims for top-end technology. It is not uncommon to have
