Big Blue: 2005 GMC Yukon Denali

[Jake]

Finally got the new wiring harness in for my head unit, and caught a break with the weather on Saturday morning to where it was warm enough for the install. I had already pulled everything apart once and soldered the Pioneer harness to the one PAC harness, only then discovering the second PAC harness was broken. So, this was mostly a matter of plugging some things in and making the wiring fit behind the dash.

The Gear

• Pioneer NEX-5000 head unit
  
• PAC RP5-GM11 adapter box & harnesses
  
• Some $18 reverse camera from Amazon

The Old Stuff
The head unit that came with the Denali was the GM "TNR" - for Touchscreen Navigation Radio. It was undoubtedly hot shit in 2005, but it's pretty substandard now. Navigation is DVD-based, and the UI is a pain to navigate. Plus, it's slow. The radio and CD UI could have been designed using WordArt. Not easy to add an iPod interface to the mix, no option for Bluetooth, just old and clunky.

Maps:


Navigating:


Radio (CD looked the same):


The New Hotness
I picked up this Pioneer unit at Sonic Electronix. It's factory refurbished, which I've had 100% luck with in the past, and I saved a ton of money compared to retail on a brand new one. It's still a current model, too.

So, the big deal with this guy is it supports Apple CarPlay. I tried it out and so far am underwhelmed - it's kind of slow and the graphics are not as high-resolution as I'd prefer. However, the standard Pioneer UI is excellent. It has its own mapping (NavTeq, which does maps for most OEMs) and can be updated using a USB flash drive or SD card.

It supports Bluetooth audio, two USB inputs, SD cards, CDs, AM/FM, video input (with HDMI, really), and a "second zone" which the Denali does have.

I ripped out my CD changer, since one disc in the Pioneer unit is proooobably going to be okay. I plan on buying the cubby hole that "lesser" GMT800s got in lieu of the changer and installing my trailer brake controller there, plus leaving the USB and aux input wires in said cubby.

The Denali has "Rear Seat Entertainment" (aka, RSE) which equates to a DVD player on the ceiling with wireless headphones, and controls on the center console for the second/third row to listen to a different source on the head unit than the front seats. So, I can have my iPod going up front, and Rex and DJ can be listening to Pitbull on Hot 99.5 in the second row using headphones. The PAC interface and this Pioneer both support that feature. And, if the whole truck wants to listen to Finding Nemo from that DVD player, the sound can be piped in to the speakers.

So far, the interface has been very user-friendly and easy to work with. I grounded the parking brake wire and found the special menu to futz with, which enables full functionality while moving. The PAC box is really neat, it ties in to the vehicle wiring harness (which the TNR also used) and tells the Pioneer your vehicle speed, if you're in reverse (good when I add the backup camera at a later date), and a few other bits of info. Plus, I didn't have to buy a separate adapter for my steering wheel controls. They worked through the PAC box. Literally solder, plug and play.

Home screen:


CarPlay home screen:


Maps:


Navigating:


Music playing:


Very happy with it so far. I have the backup camera but didn't have time to rip apart the interior to run the wires for it, and figure out mounting. Sometime soon.