Cool Fiesta SXi ICE

ascertain · 17th January 2009, 00:58

I drive a Ford Fiesta Duratorq 2007. It is a beautiful,dependable car, with the only gripe being the OEM HU which was a CD Player with 6-CD in dash changer.

This is what it looked like

I had to get over the matter of lugging around a gazillion CDs for trips, and so-decided to go in for an HU which would do MP3 CDs,USB Drives and the iPod. One thing I was particular about, was that the player had to be a 2 DIN, because of the fiesta interior cosmetics.

Searching google over a hundred times, I shortlisted models from Pioneer,Alpine and Blaupunkt. I was almost on the verge of paying for a Pioneer 2 DIN FH-P6050UB, when bang!- I happened to spot a gem on the Kenwood HU Universe- the Kenwood DPX MP5110 U.Two days later, and after extensive enquiries, I decided to buy it.One Team BHPian was very kind enough to procure the product, and give it to me for a very very good rate.

The Product arrived in due course, and after ripping apart the box wrapping in my excitement, I found the beautiful piece snug inside the packaging.

side

with remote (It's amply built

)

rear view

connector cables

Kenwood!

Now the issue of installation came up!- I called up the Ford service station, and they offered me the OEM MP3 HU for 10K. I told them I'd already purchased the HU, and then was told that the HU install would require a Fascia adapter which Ford did not make, so had to go in for a good installer elsewhere. Team BHP came to the rescue again.Thanks to all the members who provided the contacts of ICE installers in Bangalore. I chose Auto Fusion(Nr. Koramangala Club,Bangalore), and contacted Mr.Thouqeer and Mr.Anwar,who welcomed me to their garage for the install.

They told me that the removal of the HU would be a problem, and they did not have proper tools for it, but would give it a shot. Aftr talking to a contact at the Ford Service, He jotted down a few instructions for his employees, and supervised the install. I was complimented on my HU choice too, the quoting price in Bangalore was 15.5K (with B&W), I got it in grey for 9.5K (Huge difference).
The HU was finally removed, and a frame for the new fascia adapter was crafted in a span of 1 hour.

Post install pics

The most striking feature of the Kenwood DPX MP5110U is the 'Vario Color'. The display and the knob rims change colors frequently, and livens up the car (especially on night drives!

)

Here is what I am talking about

night drive pix coming up

ascertain · 17th January 2009, 01:05

Here is what I mean by 'pepping up the interiors on night drives'

My Old warrior (The previous ACD Player with 6-CDC)- now rests in its box, not knowing what fate holds in store -

Front

Rear

Bottom

Side

ascertain · 17th January 2009, 01:08

Next item on the list

cheers- any queries?- PM me!

abhibh · 17th January 2009, 01:10

Congrats ascertain bling bling HU there hehe

Any upgrades to the speakers ?

BTW any way to connect the 6CD Changer to this unit ? Most probably it wont be possible but still maybe some thing can be done.

frankmehta · 17th January 2009, 01:12

nice pictures!
quite keen to hear how the kenny measures up to the other HU's in the small 2 din range!
not too much of a fan of the flashing lights though. if i were you, i'd ASCERTAIN which colour suits the dash lights the best and keep it!
but its a matter of choice(and i didnt know where else i could use the 'ascertain' joke :-P)
anyways, your daughter has made the right choice. its absolutely VFM!
congrats and best of luck on the drives with her!

ascertain · 17th January 2009, 01:43

Yes!- It is pretty bling isn't it?

.. but does a great job keeping my kid & me entertained, and my wife in a relaxed frame of mind, rather than bopping me on the head if the kid starts crying because of the car horn!

I have not yet found out about the CD changer compatibility with this one particular HU yet. The Kenwood India website does mention a CD changer Unit though.Contacting the support is something I have been planning to do for some time now.

The Speakers are definitely on the future upgrade list- probably coming september.

ascertain · 17th January 2009, 01:49

Actually, The ford OEM speakers do a very good job with mid range sound playback. I am thinking of the upgrade just to see what it feels like. Since We play pop,rock,melodies in the car, have never felt the need for an amp or sub till now. The Ford speakers handle most treble levels very nicely, but there is definite reverberation on higher volumes of songs that are drum/beat intensive- but I guess it's only a problem if you want to blow the car open with loud music- heh!.

I am thinking of getting hold of rainbow speakers (secret kept from the master financier of my household!)

any suggestions on other brands?

ascertain · 17th January 2009, 01:53

YouTube - MOV00234 converted

might as well go all the way, and show off a video clip too.

yogi1771 · 17th January 2009, 02:32

Hi ascertain do check out Illusion speakers even with the stock H.U(6 cd changer) they sound good,I think they will sound even better with the kenwood H.U.

ascertain · 17th January 2009, 10:00

One curious point that the manager of the Ford service told me , was that most of the fiesta owners do not go in for an HU upgrade,I got this view verfied independently in Cochin & Bangalore when compared to the Ikon club. Can anyone think of any reason for this?

frankmehta · 17th January 2009, 14:00

because the integrated unit is well integrated in the console. the same reason why you didnt want to disturb aesthetics before tbhpians drilled all the blah about Sound quality and pre outs etc :-)
and most would be happy with a 6 CD changer in the dash which would deem it sufficient for those who dont care much about sound quality. its a decent head unit for those who dont want to make too many changes to their car.
also, i think they dont find the 2 din surround face plate, hence hesitate from making changes.

Bass&Trouble · 17th January 2009, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by ascertain

most of the fiesta owners do not go in for an HU upgrade,

If its with respect to the 2 DIN cd player featured here, some reasons in addition to what frankmehta has already pointed out are that the head unit sound is not as bad as a lot of other OEM head units, and the power output is also quite good. So if the upgrade is just going to involve replacement of the 4 stock speakers, one can live with the head unit. It doesn't however play mp3.

mukeshgoel · 19th January 2009, 17:35

I also got the same HU installed in my new Estlio on Saturday (17/01/2009). Went to get a Pioneer 5050 or something from the new Pioneer series. But at the back of my mind, I wanted a Dual DIN thing so asked for Pioneer 6050 and DPX-MP5510U. I had gone through this thread in the morning itself.

So all of a sudden, made up my mind and got it installed.

Excellent HU. Honestly I wanted SQ at par with my Civic OEM but eventually had it better with this Kenwood DPX-MP5510U, JBL 938 in rear parcel and Blaupunkt components at front. I am happy.

I wanted normal JBL co-axials GT5-652 for the front but ended with Blaupunkt components OEM (for Audi, Ford, Mitsubishi, Opel, Renault, VW). I already had bought JBL 938 for rear.

If you need pics I can upload them, I did not do it coz there are already lot of pics from ascertain. However, I have set it up to display a single blue colour and made the demo mode off. So it is not at all bling bling.

Make it bling bling takes only 5 seconds.

Just one thing which I am uncomfortable with, after coming back, I got to know that these Blaupunkt components are 5.25" whereas my car could accommodate 6" or maybe 6.5". That is only because I know it, if I listen to sound quality, that's amazing and totally forgettable. Overall very satisfied.

Edit: Ascertain, I playing even micro-SD in it. want to see the pics me doing it, I know you can yourself guess.

ascertain · 19th January 2009, 21:29

nice to hear that the thread did you good, and happier still to know that you liked the SQ.
It is one of the best in its price slab, how much did you get it for?, was it with B&W?.
The Pioneer 6050 was just too plain for my daughter 'n me

so the kenwood won.
Do post pics, so that others with different cars may benefit too.

Also please tell us about your micro-SD experience. card capacity?, which card reader.. etc.

I was on two minds on going in for a high capacity micro SD card, but if you say it's all fine- I'll go for it

ascertain · 21st January 2009, 13:07

I didn't have a clue as to who the OEM of Ford Audio systems was- until I popped open my own set, and discovered - 'SANYO' (visible in pix as well - top view label). Quite a surprise as I thought that Sanyo was no longer into this kind of stuff, or rather - never into the In car sound system thing- I always thought it was blau who made the system

17th January 2009, 00:58	#1
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	Cool Fiesta SXi ICE I drive a Ford Fiesta Duratorq 2007. It is a beautiful,dependable car, with the only gripe being the OEM HU which was a CD Player with 6-CD in dash changer. This is what it looked like I had to get over the matter of lugging around a gazillion CDs for trips, and so-decided to go in for an HU which would do MP3 CDs,USB Drives and the iPod. One thing I was particular about, was that the player had to be a 2 DIN, because of the fiesta interior cosmetics. Searching google over a hundred times, I shortlisted models from Pioneer,Alpine and Blaupunkt. I was almost on the verge of paying for a Pioneer 2 DIN FH-P6050UB, when bang!- I happened to spot a gem on the Kenwood HU Universe- the Kenwood DPX MP5110 U.Two days later, and after extensive enquiries, I decided to buy it.One Team BHPian was very kind enough to procure the product, and give it to me for a very very good rate. The Product arrived in due course, and after ripping apart the box wrapping in my excitement, I found the beautiful piece snug inside the packaging. side with remote (It's amply built ) rear view connector cables Kenwood! Now the issue of installation came up!- I called up the Ford service station, and they offered me the OEM MP3 HU for 10K. I told them I'd already purchased the HU, and then was told that the HU install would require a Fascia adapter which Ford did not make, so had to go in for a good installer elsewhere. Team BHP came to the rescue again.Thanks to all the members who provided the contacts of ICE installers in Bangalore. I chose Auto Fusion(Nr. Koramangala Club,Bangalore), and contacted Mr.Thouqeer and Mr.Anwar,who welcomed me to their garage for the install. They told me that the removal of the HU would be a problem, and they did not have proper tools for it, but would give it a shot. Aftr talking to a contact at the Ford Service, He jotted down a few instructions for his employees, and supervised the install. I was complimented on my HU choice too, the quoting price in Bangalore was 15.5K (with B&W), I got it in grey for 9.5K (Huge difference). The HU was finally removed, and a frame for the new fascia adapter was crafted in a span of 1 hour. Post install pics The most striking feature of the Kenwood DPX MP5110U is the 'Vario Color'. The display and the knob rims change colors frequently, and livens up the car (especially on night drives! ) Here is what I am talking about night drive pix coming up
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 01:05	#2
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	Night drive pix Here is what I mean by 'pepping up the interiors on night drives' My Old warrior (The previous ACD Player with 6-CDC)- now rests in its box, not knowing what fate holds in store - Front Rear Bottom Side
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 01:08	#3
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	Next on the list Next item on the list cheers- any queries?- PM me!
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 01:10	#4
abhibh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Back in the HOOD near you! Posts: 2,768 Thanked: 39 Times	Congrats ascertain bling bling HU there hehe Any upgrades to the speakers ? BTW any way to connect the 6CD Changer to this unit ? Most probably it wont be possible but still maybe some thing can be done.
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 01:12	#5
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	nice pictures! quite keen to hear how the kenny measures up to the other HU's in the small 2 din range! not too much of a fan of the flashing lights though. if i were you, i'd ASCERTAIN which colour suits the dash lights the best and keep it! but its a matter of choice(and i didnt know where else i could use the 'ascertain' joke :-P) anyways, your daughter has made the right choice. its absolutely VFM! congrats and best of luck on the drives with her!
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 01:43	#6
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	Specifics Yes!- It is pretty bling isn't it? .. but does a great job keeping my kid & me entertained, and my wife in a relaxed frame of mind, rather than bopping me on the head if the kid starts crying because of the car horn! I have not yet found out about the CD changer compatibility with this one particular HU yet. The Kenwood India website does mention a CD changer Unit though.Contacting the support is something I have been planning to do for some time now. The Speakers are definitely on the future upgrade list- probably coming september.
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 01:49	#7
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	Stock Actually, The ford OEM speakers do a very good job with mid range sound playback. I am thinking of the upgrade just to see what it feels like. Since We play pop,rock,melodies in the car, have never felt the need for an amp or sub till now. The Ford speakers handle most treble levels very nicely, but there is definite reverberation on higher volumes of songs that are drum/beat intensive- but I guess it's only a problem if you want to blow the car open with loud music- heh!. I am thinking of getting hold of rainbow speakers (secret kept from the master financier of my household!) any suggestions on other brands?
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 02:32	#9
yogi1771 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 697 Thanked: 15 Times	Hi ascertain do check out Illusion speakers even with the stock H.U(6 cd changer) they sound good,I think they will sound even better with the kenwood H.U.
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 10:00	#10
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	Strange One curious point that the manager of the Ford service told me , was that most of the fiesta owners do not go in for an HU upgrade,I got this view verfied independently in Cochin & Bangalore when compared to the Ikon club. Can anyone think of any reason for this?
	() Thanks

17th January 2009, 14:00	#11
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	because the integrated unit is well integrated in the console. the same reason why you didnt want to disturb aesthetics before tbhpians drilled all the blah about Sound quality and pre outs etc :-) and most would be happy with a 6 CD changer in the dash which would deem it sufficient for those who dont care much about sound quality. its a decent head unit for those who dont want to make too many changes to their car. also, i think they dont find the 2 din surround face plate, hence hesitate from making changes.
	() Thanks

19th January 2009, 17:35	#13
mukeshgoel Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 1,234 Thanked: 2,142 Times View My Garage	I also got the same HU installed in my new Estlio on Saturday (17/01/2009). Went to get a Pioneer 5050 or something from the new Pioneer series. But at the back of my mind, I wanted a Dual DIN thing so asked for Pioneer 6050 and DPX-MP5510U. I had gone through this thread in the morning itself. So all of a sudden, made up my mind and got it installed. Excellent HU. Honestly I wanted SQ at par with my Civic OEM but eventually had it better with this Kenwood DPX-MP5510U, JBL 938 in rear parcel and Blaupunkt components at front. I am happy. I wanted normal JBL co-axials GT5-652 for the front but ended with Blaupunkt components OEM (for Audi, Ford, Mitsubishi, Opel, Renault, VW). I already had bought JBL 938 for rear. If you need pics I can upload them, I did not do it coz there are already lot of pics from ascertain. However, I have set it up to display a single blue colour and made the demo mode off. So it is not at all bling bling. Make it bling bling takes only 5 seconds. Just one thing which I am uncomfortable with, after coming back, I got to know that these Blaupunkt components are 5.25" whereas my car could accommodate 6" or maybe 6.5". That is only because I know it, if I listen to sound quality, that's amazing and totally forgettable. Overall very satisfied. Edit: Ascertain, I playing even micro-SD in it. want to see the pics me doing it, I know you can yourself guess. Last edited by mukeshgoel : 19th January 2009 at 17:41.
	() Thanks

19th January 2009, 21:29	#14
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	welcome to the club mukeshgoel nice to hear that the thread did you good, and happier still to know that you liked the SQ. It is one of the best in its price slab, how much did you get it for?, was it with B&W?. The Pioneer 6050 was just too plain for my daughter 'n me so the kenwood won. Do post pics, so that others with different cars may benefit too. Also please tell us about your micro-SD experience. card capacity?, which card reader.. etc. I was on two minds on going in for a high capacity micro SD card, but if you say it's all fine- I'll go for it
	() Thanks

21st January 2009, 13:07	#15
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	Sanyo? I didn't have a clue as to who the OEM of Ford Audio systems was- until I popped open my own set, and discovered - 'SANYO' (visible in pix as well - top view label). Quite a surprise as I thought that Sanyo was no longer into this kind of stuff, or rather - never into the In car sound system thing- I always thought it was blau who made the system
	() Thanks