This article is part of the GM Authority Mailbag series, where the GM Authority Crew features and replies to your questions, comments, and observations.
The following comes to us from Don:
I am very upset. I was in a month ago to buy a new Equinox and was just about to sign the papers, when I said I could not wait to play my CD of Dean Martin hits, and was told there is no CD player, I said then get me one with it, and was told THERE ARE NO MORE CD PLAYERS, only MP3.
I am 60 years old, I have a simple flip phone cell. why in da world and who’s stupid idea was it to stop making trucks with no CD player?
They are gonna lose a lot of customers?
Pastor Don S.
Don,
We appreciate you writing in with this. Truth be told, if CD players are not a thing of the past already, they will be very soon — much like 8-tracks, audio cassette tapes, VHS, Mini Disks, and pretty much all other forms of physical media. What’s more, GM (Chevrolet) aren’t the only ones who have or are in the process of removing CD players from their vehicles.
Interior photo of the 2016 Chevy Equinox, which features a seven-inch-diagonal Color Touch radio with Bluetooth phone connectivity) and rear-vision camera on L and LS models as standard equipment
Now, we realize that the above probably doesn’t help much, if at all, so we would earnestly recommend getting a smartphone, loading up any and all music you own onto it, and enjoying it without the hassle of ejecting, looking for, and then inserting CDs. Instead, all of your songs will now be in one convenient location on one device, freeing you from the hassle of carrying around CD cases, folders, or binders, or from the perils of losing or damaging those precious, thin circles. But it gets even better with a good smartphone.
Consider that you got yourself an iPhone, arguably the most user-friendly smartphone on the market. Then you would, for instance, be capable of using Siri Eyes Free by pressing and holding the push-to-talk button on the steering wheel of the Chevy Equinox you almost purchased to tell the iPhone to play those Dean Martin songs. And if you want to hear a specific song by a specific artist but simply don’t have it on your iPhone, then the iPhone can use (the affordable) Apple Music to play it. And we should mention that all that happens using Bluetooth Audio, meaning that you never have to plug in your phone. Once you have gone through the one-time parading process, all you need to do is just get in your car and enjoy your tunes. It’s honestly that simple.
The cover of Dean Martin’s “This Time I’m Swingin” compact disk (CD)
All in all, we’re not telling you to geek out and learn the JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and Objective C programming languages (though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that if you do; in fact, more power to you). Rather, we simply recommend embracing those parts of modern technology that can truly improve your life. Swapping out your flip phone for a good smartphone is a good way to start doing just that, if not for improving your life, then simply due to the fact that CD players in new vehicles will soon become as rare non-existent as carburetors.
Comments
This can’t be a legitimate complaint
Unfortunately…
I did not know there was no cd. I nearly returned the car because of this. If I did not get some 6k in discounts it would back on the Chevy lot. I will not buy another car without a CD player. MP3 players suck…
Then you better think about buy something before 2019 cause everything after that new doesn’t come with a CD player anymore and isn’t even an option
I agree. I bought a 2017 Equinox and it has no CD player. This is a terrible decision on the manufacturer’s part. So many people prefer CDS to these newer formats.
I am like you….Most did not have one but I found a 2011 in excellent shape that did. I have a ton of CDs and am not going to take hours to put them on an MP3 player or subscribed to some music app and bluetooth through my phone.
i too was quite upset when i got the 2021 equinox and there was no cd player. I have invested thousands of dollars in cds that i like…. i want my cds when i want them to put in my vehicle. Only the higher models apparently have them but that should of been told. I too would not have purchased vehicle if it did not have it and to top it off no sunglass case…. i thought all vehicles had sunglass case. there is actually a place you can tell where it is suppose to go. I asked when i got vehicle and they said only in higher end. like seriously how much does that really cost them. This is my first chevy purchase but i feel it will be my last. I do not want to hear it is a thing of the past for the cds. if i want it it should be there. I do not want to pay to download music or listen to commercials i want to press a button once my cd is in to whatever song i want….. i am so not impressed at all with this vehicle for at least these two reasons and i just got mine 1 week ago. Just not impressed
Then why did you buy the car then? Chevy has plenty of photos of the interior on the Equinox website. You just didn’t do your research very well.
Why is there always a “Howard” that second-guesses everything people say? This is people commenting on their cars and needs — grow up!
Ted, Lexus still has CD PLAYERS. I drive a 17 Camry XLE V6 that has a CD PLAYER. I’m told the new generation Camrys still have a CD PLAYER. They’re out there. You just have to do your research. You’re not the first one to post you didn’t realize your vehicle didn’t have a CD PLAYER until after purchase. I almost bought a 17 Rav 4 without one. Luckily at the last minute I asked about the CD PLAYER and only then did the salesman tell me there wasn’t one so I bought the Camry instead. MY money, my choice.
Of course it is. The slop produced by compressed streaming music is just that……slop.
It appeals to the “instant gratification crowd” today just like the slop photos from iPhones do too.
Studio cut CD sound is dramatically better than streamed music. But you can’t STEAL it like the kids today like to do….so it goes away.
Absolutely correct! You try going to any of the big box stores now and telling one of the 20-something “sales associates” that MP3 and other popular digital forms of music sound inferior to a CD and they’ll argue until they’re blue in the face. They would probably deny the reality if they heard it as well.
I’m an IT consultant with more than 20 years of experience in the digital world, and I’m not talking about Mom and Pop networks. Like everyone else, I’ve had to embrace parts of the “Internet of Everything” world, but the reality is that a LOT of it just plain SUCKS.
I know every company needs to cut costs wherever they can in order to remain competitive, and GM is no exception. Just give me a CHOICE though. I, too, just purchased a new Equinox – with the Premier package – and was unpleasantly surprised to find out a CD player was not even an option. Now I have to have some goofy connection rigged somewhere, or I have to rely on a crappy wireless signal to transmit my content. And yes, WiFi SUCKS too. It’s a nice convenience, but there is NOTHING (are you listening, Millennial Engineeers?), I repeat, NOTHING which is as good as a wire.
Give me a choice. Stop shoving your paradigm down my throat at every opportunity!
They (the salesperson) made it sound like I should know how to pair-up, use blue-tooth, download music to my new android phone, and play happyly ever after all my music on my CD’s, and tell everyone how easy it was!!….well, it isn’t and I still don’t play the music I want to hear, and I agree all the auto companies are cutting costs along with all the music related industries
to put it on the shoulders of some of us, not savvy enough to get all the music I want to hear…
anyway, they won’t listen to us , the buying public….Ford is cutting models, GMC is in line to do the same and all we are allowed to do is sit back and let it all happen !!!!!….Sorry folks, but I like the era in which I grew up….
The new 2019 Toyota Avalon doesn’t have a cd player. My husband and I saw one at our local Toyota Dealership. $42k with no cd player. He is keeping his 15. His money, his choice. Sooo to all you baby boomers demanding a cd player BUY SOON, like in 2018. 2019 does not look good for us and we can keep them a LONG LONG time. Like10-15 years long and by then our grandkids will be driving us around we won’t need a car anymore!!! 🙂
You stand correct, they aren’t even an option anymore that’s why I’m keeping my ’99 Camry still has the factory CD and cassette player and I replaced the dry rotted speakers with some nice Kenmore speakers.
I am with you. Cutting costs? It doesnt look like there is much of a cost cutting going on with that backup camera. I am not disappointed with the camera but I learned well how to use my mirrors and turn my head to see what is there, also if space allows, get out and look.
Maryjane MacNair
Totally agree. I love my CDs. I don’t want to pay for a music app nor do I have the time to record them all on my iphone. I support Chevy because I support made in the USA & union quality workers, but you missed the mark with this. After paying over $25,000 for a car you would think you could enjoy the ride especially when you hate the dark color interior!
Truly a stupid move to remove the CD player. Previous article contained a lot of nonsense having to do with the inconvenience of loading a CD, carrying it having to eject it etc. get real As having to push a button is not a big deal.
I have a 2017 Terrain it’s a nice vehicle But like so many other people I want to be able to play the CDs in my car.
I see there are universal cd players that plug into the USB port has anyone had any experience for those?
They seem to sell for between $60 and 250. The question they ask is is the car android 4.4? I’ve looked for information online As to whether my 2017 SLE 2 is and I don’t find anything. If GM is reading this let me know if it is android 4.4 please.
But to get back to my point I am in total agreement that it was a big mistake to take the CD player out. Two things I always look forWhen I buy a vehicle and that’s fog lights and CD player. My vehicle has neither so I’m in the process of seeing what I can do about having both installed. I could’ve gotten something newer but I do not want to get in to the stop start technology as I’m not a fan.
Just now shopping the 2018 models because I have always be a Chevy/GMC girl. I’m 66 and love my SUVs. I’ve had great luck with Chevy. I am driving a 19 year old Blazer with 300k plus on it and it is great, but I want to buy my possibly last vehicle, but I am upset by no CD. Not only for my music but I travel with books on CD. Great way to stay up on my reading when traveling alone. Also as noted, CD sound quality is unmatched. I have an MP3 but don’t like searching for what I want to hear. Also get distracted while driving looking for the song I want to hear. And as for the advise from the article, I don’t want a smartphone. Too big, many features I don’t need. Just want to put in my book or Van Morrison or Maroon5 and hit the road. Chevy/GMC needs to remember that us baby boomers still have great buying power and we show our support or distain by spending our money on things that meet our desires. I’ve worked to hard to have a good retirement to “settle” for anything.
Ford and Nissan still offer cd players. There is also a cd player in the Toyota Highlander, just fyi.
Look at Hyundai also for CD players
If it’s a 2020 there isn’t and it’s not even an option to get one they have all been discontinued!
Absolutely agree here.
Just found this thread as I’ve been in the market for a new car and I’m pretty upset I can’t buy many cars with a CD player. I have big collection and MP3’s, streaming, bluetooth just sucks. If I buy a car without CD I’ll be taking it to the audio shop day 1 to buy an aftermarket radio with CD still in it. Who wants to do that with their brand new car?
These auto manufacturers should at least have one audio package with a CD player for those that want it.
I’ll be now starting my auto search with vehicles that have CD players. I’ve been a big GMC Acadia guy with my last 2 cars but they’re off my list now. It’s a shame they’re willing to lose a buyer because of such a seemingly simple thing.
Toyota Highlander has a cd player, just fyi. Thought I’d mention since you like larger SUV’s.
I have to drive an Equinox for work. The lack of a CD player is one of many things that suck about it.
As for the arrogant, pedantic GM guy answering the complaint here: screw him!
I OWN CDs! I do not want to re purchase lots of music or tech just because I have a Chevy.
And as to the arguement about tech moving ever forward, you can buy record players again to play you old vinyl.
But not, of course, in a Chevy.
The GM response was rude and arrogant, I agree!
Doug I agree with you and I’m a baby boomer and I love my CD’s and now I can’t play them in our new Chevy Equinox as they said I could get a MP3 player and download onto it or buy an I phone etc. I have a phone and it is a flip phone. I use it when I go away so it someone needs me or I need to let someone know I’m going to be late I can do it. I know everything is changing but why not give us a choice and have a CD player installed from factory in stead of having a box to hook up and then hide as who wants a box in a new expensive car to look tacky. And yes I also agree we still can buy a record player that play our vinyl and I have one and it also plays cassettes and CD . All a thing of the pass it they have their way and so sad for us that love our CD , landlines etc.
You’re not a legitimate person, I was so mad when I found out my new GMC Terrain didn’t have a CD Player…You guys must be on drugs, my grandkids can’t afford the kind of SUV I bought!!!
> my grandkids can’t afford the kind of SUV I bought!!!
Yeah, because you and your generation has screwed all the younger generations out of all the jobs and growth. Your the first generation is American history to pass down a worse standard of living to their children than the previous generation. And you all love to brag about spending their inheritance. For shame.
You can’t be a legitimate person, I have yet to see a person under 40 drive a 2016 GMC Terrain like I’ve got, this is ridiculous! I’ve got a smart phone, ipad and etc; but I still want a cd player in my vehicle. I’ve spent the better part of an hour looking for the portable DVD/CD player I had for my grandkids all grown. Now I have to go out and buy a power inverter to use this player in my truck. Reminds me of when I had to drive around with my boom box in my car before you guys started putting cassette players in cars!!!
Yes, it is. My choir director gives us music via CD for practicing. Yes, I can upload it on my MP3 player but that has not been working well. Why should I have to go to all that trouble when all I need is a CD player in my car? I may not be as High-Tec as the rest of the world (along with my choir director) but I still own a lot of devotionals and such that are on CDs. The gnarly thing about it all, I can’t even buy one and have it installed by Chevy because they don’t make them. EVER? Really! Don’t they want their customers to be happy? I guess, the older you get, the less they care. Well, boomers are a large group. Get real.
Yes it is because I have the same complaint.
But it is … not all of us are into internet entertainment, radio you pay for, time to download music on any device, that you are expected to plug into some port in your vehicle. I have invested over the years a lot of money in
CDs of music I care to listen to, in my car. Just a push for more technology, without considering those of us who prefer less of it. I had a 2014 Equinox, it has a CD player. I bought a 2017 Equinox, no CD player. I was pretty upset that it wasn’t even an option. In it’s place on the dashboard, a tiny little pointless shelf, about 1 1/2 inches wide. What genius thought that up? Just sayin’!
I purchased a C7 Corvette Grand Sport…..my previous ‘02 had A CD PLAYER and EVEN. A cassette player…..loved being able to play all my music over the years. NOW i have nothing but a RADIO. I also now realize why I just can not get as ‘attached to this car as the one I traded in…..NO WAY TO PLAY MY OLD CD’s. I love the power, the looks, etc., but this car just does not grab my love as the ‘02 did…….am now trying to hire someone to put my good old CD’s ,full of wonderful memorable music on a stick……….NO,SIRIUS is not a replacement and,NO, neither are the other satellite stations what I want……
You can’t get a CD in most cars these days they have been discontinued by most auto makers as of this year or last.
I am not writing about champ players. I am writing about only getting 1 oil change with a new Cadillac xt5. This is my 4th Cadillac since 2013. And I was very disappointed when I heard that about oil changes. I was told that I could just go to jiffy lube, I can’t imagine that. Then they said I could also use my points. I like the dealer but Cadillac should go back to giving more oil changes.
And I’m upset that my 2008 Chevy Impala doesn’t have Phasers, photon torpedoes, warp drive and cloaking.
I’m very upset that my 2008 Silverado doesn’t have an 8-track. Darn those CDs. They killed the 8-track.
Cassette killed the 8 track.
I believe the cassette tape killed the 8 tracks.
Well my 21 year old Camry has a Cassette and CD player with Am-Fm radio
Once you make a complaint like this you shouldn’t be able to buy a car ever again!
Go play in traffic, and don’t worry about me, I am voicing my complaint, Witch is still free, r u a foreigner, they are the only ones think that THEIR silly replies matter ?
I bought a 2017 Toyota Camry XLE V6 WITH a cd player! Toyota! Let’s Go Places!
Good luck getting one on a Camry now like I said most all auto makers have discontinued them as of either 2019 or 2020 but my ’99 has a cassette and CD player.
To be honest with all of you, I think smart phones are a waste of time and money. The cost of the phone and then data plans are ridiculous. I only see the need if you are doing a lot of stock trading and that sort of stuff. To me, it would be perfect, if I could use a thumb drive and then stick all of my music on there and play it through my car. I have so much music and refuse to pay ITunes for songs that I already have, just to play them on their phone.
BTW, I am 46 and drive a 2014 Impala Limited!
Well Joe, you’re missing out.
However in this case for Don, a thumb drive could be a much better option. I assume you can still use voice commands to control audio on the thumb drive. He could even go as far as having a separate thumb drive for each CD to minimize having to navigate folders in the audio system. They are cheap enough now. Just stick it in and press play.
Sent from my iPhone. 😛
Thumb drives are not sold with music or books on them. My wife and I listen to books on CD available from the library. I have no problem with using a thumb drive, but I want to go to the store and buy a thumb drive with music or a book on it, and util that happens, GM was stupid to drop the CD player
Sorry guys – I’m with Don in this. Does not GM offer an optional glovebox CD player?
There is no option for a CD player, glove box, of otherwise.
Hello Tomko, and Don
I read somewhere the when the Camaro came out it came stock with radio delete and wasn’t even an option which is stupid paying what they want for car’s these days sounds like BS to me
Well first we lost the Multi disc changers in 2009 and now they are removing the player all together.
The people most affected are people over 40 years old who have not adapted to the smart phone or other digital technology like a MP3 player etc. They will be upset for a while but in time they will adapt.
The reality is most people are now on cell phones with blue tooth and music. In fact like may get a little tough in the future if you do not have this as it will continue to replace many things in our lives as we move forward as they get smaller and more versatile.
I have tens of thousands of songs and most are converted from my own disc collection. I have yet to buy a song from I tunes. They convert for free from MP3 to I tunes or back.
To be honest since we started getting cars with blue tooth I miss it in my other cars. At least in my one older car with a multi disc player I put nothing but MP3 discs in and have almost 900 songs in the car at anytime. Well short of my phone but still useful.
We will hear some complaints from some non tech people but this will soon fade away as there are less hold outs all the time. This is an adapt of get left behind world anymore.
Interesting comment. I’m 50 myself and bought my first CD player in 1984. Been a Mac user since 1985. My first factory nav was 2008. But I have no smart phone (iPad works just fine for me) and no MP3 or other digital audio media. The newest vehicle in my fleet is a 2014 that came with a CD player in the head unit. I’m guessing Equinox is geared to a younger market than Don and me.
No the Nox was just one of the late vehicles to lose the CD feature. Most new cars it is no longer an option.
The truth is life as we have known it has transformed in the last 15 years with the Smart Phone. It has and will not stop as while the I watch may not be a big deal now they are working on something much more advanced than that. Read up on just what the Magic Band at Disney parks can do right now and it is a peak at where Apple is going.
With CC theft/fraud and so many issue with counterfeit money I see electronic transactions as a way of life in maybe as soon as 10 years.
The fact is so much is going to be relied on either a smart phone or a band you wear you will have to have one or you just will not function well in the future. To be honest I am waiting for some to call it the mark of the beast.
The real problem is CD’s themselves. Most are cut down to little circulation anymore. Companies just don’t want to make them. They can sell you a file with no MFG and No packaging and deliver it to your home free. If you just take a trip to Best Buys you can realize that their have cut their music section to 1/3 of what it was. The only other music places are often Local retailers that deal in used and odd music. That is where I shop anymore and with out them there would be little or nothing.
Even the flip phone is getting difficult to buy as my In laws are on our account and we had a heck of a time just finding my father In Law a phone that just made calls as that is all he wanted.
I really though our Terrain was going to be a pain when we got it as it did not have a multi Changer CD. To be honest I started to use the Bluetooth in it and now wish it was in all my cars. I have 18,000 songs in my pocket and control it from the wheel.
The only thing I do hate is to link it you need to be out of gear. I have mastered changing phones while coasting in neutral. I hate it when it links to my sons phone before mine. What the Fox Sounds Like is just not my thing.
I have a massive CD collection but I use it as back up only. I love MP3’s but do not trust my hard drive and back up hard drive with my best and most rare stuff. I have a lot of live never sold concerts and treasure them.
Cd Players are still offered in Ford Products and Nissan Products
If I stand correct I heard a while back that cassettes and 8-track were making a come back bigger and better than ever before with awesome sound quality
Ya think! I want a CD player, and I am going to turn in my 2017 Chevy spark to get one. I am too old for all the BS.
I would agree with you if it wasn’t for the fact that this technological step is the first in which the quality of the music is reduced. We had to go from albums to cassettes because albums would skip in a car. CDs dynamic range make highs crisper and bass lower. Streaming and Bluetooth takes all that away for convenience. Let me b e the judge of how much better sounding music is worth to me. Give me my CD player.
How difficult would it be to have a built-in slot with power/speaker wire cluster , covered by a face plate , below the center console ?? Pop the face plate off and the owner buys and inserts or has inserted an after market CD player . How many people , who are retired , really need a smartphone……..seriously !!
Yes CD players will be phasing out and I wouldn’t expect new vehicles to have them. But deleting it in a carryover mode (albeit with some freshening) makes little sense.
What’s the difference, if it gets delete on an all-new or on a carry over model with a few updates?
Don can buy an external CD player w UBS attachment for $25 or so, yes?
I don’t think that’ll work with the head unit. The USB won’t be able to power it. I’m just guessing…
I have been searching for an external CD player with a USB connection and have not found one. Do you know of a brand or place to buy one?
Well now…sounds like Don needs to get with the 21st Century…
not really – i was brought up to be a LEADER NOT a FOLLOWER – if we let people control our lives, we are just robots, I mean why eat, take a pill ??????
Why should I have to buy a special phone just to listen to music ?????
I have a phone plan that cost me $ 10.00 a month ( Consume Cellular ), cause I am handicapped and ONLY need a phone in case I break down.
I enjoy my music, but NOT at the cost of $ 1000.00 for a phone, $ 42,000.00 for a truck, God knows how much to get the music ????
I’ll just hum or KEEP my 2015 Chevy Equinox !!!!!!!!
The end of the world will come about my social media and cell phones!!! Just look at all the trouble with cyberbullying and such that occurs with facebook, twitter, Instagram and all those others. I will never get involved in social media as I don’t want people tracking my every single movement of every single second of my life!!!!
Twenty-first century means newer, not better.I have a collection of CDs I played in all my vehicles. Until my Colorado. Great Bose sound system, have to push it with my iPhone.
I haven’t bought a new car since 1988 since they stopped putting tape players in these things.
Ok not really. Disappointed in the dealership for not selling an aftermarket CD player. There’s no reason they can’t make their customers happy by selling it as an add-on accessory, and they’d make some money to boot.
My 1995 Buick Regal had a cassette player. I removed the unit since I don’t use cassettes and its CD player stopped reading discs. I can offer it for sale.
Honestly it’s not like Equinox is the only one that doesn’t offer the CD player anymore. There are other ones that don’t offer as well and I’m sure of it. (I’m looking at you Cherokee)
2016 Toyota Rav 4 Limited does not offer a cd player. That’s why I didn’t buy one. Looking at the Nissan Rogue now which does still have a cd player. My money, my choice.
I just bought a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. Love the car and the many options they give for the money and the best warranty, but no CD player. I am pissed!
It’s why I bought a Camry XLE V6. It is one of the few cars that still offers a cd player although only at the TOTL. The thing that really bothers me is the salesman DO NOT tell you there is no cd player! Before I bought the Camry I was all set to buy the Rav 4 at the last minute I said “oh, you never showed me where the cd player is” the salesman looked kinda funny and said ” there is no cd player in the TOTL Rav 4, that is outdated technology” and I said “deal breaker”. Left the lot, went home and did my research found out what vehicles did and did not have a cd player and purchased the best I could afford with the options I wanted , the Camry. It is very deceptive what the dealerships are doing Robert. For me an omission is the same a s a lie. Just one other thing to stay vigilant about when purchasing a car. I am sorry this happened to you. Read some of the other comments in this forum. It has happened to LOTS of people.
I’m 45 years old and probably more tech savy than most my age. I talked to everyone. 17-46 and everyone thinks it is “stupid”. I bought a 2016 equinox and didn’t know until we got it home
Hey, Don! I am 64 years old, and have played with every audio format from 78 and 45 RPMs in the 1950’s to the latest MP3 and AAC formats on SD and USB storage as of today. My 2009 Equinox has a CD player, so why don’t you trade your 2015 Equinox for mine? BTW, I am more of a Frank Sinatra fan than Dino.
And for you other “modern” guys, I have a 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid and it has a CD player! But it can also play SD and USB files.
I have a 2012 SRX that allows me to down load CDs onto the hard drive. Its a great system, I simply slide a CD into the slot and hit record. Not only is it easy, but it organizes all of my music by artist and genre. Its a great system, I wish my 2014 CTS had the same one.
Only problem is that the system is not very user friendly when it comes to finding/browsing for specific songs or artists, and it also stays with the car… I’m more than content with having my music and all of iTunes/Apple Music catalogue (available to stream) with me at all times on my iPhone, and playing it through Bluetooth or USB when I’m in the car. And when I’m at home, I simply use the Wi-Fi-based AirPlay to play the tunes to my home theater speakers.
I’m sure u can buy one from gmpartsdirect and put it in
I actually checked gmaccessorieszone.com and couldn’t find one for any year Equinox.
One thing automakers have considered is eliminating the sound system head unit from the car. You would just plug in a pad and or smart phone in these cars.
The idea is to cut weight and cost in the car and just keep the amp and speakers in the car. The smart unit would do the rest and be much easier to update etc.
Not sure how soon that may happen but with most radio stations now streaming it may be sooner than later.
How many have noticed AM is gone from many radio’s too? I bet many missed how many cars have killed AM already.
This too will kill satellite radio to unless they move it to the web.
This new 4G hot spots like GM offers and the rest will also will bring many changes to your car.
The whole point of satellite radio is that it works ANYWHERE where the vehicle is outdoors, not just in a city or bigger town. Very elitist of you to think that no one lives in the country, or in one of the thousands upon thousands of small towns around the nation.
Don,
I agree with you. I just purchased a 2015 Silverado and am pleased that I can still play my CDs. Many of us retired folks have a lot of CDs and are not ready to throw them out yet!
Dave
I wish people would stop clinging on to the past, look to the future! I bet these were the same guys complaining about the new HEI distributors replacing the old points distributors or the people that hated fuel injection when it replaced the carbs!
I bet you’d line up to get a chip installed in your brain if they told you it was “cool”, “cutting edge”, whatever the buzzword of the moment is, wouldn’t you?
You will note the initial shock but most people will forget about it soon as in the next 5 years CD’s will vanish much like 8 tracks did as the MFG will do away with them. Just look around how few are sold today.
I listen to books on tape everyday in my 1 hour commute. I get them free from the library. So, yes, this is an issue for me. I have a smart phone, go hands free, and all of the above. However there is no “free” replacement for the books on tape that I prefer. If anyone has a solution for that I would appreciate the suggestion.
Hi Martin,
Rip the CD to your phone/MP3 player. There are many free apps online to do this on your personal computer. Nowadays it will be a pretty quick process. I also doubt the audio books have any copyright protection on them, so they will be copied easily. And even if they do have copyright protection on them, there are numerous (often free tools) to circumvent that, as well. Finally, connect the latter to your car via a USB cable or Bluetooth. Problem solved.
I agree with Pastor Don S’s assessment. Like him, I went to purchase a 2016 Equinox and was told no CD available at any price — “Convert your CD’s to MP3 if you want to listen to them in 2016, its OLD technology”. It doesn’t matter to them that I prefer the higher quality of the CD to MP3, or the fact that I drive 3 hours in a normal work day and listen to Books on CD from the local library. In the past, there was a mini-plug in the radio you could attach an external MP3 player (or CD player) as an auxiliary channel. My understanding was they changed this to a USB port so you couldn’t even listen to an external CD player.
I don’t understand the reasoning of not even offering this as an option for more money. Its as if they are pushing out the 40-65 year old loyal customers who fit the SUV/Crossover/Minivan demographics to try to bring in younger buyers who generally don’t want this type of vehicle. It sends the message that the voice-of-the-customer is not important. “Hey buddy, buy a smart phone, convert your music to streaming, get over it and stop whining!”
News Flash for GM — Your domestic competition for this category (Ford Escape and Dodge Caravan) offers their vehicles with AM/FM/CD/MP3 radios as standard package. This feature is important enough that people will find a company that listens and provides what customers want. Spare me the lecture about not being hip enough to know what I want when I spend $25-30 on a vehicle. Just saying!
this is sarcasim so dont freak out /
i was all set in my 2016 corvette zo6 and me and the misses was sitting in front of the dealership waiting for the horsesmith to tie my 650 hourses to the front of my car when the salesman informed me that they stop using real horses
i said then how am i gonna go west before the gold rush is over he said that some smart guy up at the big college figured out a way to make tiny mecanical horses run in tiny circles inside this thing called a engine i said im going out west way should i bring some strong indians ? he said no sir i said engine it a machine that will make this car move and stop
i felt like a fool ….then i said but what about the pdr ?
My 08 Ford F350 WITH CD can drive right over a Chevy Equinox.
I am 27 years old and I am a big consumer of music and audiobooks. I have a 42 mile commute to work, which is why I own an older car, rather than getting myself into leasing one with a 20.000 mile/year limit on the lease. What I quickly found out is that many audiobook, many great ones, simply aren’t available on streaming services and/or audible.com or other online stores. Furthermore, they aren’t available on CD but on cassette. I am appalled by many people my age, younger, and sometimes above who think that just because something is old it is automatically bad. So many cultural treasures will be lost because of this just so that the auto makers can save a lousy buck. I guess that as long as the cars continue having an AUX input all will be ok as people like me, who seems to have gotten some gray hairs a bit early, can just plug in a walkman.
Other than that, cars these days have really gone downhill. There is no quality anymore and nothing is built to last. The plastic is flimsy and now the tech options are to follow. I rented a 2015 Chevy Malibu late last year and I ended up getting the power window console in my hand when I reached out for a parking ticket in a parking garage. Was the thing not even glued into place or what?!
The trend to remove CD players from cars isn’t unique — everyone is doing it. Why? Because the overwhelming majority of the new car-buying market does not demand it. If you were running a business, would you offer something that only a small fraction of your potential customers had a demand for? Probably not. And in some cases, there is an accessory-level CD player offered… but not tapes, obviously.
The issue that you are referring to — where perhaps some content can’t be found in digital form but rather only in analogue — is not a problem of in-vehicle technology, but that of content providers. The content should be available across-the-board, on any medium. They should be the ones who ensure that a lot of “cultural treasures” do not get lost or forgotten.
Finally: I’d disagree with your observation regarding quality. The materials, especially plastics, have advanced significantly over the last decade. Your particular example regarding the Malibu’s window controls is probably an exception and is likely the result of abuse/mistreating or mis-service by the rental company. Those cars, as you might know, don’t get any love, and are abused by their drivers (customers) and owners (daily rental firms).
BS. People have not been demanding CD players because they have been getting CD players in their vehicles for years without having to order them. Your answer is just more typical political type spin. People like me have made CD’s just to play in our cars. Now GM has decided that is just tough luck. We at GM will tell you what you want whether you like it or not. How much money is GM getting from outside sources for not allowing CD players in their vehicles?
Quality is a different issue. The quality of GM vehicles is second to none in my opinion. No tune-ups for 100,000 miles. No more putting complete exhaust systems on my car after one or two years. No more rust after just one or two years. Beautiful paint jobs. My biggest problem with today’s vehicles is it is almost impossible to do any kind of work on my car. Changing a headlight almost requires a degree in engineering.
I agree entirely with Don and Loyal GM Customer. 800 CD collection, and haven’t heard any volunteers or reasonable-pay-fors come forth with the tiime to convert these. Those that have “thousands of songs,” I want some of your liesure time–and I’m retired. I do think the system mentioned that downloads and records your material to “disc” (hard drive) is a great idea; Acura had one of those–i think HAD–is the operative word there. In any event such systems are the anomaly. To the concescending original–I think by GM, probably a gray hoodied, attention deficit afflicted, distraction-prone millenial (sorry, seems a trend here) that couldn’t tell you the difference between horsepower and torque or where the Vietnam war was fought–response, it is not just keeping with the times what you and others are doing with the new tech, it’s called decontenting. Ridding equipment but charging the same or more, AND providing us with much more distraction (safety and inconvenience) than we ever had before. Systems used to–and some precious few still do–provide both mp3/streaming and cd capability (and an even more precious few still 6 cd changer). Charge extra if you must (now), but give people choices. I don’t have CDs scattered all over, but twenty or so in a convenient/tidy wallet, can load six in my changere in about 3 minutes and be on my way… and have fiddle free direct or randomed music of my choice without (having to) touching anything for a full 6 hour drive from Phoenix to San Diego. Want a different track? Quick button in the head unit or steering wheel. By the way, these things had gotten so good, very very seldom a skip (shock busting pothole, maybe-maybe) and never a problem in 100,000 miles. Not one. (Factory Panasonic sourced OEM). And, ever try getting someone or receiving an mp3 file as a Christmas present? (Or are those now Holiday presents, and not really wrapped things anymore?) Oh boy. My daughter (amazingly) still has an optical drive on her computer (and an external for her tablet/laptop so she can burn new music to send dear ol’ dad. So, GM and others here, cut the condescending crap. And to the future looking dudes, how about being “present” first, so you can actually think how to form it. You can go back to your brain sapping video games now.
Unfortunately, the sound system in my 2016 Malibu does not include a cd player. The issue is fidelity. MP3s still sound like crap even through the Bose unit.
How do you listen to books on CD? put them on your ipod, what a waste. Even on a phone. what a waste. Stupid elimination. Still people and libraries with books on CD. Or is everyone going so digital they are illiterate?
I just bought a 2016 Malibu. Looking it over at home and……no CD player!
I am also 60 years old, have loads of CD’s I had bought over many years.
But…times are always changing. I change with the times. I have not bought a CD in years.
I really don’t miss it. I realize CD’s are on their way out and better sounding devices (mp3) are the future.
But what about all those CD’s I have? Well…CD players of every sort and size is fading fast.
All those CD’s are quickly becoming coasters. All that CD music I have now sounds better on mp3.
If we don’t keep up with the times, those of us that refuse will remain in the past, holding an endless grudge.
I too have a Flip-Phone. But will one day arrive in the present and come up to speed.
I now see those CD’s much like windows 98, xp. History!
Jump on board and lets move forward.
What about Audio BOOKS on CD?
Was going to buy a Camaro convertible, went with the Mustang instead just because it had a CD player. Listen up GM.
what is a CD?
I will not purchase a new vehicle that does not have a cd player period. I’m sure there are some brands that still offer them. Once I do my research and find out which vehicles still offer a cd player I will limit my search to those vehicles exclusively. My money, my choice.
I agree witIh Don. I bought a new 2016 Equinox LTZ and was furious when I found out it didn’t have a CD. I have huge CD collection which I have accumulated over the years and now I will have to collect them all over again. I am 70 years old and considered myself fairly savvy on new electronics and systems but I haven’t been able to transfer my cd’s over to my smart phone. GM should still make a CD an option for us old geezers.
Same happened to me. I had no idea until the deal was done. Very angry GM customer
I am in the market for a new car. I have been driving a 2001Pt Cruiser for 15 years. I don’t really need a new car as I have taken excellent care of the one I own. But I am set to retire in about 4 years and I wanted to have a new car paid for by that time. So, Toyota no longer has a cd player in most of their line, same with GM so I crossed them both off my list. As someone posted previously my money, my choice. Looking at Fords and Nissans, they still have cd players. The auto industry can take the cd player out ( that is their choice) but they can’t make me buy their product without it. That’s MY choice! Oh, the Mitsubishi Outlander has a cd player also. So once my list of vehicles with cd players is finished I will start the “test drive” process. For the record I won’t even consider a vehicle that does not include or offer the option for a cd player. Again my money, my choice. One last thing, it was all done very cloak and dagger. There was no announcement that cd players would no longer be offered! I almost purchased a 2016 Rav 4 and never once did the salesman mention that there was no cd player. He would have let me buy it without saying a word. The only reason I found out was because I asked where the cd player was located in the vehicle. Then and only then did he tell me there was none! BUYER BEWARE. It’s your tens of thousands of dollars. Leave them sitting on the lot, they’ll get the message. #supplyanddemand
As of 2016 I believe the Highlander and most Acura and I believe many Infiniti (Nissan again) products still had a CD player. Though probably not hurting the car manufacturers much with your protest action (though I hear you there), you might look at “last year’s” models (depending, that would either be 2016 already or 2015) either new-old-stock on the lot or low mileage early lease turn ins (there’s always something that’s come back for some non-mechanical reason. Find the car you want, and if the brand new ones don’t have a CD, look back a year or two. 2016 saw many CD players go away, and 2017 won’t be any better. Also Hundai/Kia, though early ones to announce and execute elimination of the CD (especially on models the see as a younger demographic) still have some models–such as SUVs–with CDs. Not entirely stupid regarding a good share of their 40+ market–at least yet.
Note also, an increasingly common practice with many manufacturers is to offer the CD on lesser trims, but jetison the CD offering on the upper trims with the zootier infotainment systems. IOW, in some ways less content for more money, especially for those that don’t need a tablet-computer on the dash. SO, if you check out a car that doesn’t have the CD you might check out a lesser trim model. Sometimes that’s just one step down, other times it means going further and (maddeningly) forcing you to forgo some other features you might have wanted.
That is exactly what happened with the Rav 4. I wanted the Limited (no cd). Downgrade to the XLE and there is a cd! Complete insanity. I didn’t want an XLE, I wanted a Limited! I’ve moved on. the Rogue has a cd, the Escape has a cd, the Outlander has a cd, hell the Highlander has a cd. I’ve got plenty of test driving to keep me busy. 🙂
“Their” defense is the upgraded infotainment systems/screens take up the space for a CD. What it really is-is they simply didn’t prioritize to put CD into the specs as a design. All the infotainment pieces are just chips and miniature circuit boards that can be configured every which way. As far as a nice big screen is concerned, again it’s still simply a matter of incorporating a CD at the extreme top or bottom as some have been able to. You’d be amazed what good designers can do and what corporate hacks cannot.
In the new Volvo XC90 the CD is (only) available in their zootiest trim, and *then* their zootiest multi-thousand dollar sound system option for that trim…so, in an arse-backwards way proving, perhaps unintenionally, it not only can be done but also the point–in this case the reverse of the trend symbolized by Karen’s experience with the RAV4–that either the manufacturer and/or customer-buyer thinks a ultra-premium system should be so equipped. Very unfortunate in that case that you have to pay the stratospheric price of the very top model to get it, but more kudos to them I guess for not succumbing to the decontenting kool aid entirely. I’ll bet there are more than a handful of XC90 customers that will pay the extra–and even more that would if they knew of this little factoid. I’m enough of a sound nut, I would opt for the best sound system (if the top $ stereo was that) regardless if I were in that elevated market to begin with.
To those that might cry foul and accuse us CD folks as luddites, the ridding of the CD is not in any way analagous to when the 8 track and then cassette went away, not sonically and not as a medium. And, as mentioned, some manufacturers have shown you truly can have it all in terms of media outlet choices, that having mp3, streaming and other connective capabilities–aspects many of “us” enjoy as well–doesn’t have to be at the expense of the CD at all. If you don’t want to play a CD, then don’t use the slot–simple as that. Believe me, that CD did not mean you had to go without one single feature you did want. Ah, but you say you don’t want to pay for a feature like a CD you have no use for? News for you my dear, distracted face glued-to-your-Likes friends, we’re all in that boat with virtually every car we purchase…paying for features we didn’t want or need. Better than *not* getting what you did want and still having to pay a king’s ransom for the car!
Exactly every single car I have test drove today had all the technology available on cd-less cars PLUS a cd slot. Imagine that! I think my biggest issue is the fact the salespeople don’t voluntarily tell you that a cd is not in the car or available for the car as an option. They just let you purchase it and then SURPRISE no cd. I have been in several forums where that was the case. It is deceptive and downright dishonest. But then I wouldn’t expect much more from a car salesman. It happened to me. If I hadn’t asked about the cd player in the Rav 4 he would NEVER have told me it wasn’t there. He would have let me purchase it without saying a word. It’s happened to LOTS of folks! The man who started this thread got tricked into buying an Equinox minus a cd player. They never said a word. I believe he was all the way home before he realized it wasn’t there. Sad. If I were him I would never buy another Chevy again…..EVER
Karen, some of the deception is intentional, but a lot of it is in some ways more insidious…more and more sales folk and mamagement have so drunk the kool aid and have come to truly believe is das neus welt order, as similarly expressed by some here….so they’re thinking–and some of it is subconscious now–“no one is interested in that now anyway.” Regardless, the condescension has gotten palpable. A year ago I got in a new Cherokee–the new small one–and it didn’t even have the token vertical CD player in the armrest of the Durango and I think the Grand Chrrokee which share platforms (this is the one where they make you also decide between DVD player (for the rear) or CD but not both….and the young sales gal was perplexed by my inquiry – “CD?” i truly believe it had not come up in the “go out there on the lot and conquer” sales meeting.
Mazda has relegated the CD slot to a very awkward location behind the console between the seat backs (I suppose back handed kudos you can still get one, but…)…I can see first accident/lawsuit of a driver attempting to change that while on the road and even that too will be bye-bye. I don’t know, maybe even that option is gone now already. THAT relocation *must* have cost them more than a proper in dash, so it’s not all about immediate economics and must be a way of easing the CD out the door–by making it so inconvenient–more than it is an altruistic nod to CD lovers. Some of the upper Europeans, with their new gen more minimalist dashes, have relegated the CD, when they have at all, to the glovebox. Again, maybe should be more thankful there’s at least that but still… Maybe I’m being too cynical, so here’s a perhaps naive thought: maybe some CEO types see the world handwriting on the wall so have to go along with the general trend–the whole rest of the staff is against them and he can’t just fire everbody over this disagrerment, but still likes CDs too,…So, thus these awkward placement decisions to at least have the capability.
A lot of the problem here is the way the distracted and overly subscribed world is (not) listening to music now. When was the last time you heard someone say “come on over and see/hear what great sound system I just got” or even, “come on over and hear this great music I just got turned on to” – as a listening, even social experience? It’s, “here, listen to my iPhone (through these (inadeqate and dangerous) earbuds),” or “I sent you a file (for you to listen through your inadequate…),” if at all. People are hearing (here’ing?…for awhile–see earbuds) but not listening-listening. My grand nieces and nephews–all tweeners or teens now and no reason to think they’re not broadly representative–don’t even know what a “stereo” or “sound system” is now.
Sure wish someone who has more time than I do (12 hour days suck) would compile a complete list of new vehicles that still offer a cd player. They are the only cars I am interested in purchasing. Cruised through the Toyota lot and saw about 60 rav 4 just hanging out. Unusual for mid-year. I keep hoping they didn’t sell because they didn’t have a cd player Ha!
I have a 2014 Cruze with a CD player. I am 43 . So middle aged. I have a life don’t live on my phone. Don’t have time or care to listen to download compressed digital music from a garbage phone. Won’t buy the new Cruze no CD player. PS these info systems are nothing but a dangerous distraction anyway. I can listen to my CDs from 1985 what’s going to happen to your music when you break or lose your phone. Even better your phone will be out of date in 10 minutes. Think flip, blackberry what’s next to go Apple. then guess what back to hours downloading music fun wow. What smart generation.
It sucks that my XT5 doesn’t have a CD player. But it’s good to know if my hands get cold in Southern California I have a heated steering wheel. Never GM again.
All car manufacturers are fazing out cd players. Better buy quick and keep a loooooong time! That’s what I plan to do!
Karen, I’m 60 years old and nothing about the smartphone comes easy for me. It’s been one problem after another to transfer my music and still to date have not got my music to work in the new XT5. I wish I had my old Buick back and had never purchased the XT5. There is a list of useless options on this 50k vehicle, but some thing I would really like to have is not available. Never GM again. I didn’t leave GM, GM left me.
David, I’m 58, been driving a 2001 PT Cruiser Limited for 15 years. My husband retired last year and purchased a new Toyota Avalon ( it has a cd player). Long story short there are very few cars with cd players even as an add-on option anymore. CD players are referred to as “outdated technology” in the automotive industry. There are still a few vehicles that offer the cd slot but I have a feeling soon there will be none. I am desperately trying to make a decision this year before they are gone completely. The way I look at it as long as I keep a car I will be in my 70s before I purchase another vehicle! That XT5 is SHARP, it’s a shame something as simple as a cd player would have made you happy with your purchase and they removed it. I don’t think we are the target market anymore David, too bad.
Karen, the XT5 is my 7th new GM product since my first 1980 El Camino. There has been over 18k dollars of redeemed credits from my GM Card since 1992. If GM thinks I’m not their “target market anymore”. Lord help them selling new vehicles to today’s 20 and 30 year old. My generation has the money and they don’t.
What has become “outdated” is my relationship with GM. The elimination of the CD player is just icing on the cake of my past relationship with GM. It was the dealership who broke the camels back and my bond of trust. I factory ordered the XT5 and picked out every item I personally wanted. In the last 20 minutes of the delivery process without any explanation they tried to slip in $700 worth of clear coat and VIN part identification. When they got caught. They withdrew it within 30 seconds.
Cheat me once, shame on you. Cheat me twice, shame on me. Now I have a vehicle that I refuse to ever return to the local dealership. If warranty item arise. I will need to travel 20 miles for repair. This will be unacceptable moving forward. I made a big mistake taking delivery. I wish I never purchased the XT5 and still had my Buick. How could I ever trust the local dealership service department after the warranty has expired ? I can’t and I don’t think there is anything that can be done to redeem the trust.
Over and out
“so we would earnestly recommend getting a smartphone, loading up any and all music you own onto it, and enjoying it without the hassle of ejecting”
Karen, when I read the above statement from GM it is clear they don’t get it. It would be much easier for me to just pop in a current CD I own than deal with the smartphone. My android phone won’t accept my old CD’s currently from my computer. To get it to work, I need to down load itunes on my PC and smartphone. For some reason, I don’t why the two will still not link up together and I can’t figure it out. I will find some young person to get it to work for me. But until than I don’t have my music. If GM’s reasoning on his is the “hassle of ejecting”. They don’t understand what some of us go though to try to keep a computer functioning for ourselves. The biggest hassle in my life is the computer. I don’t want a smartphone, it’s being force on me. After 6 years of owning one. I can easily say for me it’s more hassle then benefit. GM has fully bought into the Apple and Google life and said good-by to myself.
They don’t care about our age group David. They cater to the young people, even though the baby boomers are the ones who can afford to buy! Toyota Highlander still offers a cd player. I believe that is the way I’m going. It’s a little big but I’m told it drives like a car, hope that’s true. Will test drive in the next week or so. David, TRADE as soon as you can ( you’ll probably have to take a loss) and find a vehicle you like with a cd player! They are still out there you just have to LOOK for them. Cars cost waaay too much money not to get what you want! My husband is 66, he said the Avalon is his last vehicle because of the whole cd issue. He said he’ll just take care of and keep driving his Avalon until he’s no longer driving. All baby boomers should buy NOW (while cd players are still available) and NEVER trade! That’s my plan. As far as smart phones go never owned one never intend to. I’m tired of all this technology bs.
Hi Karen, well I believe I have finally figured out why I couldn’t transfer my CD’s over to my phone. Unbeknownst to my self, there are many different formats the CD’s can transfer into. My window media player was defaulting to WMA and it needed to be MP3. A simple click if one knows this. After 6 to 8 hours of working on this problem and talking with a half dozen different people( plus kicking & biting my dog a couple of times for good measure). Which some gave me bad advice. I’m ripping CD’s. So now when there is an old CD I want to listen to in the CD playerless new vehicle. I need to load it into my computer and rip it to the hard drive. Then transfer it by being Synced to my phone. This process is about 3 or 4 minutes. Then find it in the phone library while I’m driving. There are going to some advantages once the music is on the phone. It should be able to store 100’s of CDs. Also, if there are a few songs you don’t like, you can delete them before getting to your phone. To be fair, I knew the vehicle didn’t have a CD player when I purchase it. I just didn’t expect this much pain figuring it out.
There is another way to do this if this is to much for you. Apple will be happy to sell you the same music compressed for a fee on itunes.
Again, my new XT5 came with a heated steering wheel as part of one of the options packages available. I’ve never heard of anyone who refused to buy a car because a heated steering wheel wasn’t available. This is all about corporate American forcing a smartphone into your hand and turning you into a consuming Borg.
Just call me 1 of 320,000,000. Come join the collective. We will assimilate you
Murphy’s Quantum Law: Anything that can, could have, or will go wrong, is going wrong, all at once. If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe or pregnancy, then someone will do it.
Good luck with your Toyota
Karen, you’ve got it right, and the preliminary car show/press/intro photos I’ve seen show the ’17 Highlander still shows a CD player…although we will have to be on high alert for the phenomena of the upper trims (of all manufacturers) with the “enhanced” infotainment screen/options eschewing the CD even if the base trim(s) still includes it. Hopefully Toyota will continue to see the light at least on the models in the 40+ demographic.
Regarding the cars, the minimal weight (manufacturers are saying they’re eliminating as part of their justification in ridding CDs) is piddly. The wider tires and taller/wider (ie, heavier) wheels–have you seen a BMW X5 lately?!–they’re selling everyone that they’ve just “got to have”–just made up (and then some) for that weight savings. Don’t kid yourselves. It’s all about marketing optics. It is, no doubt, cheaper for them to build a car w/o a CD player, but you “I don’t need and haven’t played a CD in years” distraction technology fanboys should have no delusions that any cost savings are being passed on to you. It just doesn’t work that way. It is all–or primarily–about what can we de-content and at the very least charge the same, enhancing the margins. For them to leave/design in a CD player would be nothing to them–except to displease the bottom line with the accountants (who, in turn, also have that de-contenting charge/mindset from management at least in the form of “where can we cut?”…BTW, watch VW like a hawk on this as they seek to stem and recover from the dieselgate hemmoraghing!)
Wow!! I did not know there was going to be so many crybabies about a stupid CD player. It’s almost 2017, technologie is going faster and faster so either adapt or stick to car max. I see people born in nineteen thirties everyday with iPhones and they work them just fine I’m sure a 40 or 50 something year old can adapt just fine. If everyone thought like the people in this forum we would still be stuck in the dark ages.
Crybabies? Good grief, Landon, we’re talking about choices and getting what you want for ever increasing $$ charged for these things, not eliminating the slick phone/mp3/streaming tech. We’re also talking about lessening the distraction!! (I dont change CDs while driving, btw, and don’t need to with a changer, but when it is needed do it at a pit stop).
We’re also talking about a lot of people with very large CD collections accumulated over years (decades)–some of which are not quick/easy to convert (as in my case, I’d have to re-invest in at least 60% of my library as, because or burner program glitch or whatever, artist info didn’t transfer over to those CDs I have burned from my mp3 (purchased by the way) catalog. (Not an issue as just playing CDs in the car to date).
To me, real advancement will be the opposite–moving beyond phone-based connection systems by having (returning to, Acura?) a “one time” download from a stick or phone into onboard system memory. No more having to plug your phone or another stick in (except to add/update content). We’ll all be “there” eventually, but ironically in some ways the current requirements seem antiquated! On a recent trip, we were delayed 45 minutes as my brother fiddled with some faulty connectivity from his “smart phone” which was not having a good day with his car’s system (which (smart ohones) I and many of “us” have btw and operate just fine. Just don’t need it running (or trying to) our cars’ sound systems. And to think there’s talk of car manufacturers eliminating head units altogether and going to even more phone-dependent set ups. Perish the thought.
You’re the one missing it here. Your kool aid is getting warm. Get off your condescending high horse..and, speaking of, your iPhone too and have a real conversation with someone btw!
My 2016 Traverse has a CD player
What’s the story on that
Bob, so does the 2016 Toyota Highlander, the 2016 Nissan Murano/ Rogue, the 2016 Ford anything and the 2016 Mitsubishi anything. The GM Acadia also still has a cd player BUT the Equinox does not, the Toyota Rav 4 does not and a lot of other vehicles DO NOT and it is not offered as an add-on option. That’s what this post is about the OPTION of getting what you want when you’re spending tens of thousands of $$$ on a VEHICLE.
iF YOU KNOW HOW TO COMPLAIN HERE THEN IT SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM TO LEARN TO USE A USB FLASH DRIVE.
I found a vehicle! The 2016 TOYOTA Highlander has all the “new” technology, navigation, satellite radio etc. AND a cd player slot smack dab in the middle of the dash! Imagine that! Problem solved! 🙂 🙂 🙂
It’s not about how to use a flash drive. (1) It’s why should I have to use one when all I have to do is pop a disk in a dash. (2) I have a life and have collected over 1000 CDs over the years and it takes to much time to switch or care to switch. (3) Flash drives digitally compress music and sound like garbage compared to the nice highs and lows of a CD . (4) I own my music forever I don’t have it on some Apple server someplace on iTunes. All these people that think tech is always the best are sheep . Look at these push button starts also that are being hacked . Give me key while you are at it.
I wish the dealership would offer how to classes. How to convert CDs on to smart phones etc. Maybe even sell smartphones Good public relations we could drop off our old CDs and dealership download our music to whatever device that would Bluetooth. In other word hands on education to transform us. Thanks
ctrsc, GM’s dealership Suburban Cadillac in Costa Mesa, Ca. is to busy trying to figure out how to cheat the purchaser out of money during the delivery process. After the agreement of the price and interest rate. Suburban tried to hide $700 worth of useless Clear Coat and vehicle part identification in the financing monthly payment. When caught in the act, the general manager was proud to remove the fee and acted as if it wasn’t intentional. This act of dishonest greed is going to make this the last GM vehicle I ever purchase again after over 35 years of loyalty. Clearly Suburban can not be trusted. Only a fool would use their Service Department.
The removal of the CD player in the XT5 has been the biggest disappoint of the new vehicle after the Dealership. After one has gone though the obstacles of transferring one’s CD’s to there smartphone. It takes 15 to 30 second for the Bluetooth connection to lick up when starting the vehicle. By the time the phone links up your now driving down the road, about 1 out of 5 times the vehicles sound system will not play the stored music on the phone without dealing directly with the phone. A real pain to deal with as your driving. Keep in mind also if you don’t have your phone with you. You don’t have any of your music.
Being a voice of experience of the removal of the CD player. If your a CD type of person. Do not buy a new vehicle that doesn’t have a CD player. If you do, you will be disappointed and sorry.
Surprisingly enough, I am not over my 40’s and was very frustrated to find out that my new 2016 Terrain had all the bells and whistles, but no CD player. Just because I’m not all about modern technology does not make me or poor Don, that you all are belittling, lesser people because we still use CD players instead of having our whole lives revolving around a smartphone. I’m only 26 and still wish I could put my CD’s on in my car. And to be honest…I even still listen to records and cassette tapes! Oh! And I still watch good ol’ VHS tapes. Just because my opinion and lifestyle is different than yours, that DOES NOT make it wrong. Thank you.
Agree with Marie totally . The question is GM listening to this your customers or Apple to promote there Apple car play. I know who I would listen too. My customers . Remember the last time you didn’t listen around 2009-10 you had lost your customer base and there was almost no GM. If you listen to us and we can listen to our CDs we will continue to be loyal customers. No CDs no GM in my future. Bring back the CD and all will be forgiven.
“Once you have gone through the one-time parading process, all you need to do is just get in your car and enjoy your tunes”
GM’s quoted statement is just plain BS. It’s a nightmare. Many times you have to fumble with the phone to get it to work while your driving. Which is even a bigger pain if you need reading glass.
DON’T BUY A NEW CAR WITHOUT A CD PLAYER
A friend is looking at the 2017 Chevy Impala. It has a cd player!! What gives? Some cars do, some cars don’t?? Come on GM get it together already!
But then tell him how the music that streams is so compressed that it is SLOP compared to that found on a CD. Tell him THAT Chevy guy. Tell him those who want high quality sound that can be downloaded in uncompressed format, would love to be able to play this format in your radios.
Streaming music from a phone or ipad is like taking a photo with an iphone…..garbage product that suits the instant gratification crowd.
How much has GM got invested in smart phones ? What a bunch of crap. After buying 6 straight gm cars, I have bought my last one.
I hate that Chevy doesn’t even allow me to get a cd player as a option for my 2016 Equinox. My question is, Will a XM radio/cd player from a 2015 Equinox fit into a my 2016 Equinox.
Interesting conversation and I totally agree with Don. If no CD or factory GM accessory is available I would not even consider the car. What auto makers have not considered is the fact that hundred’s of millions of CD’s have been produced over the last 30 years, they have not degraded, they are still out there and people still want to be able to listen to music OF THEIR CHOICE.
According to the RIAA, 42 million CD’s were sold in the U.S. in the first half of 2016. This is actually up over the year before. As an example, METALLICA’s HARD WIRED sold 214,000 CD’s (HARD COPIES – NOT DOWNLOADS) in it’s first week on sale on sale in November 2016. These folk’s cannot enjoy their CD in this vehicle.
I have owned 3 Honda CR-V’s since 2002 and my most recent being the 2015. I was looking closely at the 2017 CR-V Touring as a replacement for my 2007 CR-V, but Honda discontinued the CD Player in the new CR-V and is not offering an accessory option as is available with the Pilot or new Ridgeline. The salesperson I test drove the vehicle with stated EVERY ONE he has test driven had asked where the CD player was and he had to explain Honda was not offering one anymore. For me, this simple de-contenting of the vehicle lost Honda a sale to a new NISSAN MURANO PLATINUM which with incentives actually ended up costing less for a far more substantial vehicle with CD and a 11 speaker BOSE stereo.
Automakers really need to get away of the idea that they need to accessorize and market every vehicle to people under thirty. People over thirty drive too and expect certain standard accessories and a CD player is one of them.
Such a well worded post, truly sums it up.
Toyota just unveiled the Brand new 2018 Toyota Camry. Very stylish dash with a CD player right where it should be.
This is Toyota’s bread & butter vehicle. What does Toyota know that GM does not??
They are smart people. They have not had the #1 selling car for 15 years because they are stupid! I drive a 17 XLE V6 Camry. I chose it because it checked ALL my boxes. Including cd player! My money, my choice.
Move up to the Traverse, much better vehicle, more power and yes CD player is standard.
We’ve commented on this before: Not sure on the Traverse, but beware top trims that delete the CD even when available on lesser equipment levels, ironically. As just one of many examples, I think Toyota has done this on the RAV4 where the CD seems to be absent in all but the most basic trim. Volvo is an exception at the opposite extreme–or at least was in 2016 last I checked–where the very top trim and then very priciest stereo was the only way a CD is offered, on the VC90 for example. The explanation from some manufacturer reps for the deletion on the top trims has been those models’ advanced infotainment systems–in the case of the RAV4 example, apparently anything with the Entune components–preclude a location for the CD,…but this is a cheap-out; it’s an overall dash design consideration they could easily accommodate from the get-go with better planning, rather than letting the infotainment unit drive the layout decision entirely. Reverse thinking I think determining equipment levels: oops, guess no more room for the cd. Say, instead, what do we want to include and how do we accomplish that?
The makers also seem to be over thinking (justifying) their decisions based on supposed market/demographic considerations, that somehow the more compact or sporty or relatively “affordable” cars will only appeal to younger generations. Perhaps true in some cases re the makers’ design or marketing (decontenting) intent, but, one exception among many I’ve noticed is the Kia Soul which rid the CD a few years ago. My observation has been that most Soul owners are fairly senior and not millenials.
At the other end of the sporty and cost spectrum, the Corvette and most if not all Cadillacs, both long-standing realm of the 40+ group, have been absent the CD at least few years now. Cadillac in particular has made a point with their recent-years’ models of trying to appeal to a younger demographic to broaden their market, but that still shouldn’t preclude a CD. Don’t want to use it, don’t use it. Say you don’t want to pay for something you have no need for? Welcome to the club…we could all point to features we don’t need that we are “forced” into in order to get others we do want. The narrow CD slot is one of the most innocuous features one can imagine, so much so many video car reviewers skip right over it when going over dash controls/infotainment systems as it’s almost invisible.
(Troll moment lol) don’t you guys get backaches for carrying so much CDs? I would’ve imagine that LOL. On the flip side the deletion of the CD players probably save some weight.
I usually have a soft/circular type zip CD wallet that takes up next to zero space that holds about 25. On top of that, it’s an in dash 6 changer that save for the extreme pothole has never skipped a beat in 100k+miles (factory oem, Panasonic sourced I believe)…as all of which more than enough for a long trip with minimum of fuss or clutter.
Yes, of course as with any decontenting, there is weight and complexity (mfgr cost) savings. They’re looking for any possibilities. There comes a point though… i think it’s primarily decontenting under the guise of hard-to-argue-against obvious savings benefits (that generally don’t make their way into your pocketbook except for maybe 1/64 of a mpg. It’s happening all over, hoping you, the buyer, won’t notice til it’s too late.
Management’s dreams coming true : Decontenting wise, Ford’s done this efficiency (cost/logistics) thing of common seat “architecture” sharing across many model lines…which means that the larger Explorer and Expedition share the underlying basics with (from) their small sedans and hatches, which makes zero sense from a product standpoint. They’re very proud of this–but for obvious reasons doesn’t over-advertise it other than to management, stock holder types etc. I’m sure the engineers similarly are touting weight savings (on the larger vehicles) to these same constituents, skipping over the idea that perhaps a large SUV should have an appropriately commensurate roomy, large seat.
The point being that there’s weight savings to be had in any removal of equipment of course, and this is one area that’s been targeted–and the manufacturers are receiving little push back because 1) many of these are relatively subtle omissions until the buyer later notices “hey, wait a minute…,” and because, in part 2) the overall at least perceived but in some cases real demographic has shifted their–or has different–listening habits. Ultimately, however, it gets to a point where for your same (or more) $ you are quietly getting less and less content–less padding here, fewer speakers there, no more reading light or no fold down rear armrest when there used to be one (as I noticed recently on a 2017 otherwise premium model), etc, etc.
I was looking (test drove) really, really seriously at the 2017 Malibu to replace my 2009 Malibu (which I really love) simply because of too many miles. Once I found out it does not have a cd player option (even on the Premier) it was a deal breaker. Will never buy another Malibu. I will be looking at the Fusion, Camry or Accord.
I really, really, really, wanted the 2017 Rav 4 Limited . Ended up with the 2017 Camry XLE V6 . The lack of a CD player was a deal breaker for me also. I still bought a Toyota, just not my first choice. Too bad. I’ll probably keep it a couple years and trade it for a small SUV which was what I really wanted in the first place. Go figure…
Fusion have the CD player? but then again Fusion havent been Fully redesigned since circa 2012. Besides for god who knows if the 2018 Camry will have the CD player….
For some reason I think it will. The Highlander still has a cd player too for those who can afford one. I was just disappointed when the Rav 4 didn’t have one. I really wanted to go with Toyota for the reliability factor hence the Camry.
Per this photo, appears the 2018 Camry has CD & JBL sound:
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/toyota/camry/2018/2018-toyota-camry-prototype-drive-review/#2018-toyota-camry-hybrid-xle-center-stack-screen
The 2017 has the same. That’s what I own.
i have a cd player in my equinox. just portable one hooked to the Aux port in the center console. Im not messing around transferring music to my smart phone or using a jump drive. t there is no money in putting cd players in …however there is money in offering the XM sat radio or pandora thats on the screen on the dash.
So what I am hearing is that I have to take my cd/record collection (by the way is over 900) and upload them to a cloud or thumb drive even if they made one big enough. That would take forever to do because most of my music is indie rock local bands and wont have that option to get the track names or art work from the internet.
It just seems like it would take months on end maybe even years if i had to do it my self. And could not imagine what it would cost to have somone else do it for me. Thoughs of us that grew up in the 80s/90s had to adapt to the cd from cassette. (I was against it at first but did not have much music collected at the time) now my collection spans many formats. And was able to grow my cd collection considerably in the short time. Now this is just up setting and pisses me off if you don’t want to have it as a standard feature then give us the option to add it at extra cost.
Who is going to load my 32 favorite CDs that I have in visor pocket to my 8GB smartphone. Not enough room first off, and some of us seniors do not have capability to do this. I tried the voice command for “Tony Bemmet” and got Al Hibbler.
I could not agree with Anni more.
The Ford Escape for 2017 has a CD player. Similar to Equinox. Too soon to eliminate the CD player for GM.
I won’t be buying another Chevy are owning 5 Chevrolets. I will purchase from a company that offers what I want, not what they tell me I can have. The Ford Escape looks like a good replacement for my Equinox.
after owning
Have a 2016 chrysler 200 has no cd player, no satellite radio. I want to buy another car as I am not happy with this situation. Also this car has been discontinued, wish I would of knew this before signing the papers! My dealer never mentioned this to me.
It’s honestly cringy to see people not willing to step up their technology games UP TILL THIS DATE!! I honestly sometimes wonder what would you guys do “IF” ALL of the manufacturers don’t even offer the CD player in their cars anymore? Like are you guys just not gonna drive anymore? Heck you guys even got over that there’s no more cassette players in cars anymore and yet people are here talking about no CD players in cars. Get over yourselves and get outside your boxes folks jesus christ. There are other “first world problems” to care about other than caring how an auto manufacturer don’t offer any CD Players on some of the cars.
I have no problem what-so ever with upgrading from a 4 track to an 8 track to a cassette to a CD, but GM is NOT upgrading a CD, they are dropping any form of physical media. I travel a lot and check out books from the library on CD. the library nor any music store offers books or music for that matter on a flash drive or any other form of physical media. How do I buy music to give to someone as a Christmas present, as an example? To drop any form of physical media to play in a car is a mistake on GM’s part, and not to offer it as an extra cost option or an an accessory is a big mistake and they will loose sales, mine being one of those ! ! I bought my 1st Chevy when I was 17, I’m now 69. It’s us old guys that have the money to buy new cars, and by the way, I still drive a manual trans vehicle.
I don’t think there’s a saying that GM is dropping any form of physical media. There is still flash drives that you can use on any GM vehicles. i’m not here to judge any people, but people are acting like it’s the end of the world of not having CD player. And also there is a “gift to friends” option as well in case you didn’t know.
I am so glad that the 2018 Equinox does NOT have a CD player!!!! It truly makes me happy to see Chevrolet not give in to a few neanderthals crying. I know old people like to say “we have the money.” But that’s it! You just have money you don’t spend it, Chevrolet is marketing to people who actually buy the cars not the ones that keep their money under their mattress.
Listen to the quality of streaming music….it is as lousy as the quality of a camera on a cell phone.
You youngsters are quick to criticize the older generations but you have no appreciation for real quality….just “quick” and “easy” and “now”. It’s the instant gratification addiction. Nice….real nice.
Sound quality is first determined by the quality of the gear used to record, mix and master music, and perhaps even more important, the skill and artistry of the engineers. Those factors influence sound quality far more than the release format. In other words, a great recording on MP3 will definitely sound better than a CD or even FLAC wich is Master recording quality.
Streaming music is hugely compressed for transmission leaving it muddy, devoid of highs and lows as intended by the artist, and simply a mediocre product…..regardless of how it’s originally recorded.
Well then Rocky you must have ears like a eagle. I stream my music just fine from The Beatles to Lil Uzi and my Tahoe and Equinox sound perfect. No distortions at all
Not talking about ‘distortion” in playback. I am talking about loss of tonal range. Look it up. Streaming music is enormously compressed (so much so that many artists hate allowing their music to be streamed). When music files are sent via a streaming service, they must be compressed to conserve bandwidth. That results in a severe lack of overall tonality. It’s like taking a photo with your camera….will you see a picture ?…sure.
Will it be as good as one shot with a Nikon D5 ?…..Hardly.
“Fast” and “now” versus doing the job correctly to insure “quality”
Not cool. Just passed on new Buick Encore and GOV Terrain for lack of CD player among other things, but that was pretty high on the list. Yes, I know about streaming and other options, blah blah blah, but dont underestimate the # of buyers who will be
turned off, and sales lost, by this in the foreseeable future.
Toyota Highlander has a cd player, just fyi
The number of old people here trolling on here about not having a CD player on their car just doesn’t surprise me. But again your money, your power right?
Vic….”Old people” have way too much going on in their lives to “troll” the internet like you kiddies. I know school is out for the summer buddy…I know you are bored. Maybe grabbing a construction job pouring asphalt would help !!
You consider yourself a “big guy” when most of y’all aren’t even willing to learn about new things? Okay. And FYI, entry level engineer here so I feel bad for you that you’re just here complaining to all the things and have no life to do. Have a nice day though!
“Entry level engineer”….well isn’t that special ??
Seems to me Y’ALL are the one stereotyping all the older folks for not wanting to learn any technology. You simply could not be more wrong.
Someday Mr “Entry Level”, you’ll grow up and realize all the “old folks” on this comment thread have SHOES older than you !! And you’ll realize that those years brought real knowledge. But that day will come slowly.
Woo what a great comment from you old fart!! Congratulations!!
I have iPhone, iPad, etc. I didn’t notice my Equinox didn’t have a CD player until I tried to insert one, just figured it was standard or I would made another selection. I need my CD player to read books, educational manuels, Sermons from church. Don’t necessarily want to purchase add ons when it could be at least an option…
Bottom line there are LOTS of new vehicles that still have cd players. Just research which ones and narrow down your shopping list to just those vehicles, that’s what I did. Ford, Nissan, Toyota and even Lexus still have cd players. That’s the ones I found through my research. I ended up with a 2017 Toyota Camry XLE V6, but there are plenty more vehicles to choose from with cd players. Bottom line it’s your money your choice.
That’s what I plan to do. It’s just frustrating as I’d prefer to buy another Acadia as I love the vehicle. It’s too bad I have to look elsewhere just because of the CD issue.
I test drove a 2017 Ford Explorer and that isn’t too bad. I’m really not big on Ford’s but will probably buy that.
I get why these auto makers are eliminating CD’s but IMO, it should be from just their base packages. They should still offer people upgrade options with a CD radio if people want one in their car. It’s bad business IMO to be losing a customer because of something so trivial.
Toyota Highlander still has a CD Player
We just bought a 2017 Equinox for my wife,now if anyone should panic because no cd player is me. I have a recording studio with 5 albums on the market. First impression when i discovered the no cd player, was, MEGA PANIC. How are people going to play my cd in the car? I sat down with the manual and started reading my options. It took me less than an hour to solve my problem. Yes i could use my iPhone.( which I normally use in my F150. But something else in the car directed me to change my system. The USB port. I normally exchange music from one computer to another by USB. (no more burning one or two songs on cd’s,) but i can put all my music on the $20.00 USB and play it in the car,SUPER GENIUS. But the problem was that when I transfer music from iTunes playlist to USB you can only transfer all songs from the album, In other words, when you transfer two albums it does not segregate. So on youtube i found a site ‘How to copy music playlists from iTunes to USB. CD players are full of crap as far as the quality of sound it gives you back. The music from USB blew me away. Guys get you head out of you ass, this is the future. When i record a song, first thing i do is run to the car and JUDGE the sound. What a difference. Boys and girls, it’s getting hard to buy blank cd’s, so we have to go with the flow. Sorry this message is so long, but I have over 100,000 dollars of equipment and changing cars will not help me. I hope this will help.
Thank you!!! This is the most positive comment I ever seen! Hat tip to you sir!!
That’s lovely George but there are a lot of us that either don’t have itunes or the time or wish to listen to a playlist. I enjoy my CDs especially on long trips. I also enjoy books on CDs . I just wish for the cost of the car they would give a person a choice. I’m already paying for my iphone, a new car payments, a increase car insurance & registration fee, gas is climbing but my income isn’t keeping up. I don’t think its fair to expect us to pay for music we already paid for. I’ll keep my head up me arse for now thanks, but best of luck to you and the Mrs.
Your 1st sentence blew it for me, you say you have 5 albums on the market…and just what are they recorded on???? Until I can buy an album on a flash drive, or check out an album or book on a flash drive from the library, I have to have some sort of physical media, and right now, the only physical media available today is CD. If GM is dropping the CD altogether because they don’t sell enough of them, then maybe they should drop all colors except black, white and gray, only have 1 wheel and tire combination, make all interiors gray because you can’t see the color of the seat when you are sitting in it, only sell cars to the middle 40% of customers to maximize profits. No wonder they went from 48% market share down to now 17%. Vanilla is still the most popular flavor of ice cream, but Baskin Robbins sells 52 flavors.
Agree with you Craig.
While there is no disputing that CD sales have declined….There is also no disputing that there are still large numbers of CD’s being sold. I think the latest report I saw said that there were still well over 100 million CD’s sold last year….100 MILLION! Granted, that’s less than the 300-400 million number it might’ve been 5-10 years ago but it’s still a pretty big number.
It’s just poor business IMO. I totally agree CD sales a declining and really have no problem with GM eliminating CD’s from base models. However, I do think the most definitely should have an upgrade package that includes a CD option for those that do want it as there clearly is a 40 and over demographic that still has interest in that feature. Why alienate customers over such a thing?
I’m in the market currently for a new car and plan to buy over the next 4-6 months. I’m just not sure what I want to do because of this. I’ve been a loyal GM/Chevy customer since I started driving 30 years ago but I’m absolutely not wanting to buy a new car and have to take it somewhere to get the radio swapped out as soon as I get it.
I did drive a Ford Explorer and like that as it does still have a CD player and is a pretty comparable vehicle to something like the Acadia I’ve been looking at.
My wife thinks I’m silly dismissing a car just because it doesn’t have a CD player but I love still buying CD’s and listening to them in the car. I’m just not interested in changing my listening habits.
If I can be between a few models of cars and go with one that has a CD player, I’m doing it.
The thing is too that GM eliminates CD players to save money…But these cars sure aren’t any cheaper. I’m not paying more for less features than I was able to get 5 years ago.
That’s our society today though….Pay more, get less.
I can’t believe there’s no CD player! I bought the top of the line Premier with the Bose speakers and just assumed there would be one! I am extremely disappointed!!
I solved my problem and decided to go with a 2017 Acadia Limited that I found a good deal on and got zero percent financing. It still has the CD player. My salesman kept trying to get me to look at the new style Acadias but I said they were out of consideration for me because they didn’t have CD players.
Still think it’s pretty poor that these manufacturers are removing them when there are still something like 100 million CD’s being sold and obviously many still in circulation. At the least they need to have the option available for people if they really want it.
I think the real reason for no cd player is Chevy wants to you buy their Wi-Fi connection every month.
I’m not sure if that has anything to do with the deletions of CD player. The reason for deletions of CD players is USB drive.
I now own a 2016 Equinox. My next car will be one with a CD player, even if it isn’t a GM, and yes I even get a discount. No cd, not GM.
I am the son of a retired GM employee and also had 2 uncles that were retired from GM. I have always bought GM because of that. I also get all the discounts available to retirees and their family. I own a 2016 Equinox which will be my last GM product because of this. Its my money and I will spend on products I can choose what equipment I want. I have to wonder if GM has some kind of deal with Pandora or wants us all to purchase their WI-FI to get what we want.
I don’t understand why they offer Bose speakers but no CD player? Honestly?? It’s a joke!
I also was very upset that I did not have a cd player in my 2017 equinox. I also have a flip phone and don’t want a smart phone, I use my phone just for a phone. Who are you to assume that tnis gentlemen is willing to upgrade to a smart phone, first of all his phone plan will go up greatly. Maybe he likes his phone. Would it have been so bad to offer cd player as an option? I really miss the fact that I cannot play my music from my cd. Are they a diztraction, not any more than having to press buttons that you have to look over to find!
I will just keep my 2016 Impala (a great car) rather than replace it next year with a car with no CD Player. I enjoy audio books on CD. I suppose GM saves less than $50 by not installing a CD player in the car. Seems like they would at least provide a plug and play option for a CD player as someone above mentioned.
about the chevy CD-or lack of—thanks for the heads up-
i will now use that when I negotiate a price for my next car–but about those photon torpedos.
Companies like GM are supposed to listen to the customers, NOT tell the customers what they want or what to think, or ignore their concerns. This arrogant thinking got GM in big trouble before and it looks like history is repeating itself.
I’ve been notified of newer (January 2018) comments people have posted
but where are they? The notifications do include the new text, but that’s without the context of the most recent material I’m seeing here (December) and overall conversation.
I wish someone would just put up a list of vehicles that still offer a cd player. Then those of us who still want that feature can shop from that list of vehicles. That would be AWESOME!
I agree with the people wanting the CD players back in our new vehicles. I have a 2018 leased Chevy Malibu LT–no CD player and I HAVE to connect to Bluetooth to be able to use voice command telephone calls. I had ONSTAR voice command in my other Malibu cars–2012 and 2015. I felt safer and it was so much easier to set up and use. I would just set up my car phone with the voice command feature, said the name that I wanted to call and it would put my call through for me. No directory (taking my eyes off the road) or the need to have a cell phone in the car. This Bluetooth business is NOT SAFE and I think GM should have considered the safety factor BEFORE making the changes. Another thing: What happened to the storage behind the screen? That was really great too–I always knew where my sunglasses were. I was thinking of buying this car, but maybe not!
I had commented above but my buying decision on my last car was 100% based upon if the car had a CD player. I had my choices narrowed to a few and went with a 2017 Limited Acadia that still had a CD player.
And the next time I buy a car, I’ll want one with a CD. I just have too many CD’s to ignore and I like listening to them over spotting blue tooth streaming or having to rip them all to USB.
If I am forced to buy a car without a CD, I’ll be buying something where the radio is easily replaced so I can have somebody install a new radio with a CD player. It would be frustrating to have to buy a brand new car and rip out the radio though.
I get that Cd’s are not as popular anymore but it is really saving these car makers that much money? I mean, I sure didn’t notice prices going down on these new cars without CD players. It’s just a case of them taking away features yet still charging more.
At the least they should have the option for people. I’d probably gladly pay $500 more or something to have a factory CD player installed by the dealer if it were an upgrade option.
It’s just bad business that’s irritating the 40+ buying demographic.
Travis I purchased a 17 Camry XLE V6 for the same reason, it still had a cd player. Thinking of upgrading to a Highlander, they still have a cd player also. I didn’t know GM still offered CD players in any of their vehicles. I was interested in the Equinox until I found out they had taken the cd player out. I won’t purchase a car without one. I, like you have a catalog of discs that I’m not willing to get rid of. #mymoneymychoice
I’m still upset that I don’t have a CD player in my Equinox. Console storage does not have a lock and steering wheel does not adjust either. How did I miss all this?
The steering wheel does not adjust? You sure about that?
Regarding the CD player: I’m sure this is what fans of the cassette tape said in the 90s… you have two choices:
1. Embrace the future, which is here today, or
2. Fall behind, as you’re doing by complaining about the lack of a CD player, which is an outdated and obsolete technology
Linda Womble the 2018 Toyota Camry and Highlander STILL has a cd player, as does the Lexus RX350 and the Lexus ES 350. Take a look at those.
CD Players in vehicles are not a thing of the past. Y’all just want people to buy the Sirius radio. Well, some of us older people can’t afford such. I’ll go back to Nissan.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
GM has no vested interest in Sirius XM. However, your smartphone that pairs wonderfully with your vehicle over wireless Bluetooth or wired USB has access to infinitely more content than satellite radio can ever hope for. It’s all about your smartphone being the conduit to any content you want, at any point in time, mostly for free.
So there goes your entire conspiracy theory… straight out the window.
You’re missing the point Alex. I am looking for an Equinox as well but won’t buy one without a CD. Granted, there are newer technologies but that doesn’t always equate to better. Sure you can use a smart phone. I plug my current phone into the aux port and listen to Pandora. I also have a library of CDs I’m not going to pitch. I understand eventually music media will change formats and CDs will be a thing of the past but they aren’t now, at least the last time I check the music section at Barnes and Nobles. The 2016’s don’t have one either and here we are in 2019 and CDs are still plentiful. It was a very bad marketing decision to not include it. I’m technologically savvy so can get around it but it sucks that GM made such a bad decision that affects such a large portion of demographics that are potential buyers. Someone should get the pink slip for an ill-thought out decision or provide a free subscription to an online music service. By the way, I noticed it offers MP3 player capability and those haven’t been around for a while?
To all the Nissan Toyota dickriders on this page. We get it you level outdated technology CD this CD that blah blah blah blah blah. Keep sending your money overseas like your boy Trump. I on the other hand, I’m going to enjoy my 2018 Premier Equinox streaming my Spotify playlist and charging my phone wirelessly. Just remember it’s not the smartest or strongest who survive it’s the first one to adapt.
A quick check of some area new car dealers as to how far the phase-out has progressed with the 2018 models showed:
Gordie Boucher Nissan, 4141 S. 108th St., Greenfield — All the 2018 cars come with CD players standard
John Paul’s Buick GMC, 3615 S. 108th St., Greenfield — No 2018 Buick has a CD player, however, the GMC Yukon and Sierra models do. Players are not offered as options.
Schlossmann Honda, 3450 S. 108th St., Greenfield — Only the HRV model offers a CD player. Players are not offered as options for other models. However, a package including a DVD can be purchased for two higher-end models and CDs can be played on it as well as DVDs.
Boucher Lincoln, 3161 S. 108th St., West Allis — All 2018 models come with CD players standard except the Navigator and the Continental. Both those models offer CD players as options.
Russ Darrow Mazda, 3520 S. 108th St. — Only the Mazda 6 and CX3 have CD players.
Don Jacobs Toyota, 5727 S. 27th St. — Some models come with CD players and some don’t. The 2018 Corolla comes with a CD player standard.
Braeger Ford, 4201 S. 27th St. — All 2018 models have CD players standard.
Hyundai Greenfield, 6133 S. 27th St. — All 2018 models have CD players in the base models, but upgrades don’t include it.
Heiser Chevrolet, 10200 W. Arthur Ave., West Allis — Only the Chevrolet Impala has a CD player, and that only with an upgraded package.
Well I too was looking at a 2018 Equinox and reading here has told me that there is no CD Player in the new cars. BUMMER. And I was ready to purchase a new Chevy. I was ready to turn in my 2015 LEXUS for a Chevy, but I guess I might be keeping my LEXUS. Again BUMMER and Thanks for this post.
Listen up CHEVY. Missing another sell. Liked your commercials until I started looking.
But at least with the Acadia the cubbyhole is just big enough to hold an external CD drive with USB power/connectivity so that the Acadia radio system integrates it like an ipod.
Problem solved, even if in a less than ideal way.
I too just purchased a 2018 Equinox. Unfortunately, I didn’t even see there wasn’t a CD until the next morning. I was at the dealership until late and just went directly home. I like to listen to ministries on CD’s, you know, hearing the “Word”. No what am I to do? I want my 2014 Malibu back.
Same thing happened to my husband upon getting a new 2016 Equinox company car. We had bought a new CD and were going to listen to it and could not find the CD player. Yikes. What a load of XXXX. We listen to books on CD all the time too. That is almost impossible to do with Bluetooth. Everything disconnects the Bluetooth while trying to listen. Almost had a wreck trying to reset everything. I bought a new 2016 GMC Acadia and it had a CD player in it, or I would not have bought it. At least it was an option. I love love love my Acadia. Not sure about the Terrain which is equivalent to the Equinox. We loved the 2015 Equinox with CD player, but he had a white out car accident that totaled it. He did walk out of that accident with little injury. He just got a new company car, a 2018 Rogue and it has a CD player, but the car itself is not as comfortable as the Equinox.
There are still LOTS of cars with cd players BUT they are going FAST!!! Nissan, Ford, some Toyota still have a cd player. Chevy Impala still has a cd player, totl only though. If a cd player is important to you I would suggest you buy in the next few months. The 2019’s are rolling in WITHOUT cd players, replaced with blue tooth and Apple Car Play. The 2019 Toyota Avalon DOES NOT have a cd player so I would go for the 2018. Right now you can still find them but they are getting scarce. Hmm, wonder why. I have a 17 Camry I’m going to drive it into the GROUND for sure. By the time I wear it out I’ll be too old to care about a cd player or a car for that matter. My grandkids will be driving me around. If you want a vehicle with a cd player BUY NOW! #ThatIsAll
Or you can simply adapt to the present and future proof your life from a technology standpoint, and eliminate physical media from your life… it might be a transition that’s isn’t entirely easy, but once you’ve made it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived confined to CDs in the first place.
WELL, I FELL FOR THE SAME THING…I TOTALED MY HONDA CRV WITH A GREAT 6 DISK
PLAYER ….I FORGOT TO TAKE THE DISKS OUT BEFORE THEY TOWED IT AWAY SO MY SON
WENT AND RETRIEVED THEM SO I COULD PUT ‘EM IN MY 2016 EQUINOX…!! THE REST IS
HISTORY….AND I’M SURE THEY DECLINE TO MENTION ABOUT THE “NEW” WAY TO PLAY
YOUR MUSIC…I LIKED THE OLD WAY AND I WOULD NEVER HAVE BOUGHT THE EQUINOX
IF I HAD DONE MY HOMEWORK….HOW’S THAT OLD SAYING GO ? “FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME
ON ME…FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME OF YOU !”…WHAT COMES AROUND, GOES AROUND…THEY CAN PUT ANY KIND OF SPIN ON THIS THEY WANT, BUT GM IS NOT GONNA GET MY BUSINESS AGAIN….THANKS FOR LETTING ME COMMENT….RAY
Bluetooth first of all always seems to have spotty connections. It fades in an out and often doesn’t even show the right information on the radio screen. Not to mention the quality of the audio is poor. And further to mention all the fumbling around people are doing in their cars to select the music they want to hear from their libraries. Just another reason to distract drivers.
I do use BT but mostly hate it and only use it when I’m forced to.
Give me CD’s anyday. Better quality, much easier top operate, and I actually have something that I can’t delete by hitting a wrong button.
Don’t get me wrong. I know BT is probably the future and don’t mind it being the standard for base models. I just think these auto makers should at least still have upgrade packages to at least add a CD player radio if they want to. The auto makers could make even more money from those people and they’ve have happy customers…..Win for everybody.
Absolutely Travis: The radios are not hi tech enough to handle multiple bluetooth items. I was just in a book/record store where supposedly vinyl records were supposed to be abolished, but guess what they are worth more than ever and sought after because the quality is better. One day these techies will appreciate quality and not wasting their time downloading constantly. Why can’t they understand there are those who love CD’s period. period. period and the value and quality is much better on a consistent basis.
WHAT’S OUT THERE
A quick check of some area new car dealers as to how far the phase-out has progressed with the 2018 models showed:
Gordie Boucher Nissan, 4141 S. 108th St., Greenfield — All the 2018 cars come with CD players standard
John Paul’s Buick GMC, 3615 S. 108th St., Greenfield — No 2018 Buick has a CD player, however, the GMC Yukon and Sierra models do. Players are not offered as options.
Schlossmann Honda, 3450 S. 108th St., Greenfield — Only the HRV model offers a CD player. Players are not offered as options for other models. However, a package including a DVD can be purchased for two higher-end models and CDs can be played on it as well as DVDs.
Boucher Lincoln, 3161 S. 108th St., West Allis — All 2018 models come with CD players standard except the Navigator and the Continental. Both those models offer CD players as options.
Russ Darrow Mazda, 3520 S. 108th St. — Only the Mazda 6 and CX3 have CD players.
Don Jacobs Toyota, 5727 S. 27th St. — Some models come with CD players and some don’t. The 2018 Corolla comes with a CD player standard.
Braeger Ford, 4201 S. 27th St. — All 2018 models have CD players standard.
Hyundai Greenfield, 6133 S. 27th St. — All 2018 models have CD players in the base models, but upgrades don’t include it.
Heiser Chevrolet, 10200 W. Arthur Ave., West Allis — Only the Chevrolet Impala has a CD player, and that only with an upgraded package.
I for one will not buy any more Chevrolets. In the past I have owned a impala, Traverse, Equinox and a Volt. I currently am driving a Equinox and it is my last one. I have never bought a foreign built car, but will if they are the only ones to offer the options I want and will demand in the future. I have to believe that GM is getting a kick back from companies like Pandora and XM or have ownership in these types of companies. GM is taking away my right to choose what I want and like. I like books on CD’s, but GM has F-you to me. Its still my money and I will spend it on products that meet MY likes and wants.
Companies probably did not count the CDs in foreign language, you can’t download fro iTune and ONLY on CDs.
I was looking for the 2019 Chevrolet Equinox with a CD But since u’re not putting them n no thanks,I have always bought G M because my father stood by them 100 percent so I’ll look for something else, and I’m not buying a iPhone I want 2 play what I want 2 when I get ready.
Joyce, the Toyota Highlander has a cd player as well as the Ford Edge. I think Nissan vehicles still have a cd player also! CD Players are still out there you’ve just got to look for them but you better hurry they are going fast! These car companies want you to PAY not once, but FOREVER for your music now.
Rediculous to think that many people don’t still use CD’s, hope you base all of your sales for millennials because you just lost me, I also won’t be buying a Chevy because of this.
Just bought a 2019 Equinox, and FML….seriously all the money I just spent and there is no CD player! So disappointed in GM! Of course I’m st fault for not catching it before the purchase. Not everyone is a millennial, I truly enjoy my audio books on CD…and yes I’m fully aware I can download to my phone and listen but it is not the same. There was no need on excluding the CD player. What a joke.
What I don’t like is they don’t tell you it’s not there. 2 years ago I almost bought a Rav 4. At the 11th hour I said hey you never showed me where the cd player is located, Then and only then did the salesman tell me there was no cd player. I didn’t buy the Rav 4 I bought a Camry XLE V6 it has a cd payer. Sorry they fooled you into a sale. They have done it to a LOT of people.
An d what I don’t understand is that if you check on the web, there are still 100,000,000 CDs sold every year, yes, that number is down, but we like listening to books on CD, while we travel, that we check out from the library for FREE. It costs money to download stuff from iTunes or any other app, I really don’t like throwing my money away when my tax dollars already support our local library.
I also don’t like the touchy brakes and trying to keep my windshield from fogging up. But the lack of CD is still my number one disappointment.
I copied my oldies from CD to a flash drive, plug the flash drive into my USB port and get to listen to the music I like. This way I don’t have to pay for any premium music as GM apparently wants me to. I have to wonder if GM is getting kick backs of some kind from the premium stations.
I am also upset about no CD player in my Equinox. I don’t like mp3’s.
I may be wrong so what I been there done that kind of thing and so have most of you . BUT here it is every time new tech comes out we the consumers have to switch over just so the companies can sell us something new and maybe not superior to what we are used to using and to switch over what we have invested time and $$$$ makes a lot of people richer and by the way where did you say I could buy new VHS tapes ?
Doug I agree with you and I’m a baby boomer and I love my CD’s and now I can’t play them in our new Chevy Equinox as they said I could get a MP3 player and download onto it or buy an I phone etc. I have a phone and it is a flip phone. I use it when I go away so it someone needs me or I need to let someone know I’m going to be late I can do it. I know everything is changing but why not give us a choice and have a CD player installed from factory in stead of having a box to hook up and then hide as who wants a box in a new expensive car to look tacky. And yes I also agree we still can buy a record player that play our vinyl and I have one and it also plays cassettes and CD . All a thing of the pass it they have their way and so sad for us that love our CD , landlines etc.
Bought a Chevy Equinox. Had I known there was no CD player that would have been a deal breaker. What the hell? No more Chevy’s in my future!
I absolutely love my 2018 Equinox except that I have no CD player.
GM wants to know why they aren’ t selling vehicles….No CD no buy…Duh! Simple huh….
Just bought an Equinox 2 days ago. Today I just realized that there is no CD player…would not have bought if I had noticed. considering returning it to the dealership. My other option is to pull out the entire touchscreen (which is also superfluous) and replace with a regular radio/CD player for $100 or buy a portable CD player to run through the AUX port…but why should I have to put after market items in a “new” car. CDs are still relevant to those with the money that purchase your cars…(ps…please get rid of all cameras on cars. Its fucking stupid , unnecessary, and a waste)
New Subject !
Why all the 3RD. quarter discounts? With the staff of accountants and people with algorithms why doesn’t GM come out with more factual pricing in the 1st. quarters? Also where will the new Trailblazer be built? The engine will most likely be Brazil, but please don’t build it in China. I’ve already written off Buick as a new car consideration due to this fact.
Lou Jolicoeur A GM customer for 50 years.
I have a smart phone… and it is one of the stupidest pieces of electronics I have. Technology changes because of the artificial nature of our supply side economy, i.e., Flood the market with new gadgets and gimmicks and convince everyone they not only want them, but need them to survive, even at the expense of going into debt to get them. Then repeat the process over and over. As a wise only professor once told me: Not every new idea is good, and not every old idea is bad. Dear Chevy. GO F@#K YOURSELF.
Yes, I was quite shocked after purchasing when I got home with my 2017 model. I called my wife cuz I couldn’t find the CD player. There’s this big place where there should be one that’s not even equipped for Navigation – it’s just a waste of space. So, why not go ahead & put one in. I do have a smartphone & can play music thru the USB. But I like options – not many Independant artists am I gonna be able to find on Apple, etc. Also, I hate dealing with the ads, bad service, that stops my music. None of that happens with CDs. It just keeps playing music continuously, no interruptions! And I may not be the smartest cookie – but don’t we use our phones for calls/texts, etc. How can I do all of these things simultaneously?? I can’t. Just a dumb move by car manufacturers. I’ll never own another car with one since it’s already 2020. Very sad. Again this Equinox didn’t offer Apple Car Play, Bluetooth, or Navigation. So, I don’t understand. Everyday, I have to plus my phone into the USB. It quits playing music every time there’s no tower. Then, I have to scroll thru, reload it, all while driving. Very dangerous! Phone calls have been on the decline since 2006, but yet they still offer Bluetooth phone calls. Why? Nobody calls me, they TEXT! This is older technology than CD players – yet they offer it?!?!? And when my phone is plugged into the USB, my texts are muted! This is ridiculous!!! Again, I’ve had this thing for 3 years & am still very sad & disappointed. I can’t express this enough! Hopefully they will wake up & smell the coffee. I’m not 50 or 60 either. Only 35. Also, a musician. So, I understand all the hard work that goes into making a CD. We don’t have money to buy all these songs on ITunes or whatever. We paid $20,000 for a car, we don’t wanna spend more on your Wi-fi or On Star service. Or for a simple CD player you could’ve easily installed.
I drive a 17 Camry, it has a CD PLAYER. It is actually how I ended up purchasing a Camry because it has a CD PLAYER. I am told Lexus does also. I will trade this car in 3 years when I retire. If the Lexus still has a CD PLAYER I will bump up to that make and then never buy another car again. if not hopefully the Camry will still offer one and I will buy another Camry. Basically in 3 years I will purchase whatever vehicle still offers a CD PLAYER as my retirement forever car and if not I’ll drive this one I have INTO THE GROUND before I purchase another vehicle. It only has 14,000 miles right now. The End.
Dear Chevy dealer….
If an older person wants a CD player, get them a dang CD player. You can explain for two hours on the benefits of new technology. So what! He doesn’t want to hear that. He knows what he likes. The feel of the CD in your hand, the collecting and purchasing them, whatever!
Respect his need and hook him up with an aftermarket alternative if that’s what he wants!
A customer will appreciate your willingness to meet his needs. Telling him his love of CDs is old fashioned and on the way out is a sure deal breaker.
The problem really lies in the fact they do not even disclose the fact there is no cd player, unless you ask. You can get a GMC Acadia which has a CD player but it is an upgrade. I bought a 2016 Acadia with one in it and dread the day I have to get another vehicle.
I totally agree about new GM cars not having a CD player. Who came up with that decision. Are they just making cars for the younger generation? I will be shopping for a vehicle that offers a CD player, and it won’t be a GM car. I presently owned two General motor cars, no more.
Very simple put CD player back in!!!!! Not everyone will use MP players or phones etc.
The reply to Don is pathetic! That person should be sent for retraining in customer relations! Certainly this is not how General Motors should be represented to the public AND to our customers.
I have an I-Phone and it works fine as long as it holds a charge..but poorly then! Music is fine but libraries across the country still make available recorded books in several forms Including on CD’s
That poor representative of GM should be returned to their parents basement for further “seasoning”!
It’s very simple. It boggles my mind that manufacturers are content with losing sales simply because they don’t allow consumers an upgrade option to put a CD player in the car. I’m not dropping $50,000 plus for a car and then having to spend more to buy and external CD player or have the radio replaced. I’d rather drive my current car until it drops.
I actually test drove a new car a few weeks ago and went so far as to sit down with the salesman to see if something could be worked out. Turns out the car didn’t have a CD option. After they gave me their “best deal”, I said….”Well, I need another $1,000 off because I need to replace the radio and put a CD player in”. They declined and the salesman didn’t seem to think I’d walk out over not having a CD player. Well, I walked out. They lost that sale simply because there was no CD player. I wanted the car, but I enjoy my music more than the car.
I am in the process of looking for a retirement car to purchase in the next two years. Having a bit of fun I entered best cars for seniors into Google search. To make a long story short SUBARU held the top two spots. Now most people either love a Subaru or hate it but I want to make cd player enthusiasts aware that the 2021 Subaru Outback is equipped with a cd player hidden in the console. Just a small slot barely recognizable. I would not have realized it was even there had it not been mentioned in the details for the vehicle. Subaru figured it out. Their vehicles are the top two for seniors AND they offer a CD Player in the OUTBACK, unfortunately it is NOT offered in the Forrester which would have been my preference for looks. But just FYI on the Outback
I have a 2017 Buick Lacrosse, When I went to the Sound store I was told that no CD was available to fit my car…..I have about 1500 cd’s and I would like a way to listen to them when I make a trip……so you will not offer a cd player for my car…….That’s too bad.
Hello
I’m 67 years old and remember we went from 8 track tapes then later onto cassettes with DOLBY NR and now CD players but this type of move to just a AM-FM radio with some that have MP3 players stinks.
The pre recorded CD is great and even my christmas music is still around with many oldies types of music stars on them and the only way to buy a stereo unit with a CD is to special order one and for starters we have the following.
KENWOOD BOSE PIONEER AC DELCO DELPHI and so take heart you men and women when it comes to CD players you have to do your research and your homework in order to get results for yourselves on your vehicles.
MERRY CHRISTMAS