Documenting how I added a factory Outlander head unit that has CarPlay and similar support of features as the 2014-2015 navigation head unit, without modifying your loom. Part Numbers Included.
I did not want a Sygic unit as it didn’t look factory enough for me, so I went down this path instead. There has been a few cursory write ups of installing this but with many holes. I also wanted to do this with the least amount of modification as possible, I pretty much only used Mitsubishi parts (largely from the 2019 Outlander and Outlander Sport). The below info is meant to be a guide that I made for myself to figure this out - not instructions. Please note part numbers listed may be incorrect and some parts were not verifiable to work until I purchased them. If you choose to replicate, please proceed at your own risk.

This does not apply to cars from 2008-2013. I assume one could find a way, but I would assume harnesses would need to be changed (i.e., probably not worth it).

Mitsubishi Part Numbers
Head Unit: 8741A001 through 8741A006 ( I personally have 5)
OEM USB Cable: 8755A249
USB Door: 8718A044
Navigation Kit: MZ360438EX

(non-nav - harder) For cars without navigation (I think, but cannot confirm) you will need the Navigation Kit that is sold with 2014-2015 navigation system. This kit should include the OEM wiring harnesses so you do not have to glue microphone cables and such. Since, I already had navigation, I was literally able to plug and play here. I cannot confirm if this will be the case, but my inkling would be it is. Someone else will have to verify.
The harness, I think you will need is part no: MZ360438EX, but I can’t personally confirm. Please see this post for more details on the kit (https://www.evolutionm.net/.../731425-tried-install-last...)

(oem nav - easier) Assuming you have navigation, the only slight, and I mean very slight, incompatibility is the GPS connection. Mitsubishi updated the cable here, but the only update was to the physical shape of the connector. So, you would need an extension cable that converts a GT5-1S-HU (light gray) cable to GT5-1PP-HU(B)(70) (green) cable. If this is not possible, you have two choices: (i) scrape down the GPS cable to fit in the green socket, or (ii) get an extension cable and modify that - I chose the latter. You will still need the USB cables listed above even for this setup. The glove box USB does not work for this. There are alternative cheaper cables from my research, but I went with OEM even if there was a higher price to pay.

Assuming you do not have navigation, you could instead buy a gps unit that just includes GT5-1PP-HU(B)(70) (green) cable, which I think is part 8751A085 (unconfirmed). The issue here may be how it is mounted, but do not know.
See also, http://mmc-manuals.ru/.../54/html/M154401140008300ENG.HTM

Last note, Russian websites including Drive2 are also a good source of information. They have a custom PCB that can add CANBUS info to the screen. I don't know what compels them, but they are gods with respect to head units.

Pictures of the final install:

 

Wow! This looks sooo good! I need to figure out the exact differences and do this in my 2011 w/factory nav.

 

Does anyone know if the apple car play works wireless with this unit or is it only wired? Does the steering wheel controls still work?

 

Wired, but I would imagine you could install a wireless dongle behind the unit into one of the usb ports. All steering controls work.

 

So I am going to be doing this in my 2015 Evo X. I currently have the MMCS in it now, with the Rockford Fosgate audio system.
A friend who is local to me has already successfully done this in his 2015 Lancer SE (his car doesn't have the RF audio system).

You mentioned the Russian website Drive2 has a custom PCB that can add CANBUS info to the screen...would you be able to point me in that direction, or post a link to it?

Also, any chance you may know what or if there are any differences between the 8741A005 and 8741A006 models?
Only difference I could find, is the 8741A005 is from an Outlander Sport (RVR in Canada), and the 8741A006 is from an Outlander.
Curious if there are any other differences internally, like any options or compatibility.
I know the Outlander Sport/RVR tends to be a closer match to Lancers for most things...but I found a model 8741A006 from an Outlander so I hope it will work with my car and RF sound system.

Thanks!

 

Is yours a GSR or MR, and if it's a GSR does the backup cam show in the head unit?

 

It does. Both the MR and GSR have the potential to adapt the optional backup camera for the head unit. My GSR works perfectly with the backup camera.

 

does the subwoofer control work with this unit? Does it sound the same as the stock unit? I have the RF setup on my MR. This seems like a great option but I'm worried about the sound control.

thanks 👍

 

Thanks to OP for this post - I've been looking for a Carplay solution for a number of years and could never get myself to pull the trigger on a Sygav or iDoing unit. When I saw this, I immediately was intrigued.

I did the swap this weekend with a 8741A006 head unit in my 2015 non-RF GSR. It came out of a 2019 Outlander. I am still waiting on my USB cable to test out the carplay, but from what I've seen I have no doubts it'll work just fine.

I've connected my phone via blutooth to test out the audio. I can't help but notice a slight downgrade in audio quality over the stock head unit. The EQ settings do make quite a difference, but even when I dial the new one in to what I believe is optimized, I still feel like i hear a difference when I swap back and forth between the units. The original unit seems a little more thumpy and full sounding (even without a sub in the system), while the new is thinner and more hall-like sounding. Its not drastic, but I do believe its there and not me just going crazy. On the non-RF systems I'm not sure if there is a standalone amp or the head unit simply powers the speakers itself. If the ladder, be interesting to know the output differences between the OEM Evo non-RF unit, and the 2019 Outlander unit.

Other things I've noticed:
- GPS obviously doesnt work, car never came with GPS from factory so I don't have the GPS kit or Antenna - (Don't care, intention is to use Carplay).
- Stock Microphone doesnt work (This I care about). The microphone itself is seemingly the same part number (8761A002) for both cars. I could be wrong but I think the microphone ties into the Bluetooth handsfree System control unit. At first I assumed it would plug directly into the head unit but I couldn't find any dedicated cables, or even pins within the 20 pin or other white connector. Again, I could be wrong here. I am also confused why the car would have a standalone blutooth control unit, when the head unit itself has blutooth?
- Backup Camera doesnt work (This I dont really care about) - my car didnt come with a backup camera, I installed a cheapo ebay camera into the factory 9 pin connector and it worked just fine on the original Evo OEM head unit. I plugged that same 8 pin into the new Outlander head unit and when I put the car in reverse, it doesnt come on. I presume this has something to do with the Evo being a manual and the canbus signal being different than an auto Outlander, but I'm not an expert and just guessing based on limited knowledge. Not sure if users with the OEM backup camera would also have this experience, mine was a pretty janky setup.
- Music related steering wheel controls do work (volume, next, etc.)
- Handsfree calling related steering wheel controls are seemingly recognized by the unit but fail to actually work because a faulty Microphone alert displays on the head unit and supersedes the buttons functionality. I presume if the Microphone was being properly recognized, they would work.
- Autodimming - when I turn headlights on and off, the unit doesnt auto dim like the original did. I presume this is also a canbus issue.

Questions for OP and others who may have done this
- Did you manage to get the stock microphone working?
- Did you notice any difference in audio quality with the new head unit?

 

I'd love to know how it sounds on the RF system with sub. I'd need almost everything to work because I went back to stock after trying the Sygav. I hated using to crank the EQ just to get it to sound close to the same. Maybe that is normal but it sounds fake to me and I'm not an EQ fan. I like it only to adjust slight environmental changes.
The sub on the stock radio is more full compared to the Sygav. If I couldn't come close, I'd skip all together.

I'm starting to understand that the only good way is to replace everything and remove the stock. Stock was designed into the car.

Thanks for details 👍

 

My 2015 Evo X with RF (also had the Navi) was all plug and play ezpz.
Only had to install the new head unit (8741A006 was the one I got), and I also purchased the oem usb harness (8755A249) as well as the plastic usb port front panel cover (8718A044).
Took me about 15 mins to do it last year and everything worked perfectly for me...microphone/steering wheel controls/handsfree/gps/carplay/etc.
Also, my screen auto-dims just fine.

I believe you need the navi install kit like OP mentioned, for everything to work like mine did, as my car already came with all of the required parts/connections from factory.
The older head units (non SDA) on any lancer, do not have the bluetooth integrated and hence why there is a stand-alone bluetooth module behind the glove box and yes the microphone runs through this module.
You can however, make a custom harness cable to make the microphone work, and you need to disconnect the existing bluetooth module entirely.
My buddy has made a few of these cables, as he himself needed one in his 2015 Lancer (non RF/non Navi).
He has acquired several models of this specific SDA screen (001, 005, 006...and even the European version that has no volume knob) for scientific purposes lol.
They are essentially all the exact same screen and are more less just different revisions, or were used in certain vehicle models/years. However, I believe the 005 one was specifically used in the 2018+ Outlander Sport (RVR) which is the closest vehicle to the Lancer. We did find something interesting with this...we tried putting both the 001 and the 006 models inside a 2016 RVR and everything worked *except* for the oem backup camera. Swapped in the 005 screen and boom the camera worked. We also put the 005 screen in a lancer with an aftermarket backup camera and it worked. The European version screen also worked with his camera.

I wouldn't judge audio quality based on bluetooth vs. when your phone is hard cabled via USB connection. Not to mention, phones have several different modes/settings in them specifically for bluetooth audio device connections. Mine sounds the same as before if not even better, but again I have the RF sound in my car...and the non RF sound will always kinda sound like dogsh*t regardless lol.

Few other things to note:
- the GPS antenna is only really used for time/date calibration
- these screens do have firmware updates ***proceed with caution and read carefully if doing this yourself***...
PDF Guide: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...61375-9999.pdf
File Downloads: http://mmc-manuals.ru/Audio:_Software_for_SDA
- there is a "hidden" service menu as mentioned in the above pdf. I forget now which settings I may have changed on mine in this menu, but I do recall changing my vehicle type, as my screen was set to a PHEV and was also in French language and RHD when I first installed it.
- some of the screen's features will not work in a Lancer due to our CANBUS (displaying the HVAC is the only one I can think of off top of my head)

 

Appreciate the follow up and additional information. I've learned a lot in the last few days since my original reply.

Regarding sound quality - totally agree bluetooth isnt ideal - I just thought it was worth noting given I am running bluetooth on both, I was still hearing a difference in audio quality. For clarity, I wasnt comparing bluetooth on new to hardwire on existing.

Some additional info for people thinking about doing this with a non-rf system
- the OEM Evo head unit has both bluetooth and satellite radio, but they arent built directly into the head unit, they run off standalone modules both located in passenger side behind and above glovebox
- As RuCas noted above, the Microphone wiring goes to the Hands Free Module (HFM) located above the glovebox, not the stock head unit. There are 3 wires (+ , - , shield) that need to move directly to the new head unit and a fourth ground (detect) needs to be added
- the mic wires plugs into the grey 16 pin connector on the new head unit
- Satellite radio antenna can be moved from the existing standalone SatRadio module, over to the new head unit.
- i removed the stock hands free module and satellite radio module which was nice clutter to get rid of. As mentioned these are built directly into new head unit.

Next up for me is to tackle moving the mic cables to the head unit. I know which cables need to go where, just waiting on the connector to be delivered so i can wire it up in a clean fashion.
For those wondering, this is the connector needed:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...750a1802dOlt9D

Thanks again for the time and reply, all the info from people like you on forums is what enabled this in the first place! Cheers.

 

Any chance you can post pictures and pin details of connecting the factory mic wiring from the 28 pin connection at the hands free module harness into the grey 16 pin connector - most importantly the 3 mic wires on the factory harness side and where to create the 4th wire from. The mic wiring issue seems to be the biggest problem for most people. I'll post SDA HEAD UNIT PINOUT LINK HERE for the pinout of the SDA head unit for everyone's sake to reference especially the 16 pin connection for the mic. If anyone has wiring diagram for our cars of the 28 pin connector to the hands free unit plugs into it would be extremely useful.

Does the satellite radio antenna connector plug into the DAB port (bottom leftmost round connector if viewed from rear) in North America? (I don't see anywhere else it could connect)
EDIT: I've confirmed the answer to this is yes and I will add further details about retaining (not sure this is possible) or bypassing of the factory SXM module in a later post as the SDA has SXM built in.

Also, I assume disconnecting the original hands free module did not cause any other problems? I believe the USB A port in the glovebox also connects to the hands free module?
EDIT: Disconnecting this supposedly doesn't matter -- except for what I believe is the smaller connector for the USB A port in the glovebox. I intend to post later a method to keep this functional along with using the OP's Mitsu cable.

 

FYI to access the hidden "service menu" on these SDA head units and change the vehicle type do the following:
1. power on the SDA
2. turn off the screen using the screen off icon
3. touch/press the top left corner of the screen for ~5 seconds until there is a beep
4. touch/press the bottom right corner of the screen for ~5 seconds until there is a beep
5. don't touch the screen and the menu should just appear
One of the menu options will be to change the vehicle type, likely it is a cryptic 4-5 digit code for each model (you might have to try many - see spoiler also), save and the SDA will reboot. (warning any bluetooth pairing will be lost)

There is also a "Development Service Menu" but the steps to enter it are complex to describe. I will detail this later.

This might allow people with a 8741A001 or 8741A006 headunit to essentially function as a 8741A005 headunit and perhaps the backup camera will work.

 

Does anyone know of a source for a male 28 pin connector to plug the harness that gets disconnected from the hands free module and contains the 3 mic wires? I'd like to make my own cable with the female 16 pin connector (16 pin DJ7165C-1.0-10/21) Scarab23 posted, which connects to the grey connector on the head unit to a 28 pin male connector from the car wiring harness. This way I won't have to just stick male pins into the harness connector or vampire clip into the factory wiring harness. I know DoctorBob on Mitsu Forum had found such a thing a few years ago but his Ali Express link is dead. I could unsolder one from a used HFM but that seems extreme.

Ones I've looked at that might be right?
1 - 28 Pin Automotive Audio Navigation Rearview Wiring Harness Connector Socket Auto Plug 1565380-1 1565377-1 for Nissan Toyota
2 - 28 Pin/Way 1565380-1 1565377-1 Female Male Automotive Connector Wiring Harness Connectors Plug Car Modification For Nissan
3 - 28 Pin 1565377-1 1565380-1 90980-12555 Car Audio Navigation Rearview Wire Harness Connector Auto Plug for Nissan Toyota

Pic of the factory 28 pin header on the HFM connector that is needed to be copied: Factory 28 pin head on the HFM connector need to emulate, I think it looks like the 3 above?