choose an infotainment system you’ll love - 46 touch screen overlay

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Whether you like it or not, the display is becoming more and more common in cars and trucks like steering wheels and speedometers.
To meet the growing demand of drivers
Car manufacturers are installing audio, navigation, phone and SMS --
A series of functions known as information Entertainment
Front and middle, add a screen to the dashboard, with only knobs and buttons before.
In 2014, only 53% of cars were sold in the United States. S.
According to data from research and consulting firm IHS Markit, there is a dashboard touch screen.
This year, the figure is as high as 82%.
But for all the convenience that these systems should provide, CR's recent survey of owners' satisfaction with members shows that there is a lot of room for improvement.
According to the data collected on more than 60,000 cars, only 56% of car owners said they were very satisfied with the car's information and entertainment system.
There is a big gap between best and worst: top
Tesla's IVI rating system has a 86% satisfaction rate for car owners, compared with a 46% satisfaction rate for the lowest users
Remote touchpad for Lexus, rated system. (
Download a PDF of the full rating of all our infotainment systems or view it below. )
"A good system is a system that is easy to learn and use on a daily basis," said Kelly Funkhouser, project manager, vehicle availability and automation, consumer reporting.
"It should be responsive, not dull, and have simple controls that are easy to identify and operate.
"CR member Yoshie Soo's Mount Rado, California.
In his 2017 Ford Explorer, the Sync 3 infotainment system scored a high score, calling it "very reliable and intuitive ".
Edward Filmon of Haq Heights, Texas, praised the system in his Genesis G90, saying, "It gave me the information I needed without giving too much information
"Other systems that get high marks for CR members include BMW, Fiat Chrysler (FCA)
Porsche, Volkswagen and Audi.
Mike Novak, marketing manager at Mike Uconnect, fifth-highest-
In general, the scoring system owes its high user satisfaction mainly to the running software, while other systems sometimes do not have problems.
He said that the driver also appreciated the big screen of Uconnect (
Their range ranges from 7 to 12 inch)
FCA decides to keep buttons and knobs for frequently used utilities (
Such as volume and tuning)
Instead of replacing them with touch controls, as some automakers do.
Novak explained that FCA research has shown that drivers prefer buttons and knobs compared to touch controls because they can be found by feeling and can be used in cold weather where drivers wear gloves
Our experts suggest that modern cars keep an eye on the environment inside and outside the cabin.
Here's how your information knows what's going on. (
Hover over each blue point to display the information for each feature. )
Dashboard dissatisfied members complain the most about the system that requires them to keep their eyes open --and minds—off the road.
A lot of low
The rating systems in the CR survey use multiple screens, such as certain versions of Honda, or some of the systems of Jaguar and Land Rover, which split functions into two monitors.
According to research and customer feedback, Honda has basically got rid of the multi-screen system on its new car.
"In general, our latest generation of systems have a single display with large fonts and simplified menu structure," a spokesperson told CR . ".
CR members also expressed concern about the system containing track pads (
Similar to those on laptops)
, Such as the remote control touchpad in the Lexus model, it is difficult to control when driving on bumpy roads.
Fla. of Karen Menning Debary.
She says her lexus system is "impossible to use accurately while driving," said Bernard healf of Austin, Texas, whose system is "difficult to use" without moving his eyes away ".
Funkhouser of CR said that the added complexity of these designs will distract drivers, as will voice recognition systems below standard, another common complaint.
"When you need to repeat commands over and over again because the system cannot recognize your voice, the risk of cognitive distraction increases rapidly," she said . ".
CR member Suo e Suo said the system in the ac song TLX, another car he owned, was "too complicated" and noted that it had poor speech recognition capabilities.
Apple CARPLAY64 % is very simple, simple-to-
One of the advantages of CarPlay is the use of design.
ANDROID AUTO59 % is very satisfied with the voice control of google Assistant, more than many built-in voice controlin models. BUILT-
In SYSTEMS58, very satisfied members noticed that switching between features such as audio, navigation, and phone was easy.
Smart phone smart?
Perhaps the biggest development in information entertainment over the past five years has been the growing popularity of smartphones --
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay systems are supported. Like built-
In the system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay allow drivers to control the audio, phone, text, and navigation apps built into the vehicle
On-screen but popular apps like Google Maps and Waze navigation and Spotify and entertainment sounds.
They are designed to reduce the driver's distraction by using a simple and intuitive interface and the same familiar icons the driver finds on the phone.
Fortunately, they also limit the functionality that the driver can access (
For example, you can't scroll Facebook on Android Auto or Apple CarPlay).
As of 2019, almost all automakers have offered Android and Apple CarPlay on at least some of their cars. The smartphone-
The system-based system can also replace the built-in system of the car. in (There are often carriages)
The speech recognition feature, which means that the driver can simply ask Siri or Google Voice to provide directions, read or send text, or make a phone call instead of entering an address or phone number on the touch screen.
CR member John Greenstreet said: "I just said where I want to go and asked Siri to propose a destination on the Apple map . " He explained why he prefers to use CarPlay on BMW.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connect to the cloud using the phone's data plan-
Based on the service, it means they have better access to the real
Better navigation search results and better voice processing than many built-in time trafficin systems.
To use them on cars that have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, drivers simply connect the phone to the system with a cable.
Some Audi and BMW models even offer wireless connectivity to CarPlay users.
Overall, members surveyed by Apple CarPlay
Compatible infotainment systems report higher satisfaction with calling and using navigation features compared to Android automated systems
Built-in system or vehicle-
On the System side: 64% are very happy with Apple CarPlay, 59% are very happy with Android Auto and 58% are very happy with their car makingin system.
Although smart phones
System-based systems may provide improvements over the vehicle's built-in system
In infotainment systems, they are not perfect: some CR members complain about the difficulty of switching between Android Auto or Apple CarPlay features and built-in features
In systems that also use touch screens (
For example, AM/FM radio).
Keep in mind that these systems bring the same cost, privacy, and signal issues. Phone-
Based on navigation may not work in remote areas with weak cell signals;
Any audio or map you download may conflict with your phone's data plan;
Your phone may share location data with third parties;
Depending on your privacy settings, the app can get information from your calendar or email.
Editor's note: The article also appeared in the June 2019 issue of Consumer Reports.
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