VW RNS 315 Navigation
The 10 Best And 10 Worst Automotive TechnologiesI love Audi MMI Touch with handwriting recognition. But sister company VW doesn’t have access to that phenomenal infotainment system. Instead, a majority of its line-up (including the Jetta, Beetle, Tiguan, and lower-trim CC) employs the dated RNS 315 navigation system, which I consider to be one of the worst available. It might be passable on, say, a Mitsubishi Mirage. But on a vehicle selling for more than $20,000, it's weak.
The platform employs a tiny five-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 400x240, or slightly less than a Super Nintendo. You get a nice array of buttons and a control knob to access the various features. However, the screen is just distractingly small set into VW's custom form factor. The graphics are plain, and colors appear washed-out.
There is an SD card slot for adding your own music, as well as support for a proprietary MDI cable (enabling iPod or USB connectivity). Expect to pay about $35 for VW's own USB MDI cable or $10 for a third-party one. Most RNS 315 equipped vehicles come with a 30-pin dock connector support. It's not expensive to change the MDI cable to USB, but it shouldn't be necessary. Manufacturers from Kia to Chrysler offer seven-inch or larger displays with 800x480 resolutions and USB. VW should at least be following suit.
If ever an infotainment system was designed to satisfy a check-box on a spec sheet, VW's RNS 315 is it.
At least BMW disables it automatically when the car is in Sport mode. The Jaguar you have to disable every time. But yes I agree its obnoxious unless its completely transparent, which most of the time it isn't. Seems harsh most of the time which is not something I'd tolerate in a luxury vehicle.
We've yet to spend seat time in a Tesla. The times I've seen them, I wouldn't say its the best. The interior just overwhelms you with touch screen LCDs, and overwhelming you doesn't make it the best. The drivetrain is impressive though.
The big problem is the smoothness. Even when they try to mask it, you can still feel a shudder. The level of refinement on start/stop isn't good enough for a luxury vehicle. For a Ford Fiesta? Sure, but a $40k+ luxury / sports sedan? Not so much.
I know Toyota and Ford use a Microsoft based solution so those probably would, but I don't think it matters too much because if you are buying a Chevy Sonic, you probably don't have the cash to buy their half assed nav system.
Actually my sister's Ford Fiesta supports WAV. Also the Tesla Model S supports FLAC up to 48KHz 24bit or 96KHz 16bit.
I keep a folder of FLAC music on my flash drive for car testing hoping that one day a car will work with FLAC. So far it has not happened yet
Actually my sister's Ford Fiesta supports WAV. Also the Tesla Model S supports FLAC up to 48KHz 24bit or 96KHz 16bit.
Yep. FLACK support.... for the low price of $89,000!
Actually my sister's Ford Fiesta supports WAV. Also the Tesla Model S supports FLAC up to 48KHz 24bit or 96KHz 16bit.
Yep. FLACK support.... for the low price of $89,000!
Don't forget you have to sign your life over and let them monitor your usage too.