Automotive technology has evolved significantly over the past decade. While there were plenty of mechanical improvements, such as the use of aluminum and high-tensile-strength steel, better suspension layouts, and sustainability-oriented manufacturing changes, the most eye-grabbing features rely heavily on electronics technology. This goes beyond knick-knacks in the center stack. We're talking about fundamental alterations to the powertrain, suspension, safety subsystem, and even steering. No matter how mechanical the automotive space remains, technology is what determines how you and your next vehicle interact with each other.
We've been covering the tech in cars, trucks, and SUVs for a couple of years now, driving everything from entry-level sedans to brutally-fast sports cars. At this point, I'm pretty familiar with each vendor's approach to technology, inside and out. A lot of companies already embrace next-gen features and successfully deploy them in ways that complement their products. Some still don't "get it", complicating simple tasks.
So follow along as we highlight the ten best and ten worst automotive technologies encountered since we began our coverage.
Head-up displays take the top spot. They're my favorite feature enhanced by technology's steady march forward. Nothing about them is new (they've been around since the 80s). However, early systems relied on CRTs, whereas today's systems employ LCDs, resulting in a much better-integrated experience. The latest HUDs are color projections, rather than monochrome readouts reminiscent of Oregon Trail on an Apple II. And they're awesome because they project useful information right on the windshield at eye level, keeping your eyes from wandering to the gauge cluster.
A number of vendors offer HUDs on their higher-end models. But General Motors makes the capability available on everything from Buick's LaCrosse to the latest Corvette. The company's implementation shows the speedometer of course, but also lets you choose what other data you want. Pick between the tachometer, radio, compass, navigation directions, temperature, and the forward collision alert system. My preference is showing the tach any time I'm driving aggressively. Unfortunately, GM's HUD doesn’t remember your last display choice, so you have to reconfigure your favorite view every time you start the car. Think you could changes that behavior, guys?
I've enjoyed seat time in the latest Dodge Viper and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. While those cars have tons of power, and are fun to drive, this is Tom's Hardware, after all. I have to mention the tech I enjoyed in both vehicles. They feature Chrysler's Uconnect Access system and seven-inch gauge cluster display, which we covered in 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Refined Just Right; Raw Where It Counts. But the SRT vehicles get even more functionality, such as data-logging apps for recording 0-60, quarter-mile, and 0-100 MPH runs, along with other performance metrics.
The software is accessible through the seven-inch gauge cluster LCD and as a dedicated app within the Uconnect Access 8.4N system. When you start the car, the cluster begins a continuous log of performance, reporting your best times (so that you can beat them, as if in a video game). Or, you can manually launch the application in the Uconnect Access 8.4N display, which takes a couple seconds to start.
Sure, you could achieve the same capability with a cheap Bluetooth-based OBD-II adapter and your smartphone. But the integration just isn't there. Kudos to Chrysler for embracing technology and leveraging it effectively in its performance-oriented vehicles.
We’re big fans of adaptive cruise control, and I'm especially fond of systems able to stop a car and hold it in place. Distronic Plus is the name that Mercedes gives its version of this technology. It's a full speed-range implementation able to stop the car completely, which makes rush-hour traffic far less inconvenient.
The steering assist feature is what makes this one of the best systems we've used, though. By adding a stereo camera to read lane markings, combined with the radar-guided adaptive cruise, Mercedes' Distronic Plus with steering assist system can achieve semi-autonomy. The electronically-assisted steering system applies torque one way or the other to help keep the vehicle in a lane.
Mercedes naturally posts plenty of disclaimers. It even has hands-off detection so that drivers don't rely on its technology. My experiences with the system have been excellent, though. I love driving, but not everyone enjoys being out on the road as much. So, I'm perfectly fine with other folks using a little technical help to prevent them from plowing into me.
Branded sound systems are often gimmicks that allow automakers to charge more for equipment from renowned names in audio. Unfortunately, most of them are fairly disappointing. Take the $6300 Bang & Olufsen upgrade Audi offers, for example.
But the Acura RLX premium sound system by Krell Industries lives up to the expectations of this enthusiast, making it one of the best factory sound systems I've tested. Acura doesn’t charge much for the package, either; it's an extra $2500 if you were already leaning toward the technology bundle.
The Krell Audio package sounds fantastic. It offers plenty of detail from the highs, a punchy mid-range, and stout bass. My only gripe is with the subwoofer, which could serve up more oomph. Nevertheless, Krell’s freshman foray into automotive audio deserves praise.
The user interface of Mazda's infotainment systems typically lacks refinement. What you get in the Mazda 6 and CX5 is terrible. However, the company debuted its new Connect system in the latest-generation Mazda 3, and it's truly fantastic, starting with a seven-inch display mounted high and center on the dashboard.
The navigation system sports a clean GUI, smooth transitions, and it's very responsive. Mazda supports streaming Internet radio services like Pandora, Stitcher, and Aha. Text messaging works as well, and the navigation function is quite good. The crown jewel of Connect is its control knob, though. It’s ergonomically placed between the shifter and cup holders, and has buttons for direct access to music, the home screen, navigation, favorites, and volume. Those cup holders are even recessed, so you can stick 32-ounce smoothies in both spots without sacrificing comfort or use of the knob. Clearly, Mazda put a lot of thought into ergonomics, and I appreciate it.
Mazda Connect doesn’t rely solely on the control knob. The seven-inch display still has touchscreen functionality, which works out well for typing text. Unfortunately, the knob doesn't have a corresponding rotary keyboard layout on-screen like the German manufacturers enable.
I really think that Mazda created the best infotainment system in its class. The Audi-like ergonomics, combined with a good graphical and physical interface, makes the Connect our benchmark for compact cars.
We loved Audi MMI with handwriting recognition so much that we gave the A8L our Elite Award in 2014 Audi A8L: Nvidia Graphics, Wi-Fi, LED Lights, And Google Earth. The company does a great job combining interior ergonomics, control, input, and navigation software to create an infotainment system that is intuitive, responsive, and attractive. I haven't come across any competing solution able to deliver the same blend of technology with style.
Audi's secret sauce comes from Nvidia graphics and 3G connectivity, which, together, download and render beautiful Google Earth map overlays. The addition of Google Street View makes finding your destination so much easier by providing an actual image of what to look for, instead of a vague “your destination will be on the right.”
Inputting text on the Audi MMI is easy, too. The car exposes a control knob and touchpad for handwriting recognition. You can draw letters with your fingers, and the system does a phenomenal job recognizing them. If handwriting isn’t your thing, the knob is an excellent alternative.
Lexus and Toyota aren’t exactly known for their emotion-invoking cars. But the LFA-inspired LCD gauge cluster available on Lexus' IS F-Sport is one of the few implementations that doesn't leave us missing analog gauges. That is to say it's really well-done.
Unlike other LCD gauge clusters I've used, Lexus customizes its solution with physical overlays. This adds a nice metal ring that conveys depth on the analog-looking tachometer, which itself employs color fades and a bright red needle to indicate engine speed. The speedometer is a simpler digital read-out.
Press a button on the steering wheel and the ring changes position, giving you a choice of driver-oriented display or comfort functions with access to the usual radio, navigation, trip computer, and other gauge cluster information. Both modes look excellent, earning Lexus our admiration for the first mass-produced LCD gauge cluster that's quite effective.
Not everyone wants integrated navigation. Some folks would rather rely on their smartphones. Chevy recognizes this, and forgoes the navigation option altogether on its lower-end Spark and Sonic. Instead, check the box for the $595 Chevy MyLink upgrade, and you get a seven-inch resistive touchscreen that delivers familiar radio functionality with USB and Bluetooth support.
Rather than include its own navigation subsystem, MyLink integrates with the BringGo application from EnGIS Technologies. Android users can leverage Bluetooth, while iOS necessitates plugging into the car's USB port. BringGo is fairly affordable, costing $0.99 for a 30-day trial. Moreover, you can buy the full version from within the software. Expect to pay $50 with traffic information or $60 if you want three years of map updates.
My experiences with the Chevy MyLink system have been good. The resistive touchscreen is responsive, and the added phone-based navigation functionality works well enough. Using BringGo for iOS over a wired connection is quite a bit faster than the Android version via Bluetooth, for what that's worth. The system also supports Siri EyesFree, but the audio is lower-quality, suffering from occasional pops and crackles.
As an unfortunate side effect of each vehicle generation needing to be better than what came before, cars keep getting bigger and bigger. This is why we love 360-degree cameras. Give me a view all the way around a big boat like Infiniti's QX60 or Hyundai's Equus and I can confidently parallel park with minimal anxiety. I'd even give up an active park assist system for this easier way to park a car myself.
Nissan is one of the few companies offering a 360-degree surround view camera on almost every vehicle it makes. The company calls its implementation Around View Monitor, and exposes it on the affordable Versa Note up to the gargantuan Infiniti QX80. Bravo, I say. This is a great feature to make available, and every car north of the $40,000 range should armed with it.
I'm not very fond of pure touchscreen-based systems. But Chrysler's Uconnect Access 8.4N is also more compelling than most. Competing platforms typically employ 16:9 displays for infotainment duties, while Chrysler goes the old-school 4:3 route. This facilitates a wide screen area that changes according to the function being used, while maintaining dedicated screen space for the radio, media, seat controls, climate controls, navigation, phone, and apps. Chrysler also exposes physical buttons for music and climate controls for quicker adjustments.
Uconnect Access 8.4N does rely on the touchscreen for seat and steering wheel heater controls, but it smartly gives you direct access to them before the infotainment operating system is finished booting. All of those considerations show that Chrysler put a lot of thought into making its touchscreen experience as easy to use as possible.
There are a great many technology features that we've grown to love. Others show promise, but aren't executed particularly well. The next ten technologies became frustrations during our time with them. Some of the worst can be attributed to software, rather than design issues. Regardless, we either hope to see them evolve for the next generation or disappear altogether.
Honda makes great powertrains. Its 3.5 L Earth Dreams V6 and accompanying six-speed automatic transmission work phenomenally well together. But its dual-screen infotainment system is not as refined, unfortunately. The Honda Accord, Crosstour, Acura RLX, and MDX employ a high-mounted intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID) and a smaller touchscreen below for the models with navigation.
When I first came across the system at Mudfest 2013, I wondered why the company would use two LCDs for infotainment. Honda's rep assured me the interplay would make sense once I used it. So, I scheduled some time with a 2013 Honda Accord Touring and Acura RLX to try for myself. And sure, the combination works, but I still don't see a need for two displays.
Of course, the idea is that you can have two different tasks on-screen, depending on whether you want to use Pandora, USB input, or just FM radio. But then you have to control them. There are two outputs capable of the same thing. However, if you have navigation on the i-MID display, the touchscreen still shows your radio controls (unless you are trying to enter an address, which also requires input from the control knob). It's just more complicated than it needs to be. A good touchscreen or pure control knob-based interface is more effective.
Acura's implementation in the RLX and MDX is slightly better thanks to its capacitive touchscreen with haptic feedback. The Accord's screen is resistive, and not as responsive. We hope Honda ditches its system and comes up with a more intuitive successor.
Rear-seat entertainment systems seem to be on a road to extinction, given the popularity of affordable tablets. But that doesn’t stop automakers from offering them as an expensive option. Hyundai gets the dubious distinction of creating an annoying system for its 2014 Equus Ultimate.
While it does expose twin 9.2-inch displays to each of the rear passengers, the system also forces everyone in the car to listen to whatever's playing. That seems like an odd oversight; most rear-seat solutions include support for wireless (or at least wired) headphones, freeing passengers to watch whatever they want while the front seat enjoys something else.
Hyundai’s implementation in the Equus doesn't reflect the car's almost $70,000 price tag. Look to Audi's A8L or Acura's MDX for an example of rear-seat entertainment done right.
I've noticed a trend in luxury vehicles of replacing analog gauges with an LCD-based cluster. Lexus and Volvo do an excellent job with theirs. But Jaguar, Land Rover, Hyundai, and Cadillac fail miserably.
To begin, they all use a 12.3-inch display. They're completely two-dimensional. In comparison, Lexus and Volvo employ ring elements to give the screen some depth. Cadillac gets bonus points for offering different themes, but ultimately gets caught trying to replicate the analog needle and doing a poorer job than the technology getting replaced. And at night, you can see the LCD's backlight bleeding out, even at its dimmest setting. When there's a lot of dark content on-screen, that's pretty annoying.
LCD gauge clusters look great when Nvidia is demonstrating its Tegra K1-powered development board. But they're difficult to pull off well in practice. We're going to see a lot more of this technology in the future. For now, though, a number of companies are struggling to get the aesthetic aspect right.
Cadillac, Lincoln, and Ford like to use capacitive touch buttons in their vehicles. But I hate them. Although they look cool on the center stack, manipulating them as you drive can be downright dangerous. Physical buttons give you a sense of feedback. You can blindly feel around for them as you navigate traffic. That's not as easy with a flat panel requiring a precise touch in the right spot. Haptic feedback helps, but it's not a substitute for switches and knobs.
My biggest problem with capacitive touch is figuring out where to press. Cadillac CUE is especially problematic for me. Do I touch the flat area? The silver raised areas below? Or both? Ultimately, I end up pressing around until something happens.
So please, Cadillac, Ford, and any other company experimenting with capacitive touch buttons: don't do it. There's nothing wrong with physical switches and their reassuring clicks.
Jaguar and Land Rover employ the same touchscreen infotainment system across all of their models. My problem is that it employs a purely touch-based interface. These are cars that sell for more than $50,000 and easily creep up above $100,000, armed with technology bested by sub-$20,000 Ford Fiestas. The displays look nice, sure. But the graphical elements are dated. I'm not talking as bad as Subaru here, but at the price you pay, the JLR system lags behind what you get from German and Japanese automakers.
I'd expect a touch-only system from more mainstream offerings, if only because they help save cost. But when you want to compete in the luxury space, physical control is important. BMW has iDrive. Mercedes has its COMAND knob, and Audi has the MMI with touchpad for handwriting recognition. It’s a shame the JLR infotainment system trails so far back, especially since there are so many otherwise-stunning cars with the platform inside.
Trying to use your phone or type an address into the navigation takes your focus away from the road, and you already know you shouldn't fiddle with those subsystems mid-trip. Most auto manufacturers create lock-outs to ensure you don't run afoul of distracted driving laws. I consider that a minor inconvenience in the name of safety.
But Mazda managed to take an annoyance and turn it into a major pain. You see, the Mazda 6 and CX5 employ an infotainment system armed with TomTom's navigation software, which locks you out while the vehicle is moving. Fair enough. If you're at a long red light and need to look for an address, you can type right up until a green light lets you go. But whereas most solutions lock the keyboard until you stop again, Mazda boots you back to the main menu, forcing you to start your search over again. At a certain point, it's easier to have your passenger look the address up on your phone instead.
Given the always-updated nature of online maps, I'd expect more folks to go straight to their phones, rather than bothering with an intrusive lock-out mechanism. That's not good news; it suggests an increasing number of drivers could be demonstrating unsafe behavior. I'd much rather see the infotainment system become easier to use when it's appropriate.
We're intrigued by electric cars. But the charging infrastructure remains sparse outside of major metropolitan areas. My first experience was with Chevy's Volt, which goes for about 40 miles on electricity before its engine kicks in as a generator. If you're close to home, it's easy enough to plug in and charge the car's batteries. But if you take it out of town, charging stations aren't always easy to find. By now you'd assume that navigation systems would include these as points of interest. But the 2013 Volt didn't.
The Ford C-MAX Hybrid Energi, which lasts for 20 miles on electricity, does feature charging station POIs. However, Ford’s database is full of Nissan dealerships (well-played, Nissan), and includes nothing from ChargePoint or Blink.
Nissan's Leaf is slightly better, including those two charging networks in its listing of stations. Nissan even uses crowdsourcing to let owners add stations that don't appear automatically. And that's when the situation takes a turn toward obnoxious. I discovered that the Nissan POIs are not particularly accurate. I was guided into neighborhoods and parking lots because someone thought it'd be cute to call random pairs of 120 V outlets charging stations.
Crossovers based on GM’s Lambda platform have been available since the 2007 model year branded as Saturn, GMC, Buick, Chevy. They received updates back in 2012 and 2013. However, the manufacturer still uses separate keys and fobs for entry and ignition.
These are not cheap vehicles. The most affordable Lambda-based crossover is Chevy's Traverse, which starts at $30,795. It should have a switchblade key, at the very least. As if to mock the absurdity of this, GM includes a switchblade key with the Chevy Spark, a sub-compact that starts at $12,170.
To say that BMW and Mini will nickel-and-dime you for options is an understatement. While some manufacturers include backup cameras as standard equipment, BMW charges for the privilege. Take the BMW 3-series, for example. Regardless of whether you go with the base 320i for $32,750 or the 335i xDrive at $45,500, the backup camera is still an add-on. Cost varies depending on the package you pay for, but it's not like the camera requires an upgrade to navigation for the LCD display or anything. BMW's entry-level 320i already has the necessary screen for its infotainment system. Stepping up to the more expensive 5-series only changes the top trim levels.
Backup cameras as an option seem ludicrous, especially since they'll be required on all vehicles once the NHTSA stops delaying the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act.
Mini faces our same criticism for charging if you want a backup camera, even if you're already paying for the expensive navigation upgrade.
I 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.