Benchmark Results
So much of what we do centers on benchmark results. As such, we've developed a test suite that covers some of the tasks and processes that are important to a driver using his car's technology package. The tasks that we're measuring include: boot-up time, time to connect to a paired phone, the time it takes to start music playback after booting the infotainment system, and lastly, how long it takes to add a phone to the system. We chose these measurements because they affect everyday use of the system.
We perform the tests by recording video of each action and reviewing the footage in an editor to establish the exact point the system was turned on, and when the tasks are completed. The result is accurate; these aren't stop watch-timed tests. Since the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track is our third test car, we established a baseline with a personal vehicle, a 2011 Volkswagen Routan SE with the mainstream Chrysler 430N (RHB radio code with Garmin navigation) system and UConnect Bluetooth connectivity. This is a system Chrysler currently sells with new vehicles. Our results from our previous 2012 Ford Focus Titanium and SYNC with MyFord Touch and 2012 Kia Soul Exclaim with UVO reviews are included as well.
The 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track boots up in roughly 12 seconds. It’s not quite as fast as Kia's UVO, but still the fastest among our navigation-equipped systems.
Despite not booting as quickly as the UVO system, Hyundai's 2013 Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track starts playing music before anything even shows up on its screen. In fact, it starts playback in half of the time of Kia's solution.
Hyundai's Genesis 3.8 Track isn't faster in every discipline, though, illustrated by how long it takes to pair our test phone at start-up. The Genesis places at the back of the pack, taking 36 seconds to get the job done.
We were surprised at how quickly the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe computed a route to our preferred destination of Bertolino's Coffee in Tacoma, Washington. The Garmin-based navigation system in VW's 2011 Routan is quick, but the Genesis Coupe is much, much faster. We reran the test a couple of times to ensure its accuracy.
It's fairly easy to get to the device pairing screen, requiring one sub-menu to get the infotainment system in discovery mode. Solutions based on Microsoft Windows Embedded Automotive are faster. However, the Routan's voice-based implementation is by far the most cumbersome.
