Team-BHP
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https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
I use ICE mainly for Navigation and reverse camera had bad experience with using mobile for Navigation and after market reverse camera setup. As someone mentioned earlier I can simply steal a glance at map while driving without getting distracted and I love listening to music when on long drives.
These are the main uses for the ICE for me personally:
Navigation:
I use Google Maps even when I know the route or city very well. This is mainly so that I can check out which route has more traffic and try to avoid that.
Music:
I always connect my phone to the ICE and play my collection on VLC. I've grown so used to it that I'll find it odd if there's no music playing in my car. My phone always has collection of some 5000 tracks in three different languages (English, Tamil, Korean) and multiple genres.
Reverse Camera:
This was not an issue in my earlier cars. But with my current car (Brezza), the rear window is too small to get a good view via IRVM behind me while reversing and the C-pillars are thick, so reversing camera has become vital while backing out from my parking.
Aesthetics is of no use to me. I didn't buy my car for the aesthetics anyways.
I have voted " Entertainment and Safety" because that's all I have in my current vehicle. It has a basic system with minimalistic features (Music, Video, Reverse Cam, Calender etc) and no Android Auto (works on Chinese alternative Baidu Carlife but could'nt set it up till now).
Navigation would be a top feature on any day if you are provided with it.
I drive a Changan Eado 2018 so I belong to that "Not so modern" ICE era. :D
Am not a music guy but the voice commands are a boon these days. General weather, traffic updates, hotels and reservations, food and fuel pumps are easy to find and navigate. Calling, usage of WhatsApp, Teams (office) are all done by voice commands which is a breeze for me on Android auto. Not a fan of screen size, resolution as such but the basic stuff would do. My 3OO has a 7 inch screen and everything syncs up perfectly.
Genuinely thought this forum will be a discussion about how important the engine is to the car wrt other components like gear box and suspension :D
The Achilles heel of the Honda City 2017 model was its infotainment and when it conked of it was time to upgrade to something that had wireless AA and AC, so the Uno Minda Android touchscreen with the above mentioned features and it's been almost a year and is working well and looks decent. I've voted for all the choices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lina
(Post 5591058)
Genuinely thought this forum will be a discussion about how important the engine is to the car wrt other components like gear box and suspension :D
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Haha, we still have multiple definitions for the acronym ICE here. lol:
Quote:
Originally Posted by raptor_diwan
(Post 5590036)
Do car enthusiasts find it indispensable, or is it just as crucial for regular users?
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A good infotainment system is a must have. More so if the time spent driving is more.
But car makers have literally gone overboard with the display systems.
Apart from navigation and reverse/360 cam i don't see any other major use for the display so the current trend of oversized and high res displays are overkill.
Maybe its easy to charge a higher price/position higher variants with this as a differentiator.
In the early 2000s — when built-in music systems were still not standard on mainstream mid-range cars, I remember my parents kitting out the vehicles with the best aftermarket music systems we could afford.
Cut to 2014, and we bought home the Hyundai Grand i10. The factory-fitted music system matched the aesthetics of the interiors seamlessly. No ugly joints, color mismatches, rattles, and acceptable sound quality changed our perspectives.
Since we weren't very touch-screen-friendly back then, the music system was perfect. As we slowly got used to Google Maps, we added a phone mount and a Bluetooth receiver.
Cut to 2018, our Creta brought in a new dimension — a factory-fitted touchscreen with audio controls on the steering and Android Auto + Apple Carplay (albeit wired). Once again, sound quality was overall not important.
Cut to 2022, our new i20 (which replaced the i10) brought in even more convenience with wireless Android Auto + Apple Carplay.
So that's it. That's how important ICE is — flush-fitting aesthetics, Android Auto + Carplay + average audio — that's all.
Definitely voted for aesthetics, but if I were to choose 2, it would be aesthetics and safety. You see, I own an Astor and while booking the car, I had 3 main rivals: Taigun, Seltos and Kushaq. I ruled out the Taigun and Kushaq due to some UI dislikes and improper implementation of design language in the screen. Seltos was ruled out due to no presence of safety features like 360 degree cameras and voice commands IMHO.
But nonetheless, even Astor misses out on certain features like driving analysis and more themes to select from (currently only 3 are there, and one of it is very cheesy and blingy), but hey! None out there is perfect, right?
Cheers,
Voted for Navigation and Entertainment. I use Apple CarPlay extensively and need an infotainment system with this functionality. I have added a 10.25 inch screen with Wireless CarPlay in my 2017 XUV500 and a Carlinkit 3.0 adapter for wireless CarPlay with Sony HU in my 2017 Thar and 2015 Jazz.
This could be a case of sour grapes but nevertheless here's my take.
I have 2 cars, 1st gen Figo which doesnt even have a touch screen, and a 1st gen XUV which has a reasonable feature rich (warning mesgs, TPMS, reverse cam, climate control etc) smallish nokia-ish touch screen but no smartphone integration of any form other than BT streaming. Both cars have after market audio installs which is most critical for me. Beyond that all my smart requirements are met with my android phone which is primarily around phone calls, Gmaps and Spotify streaming. Now if I had a ICE with bigger sharper screen and android auto it surely would have looked nicer and modern but it doesnt give me any addl functionality that matter. So in nutshell as long as I have BT streaming and a good big screen smartphone, rest of the ICE is less relevant.
Voted for Navigation and safety. Everyone here has mentioned use of Gmaps on the big screen but another underrated feature is the voice command to set the map. Press the button and just tell google to set the destination or stream a music thereby not even taking your eyes off the road. Also the split screen on the touch screen helps to minimize the number of times we jump between screens.
One of the biggest takeaways using an infotainment system over the decade old methods has been decluttering of the driving space. I still have a cable running on the driving space for the dashcam, which is unavoidable.
I regularly drive a Skoda Superb 2022, and a Mercedes E250CDI 2014.
The Skoda comes with a modern wireless Apple Carplay system, digital dials with navigation, a wireless charging pad and what not. The wireless charging pad is unreliable and very slow. It also causes the phone to overheat when using Wireless Carplay since there is no AC vent near the pad. Wireless Carplay can be quite glitchy, and is a pain when there are two devices in the car and it connects automatically to one, and switches constantly between devices. I've also had times when Carplay hangs and I end up missing turns thinking the navigation is still going straight - when its been stuck on the same screen for 5 minutes. Another thing, Google Maps does not work on the phone if it is showing directions on Carplay - whoever thought of this "feature" needs to switch careers.
The Merc merely comes with bluetooth audio - but a really solid set of speakers and a very reliable bluetooth connection. In the Merc, I have installed a Magsafe wireless charging phone mount for my iPhone which is very reliable, and has never fallen or let my phone fall. Its also always nice to come out of a drive with higher charge despite not having to remember to plug the phone in etc. The mount is mounted on the AC vents - which keeps the phone cool and dramatically increases my phone's battery life.
I almost always prefer the Merc's solution - it's my trusty iPhone interface that is reliable and is literally a stretch of a finger away since its mounted on the middle-right AC vent. I can quickly add stops on Google Maps, change tracks on Spotify without having to look down, and glance at notifications without having every person in the car look at my private information. I don't miss Carplay in such a setup one bit.
For me, the infotainment should help me maximize the utility I get out of the vehicle - offer maximum customization of my drive modes/settings etc, and give me deep insights into the condition of my car. Everything else - such as music, maps, voice commands, and the other things that automakers have felt the need to replicate - I have my phone for those. I do sometimes wish the Merc had more customization of car settings and vehicle data in its infotainment - but a lot of it is available in the screen well integrated within the speedometer.
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