Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Consumer Reports explains its disdain for infotainment

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/20/c...-infotainment/

Nospinzone

I like CR, but sometimes I think they just have to make up problems. My wife is the least technology savvy person on the planet, but you give her a few days in the car and she can work anything. Our 16 year old niece will take about 2 to 3 minutes. Considering most people will have their car for at least the 2 year lease period, I would think they would have the system down pat well before then.

FrankReynoldsCPA

I mastered Sync the weekend that i bought my car.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using IB AutoGroup

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Patience and an open mind are key

swajames

The point is that just because something is easy to use or can be quickly mastered, it doesn't necessarily make it pleasant to use. You don't have to be a genius to operate an infotainment system, that's not the point at issue - any old fool can read a manual. The point is that some systems just aren't pleasant, aren't intuitive, aren't responsive or give the impression that they were designed by programmers and programmed by designers.....

mmarshall

I have to agree with CR. My experience with these systems closely mirrors theirs. In general, the more electronic functions they try to program into these infotainment systems, the harder they become to operate, and the more distracting when you are trying to drive. Distracted-driving is moving up into DUI/DWI territory when it comes to being a major cause of accidents...and the more these systems proliferate, the worse it becomes.

Nospinzone

That is a good point. It can be much more distracting going through several operations to say change the radio station or climate control rather than simply pressing a button on the dash.

SteVTEC

Wouldn't have mattered if I could have mastered Ford's MyTouch system when I had a rental with it for a few days or not. The bottom line was that the reach was too far, there was too much garbage on the screen, the buttons I needed to hit were too small, and it was nearly impossible to make adjustments to whatever while bouncing all over bumpy Chicago pothole ridden streets. I simply gave up on it. It was unusable for me. The 3rd gen i-Drive system in our X5 is far easier to use, is not overly complicated, and you can reach the controller with your arm at rest and braced on the center console, such that it doesn't go flying around free-floating like it is with the Ford system trying to reach a touch screen. Can easily drive I-Drive while going over super bumpy terrain, but that's impossible with Ford's MyTouch. Friends have an Explorer with the Touch system and think it's pure crap too. It's a shame because I like a lot of the newer Fords, but would not buy any car with that system.

bagwell

Ford Edge heated seat controls being buried 3 menus deep is idiotic (hopefully this has changed from 2 years ago)....so I totally understand where CR is coming from.

SteVTEC

Seriously?? That's ridiculous and obviously not well thought out.

tex2670

I agree with this. CR ignores this fact in all aspects of a car's controls, not just infotainment. I will frequently see where they complain that something like the headlight or windshield wiper controls are hidden behind the steering wheel, or something like that. But, unless it's a rental, you'll get used to where it is by feel.

I do feel the same way, to a degree, about infotainment systems. BUT: burying simple controls, that work best with tactile feel, like seat heater controls, down multiple nav screen pages, is just plain dumb. And certain systems, like the original iDrive, CUE, MyFordTouch, have been blasted universally, not just by CR.