First There Was GPS, then There Was Infotainment
The global positioning system (GPS) was initially developed during the 1970s, but it didn’t become fully operational until 1994. Shortly after the system became available, a number of automakers took advantage of the technology. Earlier attempts at original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in-vehicle navigation systems had met with failure because they depended on dead reckoning navigation. The first original equipment (OE) GPS navigation systems were relatively primitive by modern standards, but the technology progressed quite rapidly. When a more accurate GPS signal was made available to civilians in the early 2000s, OE navigation systems became ubiquitous almost overnight. Today, OE entertainment, navigation, and telematics systems form the hearts of many highly-integrated infotainment systems. These powerful infotainment systems often take charge of the climate controls, provide access to vital information about the condition of the engine and other systems, and typically offer some type of navigation option. While some systems don’t offer navigation, that option is typically offered in a separate package or as an optional upgrade.
OE Navigation and Infotainment Options
Automotive technology tends to lag behind general consumer electronics, and OE manufacturers tend to hold on to old technology longer. Infotainment systems tend to follow that same general pattern, but these systems still receive refreshes, updates, and sometimes even complete overhauls with each new model year. Here’s a general overview of the main OE entertainment, navigation, telematics, and infotainment systems: Ford Sync 3 is powered by the QNX operating system from Blackberry, and it maintains much of the same functionality. It includes Alexa-powered voice commands, voice navigation, traffic information, and even allows you to control your smart home from your car. Other features include Sync AppLink, which allows you to control some mobile apps with your voice, and compatibility with Android’s Driving Mode in Google Maps. It also features traditional entertainment options, like radio and internet radio, turn-by-turn navigation, and various other infotainment and telematics functionality. In addition to the voice-controlled OnStar, GM also has also used in-dash GPS and infotainment systems like Chevy MyLink and Intellilink that use information from a built-in hard drive. These systems can be updated with map data from the GM Navigation Disc program. The hard drive can also be used to store digital music files. Honda uses the HondaLink system, which provides infotainment, telematics, and navigation features. Integrating with a phone app, it allows users to receive maintenance alerts, access cloud-based information, and more. Both GM and Honda have used Gracenote in their infotainment systems, which is a service that can recognize artist information by examining song files. That information is then shown on the unified display screen. Some Toyota audio multimedia systems also include integration with Apple CarPlay, Driving Mode in Google Maps, Alexa, and other useful services and features. The Toyota app provides access to connected services, and some models also support telematics like remote unlock, remote start, and more. The first UVO systems didn’t have built-in navigation, requiring owners to select between UVO or a basic navigation package. Today you can get UVO with or without navigation and various advanced telematics features. Since these infotainment systems tend to be integrated with climate controls, radios, and other devices, the learning curve can be relatively steep. The iDrive system has been singled out as a major distraction because it tends to pull a driver’s eyes away from the road. According to the J.D. Power and Associates study, 19% of OEM GPS navigation users were unable to locate a desired menu or screen, 23% had difficulty with voice recognition and 24% claimed that their devices provided incorrect routes. Some systems received higher marks than others, such as the Garmin device that’s available in Dodge Chargers. Garmin is a popular aftermarket GPS manufacturer, and the navigation platform it provides for the Charger is reportedly much easier to use than many other OEM systems. Each infotainment system also offers a laundry list of various features, and some, like UVO, are even designed around a multimedia experience rather than navigation. In that case, you’ll have the option to go with the aftermarket GPS unit of your choice.
