The best infotainment systems

It doesn’t feel that long ago that a tape deck or CD player were the heights of sophistication when it came to in-car entertainment. But with the arrival of sat-nav, smartphones and ever increasing integration between our digital and real lives car infotainment systems have been fighting hard to catch up.
Screens now dominate the dashboards of most cars, and in many others have even replaced the conventional dials in the instrument binnacle. Whether you’re taking a call, interacting with your favourite streaming service, trying to find the address to your destination or just changing the colour of the interior ambient lighting there’s now a huge amount of connectivity and configurability managed through our infotainment systems. To the extent we’ve even been asking ourselves if touch-screens are blessing or a curse. Some manufacturers do it better than others and, when safety can be on the line, the quality of the infotainment system is perhaps as big a consideration when choosing a car as anything, given it’s often your main way of interacting with it. It’s a fast-moving world as manufacturers race to deliver systems that look good, are easy to use for technophiles and technophobes alike and deliver those all-important features we now expect. Here are some of our favourites.

If there’s one key moment in the development of in-car tech as we know it the arrival of BMW’s iDrive in 2001 is probably it. The combination of a central screen activated by a large, multi-function, turn-and-push controller on the centre console was hugely controversial at the time, and derided as being too clunky and confusing. But BMW stuck to its guns, perhaps helped by the fact Apple was also popularising the turn-and-push selector with its iPod music player. Over the years the system has got slicker, added options for touch-, voice- and gesture activation and gained steadily more powerful and slicker graphics and menus. Now in its eighth generation, the combination of customisable shortcut tiles for favourite features supported by a phone-like menu of widgets is easy to use and looks great. And some cars like the iX have even kept the turn-and-push dial for those who prefer a physical link, this now made of translucent crystal for a truly opulent finish.

Peugeot has gone in so hard with its digitisation of the driving environment it’s even moved the steering wheel to fit! This distinctive layout combines a tiny wheel with the instrument binnacle visible over the top, rather than through it. And having gone to the trouble of doing that Peugeot has come up with some of the coolest digital instruments at any level, the floating 3D effect seeing essential information seemingly presented in layers floating in space. It not only looks cool, it’s also very user friendly thanks to the clarity of the graphics and the inventive way they operate. Which rather goes to show how unimaginative the digital simulations of traditional analogue dials used by many manufacturers really are. We also like the combination of physical, tactile switches for operating basics like volume and ventilation without having to take your eyes off the road and a row of configurable ‘i-toggle’ touch-sensitive shortcut buttons above. Bravo Peugeot!

Volvo

Volvo’s combination of pragmatism and style are very Swedish values that carry over to the way you interact with the various tech with in its cars. Earlier on it realised a portrait-oriented screen was a more user-friendly way to present information like maps and multiple layers, its easy to understand combination of shortcut tiles and then more in-depth widgets very easy to get along with. Three cheers for the retention of a big, central volumn knob you can use by feel alone and a few physical buttons alongside it for instant access to important systems. Along with partner brand Polestar it’s since joined with Google to power its infotainment, which is great news if you want to integrate your Android phone, diaries and smart-speaker powered home devices and are already comfortable with its way of working. Less good news for Apple users, though, and compounded by a lack of CarPlay connectivity early on. Thankfully this has now been addressed with an over-the-air update so you can now enjoy Volvo’s slick interface whichever smartphone tribe you belong to!

In an unusual move Mercedes actually launched its latest ‘MBUX’ operating system on its entry-level A-Class, perhaps wisely identifying this car’s younger target audience are more tech-focused and eager to have the newest and latest. It’s since migrated up the range, increasing in scope and complexity as it goes up to and including the sumptuous option of the full-width ‘Hyperscreen’ that turns the entire dash into digital wonderland on top models like the electric EQS. It’s a little complex to get your head around initially but after a while the combination of touch-screens and touch-sensitive thumbpads on the wheel make sense and the menu system’s amazing range of functions is easy to access. It also looks beautiful, with rich, colourful graphics and is the perfect digital accompaniment to Mercedes’ high-quality physical fixtures and fittings.

Not everyone warms to Elon Musk’s ‘my way or the highway’ approach but Tesla deserves credit for going all-in with screen-based tech in a way that fits perfectly with its tech brand ethos. By stripping out pretty much all physical controls and displays and putting it all through a massive, vertically-oriented touch-screen Tesla has made tech the focus of its otherwise minimalist interiors and incorporated gaming, streaming entertainment and a host of other features into its infotainment. Which gives you something to do while you’re plugged in and charging or even turns your Tesla into a mobile version of your living room, if you so wish. Kids – or those with a childlike sense of humour – will also take endless delight in some of the more light-hearted features, like the whoopie cushion mode for the seats…