I'd buy a car without it in a heartbeat. Preferably one without any screens at all. I know this is wishful thinking.
I love having physical controls for everything.
Honestly though, as much as I hate touch screens, this thing is terrible.
The biggest issue is the software, which admittedly has nothing to do with the form factor. It just crashes all the time, and is annoying to use. The backup camera is difficult to see. Not having navigation readily available is frustrating once you've driven vehicles that do have it. Mounting your phone is not a good substitute.
I think you really have to shoot for a design where 80-90% of your functions are physical buttons/knobs while also having the advanced software and high definition display that android auto/car play offer.
You're saying Android Auto, especially in rentals, is essential for music and navigation, and that you don't know what you'd do without it. I'm saying, Android Auto isn't essential - the phone that you brought with you on your trip can literally do all of the same things. Heck, Android Auto is basically more akin to a mirrored screen, because it's your phone doing all of the work anyway.
It might not be on a screen that's built in to the dashboard, sure, but you've got all of your "essentials" in your pocket no matter the car nor the car's amenities. Find the most optimal spot to set your phone, plug it in via audio cable or bluetooth audio, et voila.
That's the problem though. There is usually no good place for a phone. And the phone holders with suction cups are never that great IME.
But you're kind of right. If we had a phone holder in the middle of the dash we wouldn't need AndroidAuto, it's just mirroring the screen.
I had a friend who avoided a situation like this because he was in a 1989 Miata and was able to see the child who was looking at the stickers that my friend placed on his rear bumper at the time. So yes, there are cars that exist that can do this.
The idea that any car has such visibility that you can see something small on the ground immediately in front of the rear bumper is just ridiculous. Of course your chances of seeing a child in a Miata are far, far better than in a 2024 pickup truck or mega-SUV, but nothing will give you the visibility of a camera with fisheye lens mounted on the rear bumper.
> If a small child is sitting directly in front of your rear bumper, can you see that in any car?
No one mentioned comparing it directly to a fisheye lens (of course that's better!). Please don't move the goalposts.
Ever wonder why there’s a delay when you shift into reverse? That’s a whole other system. Made, tested, and proven by actual engineers. Not the bootcamp types.