I do that as well, but using Maps. After entering a destination, it will ask if you want to show guidance or ETA only.
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I’d say, get the Sedan if that’s what you prefer, as long as the infotainment system is 2U, you can change it, there is NO reason to choose a car over their infortainment!
I’d added CarPlay to my last car and when I started doing my shopping for a new one it was a requirement. Mostly for Maps and Overcast but Apple Music is much better through it as well.
It is SO much better than using AirPods in the car. And I think AirPods are the best thing Apple has done in the last 5 years or so.
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Got CarPlay with my new VW last November. Couldn’t be without it now. Use it for music, maps and podcasts. Siri works really well too.
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CarPlay was THE deciding factor in my new car purchase. All other options were on the table for negotiation, but CarPlay was mandatory.
(We bought a Hyundai Sonata by the way)
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I got a new 2018 Lincoln last month, and it has CarPlay. I have not used it much, but it looks like it could be pretty useful. Once connected via lightning cable, the basic apps are there: Maps, Music, Podcasts, Messages, as well as simplified interfaces for each that allow you to use the apps through touch gestures on the car’s screen, or through Siri.
The pain point for me with CarPlay is having to plug it in via Lightning Cable (First world problem, I know…. ). My previous 2015 Lincoln (and this new one) connect to the phone via Bluetooth automatically, and allow me to play music and podcasts without a wire. I think BMW is currently the only manufacturer to offer wireless CarPlay at the moment.
What I find much more useful than CarPlay is Siri Eyes Free, which this car and my older Lincoln both have. This was a software upgrade to my 2015 Lincoln’s infotainment system that allowed one to hold down the Speak button on the steering wheel for about 3 seconds, and instead of the car’s voice control system coming on, Siri on your Bluetooth linked phone would come on. From there, you can tell Siri to do the usual: Text my wife; What’s on my calendar today; Remind me to water the lawn when I get home; Read my unread email messages; Call Tim Cook on mobile, etc.
Between Siri Eyes Free and the native capabilities of the infotainment system in this new Lincoln (e.g., it will read your texts, hold your contacts, etc, as well as having its own set of apps, such as paying for gas via Exxon-Mobil’s Speedpass app on the car’s screen, for example), CarPlay has not been as big a game-changer for me as I thought it would.
To the OP, I would check to see if the NON-CarPlay car you are considering has the capability to work with Siri Eyes Free, because it can do 90% of what CarPlay can do, and wirelessly.
Also, to @MacSparky, not sure what year your Ford (Fusion Hybrid I’m guessing) is, but you might want to check if Sync has an upgrade that allows you to use Siri Eyes Free. You can do this online or your dealer can tell you. The upgrade to Sync applied to most Ford cars going back to the 2011 model year.
It’s awesome. No need for built in navigation. Apple maps and siri make it easy to get directions. Castro’s app for Carplay is awesome. I used to use Overcast but the Carplay app for it was horrible and wouldn’t start podcasts from the stereo screen. Apple Music & Audiobooks are great too.
I was excited to read this post as I am a newcomer to CarPlay but am having issues with it. It keeps disconnecting from my iPhone (or vice versa) and I find I have to reconnect multiple times during a journey (not a good idea while driving!). I bought a new Vauxhall Corsa recently so I took back to the dealer and they updated the software for me on the car.
But that seems not to have made much difference, iPhone is still disconnecting from CarPlay regularly.
I have tried three different lightning/USB cables, two of which were Apple-made and one not.
I have an iPhone 8 with iOS11.
Is anyone else having this problem? The conversation above doesn’t seem to indicate that CarPlay is ‘buggy’. Any ideas on how to fix it would be great!
Thanks.
@judykf I’ve had CarPlay since I bought my Civic in 2016. I don’t have many problems with it (except it deciding to play Billy Bragg at random times) but I do burn through lightning cables pretty fast (about every 3 months) and about 1 in 10 times it doesn’t connect and I need to try again. Those intervals become more common when the lightning cable is going.
I did have to have it reset and the software updated by the dealer about a year ago. It got better after that.
Thank you. Maybe I will try changing the cable again. Thanks for replying.
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I am running into the same problem on iOS 12 iPhone X. During my commute to work, the phone disconnects several times. I think it might be some sort of interference, because it happens always exactly at the same places along the way and when it happens while music or podcast is playing, it starts with sudden switch to white noise. I thought it is a cable problem, but changing did not help much. Oddly enough, I tried to use my wife’s 6s once and it did not have any such problems, but it was just one trip, thus not entirely conclusive yet.
There was a bug in iOS 12 beta 2 where reverse cameras were killing Carplay.
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Solved my problem I think and thought I’d share in case anyone else has the same problem. CarPlay works fine when connected through 3/4G on my phone but not when connected to the Vauxhall Corsa OnStar WiFi. Got a new retractable cable anyway and all Ok now. Thanks for this thread!
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If you use your iPhone for playing audio and navigation it’s a must have. I have a ten year old car with a nag system that I haven’t touched for years because even Apple Maps is better than it. Also I’m not having to pay $150 for map updates. I’ve incorporated a Bluetooth receiver and a mount for my phone but when I travel for work having CarPlay is amazing feature I wish I had.