Three new vehicles—the Jeep Wagoneer and two upcoming BMW electric vehicles– show the current trends in infotainment: multiple large screens, new brainier voice controls and premium sound.
For instance, the new BMW iDrive 8 system, to be found on the upcoming iX electric SUV and the i4 electric sedan (and expected to filter down to other car models) let’s you simply state, “My feet are cold,” and the system will direct hot air to the floor area. Intelligent voice can control the audio system and driver assistance functions as well as windows, lighting, climate controls, sun roof and switching between driver modes.
The BMW has three screens if you include the heads up display. The new infotainment display is a curved 14.9 inches that appears continuous with a 12.3-inch instrument panel. The HUD shows navigation cues and indicates which lane to enter. If you are navigating, each screen will show navigation info, so one screen might show points of interest like gas stations.
The vehicles will support 5G and over-the-air updates and they will have more intelligent traffic assistance with more realistic times of arrival.
The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer (with a price that creeps up to over $100K) has four touch screens including a 12-inch infotainment screen, and 12.3-inch digital dash cluster. Then there’s a 10.3-inch HVAC screen. If you step down to the regular Jeep Wagoneer the first two screens are 10.3- and 10.1-inches, respectively.
The Wagoneers also get new McIntosh premium sound systems.
The systems include the MX1375 for the Grand Wagoneer that claims to offer “one of the highest performing 12-inch subwoofers in the industry.” The system includes 23 custom-tuned speakers in all, powered by a 24-channel 1,375-watt amplifier.
Another McIntosh system, available also on the standard Wagoneer, uses 19 speakers, a 10-inch subwoofer and a 17-channel amplifier with 950 watts of power.
Source: BMW, Engadget, CNET, MotorTrend, Car and Driver
Photo: Jeep Wagoneer via Engadget
