Whether or not you prefer it or not, GM is creating its personal infotainment working system for its vehicles. Sadly it doesn’t sound as if the system is excellent. And also you’re going to must open your pockets if you wish to use a number of the methods’ most important options.
Motor Development just lately found this unlucky actuality of their long run testing of the 2024 Chevy Silverado ZR2. After seven months and 13,000 miles, they found that the system has some flaws.
The system would out of the blue freeze on the most inopportune and random instances. When this occurred, not solely did the maps cease working, however velocity restrict info displayed within the driver info display screen and head-up show froze as properly. Navigating to the infotainment system’s Google Maps app whereas the system is frozen leads to the airing of a “looking for GPS” error message.
Motor Development says the most effective resolution they might discover was an entire system reboot when it occurs, which requires holding the telephone cling up button on the steering wheel for 15 seconds with the truck working. Fairly annoying. One other annoying drawback was the voice management operate. GM says that drivers can say “Hey Google” after which management varied capabilities within the automotive by simply saying them, like local weather management fan velocity or altering a radio station. Besides it’s not that easy.
Merely stating “Tune to the Disney channel” will lead to failure. As an alternative, the immediate would have to be “Tune the radio to the Disney channel on SiriusXM.” It’s nuanced, however vital. The identical goes for navigation. As an alternative of “Take me to the Dealer Joes in El Segundo,” you must say, “Give me instructions to the Dealer Joe’s retailer on Rosecrans Boulevard in El Segundo, California.” You additionally want to talk slowly and enunciate clearly for the system to get most requests on the primary strive.
There’s additionally an app retailer with apps like Waze. Nonetheless Motor Development says it’s so sluggish to load and inputting an deal with is so troublesome that they gave up on utilizing it the primary time they tried it. The worst a part of the system? You need to pay for a knowledge entry plan if you wish to use its linked options like Google Maps.
Selecting to not pay for OnStar will outcome within the lack of entry to sure options. These embrace the Google Play app retailer, Google Assistant, and, most alarming, Google Maps. That’s proper—with no paid subscription, our $75,000 2024 Chevy Silverado ZR2 doesn’t supply entry to its native navigation system.
Because of this with out buying one in every of OnStar’s Related Automobile Plans — which vary from $29.99 to $49.99 a month — Google Maps, Assistant, Google Play Retailer and different linked options are all rendered ineffective. I confirmed this with OnStar who mentioned that sure, if there’s no Related Automobile information subscription, you’ll be able to’t use any Google Constructed-in options. Fortunately there’s a giant workaround: you’ll be able to nonetheless join your telephone and use wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Nonetheless with GM planning to abandon telephone mirroring options like Carplay, it’s solely a matter of time earlier than the automaker closes that loophole.
