InfiRay NV2: 30-second review

The InfiRay NV2 Car Night Vision System is an aftermarket setup that essentially allows you to see in the dark while driving. Systems similar to this have been fitted on some manufacturers' cars in the past, such as the Mercedes S-Class, although this system is just the camera and not the built-in infrared lamps.

Upon arrival, the InfiRay NV2 Car Night Vision System requires installation into your vehicle, a process much like fitting car parking sensors or the best dash cams, albeit less invasive. The camera mounts just above the licence plate, or you can attach it to the grill if there's room. The installation involves feeding wires through the engine bay and into the dash and cabin of the car or van. For some vehicles, this process is extremely easy; for others, more is needed. Haynes manuals offer a great selection of guides that cover most cars and vans and should show you how to remove panels correctly.

Once installed and switched on, the small dash-mounted unit provides a clear black-and-white view of the road. As soon as anyone moves in front of the camera, up to 200 metres away, the AI in the system recognises them and sends alerts, the same for cars.

In the dark, this system really comes into its own, alerting you when someone steps out onto the road ahead, thus drawing your attention to them even if you don't see them.

If you drive at night and find it difficult to see some obstructions, or if you like the idea of having a night riding guide that can see the road even if you're dazzled by oncoming lights, the InfiRay NV2 Car Night Vision System is a great addition to your night driving toolkit.

InfiRay NV2: Price & availability

The InfiRay NV2 Car Night Vision System is widely available from automotive stores, as well as through Amazon (US) and directly from the InfiRay website.

• Score: 4/5

InfiRay NV2: Design & build

The InfiRay NV2 Car Night Vision System requires quite a bit of installation effort before it can be used, and it's not as straight forward as just attaching to the front of your vehicle. The system comprises two main parts: the display, which sits on your dashboard and gives you visual and audio alerts about potential road hazards, and the IR camera, mounted on your car's bumper or grill. These components are connected via a long wire, with power supplied through the 12v socket (cigarette lighter).

The initial installation duration varies, taking approximately 3-4 hours depending on your proficiency with car maintenance, but this can decrease to about an hour for the experienced. In this review, the system was installed in a Ford Transit Custom on a temporary basis, noting that permanent installation may involve drilling and screwing into the bodywork.

Completing the installation involves affixing the display unit to the dash, routing one cable to the 12v power supply (and potentially installing an additional socket for tidiness), and running the other cable for the camera through the dash into the engine bay. In the engine bay, I secured the wire away from moving parts with zip ties, routed it around the bay, and through the grill where the camera was mounted near the licence plate.

Once installed, operating the InfiRay NV2 Car Night Vision System is straightforward: simply flip the screen up to turn it on and remove it from standby mode, then adjust the volume as needed.

• Build: 4/5

InfiRay NV2: Features

The InfiRay NV2 Car Night Vision System packs in a decent range of features, including the AI-assisted driver assistance, which can alert you to objects spotted in 0.1 seconds. We've seen some interesting AI tools recently, and this one certainly stands out. The NV2 essentially provides visual and audio alerts for cars, animals, or people and will even work well in adverse weather conditions such as fog, rain, or snow with a visibility of up to 200 metres.

As the main camera module is mounted on the exterior, its designed to withstand various environmental conditions, and as such, the NV2's camera is dustproof and rainproof. The small camera features an infrared thermal image sensing unit that will capture clear images even in total darkness as it utilises IR light, as this light wave bypasses common visual impairments like glare, reflections, and haze that restrict human sight in low light conditions.

The NV2 also offers a range of intelligent features such as collision warning, target detection and classification, lane line detection, and distance and speed calculations that have all been designed to improve driving safety. As the camera is mounted on the exterior, it needs to be tough and features a high-strength protective lens cover and automatic defrosting function, which can be controlled via the dashboard display, all to help ensure consistent visual quality under all conditions.

Technically, the NV2 hardware and connection types all support ease of use with interfaces like GMSL for video, FAKRA for physical connection, and I²C for communication, ensuring compatibility with various vehicle systems. It operates on a DC 12V power supply, which is standard for most cars, with a low power consumption of ≤ 6W or ≤ 9W with defrosting activated, minimising its impact on the vehicle's power system.

• Features 5/5

InfiRay NV2: Performance

Starting with the NV2 is straightforward. When the small screen is flipped up, it powers on and exits standby mode. Upon booting, it displays a black-and-white live image of the street ahead, doubling as a parking camera.

An additional feature is the MicroSD/TF card slot on the back of the unit, allowing for the recording of camera visuals. These recordings are a sequence of images rather than video, providing a useful post-journey review tool.

In daylight, the NV2 enhances road awareness, highlighting vehicles in front with colours changing from green to red as you approach. It provides visual alerts and audio warnings for moving traffic ahead. The system is also able to detect the presence of people and animals and will send out an alert with on-screen overlays and beeps, and in use it's surprising just how easily people and especially animals can be missed while driving.

The audio prompt through the test proved to be invaluable, especially during twilight and while driving through tree covered areas such as the New Forest, where various animals and pedestrians can suddenly appear from the trees. The system's ability to detect obstacles at a distance is impressive, spotting animals and other potential hazards well before they become visible to the naked eye and alerting you with a beep.

At night, the NV2's capabilities really stand out as it detects animals using overlays as well as heat signatures and, of course, once again beeps to signal their presence. The system effectively sees through high beams, fog, and haze, offering a clear view of the road ahead, although it should not, of course, be relied upon solely for navigation in such conditions.

In urban environments, the audio alerts are particularly useful for identifying potential risks, allowing for quick reference to the screen while maintaining focus on the road.

Overall, while installation can be somewhat complex, especially routing the cables through the engine bay and glove box, the NV2 significantly improves visibility and situational awareness, making it a valuable driving aid both day and night.

• Performance: 5/5

Should you buy the InfiRay NV2?

Firstly, it's important to note that the installation of the NV2 should not put you off; you can do it yourself, and you'll be surprised by just how many guides there are out there to help you. If a bit of car DIY isn't for you, then you should be able to find a local automotive electrician who should be able to install the system in 1-2 hours, although this can depend on the vehicle. For example, fitting it to a Nissan Leaf might be better suited for a professional rather than a DIY approach as we did when fitting this to the Ford Transit Custom.

Secondly, the NV2 should be regarded as an aid for driving and not a replacement for normal driving visibility compromised by light, fog, haze, or other factors. In other words keep your eyes on the road and not on the screen.

In practice, the NV2's most significant contribution to driving safety is its audio beep, which alerts you to potential hazards that have been detected by the AI camera. This feature enables you to have a quick check of the monitor to identify the hazard, with coloured overlays drawing immediate attention to the obstruction or the beep, highlighting any potential danger.

While the NV2 is an infrared camera system it performs well for both night and day driving. Its compact size ensures that it doesn't clutter the dashboard, and the screen's flip-up, flip-down design adds to its neatness, and once positioned on the dash it does blend in well. While the system doesn't offer many settings or adjustments, it doesn't need to—it effectively does what it does.

The NV2 is an excellent choice if you're uncomfortable driving at night or you think that audio alerts would be beneficial in highlighting potential hazards in the road. 

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We tested the best rugged tablets for when you're working outside

The 522GW isn’t the smallest dash cam around, and shares the same overall aesthetic as the rest of the Nextbase range. It’s a design language that is starting to date when compared to far more compact offerings from the likes of Garmin. That said, it isn’t ugly, and its size is partly owing to the large display on its rear.

There are just two physical buttons on the Nextbase 522GW. There’s a power button on the left corner and a red button mounted centrally below the screen. This is used to manually record a section of footage – handy when you have seen an incident ahead but weren’t directly involved, so the camera’s g-sensor didn’t sense a collision and save the video for you.

Everything else is controlled via the touchscreen, or by speaking to Alexa. Once set up, the Amazon voice assistant can be asked to stop and start recording, turn the microphone on or off, and carry out other simple actions. We feel this is more of a gimmick than a useful feature, as dash cams tend to be devices that are set up once and left to do their thing without any further interaction, not least via Alexa.

The dash cam is set up and controlled using the MyNextbase app, which is free for iOS and Android. It all works just fine, but is a little clunky and not the most attractive – then again, this is common for dash cam apps, which often prioritise function over form.

The app is used to change video resolution (we prefer the extra pixels of 2K at 30 frames per second, but 1080p Full HD at a smoother 60fps is also available), and decide what information you want included in your recordings, such as GPS coordinates, speed and a time stamp. Recordings also include a map and telemetry to show movement on the camera’s X, Y and Z axis; such fine detail could well prove useful when trying to determine the cause of a collision.

Nextbase includes a USB cable and a 12V light socket adapter for powering the dash cam, along with a suction cup and a windscreen mount with an adhesive back, so you can decide whether to have an easily removable or more permanent solution. There’s also a tool for tucking the cable behind the interior panels and headlining of your car.

The 522GW has a parking mode, which uses its own battery to keep the g-sensor alive while your car is parked and turned off. Then, when a collision is detected, the camera springs into life and records footage for three minutes, in a bid to capture the aftermath of a parking prang or attempted theft.

As for video footage itself, the Nextbase 522GW does a pretty good job, and is one of the better dash cams we have used in recent years. Exposure is handled well to ensure good detail across both shadows and highlights, while the integrated polarising lens helps reduce windscreen glare on sunny days. The lens rotates so you can adjust how effective it is.

The 140-degree lens isn’t as wide as some other options, such as 180-degree dash cams from Garmin. But we still found the Nextbase’s view to be wide enough, providing a complete view across the front of our car, and without distortion.

Our only concern is with how the camera’s image stabilization works. We have previously used other Nextbase dash cams with no issue, but testing this 522GW with our (admittedly firm-riding) car, a Mazda MX-5, caused the footage to shimmy from side to side, as the image stabilization fought against the vibrations of our car. This was especially apparent while stationary with the engine running, but the footage smoothed out again once driving.

We should stress that this is to do with the firm ride of the car used in our test, rather than the camera itself.

A feature that helps make the 522GW stand out from some rivals is emergency SOS response. If a particularly heavy impact is detected, the dash cam will first seek to get a response from the driver. If this does not happen, it will use your Bluetooth-connected smartphone to call the emergency services and use the dash cam’s integrated GPS to share your location. It can also share medical data such as blood type, allergies and medical history, as long as you have added those to the Nextbase app beforehand.

Should I buy the Nextbase 522GW?

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Android is growing. While there was once a time when the operating system was limited to your phone, these days there’s Android TV, Android Wear (now called Wear OS), and, of course, Android Auto. 

Android Auto has been out for some time now as a way for users to get the benefits of Android in their car, but just recently, it received a major upgrade – it now supports wireless connectivity.

Is Android Auto Wireless really that much of an upgrade? And, is it worth buying an in-car infotainment system like the Kenwood Excelon DMX905S? We put Android Auto and Android Auto Wireless to the test to find out.

Installation and setup

One of the great things about Android Auto is that it requires almost no setup. Why? Because the software doesn’t really have its own data – instead, it’s kind of like a shell for your phone. 

All your contacts, music preferences, maps data, and so on, all gets uploaded straight from your phone in an easy-to-use interface.

One thing you will need to do is download the Android Auto app on your phone. Then, Android Auto Wireless has a few conditions that need to be met. 

For starters, you’ll want to make sure you have a compatible phone, and unfortunately the list of phones compatible with Android Auto Wireless is limited to Pixel and recent Nexus devices, so if you don’t have one of those phones, you’re out of luck. 

Next up, you’ll need to connect your phone, through a USB cable, to the car. It needs to be connected to the system, rather than just a charging port. If your phone and car are compatible, Bluetooth should then be turned on and connected, and the phone might connect to Android Auto through Wi-Fi, too. 

It should then activate automatically and connect automatically when you turn on your car.

Once Android Auto is set up and ready to go, it may launch automatically when you plug it in, or you may need to launch it from your car’s infotainment system after plugging in your phone or after it connects wirelessly. 

Either way, it should be easy for Android Auto to launch when you turn on your car, though depending on your phone it may take a few seconds. With a first-generation Google Pixel XL on the Android P beta, it generally took 5-10 seconds to launch, though that could be because the phone itself has slowed down a lot recently and is running a beta version of Android. 

User interface

Because it’s aimed at being used while driving, Google has gone out of its way to make Android Auto simple, and simple it is. 

The general interface is divided up into five screens, though you may only find yourself using two or three of those. The main screen is a Google Now-type display, and it shows things like recently played music and podcasts that you can keep playing, a quick access to locations that you can navigate, and so on. 

Tap on one of those cards, and you’ll be taken to the appropriate display. For example, if you tap on a navigational card, you’ll be taken to the Google Maps screen, which is also quickly accessible by tapping the bottom left icon on the menu bar. 

To the right of that is your phone app. Then there’s a home display, then an audio control display, and then a final tab that simply gave us the option to “Return to Kenwood Home“ (we tested Android Auto on the Kenwood Excelon DMX905S).

In general, it’s a nice interface, and limits distraction. Icons are nice and big, while information is easy to see at a glance, meaning you can keep your eyes on the road as much as possible. 

It is a slight change compared to an on-dash phone mount, and you’ll have to get used to moving your eyes a little more to see maps – though some might opt to use voice navigation anyways.

It does seem as though Google needs to iron out a few issues. For starters, during this review the new Google Podcasts app came out, though even when using the app often, it didn’t really show up on the home screen. 

Instead, half-played podcasts from Google Play Music showed up, despite the fact that we were clearly using Google Podcasts instead and even had playback controls on the phone. 

You could, thankfully, access Podcasts through voice controls or directly on your phone. Considering it’s a Google product, we think Android Auto support should have been there at launch.

Speaking of apps, there are a few that are compatible with Android Auto, but not a ton. The main ones include the likes of Spotify and Waze. 

When it comes to messaging, Facebook Messenger supports Android Auto, too, and on Auto you can tap on a notification to have the message read out to you, then reply using your voice.

Another quirk is that a few times, when we used Google Assistant to make a phone call, it seemed to close Android Auto and make the call through the car’s infotainment system rather than Android Auto’s dialer. 

What that meant was that when the call was over, we had to manually open up Android Auto again. That seemed to only happen with voice controls – we could still go to the dialer and manually make a call, which would use the Android Auto phone app. It’s a weird bug, and we’re not quite sure why it’s there.

Voice control

Perhaps the main way that you’ll interact with Android Auto is through your voice, and it’s generally easy to do so. 

Google Assistant is front and center here, and using it you can ask for directions, make calls, and so on.

This isn’t a review of Google Assistant, so the section isn’t long – just know that Google Assistant works pretty much as it should on Android Auto. 

If you’ve used Google Assistant before, you’ll know what to expect.

Car integration

There are a number of ways in which Android Auto integrates with your car to offer a better experience, and some of them are very helpful.

For starters, Android Auto won’t let you type in Google Maps without the parking brake being on, which we see as a good thing. The reason, of course, is that if you’re driving then you should be using your voice rather than typing on a display.

Another integration is with the headlights. When your headlights are on, Google Maps’ dark mode will be activated, as it would on your phone in the absence of a certain amount of light. 

We liked this at times, and didn’t at other times. For example, sometimes you’ll turn your lights on not because it’s dark, but because it’s foggy. In that situation, we found that there was plenty of light outside – and dark mode didn’t make much sense. 

Verdict

Android Auto is a great way to get Android features in your car without using your phone while driving. 

It’s generally easy to use and install, plus the interface is well-designed and Google Assistant is well-developed. 

It’s not perfect – more app support would be helpful, and there’s really no excuse for Google’s own apps to not support Android Auto, plus there are clearly some bugs that need to be worked out. In general though, Android Auto should help make your in-car infotainment experience a whole lot easier. 

• Find a great dash cam for your car!

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are gaining steam, being sold in more cars than ever before. 

But, what if you want to add the smarts of CarPlay or Android Auto to a car that you already have? That’s where aftermarket units like the Kenwood Excelon DMX905S come in as a way to make your car’s infotainment system a whole lot smarter.

Infotainment systems like this aren’t uncommon, and they play an important role in bringing the likes of Android Auto and CarPlay to cars that otherwise wouldn’t get it. 

But, are they worth the cash – $649 in the US, or about £500 / AU$885? We put the Kenwood Excelon DMX905S to the test to find out.

Design and installation

Before you’ll be able to turn the unit on and experience it for yourself, you’ll want to get it installed, and unless you’re very mechanically-minded, you’ll probably want a professional to do it. 

Keep that in mind when you’re thinking about pricing – it’ll probably cost at least another few hundred dollars/pounds to get the device installed, especially if you need accessories like an adapter for steering wheel controls.

If installed properly, many of the components of the unit should be pretty subtle. For example, the unit comes with a microphone for Android Auto and CarPlay voice controls, and on my 2012 Nissan Sentra, it sits right above the rear view mirror, largely out of sight. 

We also had connected USB/Aux port installed, which you’ll want to consider doing, too. While Android Auto Wireless is available on this unit, you’ll need to set it up with a wired connection, and there’s no USB port on the front of the DMX905S by default. 

Once the Excelon DMX905S is installed you’ll notice that it’s basically all screen, with a row of buttons right under it. That row includes volume controls, a volume attenuation control button, a home button, a menu button, apps button, and a camera view button. 

We found that while the buttons were easy to press, we didn’t love the fact that they were extended so far from the display. Not only was it a little unsightly, but it made touching the bottom of the display a little harder. We think the physical buttons should have been a little more flush with the display itself.

Apart from that, however, the Kenwood Excelon DMX905S is well-designed and should fit right at home in any car. Unfortunately, it won’t fit in any car, though. Head here to check compatibility for your car.

Software

Of course, the real reason to buy this unit has nothing to do with its design – it has to do with the software it runs. 

Not only does it run Kenwood’s proprietary software, but it also runs both Apple’s CarPlay and the wireless version of Google’s Android Auto.

First, let’s touch on Kenwood’s own software. In general, we found it was decently easy to use, but it’s not exactly the prettiest system out there. 

From the main screen, you’ll be able to open up Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and access an app screen with access to Waze, a phone app, and so on. 

Generally speaking, we found it easy to navigate Kenwood’s software, but preferred to use the phone apps in CarPlay or Android Auto. That said, if you happen to not have access to Android Auto or CarPlay for some reason, you’ll still have some options. It’s pretty easy to simply pair your phone through Bluetooth and use the Excelon DMX905S as a basic Bluetooth device.

Of course, there are a ton of Bluetooth devices out there, and many of them are a whole lot cheaper. 

If you’re thinking about buying the Kenwood Excelon DMX905S, then you’re probably more interested in Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. We won’t get into reviewing either of those systems here, but both worked pretty well. 

In general, we found that the unit seemed to connect to CarPlay a little quicker than Android Auto, though that could partly be due to the fact that we were using an aging Google Pixel XL on the Android P beta during testing. 

We did have a few issues connecting to Android Auto Wireless – sometimes, it just wouldn’t connect. The unit in general connected to wired Android Auto a lot quicker than Android Auto Wireless, too. 

On top of that, there were a few bugs in Android Auto that may be related to the Kenwood unit rather than Google's software, like the fact that asking Google Assistant to make a phone call sent us back to the Kenwood home screen for the call rather than to Android Auto’s phone screen. Slightly strange bug, and one that resulted in us having to manually re-open Android Auto.

Verdict

The Kenwood Excelon DMX905S is a great way to get Android Auto or Apple CarPlay into an older car. 

While there are a few design quirks, and Kenwood’s software isn’t the best, it’s probably the cheapest way to get Android Auto Wireless without buying a new car, and it seemed to perform pretty well in our tests. 

Of course, you’ll want to factor things like installation into the cost, and keep in mind that you’ll need to ensure that you can access a connected USB port after the unit is installed, but if those things don’t bother you, then this may well be the next in-car infotainment for you.

• See more tech for your car: our best dash cam and best sat nav round-ups!

Who would have thought that more than 10 years after the introduction of the first iPhone, companies like Garmin are still making GPS devices? 

Well, it is – and it’s gotten a whole lot better over the past few years. Take, for example, the Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S, which offers plenty of features that might make you think twice about using only your phone for navigation. How much is it?

But thinking twice isn’t the same as going out and buying a GPS. Is the Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S worth the $170 (£160 / about AU$225)? We put it to the test to find out.

Design and display

When you first take the Garmin Drive 51 out of the box, you’ll notice that it’s relatively small and compact, which we found to be a good thing. The device itself is 5.5 x 3.3 x 8 inches (14 x 8.4 x 2 cm), relatively small for a device like this. 

Setting up the device is actually very easy. In the box, you’ll find a suction cup mount for your windshield or dash, along with a base plate for the GPS. 

Attach the suction cup to your windshield or dash, the base plate to the GPS unit, and then attach the two sections together. You’ll then plug in the USB cable and you should be good to go.

While the unit itself already has maps loaded onto it, in case there’s not enough storage it also has a microSD card slot. So, if you want to load more than your continent’s-worth of maps onto the device, you’ll be able to do so. 

The display itself isn’t all that impressive in terms of resolution at 480 x 272 pixels, but considering the blocky-text large icons, it doesn’t really matter much. 

The 5-inch display was perfectly fine for us, though users with poor eyesight may want to opt for the 6-inch version, or get used to relying on voice navigation.

The battery life on the device comes in at one hour, which isn’t all that good. We would have liked to see a longer battery life, as it basically means that you won’t be able to do more than local trips without a top-up on the battery. 

Interface

Once you set the physical device up, you’ll want to set up the software, which largely includes selecting your language and region. It’s all pretty straightforward. 

Once you go through the few steps necessary to set up the device’s software, you’ll be brought to the home screen, where you can either check out the live map or search for a location to navigate to. 

The buttons are nice and big, which makes it easy to control the device when you’re driving. Of course, we recommend setting up your navigation before you start actually driving.

The search function on the device is generally pretty good. You can search both for specific addresses, or points of interest, in case you don’t happen to have a specific address for your destination. 

Garmin does this by pulling from its massive database, as well as destinations sourced from Foursquare. You’ll also find TripAdvisor ratings, which can help you find the right restaurants and hotels.

Perhaps the worst thing about the user interface is that it seems a little dated. Of course, that’s coming from someone who uses Google Maps – an app that’s regularly updated and tweaked. 

Still, even after being updated with the latest firmware we think Garmin could stand to work a bit on modernizing the look of its software. 

From the main screen, you can also tweak the device’s settings. There’s quite a few settings to go through, if you’re so inclined, including the kinds of voice alerts you want (school zones, speed alerts, etc.), whether you prefer to use side roads rather than highways, and even the style of the map.

Navigation

The Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S offers both voice and visual navigation, and it does pretty well at both of those things – with a few quirks. 

Let’s start with visual navigation, which we found to be clear and precise. The system was good at showing lane navigation where helpful – so if there’s a fork in the road it’ll clearly tell you which lane to stick to to get to your destination. 

The GPS also shows the speed limit on the display at all times, and gives you warnings when you’re speeding – by turning the “speed” section red, for example. 

Voice navigation was also generally good, but in an era of smart speakers and regularly-used digital assistants, the voice sounded a little like an old-school Siri from 2011. That doesn’t really bode well in 2018. 

Still, we found that the voice navigation was intuitive despite the outdated voice. 

It uses things like traffic lights and landmarks to tell you where to go, instead of always relying on the street name. For example, it’ll tell you to “turn right at the lights” instead of “turn right on 41st Ave,” which we found to be quite helpful in areas where we might not know the names of all the streets.

We strongly recommend downloading the Garmin Smartphone Link app and using it with the GPS. Without it, we found that the GPS often took us on routes that took longer compared to what Google Maps recommended. 

On a drive from Santa Cruz to Anaheim, California, the GPS recommended a route that would have taken an extra hour. That’s no small amount of time. 

Even with the Smartphone Link app, the GPS’ live updates aren’t as sophisticated as Google Maps, but it should still help a little.

Verdict

Do you have a smartphone? Then you’re probably better off saving your money and simply buying a phone mount for your car instead of a dedicated GPS. 

Still, that doesn’t mean GPS like the Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S are useless. If you want a relatively sophisticated GPS system to help get you from Point A to Point B, then the Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S is, in our view, one of the best GPS on the market. 

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing better, however. We also had the opportunity to test out the Garmin Drive Assist 51, which has a built-in camera for on-dash video recording and for tracking things like lane placement and how close you are to the car in front of you. If you don’t mind stretching your budget a little, we think the extra features are worth the cash.

Update: Amazon's smart assistant Alexa has arrived for the Logitech ZeroTouch, bringing along its smarts.

This increases the value quite a bit, as you'll now be able to do the following:

"To interact with Alexa all you need to do is hold your hand over the front of your phone to trigger the assistant. From there you can ask it the same things as you would with Amazon Echo at home. 

That means up to the minute traffic reports, news bulletins and if the kids are misbehaving in the back you can always ask Alexa to “open the magic door” to keep them occupied with a choose your own adventure."

Original review follows below.

Smartphone mounts are handy to have, especially if you rely on Google Maps for turn-by-turn navigation. You can buy basic mounts that do little beyond keep your handset from becoming a projectile, or fancier ones with integrated charging capabilities. 

Logitech's latest duo of Android smartphone mounts claim to add connected car capabilities to your exisiting car, so you'll have in-car voice control capabilities without the need for a new car or upgraded radio.

While I'm still getting used to Logitech's new consumer branding, the new ZeroTouch is a combination of a Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) connected car mount and a voice-controlled Android app, so you can use your phone's navigation, music and messaging features without touching the phone.

Logitech offers two car mount options – air vent or dashboard. The ZeroTouch Air Vent simply clips onto your car vent, while the ZeroTouch Dashboard is available to stick on your dashboard or windshield.

The mounts aren't completely new, however. They're very similar to the Logitech [+] drive mounts, albeit with a few new tricks. Pricing for the ZeroTouch mounts is $59.99 (£49.99) for the Air Vent and $79.99 (£59.99) for the Dashboard, which is twice the cost of the similar Trip and Drive one-touch mounts.

It's all about magnets

The mounts use magnets to secure your phone, but given that plastic and aluminum aren't magnetic, Logitech includes two metal adapters to affix to the back of your phone. One is slender and rectangular in shape while the other is a larger, round disc.

 Logitech suggests using the slender adapter for those that live dangerously and use their phones naked, like myself. The large round disc supposedly provides enough surface area to work through some phone cases. Each adapter sticks to the phone with very strong adhesive – I couldn't force it off with my nails.

If your phone supports wireless charging, the adapter needs to be placed away from the inductive receiver. Unless, of course, you never use wireless charging, then you can place it wherever you want.

I attempted to affix the adapter to my Motorola Nexus 6, but the phone's magnetic sensor and inductive receiver proved to be a challenge. You see, the Nexus 6 has a magnet sensor behind the M logo on the back of the phone, which shuts the screen off when a magnetic force triggers it.

The wireless charger receiver is located right below the M logo, which leaves the bottom of the phone as the only spot I could put the adapter, making the phone top heavy when attached to the mount. There's also the curved back, which doesn't play well with flat adapter plates.

Fortunately, I was able to borrow my wife's Sony Xperia Z5 compact, which was better suited for the metal adapter. Both adapters affixed to the Z5c perfectly, but I stuck with the large round disc so it could work through her Sully silicon case.

How smart is it?

The mounts require an Android app download from the Play Store to take complete advantage of there capabilities. Both mounts have a battery powered Bluetooth LE controller inside with a sole purpose of telling the ZeroTouch Android app to launch and take control.

Logi's ZeroTouch app is required to pair your smartphone with the mount. The cleverness of the mount resides with the magnet, which serves as an on/off switch for the Bluetooth LE function, so it only turns on when the phone is docked.

Expect two years of battery life from the mounts with two to three hours of use each day. The battery is replaceable by the user, too.

All the smart capabilities lie within the ZeroTouch app, which provides voice controls for texting, music, navigation and hands-free calling. The app uses the phone's ambient light sensor to know when it should listen to voice commands – simply hold your hand about an inch away from the phone for a brief second, wait for the beep, and start talking to it.

While you'd think the ZeroTouch app would simply tap Google Now for voice capabilities, Logi uses its own cloud voice recognition platform. ZeroTouch does directly control apps, like Google Maps, Waze, Hangouts, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Spotify and Deezer, but Pandora is oddly absent.

Is it any good?

Logi's ZeroTouch has a very simple interface that lets you select which apps to use and a microphone icon. Voice recognition was able to interpret what I said and let me text my wife using voice-to-text. It felt awkward to high-five my phone to trigger voice commands, however.

Using voice search for points of interest (POI) was terrible. I asked the ZeroTouch app to "navigate to Best Buy" and it provided three options that weren't the electronics store. Next, I tried "navigate to Best Buy electronics" and was presented with another three choices that were an hour away from my local Best Buy.

Google Now found the right location on the first try. So if the ZeroTouch app can't find a simple, directly named location, I suspect it won't be used often by buyers. I'd much rather use Google Now – frankly, ZeroTouch is more hassle than what is baked into every Android phone nowadays.

The silver lining

Logi ZeroTouch isn't a great piece of software, but there is a silver lining. You can use the mount to launch BitSpice's AutoMate, which provides an Android Auto-like user interface that takes advantage of Google Now features. It also uses Google Now voice search, which is superior to Logi's.

AutoMate has an option that automatically launches when the phone connects to a specific Bluetooth device. If your car doesn't have Bluetooth hands-free, the Logi ZeroTouch mounts work great with it.

The downside is the ZeroTouch app has to be installed to pair with the mount, but the app runs in the background and shouldn't conflict with AutoMate.

Final verdict

Logi leaves me conflicted with the ZeroTouch mounts. The physical mount is excellent and feels high-quality with its rubber texture finish, but the required metal adapter doesn't work with all phones. My curved Nexus 6 with wireless charging capabilities is one of those phones, but the flat-back Samsung Galaxy S7 should be fine.

I'm not fond of the ZeroTouch app, which makes the mount "smart." It has a spartan user interface and voice texting works well, but has trouble finding a simple retailer, which is unacceptable to me. The lack of Pandora support is odd, too. There are free apps that work better, like Automate.

The ZeroTouch app isn't exclusive to the ZeroTouch mounts, either. It works with standard Bluetooth devices, like your car's Bluetooth, so it can launch as soon you get in the car.

Since the app works with virtually any Bluetooth device, it makes it hard to justify the price tag for the ZeroTouch mount, especially since it doesn't charge the phone. While I like the physical mount, I'd skip the ZeroTouch and pick up simpler the Logitech [+] Drive mounts for half the price instead.

Update: The JBL Legend CP100 is delayed due to a software specification change after the unit was submitted for certification. The specification change required software tweaks and re-submission for certification by both Apple for CarPlay and Google for Android Auto. Its still coming, but there isn't a formal release date yet.

JBL is a well-known brand for audio products, whether its home, car or portable products. The company produces aftermarket speakers, sound processors and amplifiers for cars, but never attempted to take over your dashboard, until now. The new JBL Legend CP100, announced at CES 2016, is the company's first double din radio aimed at luring car owners into adding Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capabilities to their cars.

Harman's demo hall at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, during CES 2016, had the JBL Legend CP100 on display in a demo box. I was able to get some hands-on time with the unit running Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functions.

The CP100 sports a 6.75-inch capacitive touch screen (like a smartphone) for $399, when its competitors typically employ resistive touch screens (like old Palm Pilot's and Windows CE devices) unless you spend twice as much for a higher-end unit. Screen resolution is only 800 x 480, which doesn't sound exciting in a tech world of 4K everything, but resolution on a screen that small is adequate from the driver's seat.

Visually, the JBL CP100 looks very plain, but that's ok. It's a standard double din radio, which most Japanese cars since the 80's and European or American cars from the late 90s can accommodate. The plain black plastic design makes it easy to blend in with most dashboards capable of accepting a double din radio.

Despite the plain layout, JBL provides physical buttons for power, volume and voice recognition, everything else is driven by the touch screen. The inclusion of a voice recognition button, which works with Google Now and Siri, is a nice addition for cars that lack a dedicated button for voice commands on the steering wheel. The buttons have white backlighting that easily blends in with all interior lighting colors too.

Steering wheel controls are supported by the CP100, but requires an external adapter, like other aftermarket radios. Advanced vehicle-link interfaces, such as iDataLink Maestro or Axxess InfoLink, are not supported, so those with cars that use the infotainment screen for climate controls and changing car settings will have to look elsewhere or forgo those factory functions, unfortunately.

The user interface for the CP100 is very simple, it's a black background with a row of buttons for five functions: phone, Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, FM, AM radio and settings. JBL designed the CP100 purely for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, so the plain user interface is understandable.

A single USB port is available for smartphone connectivity. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality works as expected. You simply connect your iPhone or Android smartphone and the phone interface takes over the screen. Navigating the user interface in Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is fluid and responsive – I didn't encounter any lag.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support using a car's GPS antenna to provide turn-by-turn navigation, which provides better reception. The JBL CP100 does not include an external GPS antenna so navigation reliability relies solely on your phone, unfortunately.

JBL includes a wired microphone with the CP100, but it was hard to gauge how well it works in a crowded demo area. The CP100 also features a single video input for a backup camera for those inclined to add the feature.

A pair of full-range pre-amp outputs for the front and rear channels. The two preouts should be enough to connect the CP100 to cars with factory premium systems with external amplifiers. An internal four-channel amplifier that produces 45-watts peak, per channel, is available for cars without premium sound systems.

Early verdict

The JBL Legend CP100 is a compelling way to add Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to your older car. Its designed to rely purely on your smartphone, and there's nothing wrong with that, because Android Auto and Apple CarPlay provide good in-car user interfaces.

The $399 price for a head unit with capacitive touch screen easily beats out competing units from Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, Sony and Clarion, which feature resistive touch technology. If I had an older car with a double din radio opening, the JBL CP100 would be hard to pass up.

Update: Review and score updated to reflect the recent software update that adds Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to the Tucson with navigation.

Station wagons, or estates and touring's for those on the eastern side of the Atlantic, were once a staple for the American car buyer. It was the ultimate family vehicle that was comfortable with tons of space. Americans ditched the station wagon for the minivan and later the sport utility vehicle (SUV). The last decade paved way for a new type of vehicle: the crossover utility vehicle (CUV).

While it has a fancy new name, the CUV is the result of car buyers circling back to the station wagon, regardless of whether they'd admit it. Theoretically, the CUV combines the tall seating position of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) with the comfort, drivability and fuel economy of a car. In reality, it's a hatchback or station wagon with extra ground clearance.

Regardless of what you call it, Hyundai has an all-new Tucson compact CUV that looks simple but quite upscale. Hyundai sent me a gorgeous Caribbean blue 2016 Tucson Limited AWD, loaded with the Ultimate Package that retails for $34,945 (£30,930 for the similarly-equipped Tucson Premium SE 1.6 T-GDI Petrol 4WD DCT automatic or AU$43,490 for the Tucson Highlander 1.6 T-GDI petrol AWD) to test for a week.

I dig the Tucson's new look: the front-end has a mean grin to it, though it's not too aggressive. The car has an understated look that is more typical of luxury cars than the mainstream ones it competes with. Hyundai also reserved the use of chrome to some parts of the grille and door handles, which I appreciate deeply – I despise chrome accents on cars.

Interior

Step inside the new Tuscon, and you're treated to soft-touch materials all over that give the car a feel of luxury. The heavily-insulated doors open and close with a heavy "thunk" that's typically associated with premium cars. Grab the leather-wrapped steering wheel, and your hands feel at home with the integrated thumb grips.

Look forward, and you're treated to a pair of analog gauges for the tachometer, engine coolant temperature, speedometer and fuel. Sandwiched between the gauges is a 4.2-inch, multi-function LCD that displays your trip, fuel economy, driver assist, turn-by-turn navigation and music information. Hyundai provides access to settings for driver assists and vehicle conveniences, like how long the lights stay on after you get out of the car, sensitivity of the automatic headlamps, enable or disable the smart trunk and more, via the small LCD.

Everything looks and feels good initially, but then you reach down for the shifter and notice the lower center console is made of hard, cheap plastics with fake stitching that doesn't look premium at all.

You move your knee around a little and notice there's a padded vinyl cover for your right knee. Most of the interior of the Tucson looks luxe – until you reach for the center console. It's understandable to use cheaper plastics on the lower parts of the dash, but the transition from a nicely-appointed, padded knee rest to the cheapest plastic of the interior doesn't match well in my eyes.

I'd rather Hyundai forgo the padded knee rests for a higher-quality center console that matches the rest of the interior, but I could be nitpicking. The Tucson as tested is not a cheap car, and the padded knee rest feels like slapping a Band-Aid to cover up bigger problems.

Nevertheless, the Tucson has a well-laid out, driver-focused interior. The center stack, where the infotainment display and climate controls reside, has a slight tilt towards the driver. There's a large, powered panoramic sunroof that occupies most of the roof and brightens up the all-black interior. If you find the sunlight annoying, there's a powered sunshade that covers the entire glass panel.

Infotainment system

Hyundai announced their Display Audio infotainment system nearly a year ago for its first public demo at CES 2015. The 2016 Tucson is the first Hyundai to integrate the new system.

Gone from Display Audio is the CD player, finally. I haven't purchased a CD since the early days of in-car iPod connectivity, with the Alpine KCA-420i, so I won't lose any sleep over it.

Mounted at the top of the center stack is an 8-inch LCD with a resolution of 800 x 480. It's not high-DPI, like your smartphone, but you're not spending a long amount of time staring at the screen from a few inches away, either. Mounted directly below the display are clearly-labeled buttons that provide direct access to frequently used functions and knobs, like volume and radio tuning or music file navigation.

As someone that prefers tactile feedback while driving, I appreciate the buttons. It might not look as sleek as a completely black panel of capacitive touch buttons, or as simple as touchscreen-only designs, but function is always more important than form to me.

Steering wheel controls are available for your basic volume, next/previous track or preset, voice command, audio source and phone functions as well. I found myself using the steering wheel controls most of the time in the car.

The entire user interface is familiar and identical to other Hyundai and Kia vehicles, including the Optima. There's a split home screen that shows navigation and audio functions side-by-side. I found myself using the SiriusXM interface most of the time.

Display Audio features HD Radio, SiriusXM, USB audio, Pandora connectivity and iPhone or iPod support. The SiriusXM tuner supports time-shifting for stations set to the first preset, so you can start over or replay Taylor Swift tracks over and over again to your heart's content.

There's one USB port in the center console with a large cubby that fits phablets, like my Nexus 6, with room to spare. The USB port can be used for standard flash drives with MP3s on it or your phone. I measured power output on the USB port using a Drok USB power meter at 0.8-amps with my Nexus 6 plugged in and 0.5-amps with my iPhone 6S, so there's plenty of power to charge your devices, but it won't charge nearly as fast as a dedicated 2.1-amp or QuickCharge-compatible chargers.

Navigating flash drives is straightforward. You can navigate by track information, like artist, album, song or song title, but I prefer to select my music by folder. Display Audio maintains the folder structure of your flash drive, so if you're particular about how you organize your music folders, there won't be any annoying surprises here.

Pandora connectivity is available for Android and iPhones. Android relies on Bluetooth audio streaming, while iOS requires a wired USB connection. Shockingly, Pandora via Bluetooth with my Nexus 6 sounded just as rich as the iPhone 6S's wired connection, and a significant quality upgrade compared to the AVN 4.0-based system in the Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonata, which had audible compression artifacts and muddy bass.

Hyundai has not confirmed what changed with Display Audio to drastically improve the audio quality. I predict Hyundai upgraded the Bluetooth stack used in Display Audio to support the AAC audio codec. Your typical advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP) audio implementation only requires support for low complexity subband coding (SBC), which focuses on bandwidth efficiency and not sound quality.

A2DP supports additional codecs, like MP3 and AAC, but infotainment systems don't typically support receiving the optional codecs. Theoretically, if the receiver supports MP3 or AAC decoding, then there's virtually no audio quality difference between wired and wireless connections. Pandora streams are encoded in AAC at bitrates up to 192kbps (Pandora One), so if it can pass the raw AAC signal to the car and let the infotainment system decode it, audio quality is limited to the digital-analog-converters (DAC) in the car.

The typical Bluetooth audio streaming that relies on SBC requires the audio source to be decoded, re-encoded to SBC, sent to the receiver, then decoded again, which results in awful sound quality that rivals SiriusXM for poor compression and low bit rates.

Navigation in the Tucson works without any surprises. You can input addresses or search POIs. The maps aren't as fancy and 3D as luxury vehicles, but it all does the job. I will commend Hyundai for not employing safety lockouts that prevent using the navigation functions when the car is moving. There's a disclaimer that pops up every time the car starts that asks you to agree, but it goes away after a short amount of time.

SiriusXM NavTraffic is supported in the US and requires a $3.99 per month fee, while International versions of the car use radio data via the traffic message channel (TNC). I'm not fond of SiriusXM NavTraffic at all. The subscription is too much to pay for something that's offered for free on my smartphone that's always with me. There's also the issue in which I can spot road traffic and SiriusXM will not report anything.

Bluetooth is available for smartphone pairing. I didn't encounter any issues with my Nexus 6 or iPhone 6S when trying to pair. Both devices paired, downloaded contacts and call history without any issues. There isn't support for in-car text messaging, but you're better off using Siri or Google voice recognition for hands-free text replies.

Voice commands are available, but the system is slow to comprehend, inaccurate and doesn't work very well, like most offline, automotive voice recognition systems. I've yet to experience in-car voice recognition that can rival Siri or Google Now, but the Tucson doesn't support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto yet.

Siri Eyes-Free is available when paired with a compatible iPhone. With Eyes-Free, Siri can be triggered by holding down the voice recognition button on the steering wheel. I found myself defaulting to using my iPhone in the Tucson, because of Siri's inherent in-car speech recognition abilities.

Android Auto & Apple CarPlay

When Hyundai announced Display Audio and demonstrated development boxes at CES, there was a focus on Android Auto and CarPlay connectivity. The 2016 Tucson received Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support via software update in May.

The implementation in the Tucson is the same as the 2017 Elantra and works just as well, just plug in your iOS or Android smartphone and follow the prompts. Hyundai lets you use the native navigation and Android Auto or Apple CarPlay seamlessly, so you can choose whichever interface you prefer.

Hyundai doesn't offer a branded audio system upgrade in the Tucson. Exclusive to the Limited trim levels is an eight-speaker sound system with external amplifier, while the lower trim levels sport a six-speaker system. While there are a total of eight speakers, there are only six discrete audio channels, because Hyundai counts each individual driver as a speaker.

The Tucson has six discrete audio channels: front, rear, center and subwoofer channels. The front doors each have a woofer, tweeter and count as two speakers. Hyundai installs the subwoofer on the side of the cargo area.

The subwoofer and mid-bass is a little muddy, while the tweeters could offer more clarity. I'd say sound quality is adequate for your daily commute, but not as impressive as the premium-branded Infinity or Lexicon systems in the Sonata and Genesis sedans. It's definitely not an audiophile-level system, but I expect more from the range-topping Limited trim.

Driver assists

Hyundai's suite of driver assists includes a blind-spot monitor (BSM) system, backup camera that's standard on Sport and Limited trims, and downhill brake control (DBC) that's standard on all trims. Check the box for the Ultimate Package, and you get lane departure warning (LDW) and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection (AEB).

The radar-based BSM aids in lane changes by detecting other cars in the blind spot and provides audible and visual alerts accordingly. Hyundai integrates a flashing indicator into the side mirrors that flashes once if it detects a car in the blind spot.

When you use the turn signal and it detects a car in the blind spot or a car that's approaching at a faster rate of speed in the adjacent lane, the indicator flashes rapidly and the car beeps to notify you. If the car is in reverse, the same sensors are used for rear cross-traffic detection, which is extremely helpful in parking lots with limited visibility while you're backing out.

A backup camera is standard on all Tucson trim levels, which provides a good enough view of what's behind the car. Hyundai provides an overlay with active guidelines that gives you an approximate idea of where the car will end up depending on your steering wheel input.

DBC is a neat little feature that helps getting the Tucson down steep hills, ideally where there's ice, snow or other slippery surfaces. Simply press the button located below the shifter and the car automatically controls the brake and throttle to get the car down the incline at 5 mph. I tested this feature going down a steep hill in the rain, where the technology isn't necessarily needed, but it was the only place I could test it.

I found DBC to be a lot easier to use than attempting to work the brakes to maintain a slower speed going down a steep incline. This feature can be a lifesaver for those who live atop a steep hill where it snows or freezes over a lot, and makes life easier for more experienced drivers.

LDW is a purely passive affair. It's only active when the LDW indicator in the gauge cluster is green, which is at speeds above 40 mph, like most other cars. The system alerts you if you're about to depart the lane with a visual display in the gauge cluster, plus a series of annoying beeps if you leave the lane.

I find passive LDW systems more of an annoyance, but I don't have trouble staying within the lane markers or need a reminder otherwise. Fortunately, Hyundai makes it easy to disable the system with a button on the dashboard, to the left of the steering wheel.

AEB is a feature that should work in theory, but not something I can safely test outside of a controlled environment. Nevertheless, AEB can detect imminent collision and apply full braking capabilities, the equivalent of slamming on the brakes, at speeds of 5 to 50 mph. It can also detect pedestrians and brake immediately when traveling from 5 to 43 mph, in case someone decides to jaywalk when you're not paying attention.

Hyundai lets you set the sensitivity of the AEB system via the gauge cluster LCD, so you can adjust it to suit your level of driving attentiveness. While AEB, when it's working, can help deter accidents, it's not a substitute for being alert and attentive while driving, but should only serve as an aid for worse-case scenarios.

Missing from the suite of driver assists is adaptive cruise control (ACC), unfortunately. The car is designed to accommodate the feature, but Hyundai chose not to offer it yet – for an undisclosed reason. Hyundai plans on offering ACC on the recently unveiled Elantra, which shares a platform with the Tucson.

Nevertheless, my chats with Hyundai representatives reveal the Tucson can accommodate ACC if the company chooses to include it. There's a spot in the center console for the electronic parking brake that would replace the '80s truck-like foot-operated parking brake, if Hyundai were to offer its excellent full-speed range smart cruise control system.

Blue Link

Exclusive to the range-topping Limited trim is Hyundai's Blue Link telematics system that provides a smartphone app to remotely control vehicle features and roadside assistance. The Blue Link mobile app is available for Android and iOS devices, including a companion app for Android Wear and the Apple Watch.

I tested the Blue Link app on my Motorola Nexus 6 and Asus ZenWatch and found the app to be simple and functional. You can lock, unlock, remote start, trigger the horn and lights, send navigation locations directly to the car, and check vehicle status using the Blue Link app. The smartwatch companion app has most of the same functions as the smartphone app.

I find the novelty of remote starting my car from my smartwatch entertaining, but it's not something I can see myself using regularly. If you live in the snow belt, remote start is a huge nicety to have for cold mornings, but there's one caveat to Blue Link: subscription costs.

A one-year trial period comes with every new Blue Link-equipped Hyundai vehicle for the peace of mind services in the Connected Care Package, but the Remote Package that enables the smartphone apps has a reduced, three-month trial period. However, the subscription cost is $99 (Blue Link is not available in the UK or AUS) a year, which works out to $8.25 a month, for the Remote Package.

The price for Hyundai's remote features sounds reasonable – no more than a Google Music or Netflix subscription – but you also need the $99-a-year Connected Care Assurance Package to even consider the Remote Package. For a grand total of $200 a year, or about $17 a month, you can remotely control your car from a smartphone app.

I personally wouldn't pay for any of the Blue Link services. I'm carrying on just fine with an "old fashioned" remote start button on the key fob, since that doesn't require a subscription to use.

Hyundai equips the Tucson Eco, Sport and Limited with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder motor matched to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), with your choice of front or all-wheel drive (AWD). The model I drove has AWD. The turbocharged powertrain and DCT is rated for 175 horsepower (hp) with 195 pound-per-foot (lb-ft) of torque.

To verify the rated power numbers, I took the car down to Drift-Office, a local tuning shop owned by a good friend of mine in Auburn, Wash., to put it on a vehicle dynamometer (dyno) and measure how much horsepower the car generates. It was a chilly and wet Washington day, with an average temperature 55 degrees Fahrenheit and an average humidity of 92% at 69 feet above sea level on the day of my visit. The car was strapped down and ran four times.

The numbers the Tucson puts down at the wheels is truly impressive, with 172 hp and 196 lb-ft. There's virtually no power loss through the drivetrain, so either Hyundai's DCT is very efficient or the engine is highly underrated. To put things into perspective, typical AWD cars lose 25% to 30% of its engine power through the transmission. I was expecting the Tucson to make around 130hp at the wheels, but it surpassed my expectations.

You might be curious about the run with a max power of 156 hp depicted above, which did happen. However, it was the third run where the car suffered some heat soak from being stressed with nothing but a giant blower fan as its source of cool air. This is not something you typically experience on the road.

Driving the Tucson around town reveals that the car is quite refined, with smooth power delivery and quick shifts from the DCT. The car never feels starved for power and performs well getting up to highway merging speeds.

Due to the design of DCTs, which more closely resembles a manual than a traditional automatic transmission, early units would shudder at low speeds where you're inching forward in-traffic, like a manual transmission. Fortunately, the DCT in the Tucson doesn't exhibit this behavior very often, and the typical driver won't notice it.

Since the Tucson isn't a high-performance vehicle of any sort, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are absent. Hyundai provides a manual mode that lets you select the gear, but the selections are more of a suggestion than anything. If you reach the engine redline or drop below a certain amount of revolutions per minute, or rpm, the transmission will automatically upshift or downshift for you, so you don't have full control over the transmission gearing. I find this annoying but it's not something I'll mark the car down for, since it's not a performance vehicle.

Hyundai did a remarkable job on the suspension tuning. The car handles twisty roads well, with minimal body roll while the struts smoothly absorb bumps in the road, resulting in a smooth and comfortable ride. Steering, on the other hand, could be better. Hyundai employs its drive select mode, which lets you choose between Normal, Eco and Sport driving modes. Your selection alters the throttle response, transmission shift points and steering feel.

Since the Tucson features an electric-power steering motor mounted on the steering column, it suffers the same fate as other systems. There's very little road feel, and it doesn't have a "just right" drive mode (i.e. one that feels natural), unlike the larger Sonata 2.0t Sport and Kia Optima SX, which have the power steering motors mounted on the steering rack.

The normal drive mode has the right amount of precision but feels too light, while the sport mode doesn't feel as precise: it applies too much force and feels artificial, but has the right amount of weight that I like for steering. Ultimately, I left the car in normal most of the time and got used to the lighter feel of this mode. Steering feel might not be something that you're shopping for, but if it doesn't bug you, the Tucson is a fine car to drive.

The US Environmental Protection Agency rates the Tucson with the 1.6-liter turbo motor at 24 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city, 28 on the highway and 26 combined mpg, which is comparable to gasoline competitors. It falls short on the highway fuel economy when compared to the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5, but the torquey turbo motor is worth the lower fuel economy for me.

During my time with the Hyundai Tucson, my fuel economy hovered around 22 to 23 mpg, according to the vehicle's trip computer. Drivers that are much easier on the gas pedal than me – I have a lead foot – should experience slightly better fuel economy.

Living with the car

Crossovers are the default car most families look at when kids get introduced into the mix. We partnered up with Diono, a car seat manufacturer, to test-fit three car seats in the back of the Tucson. Diono's USA headquarters is in Puyallup, Wash., where I conduct vehicle testing and a convenient place to stop by and test-fit car seats. With the help of Diono, we attempted to install three Radian RXT convertible car seats in the back of the Tucson.

The Tucson has two pairs of lower LATCH anchors for the outboard seats while the middle seat requires the use of the three-point seat belt. All three seats have top LATCH anchors available. The car seats were installed using the vehicle seat belts and not LATCH anchors.

Unfortunately, the Tucson failed this test. Three car seats could not be installed safely in the back, regardless of whether they were front or rear-facing. The placement of the belt buckles makes it impossible to do so in the middle and driver side rear-seat. It's a shame, because there appears to be enough physical space to fit three car seats. If Hyundai updates the buckle design, I'll gladly revisit this and update the review accordingly.

Junk in the trunk

Hyundai employs the same hands-free smart trunk feature as the Kia Optima in the Tucson. It works the same way: walk up to the locked car with the key fob in your pocket and it automatically opens for you. The Tucson implementation works a lot better, with the inclusion of a powered trunk that opens without your intervention.

So, in the ideal scenario, you walk up to the Tucson with your hands full of Star Wars toys, wait a few seconds and the trunk opens for you. You load up all the toys, press a button to close the trunk and hop in the car and drive off. I did not experience this ideal scenario exactly, but the hands-free smart trunk worked every time.

The Tucson has a cargo area of 31 cubic feet, which is plenty of space to accommodate luggage for a family road trip. I keep a Sumo Gigantor and Omni from Sumo Lounge around for trunk space testing. The Gigantor is a little too big to carry in and out of my house, so I stick to using the Omni for most cars. It's a fun way I devised to show exactly how big a trunk is.

I dragged the Sumo Omni outside to put in the Tucson and got it half-way in – fortunately, none of my neighbors were around to question what I was doing. The 60 x 60 x 38-inch bean bag got halfway into the trunk with the back seats up, but can easily fit with the seats down.

If you need to haul tall or oddly shaped items, the Tucson should be able to accommodate them without any problems.

Hyundai leaves me very conflicted with its 2016 Tucson. I'm a big fan of the styling: it has an elegant but understated look that's humble. I'm absolutely in love with the Caribbean Blue color of the car I tested too.

However, for the $34,945 (£30,930 for the similarly equipped Tucson Premium SE 1.6 T-GDI Petrol 4WD DCT automatic or AU$43,490 for the Tucson Highlander 1.6 T-GDI petrol AWD) that Hyundai asks for the top-of-the-line Tucson Limited AWD with Ultimate Package, I expect more.

We liked

I like Hyundai's Display Audio infotainment system, even without Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. It's very intuitive to use, with a combination of touchscreen and physical buttons. Removing the CD player is a nice touch, as it promotes a clean dashboard without a random slot that most drivers never use.

The Pandora connectivity works well on Android and iOS, and I was surprised by the sound quality of Pandora via Bluetooth with my Nexus 6. For once, the sound quality matched the wired connection of iOS.

The Tucson's 1.6-liter, turbocharged four cylinder and dual-clutch transmission delivers impressive performance numbers that translate well into everyday driving. It has the right amount of power and low-end torque to keep you happy – and even lead-foot drivers like myself – and never feels under powered. If anything, the turbo motor leaves me wondering how much more power I could get out of it with some aftermarket goodies, but Hyundai probably frowns upon modifying its review samples.

Blue Link is well-executed on all Hyundai models, including the Tucson. Having the ability to control your car remotely with a smartphone app or smartwatch is a nice convenience, especially for those that are forgetful or OCD about making sure their car is locked. I, for one, know I am sometimes paranoid and wonder whether I forgot to lock my car, but sometimes too lazy to walk back outside to make sure.

The hands-free smart trunk is a useful convenience for those that hand-carry groceries, or have two kids to carry. I've yet to experience it failing, unlike the systems from competing makers, such as Volkswagen, that require silly karate leg-sweeping motions to trigger the trunk release. It doesn't get much easier than walking up to the trunk of your car and waiting for it to open.

We disliked

While Hyundai promises Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are coming soon, it's unacceptable to not at least have one ready at this time. The last time Hyundai promised Android Auto was coming to the Sonata, it took a year before the update was rolled out, and it still doesn't have CarPlay either – that's still promised for a later date. With Volkswagen, General Motors and Honda supporting both smartphone connectivity standards, Hyundai has no excuse for the delays.

The absence of adaptive cruise control is a puzzling choice, especially since it's found within the Ford Escape, Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, all of which are older models that predate the Tucson. Lacking a pivotal tech feature from a company that's always delivered more tech features than its competitors is odd to me, especially since the car was designed to accommodate the feature already.

While I like the features Blue Link offers, I don't like the subscription costs. Alone, the $99-a-year Blue Link Remote Package wouldn't be too bad of a deal, since it provides control and access to the Tucson. But requiring the $99-a-year Connected Care Assurance Package before you can even think of the Remote Package tarnishes the offer. I'd love to have just the remote control features of Blue Link, but I couldn't care less for peace-of-mind services that are only useful in case of a collision.

Final verdict

Hyundai's latest Tucson is a stylish compact crossover with elegance inside and out. If it didn't sport the Hyundai badge, it would be easy to mistake the Tuscon for a luxury crossover that would fit in with Audi and Lexus's models. Beyond the tech inside, the powertrain delivers enough oomph to keep lead-foot drivers happy without sacrificing too much fuel economy.

Ultimately, if you don't care about adaptive cruise control, steering feel doesn't concern you and you are patient enough to wait for Android Auto and CarPlay, the Tucson is a solid compact crossover – just don't go running to the dealership over it.

Make no mistake, the new TomTom Go 6100 is not a cheap navigation device.

At £260 / $370 / around $AU510, it operates very much at the premium end of the sat nav spectrum. But that actually makes life a bit easier for TomTom. This is a device for serious nav users, not a cheap alternative to a smartphone app. If having a proper stand-alone device matters to you, the pricing may not be an impediment.

With a six-inch screen, it's bigger than all but the fattest phablets, too. That makes it more ergonomic on the eyes. But also means it has a more cluttering impact on the inside of your car. This is no tiny clip-on GPS gadget.

In other words, it's a proper tool for dedicated road warriors from one of the best established brands. It's TomTom's latest and great, the finest sat nav it can offer. Let's find out exactly how good it really is.

Features

Visually, the new TomTom Go 6100 is a dead ringer for its Go 6000 progenitor. It likewise shares its basic sartorial characteristics with the Go 5100, but brings a six-inch, 800-by-480 pixel screen to the party where the Go 5100 is a slightly smaller five-inch affair.

For the Go 6100, there's a little less bezel, so if anything the bigger model is slightly more pleasing on the eye. Whatever, it comes as standard with the usual in-car GPS paraphernalia including TomTom's slick magnetically-clasped and suction-mounted Click&Go cradle and a 12v-to-USB power adapter.

The touchscreen is capacitive (hurrah) and supports pinch, zoom and swipe gestures. There's also full voice control available throughout the interface. The services, maps and other data features are all included and for life.

To that end, the device has an integrated GPRS cellular modem. If that sounds sluggish, it's not there to update or download maps, which would require a beefier pipe. It's for live traffic data and the MyDrive cloud-based feature.

Above and beyond TomTom's general prowess at navigation, it's MyDrive that is perhaps the Go 6100's killer feature. Core functionality includes the ability to send destinations remotely to the Go 6100 from your smartphone, PC, tablet or Mac.

It's similar to Google's Send-to-Car and Send-to-phone features, but runs entirely on TomTom software. The other data-enabled feature is TomTom's handy database of speedcameras. Again, you get free updates forever.

There's no data plan or contract required for any of this, either. You just buy the device and the data services are there for the life of the device. Or, we suppose, the life of TomTom, whichever ends first!

Rounding out the spec is 8GB of internal memory for maps, which you also get for life with free updates. The 6100 offers TomTom's full world maps, but you can't store them all at the same time, so a little juggling may be required in the unlikely event you routinely globe trot in your car. Or you can use the microSD slot to up the local storage.

Finally, the integrated battery allows for around two hours wireless use.

Screen

800 by 480 pixels may not sound like much. But it's enough for a lovely, crisp image at the actual viewing distances typical with a sat nav device.

That said, it's not the most vibrant screen. And it does suffer from a little reflectivity. But it gets the job done. What's more, thanks to the capacitive touch input, it's far more responsive than your usual sat nav, many of which still stick with clunky resistive input screens. Yuck.

Size-wise, six inches makes for great usability and legibility. But it does also mean the Go 6100 somewhat takes over your dash. Minimal it ain't.

Performance

First up, this is a very robust-feeling device. The build quality is reassuring and the magnetic cradle makes mounting the Go 6100 an absolute breeze, although it does have an occasional tendency to escape the magnetic clasp when you adjust it and you can guarantee it would be airborne in the event of an accident, which is not ideal.

Also worthy of praise is the 12v USB power adapter. It's compact and fits snugly in car power ports. It can be used to power any USB device and it's just a zillion times better than the huge, hideous contraptions some sat nav makers still deliver.

Regards the general interface and sat nav operation, we'll refer you to our review of the TomTom Go 5000. Not a great deal has changed and that's mostly good because it means lovely graphics and maps and impeccable interface logic.

We particularly like the route progress panel on the right of the map during guidance and the way the interface minimises the number of finger punches required to access the most important features. For instance, with just two finger prods you can see all the petrol stations in the local area.

For the record, the voice control feature is completely hopeless, but as we're not huge fans of voice control generally, we're not sure we care.

Generally, then, TomTom has boiled down what's important in a nav, made it slick and easy and and ditched everything else. Brilliant.

The one downside is sheer compute performance. The CPU and graphics still aren't up to the job of rendering the interface smoothly. It's quite laggy still and that is disappointing.

As for MyDrive, we were sceptical but we shouldn't have been. It's works brilliantly in terms of being able to plan routes on your computer or smartphone and then fire them over the ether to the TomTom.

And it really is instant. So long as the TomTom has a network signal, it picks up sent navigation instructions within a second of you pressing send. It's crazy quick.

You will of course need to have that network signal, which could be a problem depending on where your car lives. But it's not a huge issue as the device will download the data the moment you have a signal.

If there is a downside, it's that smartphone use requires its own app. You can't use Google Maps or Apple maps to send destinations to the TomTom.

The only other downside to MyDrive is that it doesn't support multiple profiles. In fact, you need to fully reset the device and wipe any local history data to change profiles. That is very, very dumb.

We liked

Nearly but not quite everything. The interface looks great and its logic is flawless. The cradle is high quality and easy to use. And the new MyDrive cloud service is awesome.

We disliked

The 6100's CPU and graphics still under perform. That you can't change MyDrive profiles without a full reset is ridiculous, too, and the voice control is hopeless. The magnetic mount is great for ease of use but not great for safety in the event of an accident.

Final verdict

Raw performance and MyDrive profile management aside, this thing simply rocks. If there's a better stand-alone sat nav out there, we've not seen it.

Please put a better CPU inside, TomTom, and then a perfect score would almost certainly ensue.

Keep it simple. This is now the prevailing mantra in the sat nav market and that's fine by us. It's also exactly what Garmin's new nuvi 58LM is designed to do.

This isn't a fancy pants multi-purpose device. It's not meant to wow you with size or slickness or features. Instead, it is meant to do an efficient and effective job for a reasonable price.

That job, of course, is navigation. Inevitably, the main problem devices like the 58LM have is competition from smartphones. Almost everyone has a smartphone these days and they pretty much all come with some kind of navigation for free.

What they don't have as standard, arguably, is navigation that's fully optimised for cars and has been honed over many generations. Yes, you can get paid-for apps that tick those boxes. But for some, a semi-permanent and dedicated device is preferable to whipping your smartphone in and out of the car. And it's in that context we'll consider the Garmain nuvi 58LM.

Features

The Garmin nuvi 58LM is a five-inch device (there's an equivalent 68LM for those who prefer a larger 6-inch screen) with a very modest 480 by 272 pixel display. It's also a resistive rather than capacitive touchscreen, the latter now being the done thing in smartphones due to superior response and accuracy.

As standard it comes with full European maps and free lifetime updates.

What it doesn't have is any networking or connectivity, be that cellular, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It's a stand-alone, single purpose, offline sat nav. Not that this is a huge surprise given the relatively low price point - £89.99 / $145 (around $AU180). It comes with the territory.

Most notably, that means no live traffic data, which will be a deal breaker for some. However, Garmin has come up with a neat solution to the the nuvi 59LM's offline limitations. It has a built-in point-of-interest database supplied by Foursquare which you can update whenever you like by plugging the device into a PC.

The same goes for the 58LM's speed camera database. It's stored locally and you simply drag it in from the car occasionally to update the database.

That's a clever way to go about things, we reckon. Obviously the database's won't be completely up to the minute. But you get the vast majority of the benefit without the cost and complexity of the data connection.

Apart from all that, there's the usual suction-secured mount and a 12v car power socket adapter. Oh and the device also supports Garmin's wireless reversing camera.

Screen

We'll make no bones about it, the screen isn't the Garmin nuvi 58LM's greatest feature. In an age of uber-resolution smartphones, the 480 by 272 pixel resolution of the 5-inch display is borderline comical and results in the kind of coarse image quality you might have thought disappeared years ago with the demise of devices like PocketPCs.

The interface and maps won't be worrying the likes of Apple for sheer graphical beauty, either. That said, none of this really impinges on functionality. It's bright enough and vibrant enough for legibility. Maybe that's all that counts?

Performance

If we do have problems with the visual aspect, it's the logic of the interface and the quality of the mapping.

By way of example, to bring up a list of local petrol stations, it takes three finger jabs compared to just two for the latest TomToms.

And TomTom gives you the results as points on the map, where Garmin serves up a text list. Ideally, you'd be able to choose. But we think the map option is usually far preferable for making a snap decision on what is most convenient. The closest option isn't always most convenient, that's the problem with the text list.

That said, the newly simplified search function makes it easier to just punch in where you want to go without the need to drill down through umpteen menus to find the right field to input cities or postcodes or, well, whatever.

The mapping and routing, meanwhile, are essentially carried over from other Garmin devices. That puts them among the best for accuracy. However, the visuals are pretty harsh on the eye and occasionally not the easiest to digest at a glance when actually driving.

It's a marginal thing and the functionality is all there, including full postcode support. But we prefer TomTom's latest maps for ease of viewing and comprehension. It's probably time Garmin overhauled its graphical guts.

Actual CPU and graphics performance is pretty poor, too. This is a common sat nav problem and far from unique to the 58LM. We've just tested the top-end TomTom Go 6100 and that's just as bad.

Verdict

Garmin's cheaper sat navs have essentially become the Ronseal of navigation devices. They do what it says on the tin.

The Garmin nuvi 58LM is no exception. It's far from exciting. And it's short on some of the more useful features that come with a data connection, which it conspicuously lacks. But that goes with the territory at this price and the 58LM is undoubtedly a very effective device for getting you from A to B.

We liked

It's affordable. It's no nonsense. It will get you places. The Foursquare POI and speed camera databases are nice little extras, too. And Garmin's mapping and guidance remain highly competitive.

We disliked

The screen is very low res, the graphics ain't pretty and there's a fair amount of ugly going on. Even then, the CPU struggles to cope. Lack of connected features like live traffic will be a deal breaker for some, even if it's not a realistic option at this price. Oh, and the power adapter is rather ungainly.

Final verdict

At this price, you need to keep your expectations in check. HD screens and all manner of streaming data features are simply not going to happen.

But if you want a simple offline nav device for the car, you could do a lot worse. We just wish Garmin would give its graphics a bit of a polish.

Update: NissanConnect EV services via mobile apps are restored. The security vulnerability has been fixed and an updated version of the app is now available.

Electricity-powered cars predated gasoline cars by about 50 years and even outsold gasoline cars toward the tail end of the 19th century. It's hard to imagine that electric vehicles were once a common sight (by 19th century standards) in today's gasoline-dominated market. While we're at an epoch of automotive innovation, performance and efficiency, oil is a finite resource that will eventually run out.

There are two paths to alternative propulsion, and the automotive industry is split between hydrogen and electric vehicles (EV). Nissan is placing its bet on electrification and unleashed the leading environmentally-friendly, affordable family car (Leaf) to the world in 2010.

The Leaf received incremental updates with new features, a change of production to Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn. manufacturing plant, and revised battery chemistry throughout the last five years, but the battery capacity and infotainment system remained the same, until now. New for the 2016 model year Leaf SV and SL trims is a 30 kWh battery, up from the 24 kWh on the base S trim and previous years, bringing the total range rating up to 107-miles, from 84, of gasoline-free driving.

Nissan sent techradar a 2016 Leaf SV with premium package with an MSRP of $36,620 (£25,640 for the similarly equipped Acenta trim, Australia only has one trim for AU$40,000) for a week of gasoline-free driving.

Before I go on about the car, it should be known that I bought my wife a 2015 Leaf SL with premium package a year ago. We've been happy with the car and quite familiar with the public EV infrastructure in Washington State. However, EV ownership is a difference experience that required changing driving habits and greater planning, which I will no doubt elaborate on.

Styling isn't a strong point for the Leaf. The front end reminds me of a Pokemon, Bulbasaur specifically, with giant headlights and a smirky grin. Halogen headlights with reflector housings are standard on the Leaf SV, but stepping up to the SL trim gets you more energy-efficient, LED low-beams, if you want to consume less energy at night. My experience with the halogens in the SV and LED in my personal SL yield minimal lighting gains. Both headlights rely on reflector housings and are a far cry from matching the light output of projector-based halogen, high-intensity discharge (HID) or more powerful LEDs.

Moving around back reveals giant LED tail lights that remind me of old Volvo station wagons. The sloped rear hatch theoretically helps aerodynamics, but you do lose out on cargo capacity compared to the more rectangular station wagon look, which I prefer.

The design cue I dislike the most on the Leaf is the chrome door handles. I despise chrome trim on all modern cars, especially on door handles, because it's a fingerprint magnet. Installing something prone to showing fingerprints on the most frequently touched area of a car is a pet peeve of mine. However, the door handles is the only area with a design change with the refresh – the door lock and unlock button is now black instead of chrome like previous model years.

Interior

Step inside and you'll find a spartan interior that belongs in a budget-priced subcompact more so than a car that costs north of $30,000. The dashboard is devoid of soft-touch materials and covered in cheap, hard plastic. Fortunately, the door panel and center armrests are covered with soft cloth to help comfort when cruising along.

Look forward and you'll see a two-tier digital cluster that separates the speedometer from the vehicle information. While the cluster is digital, per se, it reminds me of the '80s digital gauge clusters instead of the modern LCD displays found in current cars.

It looks plain but very functional with a digital speedometer, clock and outside air temperature. The high placement of the speedometer keeps it within your peripheral vision while focusing on the road, which is helpful, because the distance you can travel with an EV highly varies on the speed. The left side of the digital cluster is an eco-meter that "builds trees" to show how efficient your driving is. My driving isn't very efficient, so not many trees appear during my driving.

The traditional gauge cluster directly in front of the steering wheel features a vehicle information display, battery temperature, battery capacity, range estimate and how much power is consumed relative to the accelerate pedal use, all useful information to have when driving an EV. The information display serves as a digital trip meter, but also shows the battery percentage, charging time and access to vehicle settings.

I leave the display on the battery percentage display most of the time, so I have a more accurate idea of how much battery is left, because the estimated range displayed is extremely optimistic and should be taken lightly.

One thing you'll have to get used to in the Nissan Leaf is the shifter – it's completely different from the PRNDL layout of traditional automatic transmissions. Instead, it's a spherical shifter with a dedicated park button. Operating the shifter is easy and didn't take very long for me to get used. Nissan provides a graphic that shows how to operate it directly below.

There are reverse, neutral and drive functions. To put the car into gear, you move the shifter to the left and up or down. When the car is in drive, you can move the shifter left and down again for more aggressive regenerative braking, which I'll talk about in the next page. Putting the car in park simply requires stopping the car and pressing the P button in the center of the shifter.

Lastly, I want to mention the seats. The Leaf doesn't have sport seats with amazing side bolster support, which I prefer in every car, but the seats are very comfortable. There isn't a lumbar adjustment, but the the lower back arch and firmness contours well to my 5'7" and 195-pound frame. They have the right amount of firmness and plushness for comfortably long drives without inducing aches, pains or fatigue.

The seats are heated and get toasty, too. Nissan even heats the steering wheel, which gets uncomfortably hot quickly. The Leaf's heated seats and steering wheel help warm up your body faster while consuming less energy than the car's already-efficient heat-pump-based climate system, which theoretically aids driving range.

Infotainment system

New for 2016 is the NissanConnect infotainment system that brings the Leaf up to date with the rest of Nissan's model lineup. Nissan kept the 7-inch screen size and buttons exactly the same as the previous model years. In fact, there are no visual interior differences between 2015 and 2016 models, when the car is off at least.

The double-din-sized infotainment system features a screen that opens and tilts to reveal a CD player and SD card slot for the navigation maps. A USB port in front of the cup holders is available for flash drives and iOS device connectivity. SiriusXM, HD Radio and NissanConnect EV telematics rounds out the complete package.

Audio functions are straight-forward with no surprises. Music stored on flash drives can be navigated by track data or folders. The one music navigating function of all Nissan and Infiniti infotainment systems is still there – when you select a music folder, it immediately begins playing it instead of just opening the folder to let you pick a song first. SiriusXM and HD Radio functions are basic and work without time-shifting capabilities.

I tested the USB port power output capabilities using a Drok USB power meter with my Nexus 6 and iPhone 6S. Power output was 0.8-amps with the iPhone 6S and 0.5-amps with the Nexus 6. While the NissanConnect system can charge iPhone's at a decent rate, you're better off using a 12-volt USB charger or USB power bank for Android devices.

Nissan's updated user interface is more visually pleasing with better graphics that are highly customizable, but it's a clunky mess. There's simply too much customization available. The home screen lets you choose and pick what functions and widgets are displayed on three separate screens.

I prefer the simpler, split home screen in the Kia Optima, Hyundai Tucson and Toyota's since they display radio information, a small navigation map and a couple functional buttons, whereas the NissanConnect UI has a 4 x 2 grid layout. While the NissanConnect 4 x 2 grid is customizable, each information display occupies a 2 x 2 space and each button takes up one spot, so you can either have two information displays or four buttons with one information display.

Sure, three home screens are available, but I don't like fiddling around with the infotainment system for information that I should be able to see at a single glance. Nissan deserves credit for keeping static menu functions at the bottom of the screen for audio, phone, information, map, navigation and settings functions, but everything is replicated by physical buttons on each side of the display.

As much of a fan I am of physical buttons, I'd rather see a larger 4:3 ratio screen with knobs for volume and folder navigation than having the same buttons on and off screen.

Visual nuances aside, NissanConnect includes smartphone app connectivity, but the function is extremely limited. By extremely limited, I mean it only supports Google Online Search with the NissanConnect app installed on your smartphone. There's no Pandora or other Internet radio support, unfortunately.

Bluetooth is available for hands-free voice, music streaming and text messaging. I paired my Nexus 6 and iPhone 6S without any issues. Text messaging support is quite worthless – it can read you text messages and present you with quick replies, but you're better off using Google Now or Siri for those purposes. Siri Eyes Free isn't supported, annoyingly.

Nissan incorporates EV-friendly features with the navigation software to show nearby charging stations and an estimated radius of where you can travel with the available charge. They're nice gestures, but the charging station database is severely outdated and doesn't even list some of the dealerships that have Level 3 CHAdeMo quick-charge stations.

You're better off using the Nissan EZ-Charge app for smartphones or PlugShare to find an up to date charging station list with user reviews and check ins. The navigation maps are your standard fare flat maps, with different available route calculations that can optimize the trip for maximum battery range (slow surface streets mostly).

While mapping a route for maximum battery range is convenient, I'm not the type of person to use the navigation functions for places I frequently visit, so I'm not really open to taking alternative routes or driving mostly on the streets when the freeway is available, just to save some battery life.

Previous Leaf owners will find the Zero Emission functions identical to the older infotainment system. Nissan essentially transplanted the same functions and interface to the new infotainment system. The Zero Emission functions provides greater energy consumption information for the electric motor, climate control and other items. It even estimates how much range you can gain by turning off climate control.

I find the information convenient to have on hot days where blasting the A/C can make the difference of making it to the next charging station or being towed there, on longer drives.

NissanConnect EV replaces CarWings on previous model years as the telematics service in the Leaf. CarWings relied on AT&T's 2G network, which shuts down in December 2016. NissanConnect EV upgrades the telematics module to AT&T's 3G network, which doesn't have a shut off date yet, but not quite as sexy or fast as their LTE network.

However, the functions that require cellular connectivity aren't high bandwidth tasks. NissanConnect EV enables the driver to remotely access functions of the car, such as check on the battery levels, manually start or stop a charge, set a timer for charging (to only charge at off-peak hours for cheaper rates) or climate control (to get the car warmed up on cold mornings), and driving history (distance and energy consumption only, not location). The functions are accessible via web browser or a smartphone companion application.

New to NissanConnect on 2016 Leaf's is the ability to locate your car, in case you forget where you parked it. I've personally never forgot where I parked my car that requires using such a feature, but some of my fellow editors mentioned it's happened to them.

The functions all work as intended, but it's slow as molasses – yes, I went there. Nissan's move to AT&T's 3G network did not help speed things up at all. It takes 25 seconds to login to the NissanConnect EV application and just as long to trigger any of the remote functions, while I was connected to my home Wi-Fi network with a 100/15Mbps Internet connection. Maybe I'm impatient and spoiled, but it shouldn't take that long to log in or use any of the functions.

As of Apr. 1, 2016, Nissan has restored access to NissanConnect EV services via mobile apps. The app should automatically update and fixes the security vulnerability.

Bose premium audio

Nissan loves Bose-branded premium audio, and offers the option on most of its new vehicles, including the Leaf. The Bose premium sound system is part of a $1,570 premium package (not available in UK or AU) that also adds the Around View Monitor 360-degree camera system.

The Leaf's Bose system features seven speakers, each with individual amplification from an energy-efficient amplifier, in a four channel configuration. The front speakers consist of 1-inch tweeters in each A-pillar and 6.5-inch speakers in the front doors. The rear doors have smaller 5.25-inch speakers while a 4.5-inch woofer is located in the trunk, in an acoustic waveguide bassbox. The door speakers all use neodymium magnets to keep the weight down.

As with most Bose sound systems engineered for space savings, the old saying "no highs, no lows, must be Bose," definitely applies to the Leaf, and every other Bose-equipped vehicle I've listened to. The tweeters produce average sound quality with a slight hint of clarity but no detail – you won't hear crisp sound of cymbals or other high notes.

The entire mid and low range is laughably pathetic, because the system tries to trick your brain into thinking the frequencies are being produced, but it sounds dull and sloppy. It sounds like going up to a large, marching band bass drum and giving it a light tap instead of smashing the drum with a mallet – there's no depth, smoothness or warmth to the sound.

Around View Monitor

Bose premium sound aside, the premium package includes one of the best tech features available today, and that's the 360-degree camera system. Nissan calls it Around View Monitor (AVM). The system stitches together four cameras to produce a top-down view of the car, side-by-side with a second view, and feeds it to the infotainment screen.

Camera's are placed on the front, back and side mirrors. You can trigger the cameras at low-speeds or while parked. When the car is put in reverse, the rear view is the default view. The system switches to the front view if you put the car in drive after reversing first too. There's an option to pull up each individual side cameras as well.

I can't say it enough, I love 360-degree camera systems. They make parking so much easier, especially in tights spots or the dreaded parallel park. I wish more companies would offer it in their entire vehicle ranges, but so far, Nissan is the only non-luxury brand to have it as an option on anything from the Versa (or Note for our friends across the Atlantic) to the Armada.

As much as I dislike the Bose sound system in the premium package, it's a bundle deal to get the excellent AVM, unfortunately. The AVM is also the reason I opted for the premium package for my wife's 2015 Leaf too.

The Leaf's powertrain is purely electric. The only fluid to change in the car is brake fluid, but even that can go for at least 60,000 miles. There's also wiper fluid to top off, if you need to wash your windshield and rear windows. This helps cut down on maintenance costs – there are no $60 engine oil changes, transmission fluid changes, timing belts or chains, water pumps or much maintenance at all.

There are standard disc brakes, but the car relies on regenerative braking, which uses the motor to slow the car down while charging the battery pack in the process and reduces wear on the brake pads. These are some of the reasons why my wife wanted a Leaf. (I'm great at maintaining my own car but I slack when it comes to my wife's unexciting cars.)

The motor may sound weak, with a measly 107 horsepower (hp), but don't let the numbers deceive you, as its only part of the equation to power. Torque is what makes the Leaf feel peppy around town, and the car makes 187 pound-feet (lb-ft). Unlike an internal combustion engine that gradually makes more torque, and in result horsepower, as the engine increases the revolutions per minute (RPM), all 187 lb-ft and 107 hp is available instantly at the press of the accelerator pedal.

When you need to accelerate or pass someone on the freeway, all that power is available right away without the transmission downshifting for the optimal power band. It's always available, which is why electric motors are awesome. It doesn't pack the light-speed capabilities of a Tesla Model S, but it's definitely a better experience than an underpowered, economical hatchback.

But, if you have a lead foot like myself, it drains the battery pack faster. New to the 2016 Leaf is the larger 30 kWh battery pack, up from the 24 kWh from earlier models (base S trim still has the 24 kWh unit), that's rated for 107 miles of range, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 24 kWh battery was rated for 84 miles.

The range rating is for the EPA's testing cycle and varies greatly depending on temperature, climate control use, speed and altitudes traveled, since energy consumption increases greatly if you're constantly going up hills or steep inclines, but regenerative braking charges the pack if you're going back down the same incline.

To test out range, I grabbed my 4-year-old daughter and drove from Graham, Wash. to Kenmore to visit a local camera shop, got lunch and stopped at the Bellevue Nissan dealership to charge. It was an average day in Washington State, which included rain and 40-degree Fahrenheit temperatures. I went easy on the accelerator pedal and drove on the freeway at a steady 60 mph and managed to drive 75 miles with 22% battery left when I reached the CHAdeMO quick-charger.

If you buy a Leaf in the US, Nissan gives you an EZ-Charge card that provides free public charging at select locations. An EZ-Charge card was not included with the Leaf Nissan sent to techradar, but I grabbed my wife's card to use. The dealership chargers were part of the NRG EVgo network, which the EZ-Charge card provides free charging for the first 30-minutes, which is plenty.

I plugged the car in, went into the dealership's warm waiting room and waited 30-minutes for the car to charge. The dealership had a TV to watch, comfortable couches to lounge in with free coffee, apples and vending machines if you wanted snacks or a soda. I sat there playing on my phone while sipping espresso until it was done.

In the 30 minutes of charging, the car gained 70% of capacity, which was plenty to get me home. I went on my way, stopped for some bubble tea and made it home with around 40% of charge left. My entire round trip was about 120 miles, which is a bit further than I usually drive, but I only had to wait 30-minutes to use a quick charger. The Leaf's 30 kWh battery has plenty of range for your typical commute or trips around town.

I'm actually quite jealous of the new battery and wish I waited a year, as the additional capacity easily solves some range anxiety. While our 2015 Leaf with the 24 kWh battery is fine for our trips to Seattle, albeit we have to charge to make it home, trips to Oregon are out of the question. The additional range would at least get us to Oregon, which is 120 miles away, with a single stop at a quick charger, instead of stopping every 40 miles (the CHAdeMo chargers are every 40-miles or so) so we don't get stranded.

In terms of handling, the Leaf feels very nose heavy when diving into turns aggressively, but it's not something a typical Leaf owner should worry about. When driving around the city, the suspension dampens bumps in the roads with comfort. Steering responds to input with precision suitable for a daily driver, but don't expect sports car road feel and precision. Overall, it does the job it was built for, and if you're not a performance-oriented driver, like myself, you'll be satisfied.

Living with the car

Living with an EV is a different experience, as you can't stop at a gas station to fill up. The car has to charge at home or in public. I personally charge my Leaf at home with a Bosch 30-amp Level 2 (240V) charger, while some people are perfectly happy with the included Level 1 (120V) charger.

Charging times are significantly longer with Level 1, which can take over a day to charge a completely depleted battery, whereas a Level 2 takes around 6 hours. If you constantly deplete the battery for your drive, I highly suggest a Level 2 charger, but if you're only running around town, the included Level 1 may be enough.

As for family-friendliness of the car, we partnered up with Diono, a car seat manufacturer, to test-fit three car seats in the back of the Leaf. Diono's USA headquarters is in Puyallup, Wash., where I conduct vehicle testing and a convenient place to stop by and test-fit car seats. With the help of Diono, I attempted to install three Radian RXT convertible car seats in the back of the Leaf.

The Leaf features two lower LATCH anchors for the outboard seats, which is typical for most cars. Three top LATCH anchors are available on the back of the seats. I chose to install the car seats with the 3-point seat belt as the lower LATCH anchors have weight limits of up to 65 pounds. The Leaf passed the test and was able to fit two forward and one rear-facing, or three forward-facing car seats without any trouble.

Nissan made the seats plush, which made it very easy to install the seat and get it very tight, using the seat belt. Despite the small size, the Leaf is the smallest car that can fit three car seats in forward and rear-facing configurations.

Junk in the trunk

The Leaf's hatchback design gives it 23.6 cubic feet (cu-ft) of trunk space, which is a little more than the Honda HR-V we tested. Nissan equips the car with passive keyless entry, so the hatch can be opened if the key fob is in your pocket. I'll give Nissan credit for the buttons available on the hatch, two buttons are available: one rectangular button that releases the trunk hatch and one smaller circular that locks or unlocks the car. The subtle nicety is helpful if you get out of the car, take something out of the trunk and lock the car without having to walk around to the front door or taking the keyfob out of your pocket.

I keep a Sumo Gigantor and Omni from Sumo Lounge around for trunk space testing. The Gigantor is a little too big to carry in and out of my house, so I stick to using the Omni for most cars. It's a fun way I devised to show how big a trunk is.

I dragged the Sumo Omni outside on a rainy day, which is typical for most of the year in Washington State, and shoved the bean bag into the back of the Leaf. I got the bean bag a third of the way in with the back seats up, and it should fit fine with the seats down. The sloped rear hatch of the Leaf, intended for aerodynamics, may prevent large and tall objects from fitting in the cargo area, if you must have rear passengers.

The load height is quite high and not completely flat to the trunk opening, so it's not ideal for loading or unloading heavier objects. Overall, the trunk space is adequate for a kid's stroller, but the car isn't ideal for transporting heavy and large-sized items.

Nissan's Leaf is a car designed for those that want to break-free of oil dependence, or are simply tired of paying for gas at the pump, but at a price. The as-tested MSRP of $36,620 (£25,640 for the similarly equipped Acenta trim, Australia only has one trim for AU$40,000) is quite steep, especially if you can't maximize the $7,500 federal government tax credit.

If you do qualify for the tax credit, there's also a $3,500 rebate if the car is financed through Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (NMAC), which knocks $11,000 off the MSRP to bring it down to a reasonable $25,620. There's also the lease option that takes the rebates into account too.

However, unless you really want an EV, similarly-priced internal combustion engine cars at the same MSRP, or even the price after rebate, have much higher quality interior materials, driver assists and better infotainment systems.

We liked

The new 30 kWh battery is a major improvement that makes the Leaf more attractive to rural residents like myself. While the previous 24 kWh battery was adequate for a 40-50-mile round trip commute without charging, there wasn't much excess capacity for multiple detours. Having an additional 23 miles of additional rated range can be that extra distance needed to push those hesitant of EV's towards broader acceptance.

CHAdeMO quick charging technology, or any quick charging technology, is a must have nowadays for EVs. Being able to stop for 30-minutes and gain 70% battery capacity makes EVs easier to live with and take on trips with less inconvenience, just make sure your state has a good EV quick charging infrastructure.

Nissan's Around View Monitor is excellent, but I've yet to use a 360-degree camera that I didn't like. It's a simple feature that may seem archaic to self-parking systems in cars such as the VW Passat, but I prefer to park the car myself than rely on computers to steer me into place.

We disliked

NissanConnect provides a fresh face to the previous Leaf's ancient infotainment system, which was still stuck in 2010, but it's a far cry from anything I'd consider good. Just give us Android Auto or Apple CarPlay and engineer a charging station locator app that is actually up to date and compatible with the two. While I enjoy customizing the home screen on my smartphone, stop trying to transplant the same feature to the car. I want a UI that's designed for quick glances with minimal touch screen input while driving.

I'm not a fan of Bose premium sound or anything Bose, with the exception of the QuietComfort noise-cancelling headphones. The sound quality may please those that have never experienced good audio quality,, but it's not something that makes music enjoyable to my ears. Having to pay for the Bose option to get the excellent Around View Monitor is a travesty, too.

Fit and finish of the Nissan Leaf was quite bad. The gaps between the tail lights and rear fascia (bumper) were inconsistent with a tight fit on one side and a large gap on the other side. I also had to snap the interior panels in the cargo area back into place because they weren't installed securely. There's still the issue with paint matching between the metal body panels and the plastic front and rear fascias: in certain sunlight, the colors don't match.

This isn't a worn-down press car problem either, as I was the first one to receive this 2016 Leaf in the Seattle area. These are problems I've noticed with previous Leafs too, including a 2015 Leaf SL press car in which I had to reinstall the switch panel for the rear seat heater switch. My own Leaf has a rear fascia that wasn't aligned properly either.

Final verdict

The new battery pack in the 2016 Leaf may entice more buyers to embrace the electric car, but the car lacks in infotainment and driver assist technology. If you're currently leasing a Leaf that's nearing the return date and looking to pick up another one, the 2016's battery pack alone is worth trading up.

If you bought your Leaf, like I did, the hit you'd take from the terrible trade-in value isn't worth it to get 23-miles of range. Yes, I looked into this possibility. Nissan doesn't offer an upgrade to the 30 kWh battery for existing owners either, unfortunately.

Now for everyone else, should you buy a Leaf or EV? It's a tough question – if it makes financial sense for you, once you take maintenance and fuel costs into consideration, go for it. If you care about the environment and live in an area where electricity comes primarily from eco sources such as: hydroelectric, solar or wind, it's a solid, eco-conscious choice.

I made the decision to buy my wife a 2015 Leaf because we had a 2011 VW Routan (a rebadged Dodge Caravan) that required $90 synthetic oil changes, got 17 mpg for most of her driving and ate through brake rotors and rear pads every 15,000 miles. I wanted something with virtually zero maintenance. Have there been times I regretted my purchase?

Sure, when my wife complains her car won't charge in time for her next trip, I wish the car had more range, which the 30 kWh battery easily solves. But my wife loves her car, despite my subtle nudges to push her back into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, such as the Chevy Volt.

I also kept my gasoline-powered 2014 Mazda5 Sport with a 6-speed manual transmission for longer trips, which my wife isn't too proficient at driving yet, for my driving. I'll admit the Leaf could never be a primary car for me, but I enjoy driving on windy roads and driving manual transmission, which the Leaf does not deliver.

However, if I ever had to commute to an office or spent a lot of time in traffic, the Leaf would be a fine commuting car. Just don't expect any driver assists or much technology outside of the powertrain.

If you must have an EV now, the 2016 Leaf offers fairly good range, but the competition heats up in 2017 with the upcoming Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3 and even the next-generation Leaf.

As a 90s kid, I watched Kia grow up and have worse commitment problems than a teenager, at least when it came to model names (anyone remember the Sephia, Spectra or Amanti?). The heart of Kia is the Sportage, which has been around since Haddaway asked us "What is Love?," and the perfect embodiment of how far it has come.

When the Sportage first launched, it was a traditional sport utility vehicle that shared a platform with a Mazda van and didn't stand out from Japanese competitors. Even the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine the Sportage used was a Mazda design. Kia was the last amigo standing, because Isuzu and Suzuki are shells of its former self.

The latest (fourth generation) Kia Sportage made its North American debut at the 2015 LA Auto Show, with a fresh face that reminds me of a Porsche Macan – certainly not a comparison I ever expected to make in my lifetime, and at half the price, no less.

I flew out to San Diego, Calif. to sample a pair of top-end Kia Sportage SX Turbo, in front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations. Pricing for the Sportage SX Turbo starts at $33,395 (£24,350 for the similar GT-Line and AU$47,992 for the Platinum trim) for the FWD model, while AWD is an extra $1,500.

On the outside, the Sportage sports a smiley face that's grown on me since its LA Auto Show debut. It's an aggressively happy-looking car, like the grin of an evil genius, but incorporates Kia's trademark tiger nose grille and ice cube LED driving lights.

Kia treats the AWD models to a unique front fascia that provides a greater approach angle of 28 degrees, compared to the 16.7 on FWD configurations, for the illusion of off-road capability. AWD models have an extra 0.4-inch of ground clearance, but the breakover and departure angles only differ by less than a degree.

Around back is the sexiest stance on the Sportage, with full LED tail lights and rear skid plate, finished with dual exhaust tips. I find the new design striking, but the best part is Kia's minimalist approach to chrome use.

There's a little chrome detail in the headlights and the strip at the center of the tail lights, but the rest of the car's brightwork is satin silver. Chrome on modern cars isn't my forte and I always thought it was a cheesy way to dress up a car.

Interior

Step inside and you'll find a driver-focused interior with high-quality materials. The entire top half of the dash consists of a single form-fitted soft-touch piece, which is unusual in this segment. Its competitors typically have a piece of hard plastic to transition to the windshield, but Kia extends the soft-touch material all the way.

Everything below the infotainment display is hard plastic, but the texture and feel disguises it nicely. The armrests are wrapped in vinyl with padding that makes it comfortable to rest one's elbows on.

Kia sticks to good ole-fashioned physical buttons that click, which I prefer because each click corresponds to a command. There's no second-guessing if you pressed the button correctly or not, like with capacitive touch buttons. The one thing I don't like is the use of gloss black trim in the most frequently touched locations – smudges galore, you know?

Kia did a great job with the interior of the Sportage. Before flying to San Diego for the Sportage drive, I was testing a RAV4 Hybrid Limited (review coming soon), and the Sportage interior is leagues ahead of Toyota and could almost pass as a Lexus.

Grab the steering wheel and you'll feel like Speed Racer thanks to a sporty flat-bottom wheel with thumb grips wrapped in leather. Look ahead and you'll find analog gauges for the tachometer, coolant temperature sensor, speedometer and fuel level.

A 4.2-inch LCD display is sandwiched between the gauges and provides turn-by-turn navigation, trip information, driver assistance information, music information and access to vehicle settings. As much as I love technology, I still prefer analog gauges for traditional functions, because it's simple and works without any visual lag like budget LCD cluster implementations.

Infotainment system

The infotainment system in the Kia Sportage is quite familiar and essentially the same system as the Hyundai Tucson, with a user interface that is identical to the Kia Optima,too. Kia uses the same 8-inch 800 x 480 resolution screen as the Tucson, but tilts it towards the driver.

There is one major difference, however. The Kia Sportage supports Android Auto from the get-go while the Tucson is still TBD. Onboard navigation is included with plain flat maps; in case you don't want to rely on your phone.

The one thing I love about Kia's navigation function is the ability to enter addresses and search for points of interest when the car is moving, so my passenger can use it. The car does display a liability warning each time you start the car, but you're free to do as you wish when the car moves.

I like the Kia infotainment interface a lot -- it's simple and easy to use with a mix of on screen and physical buttons. My primary annoyance is the lack of a physical home button that takes the system to its split-home screen. There's an onscreen button in the top left corner, but tapping items near the edge of a recessed touchscreen is pretty much the worst.

Music playback is available via USB, Bluetooth, HD Radio and SiriusXM. A single USB port is located in a cubby above the shifter, with plenty of space for large phablets like my Nexus 6. SiriusXM playback supports time-shifting on the first six presets so you can put Adele's Hello on repeat to your heart's content.

In case you only needed a USB port to charge your phone, Kia installs a USB charging port inside the center console. Rear passengers have a USB charging port of their own, too.

Android Auto & Apple CarPlay

Kia supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in the Sportage, but only Android Auto is ready at launch. Apple CarPlay support is promised in April via a software update, but we're still waiting for Kia to deliver on its promise with the Optima as well, so it might be a long wait.

Nevertheless, Android Auto works great in the Sportage. I tested it with my Nexus 6 and my driving partner's Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. The Nexus 6 worked perfectly upon first plug-in, but the S6 Edge Plus required some finagling within settings to get the Android Auto prompts to show up on the phone.

Android Auto in the Sportage is very good: it lets you use simultaneously use your phone and native infotainment features. You can listen to music via Android Auto while using the onboard navigation or listen to SiriusXM while using Google Maps. The interoperability is seamless.

Kia continues its relationship with Harman to bring the Harman Kardon branded premium sound system to the Sportage. The premium sound system is standard on all SX Turbo trim levels and comes with eight physical speakers in a six-channel configuration. The two tweeters are counted as separate speakers but run off the same channel as the front door speakers.

Harman touts up to 320-watts of power to the entire system from a trunk-mounted amplifier, which is respectable for a car. Harman's Clari-Fi technology is the cherry on top.

Clari-Fi technology claims to restore lost musical details in compressed music. While I rarely notice quality issues with my high bitrate MP3's or Google Play Music subscription, SiriusXM benefits greatly from Clari-Fi.

I'm not a fan of SiriusXM sound quality -- it always sounds extremely compressed. The only time it's not noticeable is with lower end sound systems. However, Clari-Fi makes SiriusXM more tolerable.

It cleans up the sound to add more depth and warmth to what formerly sounded like a 90's mixtape. So if you subscribe to SiriusXM or listen to radio, Harman Kardon Clari-Fi technology helps improve sound quality – significantly.

As for the Harman Kardon branded sound system in the Sportage, it's the best system available in a compact CUV. It It's an enjoyable system with clear highs that don't cause fatigue and punchy mid-bass, that beats out the plain-jane system in the Hyundai Tucson and Honda CR-V, and leagues better than the Bose systems in the Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain.

Driver Assists

Kia offers the exact same driver assists in the Sportage as the Hyundai Tucson, which includes blind spot monitor (BSM), lane departure warning (LDW), automatic emergency braking (AEB), backup camera and downhill brake control (DBC).

Everything works exactly the same, too. The BSM system has an indicator placed in the mirror that flashes once when a car enters your blind spot. If you have your turn signal on, the flashing speeds up to catch your attention and is joined by audible warnings. It uses radar sensors mounted in the rear bumper to detect cars.

LDW is a passive affair that flashes an indicator in the gauge cluster and sounds an audible warning every time you are near the lane marker or leave the lane. Fortunately, Kia provides three different sensitivity settings that are selectable in the vehicle settings. There's also a simple off button to the left of the steering wheel.

I didn't get a chance to test AEB, because it's not a feature I purposely try to trigger on public roads – you know, preservation of life and all. However, I managed to get the AEB system in the Hyundai Elantra to angrily flash a warning in the gauge cluster LCD display and provide full braking power with a tap of the brake pedal.

I assume the Sportage system works the same way and just as well. The LDW and AEB systems use a front mounted radar sensor and camera mounted above the rear view mirror, so part of the hardware required for adaptive cruise control (ACC) is already there. There's even a spot below the shifter that's the perfect size for Kia's electronic parking brake, for a full-speed ACC functions.

Kia does not offer ACC in the Sportage, while Mazda, Toyota, Honda and Subaru have it in competing CUVs. I wasn't able to get a straight answer from Kia representatives, except that ACC is technically possible, but is not offered.

DBC is a great feature for going down steep hills covered in ice and snow. It's easy to activate in the Kia Sportage -- just press the button below the shifter and let off the brake and gas. I was unable to find any ice or snow in San Diego (crazy, right?), but found a steep dirt hill to try it out.

With DBC engaged, the brakes automatically apply to keep the car moving at 5 mph. The car makes a lot of noises, but it's the typical sounds associated with anti-lock brakes (ABS) doing its thang.

Kia offers the Sportage with a standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder motor, but the Sportage SX Turbo is only available with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Those on the other side of the Atlantic have different engine choices too, like a four-cylinder diesel and a smaller 1.6-liter turbocharged motors.

In North America, the engine is one of the major underlying differences compared to its Hyundai cousin. Kia rates the Sportage SX Turbo motor at 240 horsepower (hp) with 260 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque for front-wheel drive (FWD).

All-wheel drive (AWD) models are rated at a slightly lower 237 hp, due to a different muffler to accommodate the rear driveline. The different muffler design reduces NVH (noise, vibration and harshness). However, a loss of 3hp won't be as noticeable for everyday driving as NVH would be.

A six-speed automatic is paired with all North American Sportage's. There is a difference in gear ratios for the SX Turbo to best take advantage of the 56 extra horses.

While the Sportage SX Turbo offers more power than its corporate cousin, the Hyundai Tucson, it doesn't feel faster at all. But, the 1.6-liter turbo and dual-clutch transmission in the Tucson is more efficient and shifts much faster than the old-school six-speed automatic in the Sportage, so there isn't a feeling of urgency in the Sportage.

Kia's Driver Mode Select (DMS) makes its way into all Sportage models, too. There's normal, sport and eco drive modes. The different drive modes alter the precision and feel of the steering wheel. I prefer the sport mode myself, as the car translates the steering wheel movements to the front wheels with greater precision.

It also feels heavier and requires your whole hand to turn, which is how I like my steering wheel to feel, instead of the feather-light feel that you can turn with your index finger.

Altogether, the powertrain, steering and suspension comes together to provide car-like driving dynamics. It may be a CUV in height, but it feels like a hatchback behind the wheel. The drive route included plenty of windy roads that you can either slow down to a relaxed pace or take it as a challenge to see how well it handles.

I took it as a challenge and pushed it through the twisty roads and came out impressed. The Sportage had minimal body roll and felt planted and confident. I never felt the wheels lose traction or had any "Oh, I'm totally about to drive off into the canyon!" moments.

There was no perceivable handling difference between the FWD and AWD models, but it was sunny and arid outside. I did test the AWD system by playing around in some sand. The system reacts seamlessly and gets the car going with no effort. If you need added peace-of-mind, there's a 4-Lock mode that engages all four wheels without waiting for the front wheels to slip.

Living with it

Since I only spent a full day of driving the Sportage, there isn't much to say about what it's like to live with it. There is one nicety I was able to test: the hands-free smart trunk, or smart power tailgate, as Kia likes to call it.

The feature is simple, if the car is locked when you walk up to the trunk with your key fob in your pocket, it automatically opens the trunk after three seconds. It gives you warning beeps before opening, just in case you didn't want the trunk to open.

It works and doesn't require Kung-Fu kicking action to trigger it. I've yet to encounter any erroneous openings, as the warning beeps are quite loud and you don't have to move too far away from the car to cancel it from opening.

I wasn't a big fan of the Sportage when it debuted at the LA Auto Show, but I've come around to finding it quite sharp-looking. The front end sports a sinister snicker, not a happy smirk, and the piano black details with black headlight housings looks fantastic. Kia did a remarkable job on the backside too, which is my favorite angle.

It's something I could see myself driving if I was in the market for a compact CUV. The Sportage also earns brownie points for satin silver bright work instead of the gaudy chrome trim.

We liked

Android Auto support should be standard in every new car. I love it, because Google owns my life and I never leave home without my Nexus 6. The nicety of having my calendar, Hangouts, Skype and Google Maps search history accessible through the car infotainment screen is very convenient and trumps every native feature of the infotainment system.

Harman Kardon Clari-Fi technology is aural magic for poor quality sources like SiriusXM. Satellite radio quality is absolutely terrible and SiriusXM should be ashamed for considering it acceptable, especially since you have to pay for a subscription after the initial 3-month trial period. Clari-Fi does its best to make SiriusXM tolerable, but considering that you're probably already subscribed to Spotify, the service remains a tough sell.

The hands-free smart trunk is a convenience I quite enjoy. If you're stubborn like me and try to carry your groceries out to the car, instead of pushing the shopping cart, it saves you the trouble of fumbling for keys or reaching to manually open the tailgate.

We disliked

Kia's lack of ACC in the Sportage is a disappointment. The car has the radar sensors and cameras necessary to support it, but lacks the programming for it. There's even a spot for an electronic parking brake release in the center console, which would give it full-speed capabilities. But, Kia just wants to tease, which is fine for upcoming new products, but not for a $35,000 car.

It's also a big bummer that Apple CarPlay isn't included at launch. Hyundai had Apple CarPlay working when it launched the Elantra last month, with the same infotainment platform, no less. Kia promises the update will come next month, but it has yet to deliver the promised update for the 2016 Kia Optima.

Final Verdict

If you're shopping for a stylish CUV with an excellent infotainment system, the Kia Sportage puts up a good fight and is one of my top choices in the crowded CUV segment. Its striking good looks and easy-to-use infotainment system is something I wouldn't mind living with every day.

Kia dialed in the suspension and steering response very well and it's enjoyable to drive on windy roads. It's not as engaging as the Mazda CX-5, but the Sportage feels like a higher quality car, with better interior materials and powertrain that never feels overworked. Compared to the Toyota RAV4, the Kia Sportage is a luxury car.

Ultimately, the Sportage conveys the trendy active lifestyle appearance, with comfort and technology to match. Ford, Honda, Mazda, Hyundai and Kia rank in my top five choices for CUVs. The Ford Escape has the sporty driving dynamics, turbocharged power and SYNC 3 infotainment while the Honda CR-V is always a safe choice. Mazda's CX-5 is bred for windy roads and has full-speed range adaptive cruise control, but can't compete under the hood.

I really liked the Hyundai Tucson for its solid build quality, interior feel, powertrain and subtle good looks, but the Kia Sportage wins me over for steering feel. It seems minor, but Kia did a better job tuning the electronic power steering sport mode for better response and feel for the road, not just making it feel heavier with no benefits like the Tucson.

So where does that put the Sportage? It's a tough call, because there's something to love about all the CUVs in my top five. Narrowing it down, the Sportage would be in my top two (alongside the Ford Escape). The refreshed 2017 Escape is right around the corner and gets Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while 2016 models will get it at the end of the year, too.

Both cars have their merits: I enjoy driving the Ford Escape with the 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecoboost motor more. The car feels lighter on its feet, but I dislike the dashboard layout with its bulbous and recessed touchscreen.

Seeing as how the interior is where you spend most of your time in a car, I'll have to give the nod to the Kia Sportage as the best CUV in the segment. It has the looks, technology, simple interior layout, comfort and conveniences that make it a great daily driver to live with. There's also a brown leather interior option, which I'm a complete sucker for.

Starting at $33,395 (£24,350 for the similar GT-Line and AU$47,992 for the Platinum trim), the Sportage SX Turbo isn't a cheap car, but you'll pay around the same price for competing models with the same options.

Audi's … I love them. There's something about plush, all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles with understated German styling, outstanding driving dynamics, perfectly-executed interiors and long-roof wagon options on most models that really does it for me.

I've only owned one Audi in my life: an '83 Coupe GT with the glorious-sounding, 5-cylinder engine and manual transmission. It was the theoretical predecessor to the TT, at least before the A5 was released in 2007. I owned it in 2009, and it was wonderful to drive, despite the age and obvious need for repairs.

That brings me to today's car: the 2016 TT Coupe 2.0t that Audi sent techradar for review. Audi equipped the car with the technology package, 19-inch wheel package, S Sport seat package and Bang & Olufsen sound system, which brings the price to $50,600 (approximately £45,000 when similarly equipped or AU$96,000 before options).

The latest TT shares the same general shape as the original 1998 model, a vehicle penned by designer Peter Schreyer, but it's a completely different vehicle inside and out. Now on its third generation, the latest TT sports sleeker styling that sheds the bulbousness of previous generations for sharper, angular lines.

Audi employs LED lights inside and out, including the bright-as-day Matrix LED headlights. The backside features sleek, LED tail lights and finishes with a hidden spoiler. The spoiler automatically pops up when you hit 75 mph for aerodynamics, but my test car didn't have the flux capacitor option for when you hit 88 mph.

I dig the look of the TT. The styling reminds me of a sinister Volkswagen Beetle – like its evil, but much more fun, twin.

Reach for the door handle with the keyfob in your pocket, and the doors automatically unlock. A capacitive touch button lets you lock the car. While capacitive touch buttons look nicer on a car, I prefer physical buttons, but maybe I'm just old school and like my buttons to click when pressed.

Interior

Step inside, and you'll find a modern, driver-focused interior that ignores the existence of the passenger seat. The center vents and controls are skewed towards the driver's seat. Every surface is soft touch or wrapped in leather, and every switch and button has a solid click or turn – no costs were spared.

Every vent in the TT resembles a jet engine turbine, finished with a display, button and dial. The vent displays have differing functions: the center displays are for climate control, while the outer ones control the seat heaters. A twist of the inner vent dials control the fans, climate temperature, cooling and heating modes as well as the three levels of seat heat.

The TT offers an S Sport seat package with diamond-stitched Nappa leather, which looks fantastic. Sitting in it is a pleasure as well, with aggressive bolsters that keep me in place during aggressive driving. The lumbar support helps relieve my lower back pains, too. I spent many hours driving the TT around and found the seats extremely comfortable.

Frankly, I wish I could turn the seat into a desk chair.

Grab the steering wheel, and you're presented with a flat-bottom sport wheel with thumb grips that are comfortable to grab for aggressive driving. The wheel features a ton of buttons to control the Audi "virtual cockpit," which also serves as the infotainment system.

Infotainment system

The Audi MMI Navigation Plus infotainment system in the TT is simply amazing. There's just one 12.3-inch LCD in the entire car that serves double duty as the gauge cluster and infotainment display. A single LCD lets Audi create a lower-flowing dashboard, making it easier to see out of the car – not to mention it prevents the passenger from changing the music.

My wife didn't appreciate my choice of blasting Adele's "Hello", but there wasn't a thing she could do about it. All she could do was sit back and enjoy my poor sing-a-long and plot her revenge for when we got home.

Audi dubs the single-LCD approach its "virtual cockpit," and it's the best replacement for analog gauges that I've used. It even beats out the excellent LCD display that Lexus employs in the IS350 F-Sport, which was my previous favorite for form and function.

The LCD features two animated gauges that resemble an analog tachometer and speedometer. You can have the gauges occupy the outer parts of the screen with infotainment functions sandwiched between, or have the gauges occupy a lower part of the screen and let the infotainment functions take over most of it.

I prefer the techier approach, and dedicate most of the LCD display for infotainment functions, because the navigation maps are gorgeous. Audi uses Google Earth's map overlays on top of the regular maps for gorgeous topography, a compelling reason to use the infotainment system over just relying on your phone.

The downside is that the Google Earth map overlay requires a data connection, which needs a subscription after the initial 3-month trial. Audi relies on AT&T's LTE network for connectivity in the US, which was reliable during my week of testing. If you're already an AT&T customer, you can add the Audi to your family share plan for $10 a month.

The Audi MMI Navigation Plus system isn't just a beautiful facade. It's easy to use once you get the hang of it. There are two methods of control: steering wheel buttons and a control knob with finger writing recognition.

Audi's control knob provides direct access to the navigation, phone, radio and media functions, with toggle switches placed below the shifter, while the round surface recognizes drawn gestures for text input. Otherwise, the other functions, like menu, back and the dial, are also available on the steering wheel.

During my time with the TT, it took 20 minutes of sitting down and playing with the infotainment system to get the gist of it. After I figured out how the menus were laid out, it was a breeze to live with. I wouldn't recommend the infotainment system for your grandmother, but, if you're a tech geek, it's phenomenal for daily use.

Audio-wise, the system has a single USB port, SiriusXM and HD Radio support. Audi ditched the CD player, which wasn't missed at all. I spent most of my music listening time with my iPhone 6S connected, with an Apple Music subscription.

The infotainment system displays cover art, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but it's way more visually pleasing than plain text. Audi still needs to work on the radio functions, however. It requires too many button presses to get your presets going, because you have to navigate sub-menus just to set one station.

It makes me miss the regular radios, which you could hold down the preset number for a few seconds to assign a preset. Positively, Audi lets you mix SiriusXM and HD Radio presets, so you don't have to manually change the radio source.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are not supported, the missing ingredient that would've made the TT infotainment system perfect. Audi supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in the 2016 A4 and Q7, but those cars have separate infotainment displays, in addition to the virtual cockpit.

After a week with the TT, the infotainment system continues to amaze me. Every time I hop in the car, I can't help but be amazed at how sharp everything looks. The animations and transitions are buttery-smooth, exactly what I expect from a luxury marque.

One feature I can't seem to grasp is Audi Connect, which provides weather, gas prices, travel information and news via the LCD gauge cluster. Maybe I'm just old school, but the ambient temperature read out and my eyes are enough confirmation for weather. Plus, I always pull into the most convenient gas station on my drives and have no troubles seeing the prices on their large signs.

I'm not even sure why you'd need to see your travel information or want to read the news on the infotainment display. The in-car display is the last place I'd want to read news, since it's a lot slower than simply whipping out my phone and reading Google News.

The Audi TT test car came with the Bang & Olufsen (B&O) premium sound system option box checked. My previous experience with a factory B&O system in a $116,000 Audi A8L left me aurally unsatisfied, so I wasn't expecting much from the TT's $950 upgrade, but I've been proven wrong.

Bang & Olufsen loads up the TT with 12 speakers in a 3-way front stage (individual tweeters, mids and woofers), a 2-way center channel (tweeter and mid) and 2-way rear speakers. There isn't a dedicated subwoofer, but I don't miss it.

All the speakers are driven by a 14-channel digital amplifier capable of 680 watts. Now, you're probably wondering why there are more amp channels than speakers. That's because the in-door woofers responsible for playing all the low notes have two voice coils to receive twice the power for solid, thump-tastic bass.

I just discovered Lindsey Stirling when I had the TT, and spent most of the time in the car switching between her rendition of the Pokemon theme song and Phantom of the Opera. I enjoy the sound signature of the B&O system with her mix of violin-based EDM. The highs are detailed and crystal clear, the mids are warm and the low notes are tight, but hit hard.

I switched things up with some David Guetta, Calvin Harris and John Legend, too, and was impressed with every type of music played in the car. I rarely say this, but I would be perfectly happy with the B&O system in the TT, without adding any modifications or upgrades at all.

The B&O system also features active noise cancellation (ANC), which kept the interior of the TT whisper quiet. ANC is a feature I sometimes forget to appreciate, until I drive a mainstream car that is too loud to even hold a conversation. I have no trouble conversing with my wife and kids in the TT at a normal volume.

Driver assists

Audi doesn't offer many driver assists on the TT. The review car only had a blind spot monitor (BSM) and back up camera installed. The TT's BSM features a bright cluster of LED's mounted on the side mirrors that flash bright orange if there's a car in your blind spot. The LEDs are not mounted behind the mirror, but on the inner mirror housing.

I don't have a preference for the placement of the BSM indicator, as long as it's bright enough to catch my attention. The TT's BSM has no problems with that part and is hard to miss, unless you don't bother using your mirrors.

The backup camera in the TT takes some time to get used to. I'm accustomed to backup cameras displaying on the infotainment system display mounted high and center on the dashboard, but the TT sends the video feed to the LCD gauge cluster. It is weird to glance down at the gauge cluster to backup the car at first, but I adjusted quickly.

Adaptive cruise control (ACC), automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist are not available, unfortunately. I would've loved adaptive cruise control because the TT would be an ideal car to take on a road trip with your significant other. I love driving but there are many stretches on a long road trip that's fairly boring and easier to manage with ACC, especially city traffic.

Powering the Audi TT is a turbocharged 2.0-liter, four cylinder engine that produces a smooth 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. Peak torque is available at a low 1,600 revolutions per minute (RPM), so the car never feels slow and accelerates strongly – just not like a bull, that's what Lamborghini is for.

Audi pairs the turbocharged motor with a six-speed, S Tronic dual-clutch transmission (DCT) with paddle shifters for fast shifts. The TT is a DCT-only affair, so if you want to row-your-own gears with three pedals, this is not the Audi you're looking for.

In my younger days, I would chastise Audi for not installing a proper gearbox in the TT, but I've spent too much time in stop-and-go traffic to be bothered by the lack of a third pedal. Plus, the DCT shifts faster than I ever could, and the paddle shifters respond quickly.

Power is sent to all four wheels via Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive (AWD) system. The TT features a front-wheel-drive-based (FWD) AWD system from Haldex that is primarily FWD until you lose traction. When front wheel traction is lost, it can automatically divert up to 100% of power to the rear wheels seamlessly.

All North American TT's are only available in AWD, but our friends in Europe have the option of FWD with a six-speed manual, if they desire. Personally, I don't know why you'd buy an Audi without AWD – just pick up a Volkswagen – but to each their own.

Audi's Drive Select is standard on the TT, which lets you choose between normal, comfort, efficiency, dynamic or a customized individual mode. I always set the Drive Select to dynamic as soon as I start the car during most of my driving. The different Drive Select modes alter steering and throttle response in the TT. I prefer the quicker and precise response of dynamic mode for my aggressive driving style.

The TT test car came with winter tires from Audi, because winters in the Pacific Northwest are dreadfully wet and there's the occasional snowfall. I found the TT quite enjoyable to drive. The fairly light, 3,100-pound curb weight, short wheelbase, precise throttle and steering and outstanding traction from the Quattro AWD system makes it a lot of fun and competent in the rain and snow.

Even with the winter tires and sportier suspension, the TT is quite comfortable, too. The suspension lets you feel the imperfections in the road, but dampens them enough so they don't hurt.

There isn't much snow where I live, so I packed the wife and kids to head up to Mt. Rainier to find some. The roads leading up to the mountain base were windy and wet, but the TT didn't break a sweat or traction at any point, because Quattro is a wonderful feature to have.

Unfortunately, the mountain roads were mostly plowed, and the only snow I could drive on was an iced-over parking lot. However, with Quattro and winter tires, I didn't have to pull over and put chains on the car, which is required by 2-wheel drive cars as soon as you enter the park.

Living with it

The Audi TT has a back seat, but it isn't really designed to be a family car – or have anyone in the back seat, for that matter. But that didn't stop me from trying. Since I'm only 5 foot, 7 inches tall and my wife is shorter, there's a little bit of legroom behind the front seats.

There isn't enough for a grown adult, but I still managed to install a pair of child seats in the back of the TT. The back seats have lower and upper LATCH anchors for car seats. I usually stop by the Diono offices for car seat fitment, but I reserve that for fitting three car seats in the back seat.

My first attempt installing a car seat was with a Diono Radian RXT. The car seat physically fit, but the belt buckle and LATCH mounting locations made it impossible to secure, unfortunately. I had to break out my Chicco NextFit car seats, which are significantly larger than my Radian RXT.

Let's just say it was annoying trying to shove the Chicco NextFit into the little space available with the front seats pushed forward. However, I was successful and managed to secure both Chicco NextFit's in the TT using the lower LATCH anchors.

It's a tight fit, but my 4- and 2-year-old girls fit and didn't complain about comfort. They kept asking me to go faster, but that's a whole different conversation altogether.

The Audi TT isn't a practical car by any sense, but the same could be of any sporty car with two doors. It has a niche appeal, so I won't hold it by the same standards as I would a mainstream mid-size car, like the Kia Optima, Toyota Camry or Hyundai Elantra. No one shopping for a family car will cross shop for an Audi TT, and vice versa.

We liked

Audi's virtual cockpit is phenomenal and by far the best use of an LCD gauge cluster I've come across. Some companies use LCD displays to visually replicate analog gauge clusters, which I dislike, because what's the point of going digital if you're just going to make it look analog. It's overcomplicating a simple part of the car for absolutely no reason.

The virtual cockpit tosses out what we know about analog gauge clusters and reinvents it with a modern take that looks fantastic and is easy to adapt to. The system takes some time to get used to, but when you do, it becomes second nature.

Part of the awesomeness of the virtual cockpit is the Google Earth map overlays that show realistic details instead of plain colored maps. I can look at the overlays all day long and still be amazed by how pretty it looks. The overlays are still shown, even with turn-by-turn navigation zoomed in all the way, too.

The Bang & Olufsen premium sound system was just the icing on the cake that completes the TT experience, so it looks and sounds brilliant. I always find something to dislike about premium sound systems, whether it's not enough bass or sounds too bright. The B&O system in the Audi TT strikes a good balance of vocal details, punchy mids and tight lows without causing fatigue after many hours of listening. It's one of the few systems I'd be perfectly happy with, as is.

Most of what I like about the TT revealed itself before I even shifted into drive and mashed the gas pedal. Driving the TT was quite satisfying. It feels balanced and capable with responsive steering, excellent road feel and a comfortable suspension. But all of this is expected, considering Audi's racing heritage and performance pedigree.

We disliked

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay would've made the TT's infotainment system perfect. But I don't fault Audi for this too harshly, as the third generation TT came out last year. Audi is only starting to include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on two 2016 model year vehicles. There's also the issue of having a single LCD for the gauge cluster and infotainment system, meaning neither were feasible while the TT was in the final stages of development.

I haven't seen Android Auto or Apple CarPlay in an LCD gauge cluster of a production car yet, but QNX demonstrated the capability in reference demo vehicles at CES 2016. We may have to wait until a mid-cycle refresh to see it in the TT, though.

It always puzzles me when automakers try to integrate apps into the infotainment system, because they're never as fast or usable as they are on a smartphone. Audi Connect is no different. It's slow, and that's enough for me to avoid it, especially when it's quicker to take out my phone and swipe my Google Now cards.

My last gripe for the Audi TT is the lack of ACC. Sure, the sporting nature of the TT demands you to drive it, but not all drive routes are shaped like Laguna Seca. Most of the time, you're stuck in traffic, which gets tedious and annoying. The TT already has an electronic parking brake, Audi should offer full-speed range ACC for those times when it's actually unpleasant to drive.

Final verdict

If you're in the market for a small and sporty car that can satisfy techno-lust, the Audi TT impresses with its LCD gauge cluster infotainment system, and the car is a hoot to drive. There's a backseat, which makes it a family car, too, or so I keep trying to convince my wife.

The Quattro AWD system makes the TT a fine car for those that enjoy snow sports or live in the snow belt of the US. It's ready for all weather environments, meaning it's an ideal daily driver, not a garage queen that you only take out in nice weather.

Ultimately, I'm absolutely smitten with the Audi virtual cockpit, and the TT it's attached to is OK, too. Audi shows it knows how to design a modern infotainment system and interior without sacrificing the main purpose of a sports car, but adding a few more driver assists wouldn't hurt.

Acura always held an odd spot in the auto world – the Honda luxury sub brand was a step up from its mainstream cars, but not quite on the same level of refinement and performance as rivals Lexus or Infiniti. Aside from the legendary NSX sports car, every Acura in history starts out as a front-wheel drive (FWD) car based off a Honda platform.

Sure, some models offer all-wheel drive, but they're mostly FWD cars. That brings me to today's vehicle, the 2016 ILX that Acura sent techradar for review.

Acura released the ILX as a 2013 model year vehicle and, for the first time since the discontinuation of the Integra sedan in 2001, the brand finally had a compact vehicle in the US, again. Initial reactions to the Civic-based compact were disappointing. I spent some time in the 2013 ILX and was not impressed. The interior used low quality materials and it didn't offer much over a fully-loaded Honda Civic – all at a higher price.

However, Acura went back to the drawing board and substantially updated the 2016 ILX with more premium interior materials, driver assist features and LED lights. The ILX Acura sent to techradar for review is the top-of-the-line Technology Plus and A-SPEC package configuration that carries an MSRP of $35,830 (the car isn't available outside of North America).

The exterior updates for the 2016 refresh, while minor in the grand scheme of things, alter the looks for the better. The former projector beam headlights were replaced with Acura's Jewel Eye LEDs, which use three bright LEDs for the low-beam and two for the high beams. The tail lights are LEDs, too.

I'm impressed by the sculpted exterior, with its subtle creases and curves. The wheels are stylish, with black accents and a silver face – the look reminds me of fan blades. All combined, the exterior updates give the car a sophisticated look, but that's where the likable bits of the car end.

Interior

Step inside, and you're treated to a comfortable pair of sport seats with excellent side bolster support. The seats hug my 5-foot-7-inch and 195-pound frame, while the adjustable lumbar provides comfort for my lower back.

Acura splits up the dashboard with a thick strip of silver trim that brightens up the all-black interior. The surfaces above the silver trim are soft-touch and feel softer than the typical economy car. That's where the premium quality ends. Everything below the silver trim is hard plastic befitting of an economy car, unfortunately.

It's not surprising to see better quality materials on frequently-touched surfaces, given the premium pedigree of the Acura brand. However, the car still feels more like a dressed-up Honda than a genuine luxury vehicle, given the cost savings on the interior.

Grab the leather steering wheel, and you'll notice it's not heated, which seems ridiculous when the mainstream Kia Optima includes it as standard equipment on the mid-level EX trim for $10,000 less.

Look forward, and you see the analog gauge cluster with an LCD sandwiched between. The LCD provides trip information, access to vehicle settings, turn-by-turn navigation, music information and a visual representation of the available driver assists.

Overall, the Acura ILX interior is nicely laid out, using buttons and knobs for frequently accessed features, like the climate control and some infotainment functions. Sadly, the latter is exactly where things take a turn for the worse.

Infotainment system

The Acura ILX infotainment system is at the top of my list for one of the worse systems installed in a modern car. It's a dual display system with an 8-inch LCD mounted high and center as the primary display, and a 7-inch On-Demand Multi-use Display (ODMD) is located below for control functions.

The ODMD features capacitive multi-touch technology with haptic feedback, but it's still terrible. It has a frustratingly over-complicated user interface that involves a touchscreen with dynamic functionality, depending on what you're doing, and a physical control knob that controls the top screen.

Unlike the Honda Accord, which has a dual screen system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, the refreshed Acura ILX did not get the superior infotainment system upgrade.

The system features HD Radio, SiriusXM, a single USB port, Aha radio and Pandora connectivity, Siri Eyes-Free and navigation with real-time traffic information, which is typical of all new cars. I'm not sure how the user interface made it past usability testing, or who approved it for production, but it's not an easy system to get accustomed to.

By the end of my time with the Acura ILX, I simply gave up on trying to use the system for anything other than music. My problem with the ILX infotainment system isn't limited to any particular function, it's just painfully annoying to use.

The top display can show navigation, music information and phone information, while the lower ODMD changes its function by music source, and occasionally displays an onscreen keyboard for navigation input. If I'm listening to SiriusXM, the ODMD shows six music presets and the ability to tune to any station. But, if I want to view the stations by category or scroll quickly through the stations, I have to press the physical audio button located below the ODMD and use the control knob and the top display.

Things get more complicated when you're trying to input navigation instructions, too. You have to press the NAV button below the ODMD to bring up the navigation functions on the top display, then navigate the menus using the control knob while the touch screen continues to show music controls.

If you want to search for an address or point of interest, you're presented with two methods of input: the control knob or an on-screen keyboard. Neither methods are available if the vehicle is moving, of course.

During my time with the ILX, I never had an enlightening moment wherein I thought the infotainment system made sense. Rather, I imagined it was a cruel joke played by sadistic Acura engineers. The entire infotainment system needs to be disposed of because of how clunky it is to use, unless you enjoy self-torture through technology.

I don't particularly enjoy torturing myself on a daily basis, especially not for 36 grand.

The sad thing is, the earlier ILX with a single screen and control knob was much easier to use, and this refreshed 2016 model takes the infotainment system a step backward. It's as if the Acura engineers took advice from Xzibit to make the ILX more appealing to which he said, "Yo, I heard dudes like screens, so…".

Acura teams up with Panasonic for the ILX ELS Studio Premium audio system. The premium sound system is tuned with the golden ears of Elliot Scheiner, who has won a few Grammy's. The ELS Studio Premium audio system promises to recreate music the way you'd hear it in a recording studio.

The ILX implementation features 10 speakers with six discrete channels. Each door has a mid-range speaker, the front doors have tweeters, a mid-range center-channel is in the dash while two surround speakers and an 8-inch subwoofer is in the rear deck.

DTS Neural Surround rounds out the ELS sound system to create surround sound from all audio sources. Overall, the ELS Studio Premium audio system has a neutral tonality to it. The highs are crisp and the mid-range is smooth. There's very little thump in the bass department, but that's expected from studio sound.

I'm not fond of the ELS sound signature, since I prefer a heartier kick in the bass department. The relaxed sound from the ELS system complements classical music, but I enjoy EDM, hip-hop and the occasional Meghan Trainor who's all about that … you know.

Driver assists

Acura makes the ILX available with the full AcuraWatch Plus driver assist suite, which includes adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keep assist (LKAS) and automatic emergency braking (AEB). The ACC system in the ILX only works at speeds of 19 mph and above, and not the full speed range – like the new Honda Civic – or 5 mph and above, like the Hyundai Elantra.

The limitation of the ACC in a supposedly premium vehicle doesn't sit well with me, especially when it's mainstream cousin has a better system. Acura is charging more money for the ILX than Honda is for the Civic, and to have inferior technology in a segment that promotes bleeding-edge technology makes it a hard sell.

Limitations aside, the ACC is downright scary to use on highways with traffic lights. I had a lot of close calls where the system continued to maintain speed or aggressively accelerate to get to the set speed, when traffic was at a stop ahead, only to essentially hard brake to slow the car down at the last minute. This happens in all of the distance settings.

I can't say that it's a fluke with the ILX, because I've had the same experience in other Acura's, like the RLX and MDX. The ACC in the ILX is definitely better suited for highway cruising than driving in traffic, unfortunately.

LKAS in the Acura ILX can help steer the car on straight and slightly curved roads to keep it within the lane markers. The system only works at speeds above 40 mph and needs to be turned on every time you start the car. The Mercedes-Benz Distronic Plus system, on the other hand, automatically turns on every time.

My experience with the LKAS is much more promising than ACC. The car doesn't have trouble staying within the lanes on the highway, but it gets angry if it detects there's no driver steering input. After three audible and visual warnings, LKAS automatically disables until you shut the car off and start it back up again.

I imagine the warnings are a precaution to keep Acura out of legal trouble, in case someone tries to rely solely on the technology and get into an accident.

After experiencing the ILX ACC and LKAS system, I understand why George Hotz's hacked, self-driving ILX is meant mostly for highway cruising only. The system doesn't work at speeds below 40 mph, so no amount of hacking can make it self-driving where it's needed the most: stop and go traffic.

Acura names it's AEB system the collision mitigation braking system (CMBS), but it's the same thing. The ILX flashes a large "BRAKE" warning in the gauge cluster LCD with accompanying beeps if it thinks you should be braking. I managed to trigger the warning a few times, and found it more distracting than useful, since I have to glance down at the gauge cluster.

I prefer implementations that incorporate a bright flashing LED on top of the dash that projects bright warning flashes on the windshield to get my attention. Now, if the system detects that you don't react, it can automatically apply the brakes to slow down or even stop the car. I never let AEB fully take over control, as it would be reckless of me on public streets, so I have to assume it works as advertised.

The Acura ILX tester had a blind spot monitor that works at speeds above 20 mph. It's a standard system with a warning indicator in the side mirrors that shows a single flash when there's another car entering the blind spot, and constant flashes with an audible warning if you put on the turn signal.

It's a non-intrusive system that works well without any annoyances, unlike ACC and LKAS.

Powering the Acura ILX is one of the smoothest powertrains Honda produces – a direct-injected, 2.4-liter Earth Dreams four cylinder with a redline of 7,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) matched to an 8-speed, dual-clutch (DCT) transmission. The K24W7 motor produces 206 horsepower (hp) a smidge before redline, at 6,800 rpm, with 182 pound-feet of torque while the DCT shifts smoothly and rapidly.

The US Environmental Protection Agency rates the ILX at 25 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, which makes it competitive on the highway but lacking in the city. However, the city fuel economy is a trade-off I'm willing to make for the outstanding powertrain.

The powertrain and driving dynamics of the ILX are the best bits of the car. As annoying as the infotainment system and driver assists can be, all is (nearly) forgotten when I drive the car. The steering is precise, with the right amount of weight without sacrificing road feel, while the drive-by-wire system responds quickly to each movement of the gas pedal.

I commend Acura for the suspension tuning. The car responds quickly and confidently on windy roads with a solid chassis. I didn't find the ride quality harsh either; it was comfortable, and I didn't encounter any aches or pains after hours of driving.

Living with the car

The Acura ILX isn't much of a family car. It's a compact car that can adapt to family life, but it's not the most ideal. I have two kids that need convertible car seats, which I managed to install via LATCH anchors and the seat belts without encountering any problems.

However, with the seat adjusted for my height, my kids can easily kick the back of the front seats. I can't imagine a taller person leaving much room available for the back seat either. A rear-facing car seat would be an even tighter fit.

One other annoyance I had with the ILX is the placement of the 12V accessory power jack. Acura places it in the center armrest, instead of the lower cubby where the USB port is. I always install my Beltronics GT-7 radar detector in every car I review, so the placement of the 12V power port is a stretch, getting in the way of the cup holders. It definitely makes it harder to grab my white chocolate mocha (no whipped cream) for a few sips while driving.

Acura leaves me conflicted about the ILX. If the car came out around 2010, I'd be all over it. But the mainstream brands stepped up with more technology, better interior materials, more enjoyable driving dynamics and styling to match. The lines between mainstream, premium and luxury cars have blurred, and it's hard to distinguish the different classifications nowadays. The ILX has a tough, uphill battle on both sides of the fence.

We liked

I find the ILX's looks to be quite striking. It has an aggressive front end, with subtle curves that look classier and more sophisticated than the mundane Honda Civic. Acura may have simply dressed up the previous generation in a suit and tie, but it genuinely appeals to me.

A major part of the sharp looks come from the restyled, Jewel Eye LED headlights, an Acura styling trademark. The lights aren't just for show: they're extremely bright and light up the entire road at night as bright as day.

Acura's LKAS technology gives it a leg up among mainstream compact cars and keeps it competitive with the Mercedes-Benz CLA. The technology is reliable when engaged and actively steers the car at highway speeds.

I've yet to drive a Honda or Acura that I didn't enjoy. The Acura ILX is no exception and very enjoyable to drive. Steering is precise, despite employing an electronic power steering system, the drive-by-wire system is responsive, and the chassis responds well to curvy roads. The high-revving, 2.4-liter motor and 8-speed DCT brings everything together harmoniously.

The car doesn't feel fast but it manages to make the run through a quarter mile at 14.7 seconds, which isn't slow either. The ILX performance puts it squarely between compact cars and hot hatches, and that's not a bad place to be for a daily driver.

We disliked

As enjoyable as the car is to drive, the infotainment system is simply awful. The situation is made worse when a similarly priced Honda Accord offers a better system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Acura needs to abandon its proprietary dual screen system that is clunky and inconsistent to use.

You can get used to it after some time, but hopping into anything from Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen and even Honda shows how far ahead the competition is for intuitive and simple user interfaces.

The ACC system in the ILX isn't a system I trust for driving in traffic. When there's free flowing traffic on the interstate, it's fine, but I had too many close calls attempting to trust it on highways within the city. The aggressive acceleration and panic-inducing late-braking aren't things I want to put faith in with my family in the car, which defeats the purpose of ACC.

Final verdict

Again, if the ILX came out 2010, it would have been an amazing, class-leading premium compact car. It is a car I would've considered purchasing when I was car shopping in that era. Back then, mainstream compact cars were bare, without driver assists and cheap interior materials. Plus, the unintuitive infotainment system would've fit right in with other 2010 luxury car makers.

However, the current crop of mainstream compact cars boast driver assist options, finer interior materials and intuitive infotainment systems, which makes the more expensive Acura ILX a tough sell. Acura has neither the brand cache of Audi, BMW, Lexus or Mercedes-Benz nor much to offer more over the mainstream Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Volkswagen and other brands either.

The Acura ILX is a stylish car that's enjoyable to drive, but the infotainment system makes it hard to live with. And sadly, this luxury vehicle doesn't offer enough over a mainstream compact car to command the $6,000 premium either.

Compact cars were once the vehicles you were forced to buy because you were tight on cash, so they were fairly stripped down, at least in the United States. The last decade has been good to the compact car market, though.

The mid-aughts saw more compact cars available with higher-end options, like leather interiors, heated seats and navigation systems. And now, new compact models from the last two years gained driver assist technologies, too.

Hyundai announced the new 2017 Elantra at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, to replace the previous model that's been around since the 2011 model year. The last-generation Elantra was when Hyundai got the styling right, with its fluidic sculpture design language.

Before the 2011 Elantra, Hyundai's second oldest model name was never something I would consider "good looking". Now on its sixth generation, the Elantra sports sharp new looks in a variety of vibrant colors.

I flew out to Imperial Beach, Calif. to drive the new Elantra along the area's windy roads to get a feel for the car. Hyundai only had Elantra Limiteds with the tech and ultimate packages available, for a total MSRP of $27,585 (not available in the UK or AU yet), for the main drive route. A prototype Elantra Eco was available to drive on a shorter route afterwards.

Styling-wise, the 2017 Elantra loses the aggressive creases and swoops from the last generation for a smoother and refined look, but I dig it. The best view of the new Elantra is definitely from behind, with stylish LED tail-lights and trunk-lid that mimics a ducktail spoiler.

Speaking of the backside, the Elantra Limited has a hands-free smart trunk, like the Kia Optima. The Elantra's implementation of the hands-free trunk is just as flawed, unfortunately. It can automatically release the trunk, but isn't powered or able to launch itself open automatically, so you still have to reach and lift the trunk open.

The front end sports Hyundai's trademark hexagonal grille with LED lights and high-intensity discharge (HID) projector beam headlights. The door handles are chrome – which I despise, because it's a fingerprint magnet – but the rest of the car is light on the chrome. I'd prefer the car to have painted door handles and black-out trim, but that may have to wait for the upcoming Elantra Sport that's coming later this year.

Interior

Reach for the door handle, and manually press the lock and unlock button to get into the car. The Elantra Limited features push-button start and passive keyless entry, but there isn't a sensor in the door handle that automatically unlocks the car when you reach for it.

Step inside, and you'll find an interior layout that resembles the larger Sonata midsize sedan, which isn't a bad thing. The layout is straightforward, with an LCD mounted high and center.

Hyundai sticks to buttons and knobs for the infotainment system and climate control, which I greatly appreciate. The Elantra makes liberal use of silver trim to break apart the black interior, instead of just glossy black, fortunately.

The top half of the dash is covered in soft-touch materials, but everything below the silver dividing trim is covered in cheap, hard plastic. While I'd prefer more soft touch materials all around, this is typical of the compact segment. The door and center armrests are covered in soft material, but there's very little padding underneath, but my elbows weren't in pain after a long day of driving, either.

Hyundai did a great job making the Elantra seats comfortable, at least on the Limited trim. There's plenty of side bolster support on the upper and lower cushions to keep you in place during aggressive driving. The lumbar support is adjustable, too.

The seat foam is made of soybeans, which is better for the environment than petroleum-based foams that were previously used. I asked Hyundai if the soy foam was edible, but a representative advised against it and gave me funny looks when I attempted to lick the exposed demo on display.

Hyundai sticks with analog gauges for the tachometer, coolant temperature, speedometer and gas. The tech package adds a 4.2-inch LCD in between the speedometer and tachometer. The LCD serves as a fancey trip computer that also shows turn-by-turn navigation directions, driver assists and lets you adjust vehicle settings. The arrangement works well, and I have zero complaints.

Infotainment system

A 7-inch LCD is standard on Limited trim levels, but the car I tested had the tech package that bumps the screen size to 8-inches and adds native navigation features. The infotainment system is virtually the same one as the Hyundai Tucson, which also bears resemblance to the Kia Optima.

Features are the same too, with HD Radio, SiriusXM, Travel Link and USB connectivity. SiriusXM supports time-shifting for stations set to the first six presets. There were no surprises with the Elantra Limited's infotainment system – it's easy to use with an intuitive interface.

There's a home screen that shows a miniature navigation map with the speed limit, music information and a couple shortcuts, which is all the information I need most of the time. The navigation maps are plain, flat maps that are typical for mainstream cars.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay

Despite having the same Hyundai Display Audio infotainment system as the Tucson, the Elantra has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay working. I briefly tested Android Auto with my Google Nexus 6 by plugging it in with a micro USB cable. The phone detected Android Auto compatibility, launched the companion app on the phone and asked me to accept the connection.

The beauty of Android Auto is it automatically pairs the phone to the car via Bluetooth for hands-free calling. After it connected, the Google Now interface shows up on the car's 8-inch screen. Hyundai's native infotainment interface is still available to use for navigation and music, so you can use whichever one you like better. I rely a lot on Google services, so i stick to the Android Auto interface most of the time, because Google is a life-time commitment whereas the Elantra is a brief affair.

I spent most of my drive using Apple CarPlay, simply because I'm using a trial Apple Music subscription, so I had all my music on my iPhone 6S. CarPlay works similar to Android Auto and automatically asks to connect to the car when you plug-in the phone to the USB port. It also automatically pairs the phone via Bluetooth for hands-free communications, but music audio is sent over Lightning.

Everything works as it should, with the phone projecting a familiar iOS interface on the 8-inch screen. The Hyundai button takes you out of the CarPlay interface back to the Hyundai home screen. If you're using CarPlay for music, the music information passes onto the Hyundai's home screen, too.

When you're using CarPlay, the voice recognition button on the steering wheel automatically triggers Siri with a single press. Hyundai's method doesn't require holding the button down, like with some Siri Eyes-Free implementations.

Ultimately, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay work great in the Hyundai Elantra, so you shouldn't have any problems regardless of whether you're using Android or iOS.

Opting for the $2,500 tech package also gets you an Infinity-branded, eight-speaker premium sound system. The eight speakers are arranged in a six channel configuration, with separate 1-inch tweeters and 6.5-inch mid-woofers in the front doors, 6.5-inch full range speakers in the rear door, a 3.14-inch midrange center speaker and an 8-inch subwoofer in the rear deck.

A seven-channel amplifier delivering 45 Watts (W) per channel powers the entire system. The front doors, rear doors and center speakers each use a channel while the dual voice coil subwoofer receives twice the power. Harman Clari-Fi sound processing technology rounds out the Infinity premium sound system to reconstruct lost audio data from low quality sources in real-time for more CD-like sound.

The result is a sound system that produces balanced sound with clear high-range and neutral midrange. Clari-Fi technology makes low bitrate SiriusXM a lot more tolerable, too. It still doesn't match a high-bitrate MP3 or CD, but it adds more depth for slightly richer sound.

As with most premium sound systems, the subwoofer is the weakest link in the Elantra's Infinity sound system. The 95W subwoofer just doesn't produce enough bass for my tastes. However, since the high and mid-range sounds good, adding a separate subwoofer, like an Infinity BassLink, shouldn't be too hard.

Blue Link

Hyundai Blue Link is standard on the Elantra Limited. The telematics system lets you remote start, lock, unlock, track the car location and make use of other features using a smartphone and wearable app, or through a web portal.

I didn't get a chance to play with Blue Link in the Elantra, but covered it extensively in the Hyundai Tucson review.

The Verizon-based telematics system can be useful in cold climates where you need remote start, but I don't use any of the features. The ability to control the car from a smartphone or smartwatch is entertaining at first, and can impress friends and family, but the novelty wears off quickly and doesn't justify the subscription cost, at least for me.

Driver assists

Check off the Ultimate package to get everything and the kitchen sink on the new Elantra. The Ultimate package adds a full suite of driver assists, which includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning (LDW) and lane keep assist (LKAS). The blind spot monitor is standard on the Limited trim level.

Hyundai's AEB system relies on a camera and radar sensor, and it can apply full braking power at speeds from 5 to 50 miles per hour (mph). Meanwhile, the pedestrian detection function automatically applies the brakes at speeds of 5 to 43 mph.

I didn't mean to trigger the AEB system, but traffic came to a complete stop on an open highway during my drive, triggering the forward collision warning before I stepped on the brakes. The system then provided stopping power before I could slam on the brakes.

I couldn't find another auto journalist or Hyundai representative to run in front of the car while I drove 40 mph to test out the pedestrian detection feature, unfortunately.

The LKAS in the Elantra caught me by surprise. You can adjust the sensitivity of the system via the LCD display in the gauge cluster. I set it to active and enabled the LDW and LKAS via a button to the left of the steering wheel. I expected the LKAS to be a simple system that only bounces the car back and forth between the lane, but it's an active system that provides steering assist, which was a surprise.

A small indicator in the gauge cluster lights up green when LKAS is active and able to read the lane markers – it turned on and off intermittently during my drive, according to the indicator. It works great when it's active, but I wouldn't trust it for semi-autonomous driving.

ACC in the Elantra leaves me conflicted, because it's not a full-speed range system that can stop and hold the car for you. However, it doesn't cancel out until you get below 5 mph, which is a lot more usable in traffic than ACC that only operates at speeds above 19 mph. The only compact car that has a full-speed range ACC system – that I can think of – is the 2016 Honda Civic, so the Elantra's ACC isn't too bad.

Hyundai's implementation lets you choose between three levels of acceleration. I set it to fast and found the acceleration conservative, but braking was smooth and comfortable.

Lastly, the Elantra Limited comes standard with a radar-based blind spot monitor. The system works and provides visual indicators in each side mirror and an audible warning inside. It's a standard system that works.

Powering the 2017 Elantra is a new version of Hyundai's Nu-family, 2.0-liter four cylinder engine that puts out 147 horsepower (hp) and 132 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque, which is a slight improvement over the previous generation's base 1.8-liter with 145 hp and 130 lb.-ft. The mild improvements are because the new 2.0-liter uses an Atkinson cycle instead of Otto cycle, which trades power density for fuel efficiency and yields a 1 mile per gallon (mpg) gain in the city over the last generation for 28 in the city, 37 on the highway and 32 combined.

The motor is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, though the base SE can be had with a three-pedal, six-speed manual. Despite the minor improvements to fuel economy and power, the big improvements are in refinement. The new Elantra smoothly sends power to the front wheels.

It's no performance car, but I was able to merge at highway speeds and pass others without the car feeling uncomfortably slow. The motor is also eerily silent at idle and comes to life with the ferocity of four over-caffeinated hamsters at full-throttle, which is typical for economical compact cars.

The Elantra won't win any performance awards but the car drives competently with responsive steering and a comfortable suspension. Hyundai's drive mode selection lets you choose between Normal, Eco and Sport driving modes that alter the response of the electronic power steering.

I briefly drove in normal mode and found the steering too laid back and light, so I spent most of my drive in sport mode. Sport mode had the right amount of weight and steering response for my driving preference, but I prefer to feel road imperfections through the steering wheel.

The suspension absorbs bumps with comfort, and I have no complaints about ride quality. As a commuter car, it does the job well.

Elantra Eco

Coming later this year is an Eco model that trades the 2.0-liter engine for a smaller 1.4-liter turbocharged motor paired with Hyundai's seven-speed dual-clutch (DCT) transmission. Hyundai had a prototype on hand for a quick drive around Imperial Beach.

I took the Elantra Eco out and found it better around town. The 1.4-liter turbo only produces 128 hp, but makes up for it with 156 lb.-ft of torque at a low 1,400 revolutions per minute. It was easy to spin the tires from a stop and the car felt zippy, but at highway speeds, it lost steam past 60 mph.

Hyundai expects the Elantra Eco to return 35 mpg combined, so city fuel economy should be in the low 30 range. The trade off is the Eco doesn't have some some of the nicer features of the Limited, such as, leather seats, HID headlights and driver assist technologies.

Elantra Sport

The trim I'm most excited about is the Elantra Sport, which also comes later this year. Hyundai remained tight-lipped about the Elantra Sport, but did let some details slip. The previous generation Elantra Sport had a Nu 2.0-liter putting out 173 hp, 154 lb.-ft and a standard six-speed manual.

Hyundai claims the new Elantra Sport will come with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four cylinder motor, like the sportier Veloster Turbo. The motor produces 201 hp and 195 lb.-ft. in the Veloster Turbo, which should make the Elantra more entertaining to drive.

But, we will have to patiently wait for it.

Hyundai is on a roll with the current model lineup. I might nitpick over things that your average driver won't notice, like steering feel, power delivery and handling when the car is pushed beyond the typical daily commute, but Hyundai and the Elantra have come a long way since the '80s and '90s.

We liked

Hyundai announced its Display Audio infotainment system at CES 2015, the Elantra is the first car with the software necessary for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. The implementation in the Elantra works seamlessly with the car's native audio and navigation features, so you can pick and choose which functions you use from your phone or natively without any hiccups or user interface annoyances.

The driver assist suite available on the Elantra still leans toward the top of the compact class. The lane keep assist system is substantially more advanced than most of its competition and similar to the system in Hyundai's luxurious Genesis sedan (soon to be the Genesis G80). The only other competitor that can put up a tough fight with the Hyundai Elantra for driver assists is the Honda Civic.

Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection should give the Elantra a Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rating of Top Safety+, too.

I didn't play with Blue Link too much in the Elantra, but the experience has been consistent across all Hyundai cars that I've driven. While it does require a subscription after the initial 3-month trial period, the features and companion applications may be worth it if you need remote access to the car. Plus, the wearable companion app does makes me feel like James Bond when I can control the car from my watch.

The new Elantra trades the previous generation's aggressive swoops and curves for smoother lines and a fresh face. The rear end styling makes it look like a baby Genesis sedan (Genesis G70). I'm a fan of the styling and find the understated looks more sophisticated.

We disliked

Hyundai continues to install the hands-free trunk on sedans, and I wish they'd make it usable. Being able to trigger the trunk release by standing behind the car for a few seconds is a useful convenience. However, it doesn't help if you still have to raise the trunk lid yourself. This could be easily fixed by replacing the torsion rods with hydraulic struts that can raise the trunk and make the hands-free trunk truly hands-free.

Adaptive cruise control is an awesome convenience when you're stuck in traffic. The Elantra doesn't have the worse system in its class, but the full-speed range systems that can completely stop the car and hold it are better. Luckily for Hyundai, the 2016 Honda Civic is the only compact car to have a full-speed range system.

While it could be better, the Elantra's ACC works at 5 mph and above. This is more usable in traffic than systems that only work at 19 mph, but Hyundai should have gone the extra mile.

Final verdict

If you're shopping for a compact car with sharp looks, useful driver assist technologies and an intuitive infotainment system, the Hyundai Elantra is worth a look. The car offers plenty of technology, a comfortable ride and plenty of space and manages to stay under $30,000.

Its not as engaging to drive as a Volkswagen Golf or a Mazda 3s, but you can still have some fun on windy roads. The powertrain is smooth and economical, but if you want more power, I suggest waiting for the upcoming Elantra Sport trim.

Ultimately, the Elantra is a compact car that gets you from point A to B in comfort and style, with plenty of niceties, backed by a 10-year powertrain warranty. There are a lot of strong contenders in the compact class, but you can't go wrong with the Elantra.

Minivans are uncool, nowadays. The preferred method of family transport in the '80s and '90s is now ignored for crossover utility vehicles, but I don't care. I'll admit it: I love minivans – I grew up in a minivan family and learned to drive in minivans.

When I had my first kid, I too bought a minivan (2011 Volkswagen Routan) and still have one (2014 Mazda 6 6-speed). So, when Chrysler unveiled the next-generation 2017 Pacifica at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) a few weeks ago in Detroit, I was smitten.

Although I was unable to make it to NAIAS, Chrysler trucked one of the debut vehicles to the 2017 Portland Auto Show where I was able to spend some hands-on time with it. This is essentially the ultimate version of the Dodge Caravan my parents had when I was growing up, so there's the nostalgia factor.

If you ignore the sliding doors on the Pacifica, you couldn't tell it's a minivan. The exterior styling reminds me of the sharp Chrysler 200 sedan, but in a more practical wagon form. I'm a fan of the sleek new styling that makes it look more car-like.

Infotainment system

Step inside, and you can see why I'm giddy about the Pacifica – the car is loaded with technology. Heading up infotainment duties is a new Chrysler Uconnect 8.4 system. This version is an upgrade from the Uconnect Access 8.4 system currently deployed in many Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, RAM and Maserati vehicles, but not quite the newly announced Uconnect with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, unfortunately.

New to Uconnect for the Chrysler Pacifica is a smooth and glossy capacitive touch screen and a tweaked user interface. The 4:3 aspect ratio remains, but the quick-access icons on the bottom of the display is now customizable.

You can drag and drop any shortcut or feature that's available under Apps to the shortcut row. Everything else about the Uconnect system remains the same, including slightly sluggish performance.

I was unable to confirm the exact system-on-a-chip platform used in the Pacifica's Uconnect system, but my previous experience with Uconnect Access 8.4 in a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee revealed it was using a Texas Instruments (TI) OMAP-DM3730 – a single-core chip with 512MB of RAM. A Chrysler representative tells me that this Pacifica uses the same hardware as Uconnect Access 8.4, so I'm assuming the TI chip is still running the show here.

Features of the Uconnect system in the Pacifica include HD Radio, SiriusXM with time-shifting and app support for Pandora, iHeartRadio and others. Integrated Wi-Fi hot-spot capabilities are supported as well. Chrysler continues to rely on Sprint's network, which gets terrible reception (in my experience), unfortunately.

Uconnect Theater

Rear seat entertainment (RSE) systems are losing out to tablets, portable gaming consoles and and smartphones to keep kids occupied. Chrysler is trying to reinvent the RSE with a pair of HD, 10-inch capacitive touch screens that flip up from the front seats. The touch screens are powered by a Blu-ray player, for those that haven't gone to pure digital distribution yet.

Chrysler hopes to make the Uconnect Theater system more attractive to parents, with integrated games and apps. The games don't hold a candle to the latest PC, Xbox One or PS4 titles, but there are basic titles, such as Sudoku, Bingo, Checkers and – most importantly – Solitaire.

The two screens operate independently, so each passenger can play what he or she wants, or challenge each other for some multiplayer action too. Chrysler solves the question of "Are we there yet" from your kids with an app, too.

The Are We There Yet? app provides a child-friendly animation that displays the remaining time, with a notification every 15 minutes. The downside is you have to have a destination selected on the front Uconnect 8.4 system, even if you don't need turn-by-turn directions, but it's a small price to pay for peace and quiet.

Both screens have separate HDMI inputs with USB charging ports, which is what I'm most excited about. This may sound super geeky, but there is so much you can do with the HDMI inputs. The ideas that come to my head include: Intel Compute Stick, Chromecast, Raspberry Pi and, I suppose, an old tablet or smartphone.

If it were up to me, I'd connect two Intel Compute Sticks to the Uconnect Theater system and have my two children battle for my affection over a couple rounds of Unreal Tournament – or child-friendly '90s games, like Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon, when my wife isn't around.

Driver Assists

Chrysler doesn't skimp on driver assists for the Pacifica either – you can get the whole kitchen sink. The available driver assists includes full-speed adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keep assist (LKAS), park assist, a 360-degree Surround View camera and forward collision warning. Since the car was on a platform on the show floor, I was unable to test the features out.

However, I've tested some of these features in a Chrysler 200 and found them to work well. Chrysler's full-speed ACC smoothly accelerates, brakes and holds the car at a stop when necessary.

The LKAS system is an intervention system that can only bounce the car back and forth between the two lane markers by applying a little bit of steering torque, but it's not a semi-autonomous system, like the Mercedes-Benz S550. It does the job for the expected price point.

Chrysler's park assist can parallel or perpendicularly park the car. While I prefer to self-park using a 360-degree camera system in smaller cars, park assist on such a big vehicle can come in handy, especially with parallel parking.

The downside with most park assist systems is that you have to manually engage it with the press of a button, then put on your turn signal and drive below 25 mph for it to scan for a parking spot and control gas and brake functions.

Everyday practicality

The selling point of minivans is the utilitarian aspect. Chrysler invented the Stow'n Go seating system in 2005, which was an easy way for all the rear seats to fold flat for maximum cargo space without having to do any heavy lifting. The system is further refined in the Pacifica.

While my Volkswagen Routan didn't have the fold flat Stow'n Go seats, the storage bins below the floor were still there. My biggest complaint with the storage bins was that I couldn't open them all the way without manually moving the front seats all the way forward.

Chrysler fixed that in the Pacifica. Now, there's a button on each side that pushes the front seat all the way forward for easy access to the storage bins or to fold the middle row into the floor. A second press of the button restores the seat to its original position, too.

The new outboard seats in the middle row also have a sweet new feature that lets you tilt them forward while keeping the seating position intact. This makes it easier to get into the third row, without having to climb through the center of the car.

For parents, this means you can still move the middle row seats out of the way with a car seat installed, instead of making the third row impossible to get to with large car seats.

Chrysler goes beyond the typical hands-free trunk feature, which lets you open the tailgate by waving your foot below the rear bumper, with the keyfob in your pocket. The Pacifica has hands-free sliding doors that open with a quick wave of your foot below the sliding doors.

As a parent that's had to carry out an infant car seat with groceries, the hands-free trunk is a great convenience that saves you the trouble of fumbling for keys.

Early verdict

Chrysler minivans hold a special place in my heart, but emotions and nostalgia aren't why I'm excited for the new Pacifica. While I didn't get a chance to drive it, the new hybrid powertrain is why I'm excited.

Chrysler expects the plug-in electric hybrid to go up to 30 miles on pure electric power, while a 3.6-liter V6 helps out when you're out of juice for an 80 mpge rating, which is a game changer for large family haulers.

I loved my Volkswagen Routan for practicality, but fuel economy in the teens was painful when gas prices were $4 a gallon. The new Pacifica's 30 miles of EV range is enough for errands around the city, while the gas motor makes it a perfect road trip car with plenty of space.

Then there's the available driver assists and rear seat entertainment system. I've driven from Washington State to California multiple times in cars with and without ACC. Every time I've had to manually drive myself, I vow to never do it again. The one time I made the drive in a car with ACC, I found it pleasant, less angering and a desire to actually make the trip again.

Having ACC, LKAS, impressive fuel economy and all of that space makes the Pacifica the perfect road trip car and a competent daily driver. I can't wait to get behind the wheel of the new Pacifica for longer, especially so I can setup an in-car, old school LAN party.

American car buyers love the Toyota Camry – enough to buy 429,355 vehicles in 2015 alone. It's been the number one selling car in the US for the last 12 years, practically selling itself despite market preferences leaning toward sport utility and crossover utility vehicles.

The Camry is a vastly important vehicle for Toyota, but the competition is better than ever, which forced the company to fast track updates and upgrades to stay competitive. Toyota sent techradar a 2016 Camry XSE with its convenience package, navigation and JBL premium audio, its advanced technology package, a moonroof and integrated Qi wireless charging to test. All of that brought the MSRP to $31,560 (not available in the UK, AU$41,402 for the Altara SL trim with 18" wheels and sport suspension option).

Toyota's current-generation Camry initially launched as a 2012 model year (MY) vehicle, but it received an aggressive exterior makeover during its mid-cycle refresh for MY2015 to make the car more visually exciting. I personally don't mind the styling too much. The Camry has an aggressive stance, especially in SE or XSE trims, which are the sportier-looking models, but Toyota left the green house (or the window layout of the car) alone.

If you park the current generation and the last two generations of Camry's next to one another, the green house looks virtually the same. It may be nitpicking, but the aggressive styling from below the beltline (or below the side windows) doesn't match with everything above, and that's irksome. I prefer the subtle designs of the Kia Optima and Volkswagen Passat over the Toyota Camry.

Reach for the door handle, and a sensor placed on the back of it unlocks the car. A press of the capacitive touch button locks the car. The unlock sensor and lock button are only available on the front doors, which is understandable for this segment. I've only seen rear door handles with locking and unlocking features in luxury cars, such as the Mercedes E-class.

Interior

Step inside, and you're treated to an all-black interior with red stitching. The interior materials are mostly high-quality and come in a soft-touch finish. The hard plastic parts have a smooth matte coating that looks sharp, but doesn't feel slippery or attract oily fingerprints.

I find the partial leather and ultrasuede seats provide plenty of side bolster and back support for my 5-foot-7-inch and 195-pound frame. The seat heaters get toasty quickly, too.

Look forward, and the Camry has standard analog gauges with an LCD sandwiched in between. The engine coolant temp gauge is a nice addition, so you can quickly tell if the engine is at operational temperature, which is a feature more new cars are removing. The LCD display provides a visual representation of the driver assists, music information, turn-by-turn directions and trip meter.

I don't have any qualms with the Camry's interior layout. Toyota has done a great job of keeping traditional buttons and knobs – just how I like an interior.

While I am nitpicking, I don't like the giant font used on all the lettering. The font is easy to see and read, which is beneficial to your typical Camry driver, but I feel like a grandpa when driving it.

Infotainment system

Driving infotainment in the Camry is a 7-inch Toyota Entune system with HD Radio, SiriusXM, USB and Bluetooth connectivity. Toyota claims the 7-inch touch screen display is high-resolution, which translates to 800 x 480. Despite the (in my opinion) low resolution, the display looks sharp and vibrant from the driver's seat, most likely because the screen is driven by a digital interface instead of analog.

The home screen is quite bare but displays commonly accessible information, including music information, weather and a mini map. It's customizable, too, but I left it in the default configuration.

Listening to SiriusXM and HD Radio is straightforward without any surprises. You can mix SiriusXM and HD Radio stations in a shared list of presets. Playing files from a flash drive is a terrible experience.

Toyota excluded a simple feature – browse your music by folder. I'm not sure how this slipped by, but you can't navigate a USB drive by your own folder and file structure, which is ridiculous. It makes sense to search your music by track info from an iPhone, but I prefer to organize my flash drives the way I want it, with mix folders, not playlists.

Navigation functions are just like every other car in the mid-size segment. Heck, the mapping software and maps look very similar to the Kia Optima. There are no surprises here; the maps are flat but it works. The typical lock outs when the car is moving are in place, so you can't enter a new destination when the car is moving. Voice commands are available, but they're frustratingly terrible as they are in every other infotainment system.

Phone connectivity via Bluetooth works with my Motorola Nexus 6 and iPhone 6s. Text messaging is supported, but you're limited to basic replies. You're better off using Google Now or Siri anyways. Speaking of Siri, Eyes-free is supported with iPhones by holding down the voice recognition button.

There's app support for iHeart Radio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable, Pandora and Facebook Places. Toyota requires a dedicated Entune application installed on your phone with a login. Your Entune login lets you connect Entune to the supported applications.

It's a mild annoyance, but with the Entune app, the car uses your phone as an internet connection instead of the app's API, which would stream audio via Bluetooth with some quality loss. It provides Toyota with greater flexibility, but I'm not sold on the necessity.

Aside from Pandora and iHeartRadio, why would you bother with any of the other apps? The interface is slower and clunkier than using your phone.

Facebook Places support puzzles me the most. Why would I put the car in park, check in via the car and then shut the car off when I can shut the car off, get out, take a picture and then check in via Facebook on my phone.

Frankly, this shows how Toyota is disconnected from reality when it comes to infotainment system technologies. There is absolutely no reason to access these apps from the car, but Toyota refuses to support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay and wants to do its own thing, unfortunately.

Rounding out the infotainment system is the integrated Qi wireless charger, installed in the cubby below the climate controls. A button with status light turns the charger on or off. Unfortunately, my Motorola Nexus 6 was too big for the charger, so I was unable to test it out. However, it's a Qi charger, so if your phone fits, it should charge.

Toyota taps JBL for the branded premium audio system in the Camry. The JBL GreenEdge sound system consists of eight channels powering 10 speakers – kind of. The claim of 10 speakers includes a pair of 3.25-inch coaxial speakers in the dash with an integrated 0.75-inch tweeter, 6 x 9-inch woofers in the front doors, 3.25-inch mid-range speakers in the rear deck and a 6 x 9-inch subwoofer, also in the rear deck.

In reality, it's eight total speakers with 10 drivers. An external amplifier sends up to 576 watts of power to the entire system. The JBL GreenEdge system focuses on delivering an improved audio experience with less weight and power consumption.

As much as I enjoy listening to most Harman audio systems, I did not enjoy the JBL GreenEdge at all. The sound signature resembles that of Bose systems, which is a muddy mess with no depth or warmth when it comes to the low bass notes. The mids and highs are unremarkable, too.

Driver assists

The Camry I spent time with features the advanced technology package, which includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW) and adaptive cruise control (ACC), in addition to the separate blind spot monitor (BSM) option. Toyota names its AEB technology the Pre-Collision System, which uses the radar from the ACC to detect the distance of the car ahead. If the car senses a collision is imminent, it can apply the brakes to prevent an accident.

AEB isn't a feature I can safely test on the road, but I assume it works as advertised. Toyota does let you adjust the sensitivity of AEB through a simple button – there's no need to navigate submenus in the gauge cluster LCD or infotainment system.

Toyota's LDW is a passive system that sounds off audible and visual alerts if you drift out of the lane. There's no setting to adjust the sensitivity of the LDW, unfortunately. One welcome feature within the Camry's LDW is that it displays a message on the gauge cluster LCD that tells you it only works at speeds above 32 miles per hour (mph), in case you forget.

ACC in the Camry is disappointing. It only functions at speeds above 25 mph, like the Volkswagen Passat. That's great for cruising along the highway, but doesn't help if you're stuck in stop and go traffic.

Toyota doesn't include the blind-spot monitor with cross path detection in the advanced technology package, but offers it separately. The Camry's blind-spot detection features an indicator integrated into the side mirrors that flashes, in addition to a warning sound to alert of a car in your blind spot. It works well enough, and you can easily turn it off with a button if you don't want to use it.

Toyota offers the Camry with an optional 3.5-liter V6 with 268 horsepower (hp) and 248 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. The car techradar received to test was equipped with the base 2.5-liter 4-cylinder with 178 hp and 170 lb-ft, unfortunately. Both engines are paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

I was pleasantly surprised with the performance of the base four cylinder. It delivers plenty of low-end torque, so the car doesn't feel dreadfully slow. There's adequate power for passing others on the freeway. While the more powerful V6 would have been more fun, the 2.5-liter has plenty of power for your average commuter while returning 25 and 35 miles per gallon in the city and highway.

The 6-speed automatic transmission Toyota uses was extremely smooth in normal drive and sport modes. I can't tell when the transmission is shifting during my regular driving, unless I am focused on it. Paddle shifters are available if you want to shift yourself, but I left the car in sport mode through most of my driving.

Smooth powertrain aside, the Camry XSE features a sport-tuned suspension for better handling, theoretically. I find the suspension too stiff, which resulted in some body aches and pains.

The car still provides excellent road feel with precise steering, but there's quite a bit of understeer (not turning enough) when pushing it on freeway on ramps. The Kia Optima drives better, with a much more comfortable ride.

Living with the car

I typically work with Diono for test-fitting child car seats in cars. However, the week I tested the Camry for review was during the holidays, so Diono wasn't available. Nevertheless, I have two younger kids and a Diono Radian RXT that I installed myself in the Camry.

My experience was not good, unfortunately. The Camry has lower LATCH anchors on the two outboard seats and top anchors for all three spots. I installed my car seat via the lower LATCH anchors easily, however, there's typically a 65-pound weight limit for these installations. When your child is older, the car seat needs to be belted in using the car seatbelt.

Due to the placement of the Camry's belt buckle, I was unable to install the Radian RXT securely. The belt buckle sits higher than the belt loop of the car seat, and held up with a steel plate. There was no way to twist the buckle to lower it, which Diono suggested during other car seat fittings.

Ultimately, with the belt buckle placement, I don't believe that the Camry can fit three car seats. You may have better luck with other car seats, but the Diono Radian RXT will not install with the vehicle seat belt.

A former Toyota representative once told me, "the Camry is a safe purchase. No one will ever say you made a bad decision, but no one will ever commend you for it either."

This statement holds true after my week with the Toyota Camry. It's not a bad car, but it's not exciting either. The technology that Toyota employs, both for infotainment and driver assists, while still new-ish for the midsize sedan segment, already feels outdated compared to its hungrier competitors.

We liked

I really liked the seats in the Camry XSE. They provide support in the right places for me, and the adjustable lumbar helps reduce lower back pains. The seats have excellent side bolster support for aggressive driving. The ultrasuede inserts don't get as cold or hot as pure leather seats do either, which my bum appreciates during the winter.

Toyota's blind spot monitor is simple and effective. It helps a lot when driving at night in the pouring rain, because you never know when someone forgot to put on their headlights and is in your blind spot.

After driving the latest Camry, I can see the appeal of it. The powertrain is sleep-inducingly smooth. The 6-speed automatic is one of the smoothest shifting transmissions I've ever driven. Toyota's 2.5-liter, four-cylinder motor never feels underpowered either.

We disliked

Adaptive cruise control in the Camry was disappointing. While Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and even Nissan offer full-speed-range adaptive cruise control that can stop the car in its mid-size vehicles, Toyota gives the Camry a system that turns off at speeds below 25 mph. This makes it worthless for frustrating stop-and-go traffic commutes.

The infotainment system was designed to check off as many boxes as possible regarding features, without any usability studies. I'm not sure how Toyota managed to leave out something so simple as being able to browse a flash drive by folder. There's also a ton of phone-connected apps, but most of them are worthless, unless you want to use software that's clunkier and slower than your phone.

My last disappointment is the suspension. While I like how the SE and XSE visual treatments look compared to the other models, the sport suspension that comes with it is too stiff. I never thought I'd complain about a Toyota being uncomfortable, but there's a first time for everything. I wouldn't be too opposed to a stiffer suspension if it made the car handle incredibly, but it doesn't, so the Camry SE and XSE just makes you suffer with minimal gains.

Final verdict

As a car enthusiast, the Camry is everything that's wrong with the car buying public, but not everyone is an enthusiast. It's a boring car that does nothing to bring excitement or advancement to the mid-size sedan segment, despite how bold Toyota wants you to think the car is with its advertising campaigns.

However, the Camry is a car for those that want a reliable means of transportation with some amenities, without being cutting edge. The best metaphor I can make for the Camry is that it's like when I buy new shoes. I've purchased the same pair of DC Court Graffik shoes multiple times since 2005, occasionally going with a different color combination or shoelace color.

That's how I imagine the Camry demographic is. It's the same reliable car your grandparents and parents bought, and passed down to you, but when it was getting long in the tooth, you traded up to a newer one that's familiar, but slightly different. While it's not how I choose to buy cars, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being that type of buyer.

Infotainment and driver assist technologies aside, the Camry is a fine car. It's not necessarily the sexiest or most dynamic, but you can't really go wrong with it, if you want the generic definition of a car. If you're willing to give other brands a try, there are better-driving cars out there, like the Mazda 6, and more technologically-advanced cars, like the Kia Optima and Honda Accord.

If you must stick with the Toyota Camry, I suggest forgoing the better looks of the SE or XSE trim levels for the comfort of the XLE.

It's been over a decade since General Motors sent most of its first production electric vehicle (EV), the GM EV1, to the crushers and cancelled its EV program.

A lot has changed since the GM EV1 was around, especially in the area of battery technology. While the GM EV1 launched with lead-acid batteries and later updated with nickel-metal hydride, lithium-ion battery technology has improved drastically to become a clean energy source for cars.

After producing the Volt plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) and the limited-availability Spark EV, Chevrolet finally has an all-electric car for the masses. The company debuted the production Chevy Bolt to great fanfare during a keynote from CEO Mary Barra at CES 2016.

Chevy let techradar take out a preproduction Bolt for a couple laps around its autocross course at CES 2016 for an early hands-on review of the car. They're remaining tight-lipped about the power train details until the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but the preproduction mule was drivable.

The Bolt shares the familiar face of the rest of Chevy's lineup, which is a good thing. It's recognizable as a Chevy but doesn't look goofy like the Nissan Leaf. Bolt EV badges are the only distinguishable marks that identify the car as all-electric, otherwise you could easily mistake it for a Chevy Spark.

I like how the car looks a lot, because it looks like a practical compact hatchback. It doesn't push any design boundaries – it's what I expect a practical car to look like. There's no rule that says electric cars have to have radical designs and features such as the falcon doors on the Tesla Model X or the Batmobile styling of the Faraday Future FFZERO1.

The preproduction Bolt I drove didn't have the headlights or taillights that will be on the production car, but it makes the car look like a hot-hatch. It didn't have a production interior and had everything covered up, so I can't judge the material quality or overall comfort.

Infotainment system

Despite the preproduction interior, the 8-inch LCD gauge cluster had sharp text and clean graphics. I'm glad Chevy used the LCD display to create a user interface that's modern and not just replicating analog gauges, digitally. It displays useful vehicle information such as estimated range, energy consumption and regenerative braking, but also ties into the infotainment system to display music data and turn-by-turn navigation directions. The speedometer is a large digital read out that's hard to miss while driving.

Chevy's MyLink 10.2-inch infotainment display occupies a large part of the center stack and looks like a tablet. Navigating the user interface was a breeze thanks to a responsive capacitive touch display with simple menus. It's completely customizable and reminds me of Windows 10 live tiles. There's a 2 x 8 grid that lets you select what you want displayed, including energy-consumption, music data and connected smartphone.

The cherry on top of the MyLink 10.2-inch infotainment system is support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which I didn't get to play with, unfortunately. I don't foresee any compatibility issues as the Bolt isn't the first GM car to tout support for the two smartphone connectivity features.

Driver assists

The Bolt will have offer forward pedestrian alert, forward collision alert, blind spot monitor and rear cross path detection, but the car I drove did not have those options. It did have the 360-degree camera and rear camera mirror though.

Chevy's 360-degree camera combines the feed of four cameras to create a bird's eye view of the car. I've yet to use a 360-degree camera in a car that I didn't love, and the Bolt is no different. However, the 10.2-inch infotainment display does make the low quality cameras look worse than smaller screens, since it's trying to scale the image to fit.

Nevertheless, I was able to see the lane markers and surroundings, which is still very useful information when backing up or parking the car. It would have been nice if Chevy used higher-resolution cameras, but I won't hold it against them because higher quality cameras are typically only available in luxury vehicles.

Chevy's rear camera mirror technology provides a live video feed to the rear view mirror. The camera quality is lower than what you'd see with a regular mirror. Fortunately, you can toggle between the video feed and a regular mirror.

Despite the camera quality, it's a weird to see a rear view of the car without headrests or the pillars. I can see the safety potential for this, but it will take time to get used to, which did not happen during my brief drive.

Driving the Bolt

Chevy let me drive around the autocross course for three laps to get an early impression of the car and I walked away extremely impressed. The instant torque from the electric motor gives the car a lot of low end grunt to throw you back into the seat.

Steering response was precise, but a little on the heavy side. The Bolt suspension felt very athletic and the car isn't nose-heavy like the Nissan Leaf. The whole time I drove the Bolt, I kept thinking how much fun the car would be to use as a weekend autocross car, especially with the instant torque.

Living with it

I couldn't really perform my usual car seat installation with Diono or trunk space tests since I'm in Las Vegas, Nev., but the car felt very spacious. A quick visual inspection leads me to believe the Bolt should fit three car seats because it's very wide. The seat belt buckles were also placed quite low and should safely secure a Diono Radian RXT in front and rear-facing positions.

The cargo area is what you'd expect from a sub-compact car, its small. However, the trunk is deep and you should be able to bring enough luggage for four for a weekend getaway, if you pack lightly.

Early verdict

Chevy's Bolt is an impressive little car that brings affordable EV's up to date with spacious passenger space, a modern interior, Android Auto and Apple Car Play ready infotainment system and driver assist technologies, which addresses our complaints with the 2016 Nissan Leaf. If Chevy can keep its promise of 200-miles of range on a single charge and deliver the car by the end of the year, I may have to trade in my Mazda 5 and my wife's Nissan Leaf to go down to a single electrified car.

The 200-miles of range is enough for me to drive down to Portland, Ore. from Graham, Wash. (120 miles each way) without stopping to charge along the way, and still have enough range to drive around town. A 30-minute stop at a quick charger would get me enough range to make it home too. I would also never have to charge in public either, as the range is plenty enough for my furthest trips.

However, my biggest fear for the Bolt is the cheap gas prices that may deter buyers going electric. The car still carries a premium price for the electric powertrain and gas for under $3 per gallon doesn't help its case. But for those that want to take a leap of faith and break free of gas, the Bolt should be a winner.

If I were to lie on the sofa at home right now and shout at someone to start my car, I'd (at best) be greeted with an icy, deathly stare.

But later this year things are going to change, as Ford's teamed up with Amazon to bring the latter brand's Echo device into the car arena.

Ford wants your car to be as much part of the internet of things as turning on your lights with a smartphone, and using Amazon's Alexa voice recognition technology you'll be able to simply bark a command in any room that's got an Echo set up to interact with your car in a number of ways.

And it'll work in reverse too: if you're driving along in a newer Ford, you'll be able to use the voice commands to speak to Alexa and change things in your home without being there.

The idea of your vehicle being an internet-connected part of your life makes a lot of sense: your car captures a fantastic amount of data about you, ranging from letting your house know that you've actually left (and can therefore turn off the heating) to your location and speed to warm up and light your home at the perfect time.

I had a chance to take a sneaky peek at the new system at CES 2016, and even in the very crowded, noisy arena the Echo worked startlingly well, picking up the 'Alexa' command to head into voice recognition mode very well.

That said actually entering a command felt a little archaic, like voice recognition of yore. You need to spell things out to the machine, and do so with a very deliberate speech pattern: 'Alexa, check the traffic between my house and the office' rather than 'Alexa, is it going to take me long to get to work?'

It also took a couple of attempts to make it work properly (I needed to speak very deliberately), but I think over time you'd learn how to use it efficiently, and you'll be able to remote start your car from your house.

The idea of starting a car remotely is scary to some at first, but when you realise it's locked and can't get away without you in there holding the keyfob, it's less of a worry.

The ability to perform this action isn't anything specific to Ford - it's just the open SDK that Amazon offers for its Echo device to get other brands to start using it and expanding the internet of things world. Amazon did have a hand in accelerating the approval process to get it ready in time for CES this year, but the ease of creation for this project is impressive.

Ford's representative told me that the brand only started coding this ability at the end of October, and it already works very well. Asking where your Ford is will give you a location, the distance and the time it'll take for it to get home. However, it also gives a frustratingly huge amount of information, like the date and specific time of the request, which seems pointless.

(Also, the latter function will mean secretive partners will have a reason to worry when the other half can track them at any time when they're supposed to be somewhere else).

Trying the system the other way around (from the car to the home) was a less impressive demonstration - although this is early days for the project, with cars being able to use it fully not coming for a few months yet.

You'll need to hold down a button to begin speech, say 'Alexa' to start the system up, and then speak with a very specific phrase (for instance 'Ask the garage to open' rather than 'Open my garage').

It's not as simple as just saying 'Alexa' when in the car and being able to instantly ask the car to do something, and the demo was rather laggy at times - but then again, it's astounding how quickly the brand has created this system and there's a lot of time left to evolve it to make it a cleaner and more easy to use way of talking to your house.

The whole thing is handled in the cloud by Amazon, so it requires a working internet connection at all times to function correctly. This means that only cars with integrated modems - coming next year but quickly rolling to more vehicles in the following months - will be able to pass commands both ways, although phones can obviously handle the Alexa services when in vehicle.

Early verdict

Something like this Alexa / Ford tie in seems like an obvious way to make cars that are much smarter. I've tried vehicle voice recognition systems in the past, and they've been a little clunky to use.

Here's hoping that 'clunk' begins to be resolved in the coming months, and the Ford system in the car works as well as the Amazon Echo device in your home.

There were some definite bugs in this system during the trial, but the speed with which it's been created mean that things like more natural language recognition and faster start up times will could well be in place at launch.

If Ford's goal of having your car be the ultimate trigger for your home life (imagine heading to your internet-connected cabin for the weekend and it being ready-warmed when it noted you were two hours away) is to come to pass, then it needs a little more finessing - but the idea of the car being an integral part of your smart home is more than a little awesome.

Crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) are here to stay, so it's time we embrace the hatchback on stilts. Honda's latest attempt to attract buyers that desire a small car with high seating position, coupled with car-like driving dynamics and fuel economy, resulted in the all-new 2016 HR-V. Starting with the Honda Fit platform, the HR-V adds 9.1 inches of length, 1.7 inches of ground clearance and optional all-wheel drive (AWD) to transform a mundane hatchback into a CUV.

Honda sent me a fully-loaded HR-V EX-L Navi with an MSRP of $26,740 for a week to test out every aspect of the car, from drivability to infotainment. (It's £25,425 for the similar EX, but the UK model has a smaller 1.5-liter motor and more driver assist technologies, and AU$36,610 for the equivalent VTi-L trim.)

Styling of the HR-V is very conservative and not something that attracts attention or excitement, there's no denying that it looks like what you would expect from a Honda, though. The front end is tame, with reflector-housing halogen headlights and Honda's signature, V-shaped grille, a distinguishing feature of Honda's entire model lineup. There are no LED daytime running lights (DRL) that other automakers install to give cars a modern look.

I find the lack of high-intensity discharge (HID), or projector lens halogens at a minimum, disappointing because the reflector-housing halogens aren't very bright. The HR-V's nearest competitor, the Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring, features bright LED headlights at a comparable price. Things start to look better when you move around back, where bright LED brake lights and high-mount brake lights are employed.

The Deep Ocean Pearl paint on the tested HR-V is a gorgeous color. It appears blue or purple, depending on the available light and angle. I'm usually not a fan of the color purple but the HR-V wears it well.

Interior

Reach for the front door handle with the key fob in your pocket, and the respective door unlocks, thanks to a proximity-sensing door handle and the HR-V's passive keyless entry feature. There's a button on the door handle to press to lock the door if you're exiting the car, so you never have to take the keys out of your pocket or purse.

Step into the driver's seat, and you're treated to plenty of vinyl-covered soft-touch surfaces. There's some hard plastic surfaces on the lower part of the dashboard, but Honda does a great job dressing up frequently seen and touched spots with vinyl.

When the car is off, the gauges, infotainment display and climate controls appear as completely black panels. Push the red start button, and everything lights up and becomes functional.

Honda sticks to analog gauges for the tachometer and speedometer, which I prefer because they respond quicker than LCD displays. A low-fi information display shows your fuel economy, trip information, fuel gauge, outdoor temperature and time. It's not as colorful or functional as an LCD display but suits the HR-V's black and white theme well.

My biggest annoyance with the interior is the climate control panel. It's a capacitive touch panel that looks great when the car is off, and even responds well to my touch. However, the lack of physical feedback annoys me because it's hard to change the climate control without looking down at the controls. You cannot rely on muscle memory since there's no physical response or haptic feedback.

Fortunately, the car has automatic climate control that you can set and forget. It's not an ideal input method, but if you don't adjust the climate control too often (like me), it's only a minor annoyance and not a deal breaker.

The deal breaker for me is the seats in the HR-V. There's plenty of side bolster for the top and bottom cushions and the back support is curved to contour to my back, despite the lack of lumbar support. But the seat bottoms are very flat, wide and hard where my bum sits. My 5'7" and 195-pound frame doesn't have enough cushion to fill the seat bottom and causes my lower back to hurt immensely after an hour of driving.

Infotainment system

A 7-inch touch screen infotainment system is standard on HR-V EX and EX-L Navi trims. Honda employs capacitive touch technology for more responsive touch input. The 800 x 480 resolution display may seem low compared to smartphones, but you're sitting far away enough where a high-resolution screen isn't necessary.

Honda really likes capacitive touch technology, as the infotainment system is devoid of any physical buttons. Instead, capacitive touch buttons to the left of the screen are available for home, menu and back functions, similar to an Android smartphone. The buttons don't bother me too much, as I prefer using the steering wheel controls, which are traditional buttons.

The volume control is particularly annoying with the capacitive touch buttons and steering wheel controls. I prefer having a volume knob that I can quickly turn to bring the volume up or down. The HR-V also lacks a mute button too, which makes ordering a McRib at the drive-through window at McDonald's and waiting for my order a little more tedious.

Basic features of the infotainment system are as expected, with USB connectivity, SiriusXM, HD Radio, Pandora and Aha Internet radio. Honda provides two USB ports to connect your smartphone and a USB flash drive at the same time. An HDMI input is available, but only usable via HondaLink or when the car is in park.

Navigating USB flash drives isn't really ideal with the purely touch interface. You can navigate music by track data or folder layout, but if you load a large flash drive full of music, it's a slow process of scrolling through all of your music or folders. A knob that could scroll through quickly is my preferred method of input.

SiriusXM and HD Radio capabilities are available. I listened to SiriusXM most of the time, as HD Radio cuts out often where I live. Honda doesn't provide any time-shifting features for SiriusXM, so you can only listen to live music.

Pandora connectivity is available via Bluetooth for Android devices and USB for iOS devices. I tested the feature with my Nexus 6 and iPhone 6S and preferred the audio quality of the wired USB connection. However, the sound system in the HR-V isn't very good, so I'm willing to sacrifice some audio quality for convenience in it.

Smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth is available with your usual phonebook and recent calls. Text messaging is supported, but the functions are extremely limited to reading the messages and issuing quick replies. You're better off replying using your phone's Google Now or Siri voice recognition.

Fortunately, if you pair an iPhone to the HR-V, you can take advantage of Siri. Eyes Free mode is activated by holding down the voice recognition button until you hear the Siri tone to speak. Siri accepts commands through the car's microphone, so you can use all of the functions while keeping your iPhone in your pocket.

Navigation is included on the EX-L Navi, as the trim level suggests. The maps are flat and the user interface resembles the navigation software in the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Optima. There's nothing out of the ordinary with the navigation function, and it had no trouble finding locations. However, Honda employs a lockout that prevents destination or POI input when the car is moving.

When the car is rolling at speeds above a crawling pace, the features are blocked out and unselectable. This is always the case, even if there's a passenger trying to use it. You can use voice recognition when the car is moving, but it's a clunky mess that requires too many commands and corrections to find where I need to go. It's much faster to use Siri Eyes Free or pull out my phone to find my destination, which defeats the purpose of having a safety lockout to prevent distracted driving.

Honda HD Digital Traffic provides subscription-free access to traffic data for popular highways, but like most traffic services, you're better off learning the traffic conditions of your route. It relies on HD Radio technology that promises quicker updates, but you're still better off using Google Now to predict travel times and traffic.

Features aside, the HR-V's infotainment system is terrible. The menu transition effects stutter, which doesn't help the perception of speed and responsiveness. The menu layouts are intuitive for technically-inclined users, but the average person may not realize the tab in the middle of the right side of the display is a pressable onscreen button, which expands the function of the audio source or phone features.

Selecting the audio source from the infotainment screen is very obvious, but only to the savviest tech users. There's an onscreen button labeled "SOURCE," but it shows what's playing, so less techy drivers may not think to press it to change the source. Honda's decision to give up physical buttons for a cleaner and simpler dash layout is more visually appealing, but not very intuitive to those that may struggle to use a smartphone.

Overall, it's an infotainment system you learn to put up with, rather than enjoy using. The worse part is the recently released Honda Civic, refreshed Accord and all-new Pilot have the latest generation Android-based infotainment system, which is really strong, from my experience.

HondaLink Next Generation

The HR-V's last infotainment feature is HondaLink, a supposedly next generation connectivity method for iOS users. The system relies on an iPhone connected to the infotainment system via the Lightning connector and HDMI video input.

You need to shell out $100 (HondaLink is only available in the US) for the official Honda connection kit, or any other Lightning HDMI output adapter, to take advantage of the feature. Regardless of the adapter you choose, it's still an unnecessary wiring mess that requires an HDMI and Lightning cable connected to the video output dongle.

I wouldn't mind the excessively complex connectivity if it provided useful features, but HondaLink does not provide anything useful. It offers screen-mirroring functionality that's extremely limited to an optional navigation app, Aha radio and iHeartRadio. It hardly seems worth the effort and extra cost for such limited functionality.

To top things off, the HondaLink Navigation app is a separate $59.99 (not available outside of the US) purchase if you want to use smartphone-based navigation. The feature is better touted on the lesser EX trim level, which doesn't have integrated navigation, but I'd prefer integration with the free Google Maps or Apple Maps apps.

Ultimately, I have no idea why anyone thought HondaLink was a good idea or why it exists. Just give us Android Auto and CarPlay support, please.

Audio quality in the HR-V is not something I enjoyed listening to. The EX and EX-L trims get a six-speaker system with 180 watts of power, a bump from the base LX trim four-speaker and 160-watt setup, but it's far from adequate to my ears.

The bass is muddy and overpowers the tweeters. You can turn up the treble and the bass down, but I was unable to find a balance that left me with any form of tolerable bass.

However, if you're into installing your own sound system, the HR-V is ready for an upgrade. It employs standard 6.75-inch speakers with separate tweeters in the front and single speakers in the back, which are available from all the aftermarket brands.

Driver assists

Honda offers very few driver assist technologies in the US-market HR-V. While Europe and Australia get lane departure and forward collision warning systems, the US only gets backup and LaneWatch cameras. I asked Honda why the US does not get the driver assists and was told it was because of market preferences and price point, unfortunately.

Nevertheless, Honda does go above and beyond with the backup camera by offering selectable viewing angles. I never found the need to change the camera angles when backing up the car, but at least the option is available for those that rely heavily on it. The HR-V backup camera has active guidelines that turn with the steering wheel to provide an estimate of where the car will end up at its current trajectory, too.

Radar-based blind spot monitor (BSM) systems are typically what automakers offer on cars. The typical BSM has a visual indicator that flashes in or on the side mirrors. Honda takes a different approach to letting drivers see what's in their blind spot with LaneWatch technology. The HR-V EX and EX-L trims include the technology, which installs a camera in the passenger side mirror to provide the driver with a view of what's in the adjacent lane.

When you use the right turn signal, LaneWatch activates and provides a view of the right side of the car on the infotainment screen. Guidelines are displayed to show where a car in the adjacent lane is in relation to your car.

The system seems simple enough, but I find it hard to get used to. My default process for right lane changes is to scan my side and rear view mirrors, put on the turn signal, perform a quick head check and move over.

The process of checking the side mirror and performing head checks relies on looking at the right side of the car, not the infotainment screen. There's also a minor delay from when you flip the turn signal stalk to when the image displays, so it's not ideal for quick maneuvers. I find myself not using LaneWatch much at all with the HR-V.

If you're so inclined, the LaneWatch camera is available any time with a press of a button on the turn signal stalk. The other problem with LaneWatch is it only covers the right side of the car, so you still have to perform head checks as usual when changing into the left lane.

As to why Honda opted to incorporate a camera instead of a radar-based BSM system, the company sees the radar-based system as a premium feature. Radar-based BSM is available on top trim levels of the Honda Pilot and premium Acura vehicles.

Motivating the Honda HR-V is a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), a rather unexciting powertrain combination. Power from the 1.8-liter motor is a lowly 141 horsepower (hp) and 127 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque.

The motor has plenty of power to get around town and merge at a safe speed, but the HR-V is no speed demon. While I usually toss the car on my friend's vehicle dynamometer at Drift-Office to verify hp ratings, there wasn't an available appointment when I had the HR-V for review.

Power is sent to all four wheels via Honda's Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control system. The part-time all-wheel drive (AWD) system only moves the front wheels unless it detects a loss of traction. If the system detects a loss of traction, it automatically engages the rear wheels to help. My experience with the HR-V's AWD system is it lets the system understeer (the car doesn't turn enough) before engaging the rear wheels to help.

Other available systems can provide the feeling of oversteer (turning too much) before kicking in the other wheels or provide seamless grip and steering so you don't notice the AWD working at all. I've driven all types of AWD systems, and the HR-V's understeer-biased system isn't as ideal as the seamless systems used in higher-end Acura's such as the MDX, but better than the oversteer-biased systems typically installed with rear-wheel-drive (RWD) based cars from BMW, for inexperienced drivers.

The CVT differs from traditional automatic transmission by providing greater efficiency due to the lack of standard gears. Automatic transmissions have a set number of gears with different ratios to propel the car forward. CVTs have an infinite number of gear ratios that adjusts to always have the engine running at peak efficiency. The trade-off is better fuel economy with CVTs, but it numbs the driving experience.

Regardless, the beauty of the CVT is greater efficiency for good fuel economy, which the US Environmental Protection Agency rates the HR-V at 27 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city, 32 on the highway and 29 combined. My driving yielded 26 mpg average, which is impressive to me since I have a lead foot.

The downside is driving the HR-V is a thoroughly boring experience. The CVT is extremely smooth when accelerating at full throttle, but as soon as you let go of the gas pedal, there's a slight elastic sensation in which the car feels like a stretched out rubber band. This is typical of all CVTs and more noticeable on lower hp applications, like the HR-V.

It's a shame the CVT sucks the life out of the car, as the chassis and suspension tuning is excellent. The car handles windy roads with confidence and minimal body roll. The suspension isn't too stiff, while the dampers mitigate bumps in the road without sacrificing road feel.

Steering response is excellent and has the right amount of weight and precision without the need of selectable drive modes. The HR-V would be an enjoyable car to drive if it weren't for the CVT. However, Honda does offer a six-speed manual transmission on LX and EX trim levels, but it's only available on front wheel drive (FWD) models.

Living with the car

Despite being a sub-compact CUV, the Honda HR-V is deceptively spacious. It's small on the outside but a smart back seat and cargo area makes it perfect for pet owners and families. Take the Honda Magic Seat system for the back seat, for instance: it's a genius idea. The seat backs not only fold down to maximize cargo space, but the seat bottoms fold up to provide an open space for pets while keeping the cargo area closed off.

In terms of family friendliness, we partnered up with Diono, a car seat manufacturer, to test-fit three car seats in the back of the HR-V. Diono's USA headquarters is in Puyallup, Wash., where I conduct vehicle testing and a convenient place to stop by and test-fit car seats. With the help of Diono, I attempted to install three Radian RXT convertible car seats in the back of the HR-V.

Honda provides two pairs of LATCH anchors for the outboard seats, which is typical of all new cars nowadays. The middle seat requires the use of the three-point seat belt for installation. Top LATCH anchors are available for all three seats. The car seat installations are completed using the three-point seat belt instead of LATCH, because LATCH has weight limitations that can vary by car.

The Honda HR-V narrowly passed the car seat test. I tried installing a rear-facing seat in the center, and front-facing seats in the outboard seats, without any luck. The rear-facing seat wouldn't secure properly due to the mechanism for the Magic Seats.

However, I was able to install three front-facing car seats safely in the HR-V. I found it very impressive considering how small of a car the HR-V is.

Junk in the trunk

Honda doesn't employ any fancy smart trunk features in the HR-V. There's a trunk release button and an old-fashioned, open-it-yourself rear hatch. Since the car has passive keyless entry, you can unlock and open the trunk without taking the keys out of your pocket.

HR-V models with AWD have 23.2 cubic feet (cu-ft) of rear cargo space with the rear seats up. FWD models have an extra 1.1 cu-ft of space since it doesn't have to accommodate the rear drive line. I keep a Sumo Gigantor and Omni from Sumo Lounge around for trunk space testing. The Gigantor is a little too big to carry in and out of my house, so I stick to using the Omni for most cars. It's a fun way I devised to show how big a trunk is.

I dragged the Sumo Omni outside on one of the few sunny days we've had in Washington State recently to shove the bean bag into the back of the HR-V. I got the Sumo Omni a third of the way in with the back seats up and it fit no problem with the back seats down. The beauty of a hatch is fitting tall objects, which the HR-V should have no problems with.

In terms of trunk space, the HR-V has plenty of space to fit luggage for a weekend get-away for a family, as long as you pack lightly.

Honda's HR-V is a car in the traditional sense, with four tires, a steering wheel and will get you from point A to point B reliably. It has a spacious interior, a competent chassis with sporty driving dynamics, adequate powertrain, available AWD and a familiar dashboard layout. You'll feel at home in the car if the last car you bought is over a decade old.

But modern cars have long moved beyond offering a steering wheel and pedals to make it move. Technology is a big selling point with cars today, and more so with affordable cars, which is where Honda HR-V falls short.

We liked

Everything is powered or charged via USB, and that the HR-V features two ports for data, in addition to a standard 12V power jack, is welcome. The two USB ports also let you keep a flash drive loaded with music installed, and a port to charge your phone or stream Pandora from an iPhone.

Apple CarPlay isn't supported, but at least there's Siri Eyes Free support. If you're an iPhone user that relies heavily on your phone, the HR-V's compatibility with Siri makes your connected life much easier in the car.

Honda's Magic Seats in the back make the interior super flexible. The 60/40 split seats can have seat backs folded down for maximum cargo space or the seat bottoms folded up to create an area perfect for pets, but keep them away from the groceries. You can also change the rear seating arrangement so you can have one passenger and a big dog with ease, too. It's a clever seating system that's effortless to arrange to your liking.

Driving the HR-V on twisty roads is a pleasure, despite the soul-sucking CVT. Honda always does a fine job tuning the chassis, suspension and steering to make the car dynamic and confident on windy roads, without sacrificing ride quality or requiring extra gimmicks, such as different drive modes.

We disliked

I hate capacitive touch buttons on car interiors. I've yet to have a life-changing experience wherein I stopped asking for physical buttons, and the HR-V is no different. In Honda's favor, the capacitive touch climate control panel and infotainment system functions are responsive and look attractive when the car is off. But, physical buttons that click when pressed make navigating both functions from muscle memory much easier and intuitive.

Honda's infotainment system in the HR-V is terrible. It's not designed for your average consumer. The menu transitions exhibit lag and the on-screen functions aren't laid out in an intuitive manner. The capacitive touch buttons aren't a substitute for buttons and dials. This isn't an infotainment system I'd let my mother use, and she just learned to text message a little over a year ago.

Last is HondaLink. Why Honda found it necessary to offer screen-mirroring only on iOS devices, with a limited selection of apps when Android Auto and CarPlay were already in development, is beyond me. There is nothing redeeming about HondaLink. From the $60 navigation app you have to purchase instead of using the free solutions from Apple and Google to the $50 to $100 cost in adapters you have to buy to make it work, only disappointment in how useless the system is awaits.

Final verdict

Honda's HR-V seems like a car designed for those that seek the generic definition of a car and not more technically-inclined, gadget-buying drivers. The 1.8-liter, four-cylinder motor propels the car at a relaxed pace – and the Magic Seats are ideal for pets. There's plenty of space in the car to go antique shopping and haul large items.

The infotainment system is quite awful compared to Honda's other offerings in the Accord, Civic and Pilot. Honda LaneWatch is an intriguing feature in theory, but I'd prefer the radar-based blind-spot monitor systems used by every other car maker. The lag time before the LaneWatch camera appears on screen bugs me, as does the lower placement of the infotainment screen. It doesn't feel natural for my driving style.

Overall, I look at the Honda HR-V in two ways. As a car for those that want the latest technology and features, it completely fails. As a car enthusiast that enjoys modifying and driving cars, the HR-V with the six-speed manual transmission is a fine canvas to build something fun on. The infotainment system and speaker annoyances can be solved by throwing the factory unit out the window and replacing it with something that supports Android Auto and CarPlay and a new set of speakers.

But, if you're not willing to put the time and effort into making it your own, there are better crossover choices than the HR-V for the money Honda is asking.