I’ve tried Apple CarPlay Ultra – it fixes everything that’s irritating about CarPlay, but there’s a catch

Apple CarPlay Ultra has been teased for a number of years, with both Aston Martin and Porsche publicly announcing that they were working with the tech giant on an all-encompassing infotainment system way back in 2023.

In that time, Porsche has been dabbling with Apple’s Automaker toolkit, introducing a smattering of key car functionality into its own CarPlay environments, but British luxury marque Aston Martin is the first to introduce the full CarPlay Ultra experience to the world.

Above and beyond traditional CarPlay, the next generation of Ultra effectively hands over full control of the digital space to Apple, which means iPhone users can make use of the iOS experience on all displays within the vehicle – not just a central infotainment screen.

Previously, this hasn’t been possible, seeing as the Californian tech giant has required permission from individual automakers to tap into its API in order to display live read-outs from the myriad vehicle sensors, as well as take control of things like suspension settings and climate control. But now it is, and you can watch my first impressions with Aston Martin's integration below.

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For those that like to plug an iPhone into a vehicle and mirror their smartphone while on the road, CarPlay Ultra is arguably the best iteration of this service yet, allowing for greater control of all vehicle features without having to leave the comfortably familiar surrounds of the CarPlay environment.

Admittedly, seeing this first come to life on an Aston Martin (a ferocious DBX 707 model at that) feels a little jarring, seeing as the brand is synonymous with hand-crafted interiors and a decidedly tactile driving experience.

But it makes sense, seeing as the brand was previously beholden to old Mercedes-Benz infotainment bits that weren’t exactly cutting-edge. Now, free from such shackles, it wants to show the world that it can be a technological leader, as well as a purveyor of drop-dead gorgeous sports car.

Go big or go home

Setting up Apple CarPlay Ultra is almost as simple as setting up regular old CarPlay – you first need to plug in an iPhone, so long as it is an iPhone 12 or later (running iOS 18.5 and later) that has a data connection.

The device will then download and exchange a few files between itself and the vehicle. It takes 30 seconds or less for Apple’s classic ‘Hello’ screen to appear on the 10.25-inch infotainment display that is nestled into the leather-clad dashboard of the DBX performance SUV.

Once synchronized, the vehicle will recognize the iPhone each time it enters the car and CarPlay Ultra will boot up wirelessly. Users can also choose to use standard CarPlay, removing it from the digital instrument cluster, or run Android Auto instead… although the experience won’t be the same.

The most striking thing is just how much of the interior real estate Apple takes over, with over 20-inches dedicated to the tech company’s UX. While the central display doesn’t look that different (bar a few extra icons), the 12.3-inch digital driver display is a bold move.

Aston Martin says it has worked closely with Apple’s designers to ensure the overall look and feel of its instrument binnacles remains on brand, but there’s no escaping Apple’s fonts. It all looks very much like the iPhone experience.

Everything, all at once

If we are to get to the very core of CarPlay Ultra, it essentially expands the existing experience to a separate screen, but perhaps more importantly, allows drivers and passengers to adjust vehicle settings without leaving the ecosystem.

In modern vehicles that lack physical buttons and dials for things like climate control, this is beyond frustrating, as it demands several taps and swipes between the CarPlay interface and an automotive marque’s often jarring infotainment platform.

To combat this, Ultra introduces a number of new features to the main infotainment display.

These include quick access climate controls that are pinned to the top left and right of the screen, as well as a dedicated app for climate control and another for vehicle settings, allowing the driver to take care of everything from the driving modes, suspension set-ups and even specific settings for the audio system.

Apple recently revealed at its WWDC 25 event that traditional CarPlay will get a makeover with the launch of iOS 26 later this year, but CarPlay Ultra already ushers in the widgets feature that has been promised – essentially a dedicated view on the central infotainment display that allows control over multiple apps at once.

Android Auto has been doing this for a while, but it instantly makes the Apple CarPlay experience feel more dynamic and intuitive to use. There’s also a familiar Apple Watch ‘dock screen’ that shows the time, weather and stock information if you want it.

Finally, the central 10.25-inch display also packs a dedicated radio app that plays nicely with the vehicle’s built in DAB and FM capabilities, so the user can swap stations without leaving CarPlay. In the US, this will also take care of satellite radio stations.

Taking control of themes

Admittedly, the main infotainment display in Aston’s CarPlay Ultra demonstration doesn’t look too dissimilar from the CarPlay experience we are all used to, but the digital driver instrumentation is a far cry from what you would expect of the luxury sports car maker.

Firstly, Aston Martin’s 12.3 inch TFT display is flat, rather than gently curved like the digital binnacles found in a Porsche Taycan, so it looks and feels very much like a screen. Secondly, and arguably more obviously, the graphics have been designed in partnership with Apple.

The central part of the display can be swapped by swiping up or down on a capacitative button located on the steering wheel and the information provided here is fairly static no matter what overall instrument theme you settle on.

The small square box can display tyre pressure and other vehicle information, the current track or radio station being listened to, a smaller read-out for navigation functionality and much more.

This box can then be flanked by more traditional-looking Aston Martin-designed dials and gauges, or slightly more modern versions, complete with Apple (and Aston’s, apparently) pastel color palette.

There’s also the option of a very simplified (and very Apple) layout that uses colorful bars for engine temperature, speed, remaining fuel levels and more.

Alternatively, users can have the current media spread full-width across the driver’s display, enjoy a full-width map or a very uncluttered blank space, which only reveals speed, remaining range and the current drive mode that’s selected. The remainder of the space is merely a subtle graphical wallpaper.

As with all Apple products, these various displays are highly customizable, with the option to change the color themes of both the dials or read-out bars, as well as the hue and style of the backgrounds.

Naturally, this can only be done from a pre-selected list found in the settings menu, as we assume Aston Martin doesn’t want owners plastering their digital displays with images of the pet dog or their kids gurning faces.

Anyone used to Audi’s MMI system, or even that found in modern Porsches, will be used to the digitization of the cockpit, but there’s no getting away from Apple’s involvement when using CarPlay Ultra.

The fonts are all iPhone fonts, the color palette looks like it has been lifted from an Apple Watch and the various widgets can be found on everything from iPad to MacBook.

But that’s the point, right? It’s the in-car iPhone experience that customers have been calling for.

Killing craftmanship

Aston Martin says the majority of its customer base uses iPhones and many of them own multiple cars from multiple brands, so having one familiar infotainment system that can work across them all makes sense.

And anyone used to Apple products will require mere seconds to get used to CarPlay Ultra – it’s all very intuitive, merely requiring a few prods to shuffle back and forth between themes or personalize the set-up.

Key car functionality can now be accessed with fewer hops between menus and there’s no need to interrupt navigation to adjust the climate control, for example. Although Waze and Apple Maps are currently your only choices for navigation duties, with more to follow suit.

Unlike Aston Martin’s clunky infotainment systems of yesteryear, this one will stay as up-to-date as your iPhone does and will seamlessly run all of the CarPlay apps you already enjoy. Siri will even help out with voice commands to reduce distractions further.

But while this is the sort of CarPlay experience I have personally been looking forward to for years, I still can’t help thinking it feels out of place on a $260,000 / £210,545 / AU$439,000 super SUV from the brand that James Bond chooses as his company car.

Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Nissan and more are all next in line for the Apple makeover, and these feel like more suitable matches for the technology. After all, they are more everyday, utilitarian brands with interiors that prioritize function over form (in most cases).

The Aston Martin, on the other hand, feels like it has lost something special by digitizing the entire in-car experience.

Where are the beautifully-crafted dials that feel like luxury timepieces? Where’s the neatly tucked away infotainment display that used to rise out of the hand-stitched dash?

Apple CarPlay Ultra certainly elevates the CarPlay experience, but here, it also inadvertently kills what used to make car interiors feel special.

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