Matthew DeBord/BI
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- Kia has developed a blissfully simple infotainment interface and central console for its vehicles.
- The setup favors buttons, knobs, and switches.
- I think it's the best in the industry.
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As much as I admire Tesla's Model 3 and its radical elimination of most buttons, knobs, switches, and gauges - placing them instead in a central touchscreen interface - I've also dealt with enough similar system to know that they're a mixed bag.
A very mixed bag. In Chevys, Cadillacs, and Fords, the touchscreen-heavy controls work well. But in Lexuses, not so much. Mazda is behind the times. And in Jaguars, Land Rovers, and Range Rovers, while the system looks up-to-date, its performance is woeful. Several automakers also use a combination of screen and touchpad interface, like a laptop. These are often quite tricky to use.
Luckily, I'll always have Kia.
The automaker's setup reminds me of the former standard-setter, Honda, whose vehicles for many years featured controls that were always where they should be and that were intuitive to use.
Let's take a closer look at the arrangement on a Kia Telluride that I recently test drove: