[scottbez1]

Hmm this is really different than my experience with a 2018 Crosstrek, so maybe things have changed? When I bought it, Subaru was among the earlier CarPlay/Android Auto adopters (we specifically ruled out a new model year Prius because it lacked it and we couldn't wait a year to replace our totaled car just for CarPlay/AA), and other than a very rare issue where the head unit screen doesn't turn on, it's been pretty rock solid with both phone OSes.

Environmental controls are all physical hardware, CarPlay/AA is integrated well, etc; I can't really complain about any UX in the car.

The only UX gripe I can think of is that Apple doesn't let you use natural touch inputs to pan/zoom a map (instead forcing you to tap to bring up on-screen d-pad, then keep tapping the tiny button targets while trying to keep an eye on the road), but that's entirely on Apple; Android Auto allows normal 2 finger pan/zoom, so it's not a Subaru problem.

[indymike]

I have a 2018 Crosstrek and a 2024 Outback. They both are really, really, good, and here are the two rough edges.

* Crosstrek doesn't do wireless CP/AA, and the USB only supplies 1.5a, so it sometimes isn't enough to charge the phone while listening to music and navigating. This is a common problem in 2018 vehicles. USB-C had not conquered the world yet.

* Outback has a big screen. The only complaint is that it is too aggressive, telling users no because the vehicle is moving. Passenger operating the touch screen is a thing, and nothing is worse than having to pull over so someone can change a setting. Also, it is a very bad experience to be going 70MPH, tap a button, and be told no - will be interesting to see if this causes accidents where people momentarily stop paying attention to the road because they are raging to the touch screen.

One thing that is really nice about Subaru is that the controls just evolve a little from model year to model year. When I got the Outback, there were only a few buttons that had moved to get used to. Aside from climate control, almost everything has buttons, and most of the time, they are on a stalk or steering wheel.

There is no cure for digital privacy in any modern car. And there is no consumer choice to enable or disable data sharing. We need some legislative intervention here.

[wildzzz]

I noticed that too with CarPlay. Trying to pan around in Waze is impossible but doing it in Android Auto is very easy. The one nice thing about CarPlay Waze is that it allows keyboard input, Android Auto (at least in my Subaru) only allows for speech to text when searching locations.

[syndeo]

It's something about how they have it configured. I have a '17 Honda Civic and its built-in CarPlay lets me pan and scroll just fine. However, on my '23 Ascent, I have to tap arrows to pan the map, and vertical "scrolling" is actually just pagination. Same iPhone, different behavior. It must be some simple config toggle on Subaru's end that they left off for whatever reason.

[floydnoel]

i believe it is related to the capabilities of the touch screen itself. something like "if no multi-touch available, fall back to the pan/scroll interface" makes sense to me.

[lfshammu]

2018 is the last year some Subaru models had non-terrible head units. The iPad style vertically oriented screen are the problematic type.

Physical controls are gone, the UX is terrible, and the hardware is underpowered post 2018.

[marcellus23]

> that's entirely on Apple

CarPlay supports pan gestures based on configuration provided to it by the car maker. This is entirely on Subaru for misconfiguring their CarPlay integration.