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I much prefer my $15 iOttie mount. Puts the phone at eye level and I can use the apps I really want (google maps and Spotify). Don't have to plug it in to work either.
 
Part of me is wondering “why now?” for all the car makers to recently add CarPlay as an option to their product line. Has some feature(s) been added or some restrictions that auto makers felt was unreasonable for Apple to demand been removed or modified?
 
I drive a 2017 Mazda CX5 and it is a great value vehicle
I really have no desire for Car Play though, so lack of it never factored in my car choice
If it was retro to the 2017, I might try it out, but honestly it doesn't have any real appeal to me
 
For CP, it also required a ~$50 MFi compliant USB hub/ports that was about a 5 minute swap for the original part (i.e., "minimal hardware needed").

So the USB Ports might actually provide enough power to actually charge the phone when the display is on showing maps. Huzzah! I never understood why they put such low amp usb ports in the Mazda 3. Anytime I need a quick charge I have to unplug the phone from the car, and put in my 12V 2A adapter.
 
I haven't considered a Mazda due to their rusting problems. Do Mazdas still rust prematurely?
 
Mazda is my favorite car maker. Hope to get a new CX-5 with this installed.

Same here. I'm just waiting for my 2007 Mazda 3 with 165K miles on it to need an expensive car repair so I can justify getting rid of it. Damn thing still runs really well!
 
I've rented a few cars with CarPlay, and I have to say I find it frustrating. I understand that it's meant to be a simplified and less distracting interface, but it's laggy enough and the touch screen interfaces have been flakey enough, that I find it more distracting.

I keep thinking I need to just build a landscape iPad dock into my dash that would route power and audio through.

Must be something wrong with the cars you tried. Our BMW works great and it’s also wireless. And before someone thinks CP only works good on expensive cars our Chevy also has CP and it’s fast and lag free.
 
i will agree, Carplay is slightly overrated. i still like having it in my Accord though i dont use it all the time

bluetooth - wireless, instant connection and play when car turns on, worse sound quality

carplay - plug in, no Waze/Gmaps, better sound quality
 
Good grief, it's about time. I bought another car last time (Honda Civic) because it supported CarPlay and no Mazdas did. Since I liked the two cars roughly equally, that was the determining factor. Mazda literally lost a ~$30K car sale because of dragging their feet on this.

Exactly what I said in the other thread. People aren’t going to buy a car ONLY because of CarPlay. But people deciding between two similar cars will often make a decision based on a single feature one has over the other.
 
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Part of me is wondering “why now?” for all the car makers to recently add CarPlay as an option to their product line. Has some feature(s) been added or some restrictions that auto makers felt was unreasonable for Apple to demand been removed or modified?

I have a 2012 Camry. I did want an entertainment system, and Toyota had their new system ‘Entune’. You had to buy their Navagation package to get the full featured (maps and apps) version of Entune, and that was an expensive adder. I don’t remember exactly but it was at least $3000.00. Worst purchase I ever made. As bad as Siri is as a voice command, Entune is much much worse. And the Nav (map) system is run off of a DVD. Want or need updated maps? It will cost you $450.00 for a new DVD. They may have updated even my model year because of how terrible the voice/control/data system for Entune was, but if they did they never sent me a notification about it.

Toyota just recently started offering Car and Android Play.
 
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No it isn't? People still buy sedans, and will likely continue buying sedans after the crossover fad becomes a bad memory.
Depends on where you live (on a global scale). In lots of countries estate versions of a particular car are much more popular than the sedan. And now of course SUV/Crossover or whatever they're called still rise in popularity pretty much everywhere.

Traditionally though Northamerica favors sedans, where Europe prefers hatchbacks.
 
On the contrary, last year they said support was coming so I purchased a Mazda3 in good faith. My mistake it seems.

Unfortunately, I long ago learned the hard way that you have to assume that any tech purchase will come only with the features installed at the time of purchase. Promised additional features or upgrades have a nasty habit of never materializing, poor implementation, or coming so late they are irrelevant.
 
I drive a 2017 Mazda CX5 and it is a great value vehicle
I really have no desire for Car Play though, so lack of it never factored in my car choice
If it was retro to the 2017, I might try it out, but honestly it doesn't have any real appeal to me

I have the '17 cx-5 as well but I'm on the other end of the pendulum on this one for carplay. The included mazda connect nav is a step up from a garmin but still doesn't compare to a real time connected system like with google or apple maps; I think this used to be different before they discontinued connected services. Also, the music playback architecture of the mazda connect is similar to something you'd find in the early 2000s except it has a more modern design.
 
I highly doubt anyone with a Mazda older than 2018 will be able to get it retroactively loaded. Mazda is in the business of selling cars, with probably very little concern of older vehicles.

Yeah this burns me up a bit. I have a 2016 CX-5 and would love to have the upgrade but I know I'll never see it.
 
Well that only took a good 4 years. I'm hoping they actually have an upgrade program for older models that they had been promising was only a few months away every 6 months. AFAIK they are still using the same mazda connect system.
 
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I have the '17 cx-5 as well but I'm on the other end of the pendulum on this one for carplay. The included mazda connect nav is a step up from a garmin but still doesn't compare to a real time connected system like with google or apple maps; I think this used to be different before they discontinued connected services. Also, the music playback architecture of the mazda connect is similar to something you'd find in the early 2000s except it has a more modern design.

Oh, I agree, it isn't great
But I still use my phone for whatever navigation I need, and usually my wife is in the car and using Waze if needed (which is almost never)
And I never turn on the radio or music anyway
 
I loved everything about my Mazda 6 except the abysmal Infotainment and lack of Carplay.

A couple months ago, I got hit by a dump truck, totalling the car. (I came out fine.)

I Googled "best sedan Carplay" that afternoon. Bought a Genesis the next day, and 'tis my favorite car ever.

If not for that failing, I would have been a Mazda customer for life.
 
I was really excited about CarPlay when it came out but I was a little disappointed it just seem like it's half done and I am waiting for it to get better. I used it a lot in the beginning but now I hardly use it. Apple has a lot of products coming out that seem to be half done.
 
Good grief, it's about time. I bought another car last time (Honda Civic) because it supported CarPlay and no Mazdas did. Since I liked the two cars roughly equally, that was the determining factor. Mazda literally lost a ~$30K car sale because of dragging their feet on this.
You paid about 30k for a Civic?
 
You paid about 30k for a Civic?
Loaded Touring, final bill was close to $30K with everything (a bit under that though). This was in early 2016 when it was a brand new car model, it was in high demand so not a lot of big discounts to be had.
 
I have one. I love it.
same here I did my research and narrowed down to the Mazda 6 and Subaru. Subaru lost in part because at least I could play music wirelessly to Mazda connect and I liked how it drove better. its a 2016 so at least I can do the retrofit if it comes. I have been pleased now with the Mazda 6 as per the reviews I read before buying.
 
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