Duh!
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And another Duh
...it is stripping your experience to Apple only, with the exception of Spotify, if I am not forgetting another one.
Just reading through this thread, so you've probably already been corrected on this (and I just haven't read that far), but Spotify is definitely not the only third party Carplay app. There are numerous radio station apps which work, and of course there's Pandora, Amazon Music, Google Play Music, Slacker, Sirius XM, Tunein Radio, Vox, Clammr... not to mention a whole host of podcast apps such as Castro (my fave), Downcast, Pocket Casts, Stitcher. For Audiobooks, there is an Audiobooks app, plus Audible. Even WhatsApp has a CP application.
So no, Spotify is not the only third party app.
... another "duh"?

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If CarPlay doesn't work any better than the iPod integration I have in my 2014 Accord then I am not interested. Some how Apple seems to think their music app is the only thing anyone would want to listen to on an iPhone. Want to listen to your Audible books? Nope, first you have to deal with your music app launching and playing. OH and sometimes the phone will just go "YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC APP NAO!" right in the middle of listening to something else.
Ugh.
Not sure how your iPod integration works, so I can't compare... but as for how CP works in my Mini, I listen to audiobooks or podcasts or music... I have on-screen controls easily accessible for basic functions such as as "rewind", "forward", "pause" and "stop" - not to mention on-screen controls to return to a menu to select another book (or podcast). I can also easily access the CP "home" screen with a button push, to select another app.
If a call comes in, I can answer (or not) through the on-screen interface, I can mute the call, hang up, make other calls, access my address book, etc. Calls interrupt the app in-progress, but I can ignore it.
Even iMessages pop up on my screen, to which I can reply via voice (or again, I can choose to ignore).
If your iPod does all that via a car head unit (and supporting a 7" display), that's impressive! I'd stick with that for sure.
(note that I'm not trying to be sarcastic with that last sentence, I honestly don't know how well the iPod interface works with the Accord head unit. Honda does some cool things, it could be great)