2019 Acura True Touchpad infotainment Review: Necessary overhaul

Information technology took a while, but Acura has finally overhauled its infotainment organisation with something so new it bears no resemblance to what came before it.

If you lot knew someone who drove a Honda in the last couple of years, you may take bemoaned their ability to use something more smartphone-friendly. Given Acura is supposed to be Honda'southward luxury brand, the delay must feel grating. I won't sugarcoat things here. The good news is that True Touchpad is a big step up. The bad news is that information technology's non backward compatible.

I got to test information technology out in the first model to feature True Touchpad, the 2019 RDX compact SUV. Afterward Acura teased information technology on the Auto Show excursion throughout 2018, and so brought information technology to market, the dashboard experience looks totally different. Although I tested the Platinum Aristocracy trim, at that place'south no divergence when information technology comes to infotainment setups, except that the Platinum Elite and A-Spec trims getting a ameliorate audio system.

The nuts

Acura True Touchpad hotspot

The older AcuraLink system used two displays. One showed navigation maps, music and menus, while the other was designed to be the primary control input. A rotary punch acted as a separate, yet connected, input method. You could either touch on or rotate, or both.

As I noted in my review back in 2015, the setup was clunky and lacked an upgrade path to something more than user-friendly. True Touchpad is a deviation from all of that.

Instead of ii screens, in that location's one 10.2-inch display that is not touch-sensitive, but is a significant upgrade. Acura replaced the dial with a touchpad that's somewhat multi-layered. In that location are different sections doubling as buttons to provide some tactile feedback when clicking.

The back and dwelling buttons are fairly obvious, while another on the top right swaps the 2 parts of the display. Rather than take up the entire width, it splits up, where 3-quarters goes to the main interface, while a contextual part occupies the other quarter. Information technology's not an unusual layout, as other automakers accept done something similar. I'll get to the nuances of the buttons subsequently.

The pocket-sized section underneath that button acts as a toggler for the three pieces of data that quarter can show: clock, mapping and music. Swiping or pressing the push button up or down toggles betwixt those options. Press the swap button in a higher place and whichever info is showing occupies the larger piece of real estate on the screen.

CarPlay comes included with the organization, though Android Motorcar is currently unavailable. Apparently, it'southward Google causing the delay, not Acura. Since this is a different input method than most cars, Acura reps told me Google has to approve it before it goes live. When that happens isn't articulate, only either style, Android users won't exist left in the lurch.

Connections and layout

Acura True Touchpad CarPlay

There'due south a dedicated USB port for connecting smartphones, especially for CarPlay and music playback via Truthful Touchpad's menu. Another USB port beneath the heart console is too there for plugging in to accuse. Ditto for the 12-volt socket. The aux-in jack wasn't hard to notice in the centre console.

Bluetooth is standard, and Siri Optics Costless does piece of work in cases where you lot'd rather not go through CarPlay. Long pressing the vocalization button on the steering cycle will bring up Siri in either setup. A brusque press triggers Acura'due south ain phonation assistant, which is pretty basic. The lack of Android Car as well means no Google Banana via Bluetooth with a long press. I assume that might change in one case Android Machine goes live, just I never got a definitive reply from Acura.

The RDX and True Touchpad support LTE for an in-auto Wi-Fi hotspot, but unfortunately, in that location was no data for me to test it with. Acura points customers in AT&T's direction, since buying data packages goes through the American carrier, much like they do with just about every other automaker offering in-machine LTE. Note, however, that you do get a free trial to test out the hotspot before committing.

Somewhat surprisingly, Acura doesn't include a wireless charging pad in the car. Nor does CarPlay work wirelessly, so keeping a cable handy to accuse is necessary.

Rather than using satellite for navigation, the maps are loaded onboard the vehicle — a carryover from the previous system. Maps are and so updated via the cloud, courtesy of the car's built-in SIM. It tin can besides search for points of interest (POIs) that way, though y'all would accept to accept vehicle data sharing when pairing your telephone for the first time to make that work. The data used for all that doesn't count against any bucket you may end upwardly buying.

App integration

Acura RDX AcuraLink app

On its ain, True Touchpad offers no app integration at all. Well, at least for third-political party ones. There's no Stitcher, or Aha, or iHeartRadio, or annihilation else that works directly from the interface itself. You'll need CarPlay or Bluetooth from your phone to exercise that.

Actually, there is SiriusXM, though it's not exactly an app, just an selection within the menu. It'south costless for the first three months, while SiriusXM Travel Link and Traffic Plus data services are complimentary for five years.

The AcuraLink app for iOS and Android works with the RDX, and offers better integration than I previously experienced. I could remote start the car, lock or unlock doors, set cabin temperature, check basic diagnostics, know how much fuel I accept and communicate directly with Acura through information technology. I could also send an address so that turn-past-plow navigation could commencement once I got in.

This AcuraLink setup is carve up from what came before because it'south more than streamlined and better executed. The Discover My Car and Vehicle Monitoring Alerts did work equally advertised, then it's prissy to know in that location's some peace of listen in knowing if a thief (or your teen?) takes off with the auto.

As before, the package comes in 3 different tiers. Security is the starter, and comes free for the kickoff 4 years, generally focused on security and roadside assist. Remote takes those and adds all the app-based features I noted before. Concierge takes things farther with support from a alive agent, who tin help with directions, booking hotels, making dinner reservations and finding events going on in whatsoever city y'all're in.

Remote and Concierge are each 90-day trials, though in social club to go the latter, you have to get the former. Every bit a result, the annual subscription fee could range from $129 to add Remote and all the fashion upward to $359 for the whole shebang. Y'all tin can't buy whatever of these on a monthly basis.

Touchpad

Acura-True Touchpad centre console

The Touchpad has three levels of sensitivity, with Low being the default. I constitute it to exist fairly sensitive already, merely you might feel differently. Swiping left and right to navigate through menu pages, while tracking along to highlight different icons on the card felt finicky at kickoff, just information technology grew on me over the course of the calendar week I had the RDX.

Acura smartly allows owners to rearrange icons equally they delight, making it possible to continue your favourite ones in one folio, and then as to avert swiping all the time. I purposely didn't do it considering I wanted to gauge how effective swiping was.

Before long, I got used to using it with CarPlay. Navigating the interface was relatively painless, except for moments where I was trying to get to a certain icon or option, only to skip past it. Rotary dials tend to be meliorate at that considering of the haptic click you feel with each turn, making it easier to barely look at the screen when using information technology.

Over fourth dimension, I tin come across the Touchpad being a worthy alternative. Information technology may take a little longer to become there, but information technology was surprisingly intuitive. The visual highlights onscreen helped me feel that what I was doing had some synergy to it.

The pad also recognizes letters drawn on it, then if I wanted to look for a place, I could draw out the offset two or iii letters and have it come up up. While skeptical, I was impressed at how easy it was. Information technology wasn't something I would do often, since voice (or a passenger) could practise it more efficiently, but it's a good step forward.

Acura'south voice recognition is decent but I actually but used it for basics, similar tuning radio stations or making calls. There is text and email integration, and information technology's not that bad for texts, though y'all would merely really want to use information technology if yous're an Android user waiting for Android Auto. Siri is still better through CarPlay.

With a heads-up display (HUD) built-in, the True Touchpad arrangement could convert over to it, too. The punch on the steering bike tin can toggle through the HUD carte du jour, letting me choose between audio, navigation, points of involvement and phone calls. Information technology was an interesting way to limit using the Touchpad itself, even if I came away with mixed results.