- First Name
- Hal
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2022
- Threads
- 4
- Messages
- 62
- Reaction score
- 60
- Location
- Appleton, WI
- Vehicle(s)
- Buick Reatta, Ford Ranger, Subaru Forester
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
- Thread starter
- #1
This thread is about a couple of specific comments/questions, but the 1600 mile round trip for the recent solar eclipse brought them to the point of posting. The eclipse itself was most excellent from the vantage point in northern Arkansas. Much positive to be said about the location and lots of nice people welcoming us.
The first comment is the forward safety systems being shut down in weather that causes buildup on the front of the truck. Leaving home in WI for the first part of the trip was 200 miles without cruise or the collision avoidance operational. An annoyance, understandable, but annoying. Conditions were just right for snow/slush buildup on the front end but the driving conditions were no worse than a drizzling rain. Once you get used to a feature, it's hard when it is missing. Related to that, and prompted by recent hybrid tank filling and mileage; the trip mileage was terrible with a substantial headwind. Winds were strong (15-30mph) with much higher gusts, and almost always headwinds. It is pretty obvious the aero of the truck is not the best. Average mileage for the round trip was 30.6 indicated, 28.9 calculated. Distance divided by time calculated to just shy of 69mph average, so it is better than any previous vehicle I have owned. For the few times the winds were relatively light, indicated mileage jumped back to mid-high 30's. Also the Mav is a great traveling companion.
The one area that is a great annoyance, is the infotainment system performance. I have the Sync3 and have been trying to figure out if the whole system has a random glitch or if apps like Waze is a communication issue or do the apps themselves fritz out on their own? It isn't only Waze, Apple and Google maps have trouble too. Cell phone coverage? Seems odd when 5G is indicated onscreen? Wireless adapter? Breaks down at truly annoying times. I am now starting to think it is a Sync system problem since it sometimes loses Sirius radio (satelite?) at the same time and defaults to the home screen. From previous issues, I had an old Garmin running as well. That is pretty bulletproof even though a bit out of date. From everything I see online including the tutorials available, when Carplay is active, the native nav system is offline, so that is not an option as a backup either. Grrr. Is there a GPS based nav that will interface with the factory system without disabling the other good features of Carplay?
If you made it this far in this grab bag of observations/whining, thank you, and any suggestions appreciated.
The first comment is the forward safety systems being shut down in weather that causes buildup on the front of the truck. Leaving home in WI for the first part of the trip was 200 miles without cruise or the collision avoidance operational. An annoyance, understandable, but annoying. Conditions were just right for snow/slush buildup on the front end but the driving conditions were no worse than a drizzling rain. Once you get used to a feature, it's hard when it is missing. Related to that, and prompted by recent hybrid tank filling and mileage; the trip mileage was terrible with a substantial headwind. Winds were strong (15-30mph) with much higher gusts, and almost always headwinds. It is pretty obvious the aero of the truck is not the best. Average mileage for the round trip was 30.6 indicated, 28.9 calculated. Distance divided by time calculated to just shy of 69mph average, so it is better than any previous vehicle I have owned. For the few times the winds were relatively light, indicated mileage jumped back to mid-high 30's. Also the Mav is a great traveling companion.
The one area that is a great annoyance, is the infotainment system performance. I have the Sync3 and have been trying to figure out if the whole system has a random glitch or if apps like Waze is a communication issue or do the apps themselves fritz out on their own? It isn't only Waze, Apple and Google maps have trouble too. Cell phone coverage? Seems odd when 5G is indicated onscreen? Wireless adapter? Breaks down at truly annoying times. I am now starting to think it is a Sync system problem since it sometimes loses Sirius radio (satelite?) at the same time and defaults to the home screen. From previous issues, I had an old Garmin running as well. That is pretty bulletproof even though a bit out of date. From everything I see online including the tutorials available, when Carplay is active, the native nav system is offline, so that is not an option as a backup either. Grrr. Is there a GPS based nav that will interface with the factory system without disabling the other good features of Carplay?
If you made it this far in this grab bag of observations/whining, thank you, and any suggestions appreciated.
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