i guess the true test will be in the winter where my 2017 info screen would reboot several times when the temp dipped -10'C or lower
2022 CX-5 Improvements
- Thread starter MX693
- Start date
have you tried voice commands?
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- 2022 2.5GT
I’ve fiddled with the control on all the high end vehicles and only the BMWs come close as they are similar. Mazda have got it right by not having a touch screen because how ever clever the operator thinks they are, you can’t touch a screen without taking concentration from driving - it’s impossible. As for inputting information, it only takes a small amount of practice to operate the command knob just as quick as touch while in motion.
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- 2022 CX-5 Pref
Respectfully I disagree. Takes less time to reach out and touch a word or an icon than it does watching that little box dance around the screen as you use the wheel to try to find the right icon or text to click. That knob is awful with Carplay.
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- Canada
I'm with @Anchorman on this one. For me, the muscle memory of turning a knob with detents and keeping the screen in my peripheral is much easier than looking at the screen and reaching up to touch a button on the screen, mostly because I have to focus more attention on the screen to make sure I'm touching the right button. But to be fair, I don't use AA or ACP. When I'm driving, I only operate the screen when I want to switch from FM radio to Bluetooth, or when I want to call someone on my Favorites list.
I love the knob as well, and prefer it for < 90% of the things I use the infotainment for. I don't use it for Android Auto or Carplay and honestly don't get the craze over those 2 things. The CX-5 is the first car I've owned with AA and I'd much rather use my large screen phone for navigation in portrait mode. Any other music (or video) apps I want to use on my phone is already linked to the car speakers through Bluetooth so... what's the point of AA again?
The knob is NOT great for navigation if that's what you use it for. Tried it once with AA by plugging in my phone and it's absolutely awful to interact with Google Maps/Nav.
The knob is NOT great for navigation if that's what you use it for. Tried it once with AA by plugging in my phone and it's absolutely awful to interact with Google Maps/Nav.
Interesting.... I find AA to be an amazing innovation. I immediately replaced the headunit in my '20 Frontier to add one with AA. The interface is so quick and easy to use. Just hit the voice command button on the steering wheel and tell it where you want to go. The music interface is so much better as well. I love having the album covers and artist info on the split screen in my CX-5 along with WAZE. Can't wait for the Coolwalk update so my Frontier will also have the split screen.
Maybe with a touchscreen AA isn't so bad. It's just not a great interface with Mazda's control knob. They built the knob to use with their menu structure only, and with that it works great.
But for simple navigation interactions in AA, zooming & or panning are annoying or unusable, I couldn't get beyond that point. I suppose if I just needed turn by turn directions it'd be ok, but I like to check my entire route & surrounding area for red spots/accidents before I even start driving (zooming/panning). Or sometimes I just want to see what other stores & restaurants are around me. I can do that in a few seconds on my phone, whereas in AA it takes FOREVER.
Zooming is ok, it's just annoying to have to scroll through to get to zoom before I can zoom. But if I'm zooming, I'm panning as well.. And panning with the control knob in AA is a level of technological hell I didn't know existed today. It feels like using 15-year old tech - painfully slow and doesn't work half the time. That's a hard no for me.
Agreed. I don't look around as you do before my drive. Just enter the route and go. Sometimes I change the route (which isn't bad using the knob IMHO) if I want to use back roads, but I don't typically look for places along the way. I can understand if you are used to the way the phone works it would be frustrating. You can speak to AA and ask it to look for restaurants or whatever you need, but I don't know about while you are already on the drive.
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- 2022 2.5GT
The wheel moves the cursor from top left to bottom right and with fine increments you can fast track over every possible target lightning fast. On top of that you can nudge in all four directions. I don’t know if it’s a matter of use but I think I could beat any attempt at touching a screen. Just my opinion
cx5boo333
2021 Cx5 GT AWD
Agreed, I love barely looking at the screen and just knowing the knob so everything is effortless, apple carplay included which I use mostly
Everything except panning the map/navigation screen lol. Y'all must not do as much panning as me, or any panning? Panning is super slow vs a touchscreen. It makes the map/nav completely
useless for me.
It literally takes a split second to swipe a touchscreen left, right, up or down for panning. Whereas the knob makes it 10X more difficult. That's if it responds at all, it's hit or miss at times... Unless mine is just broken.
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cx5boo333
2021 Cx5 GT AWD
It is way less functional for panning, but that's just one thing that you can do before you even get in the car lol
Yes I do that before I drive. But I also like to have the option to quickly swipe/pan while I drive too. Situations come up all the time while driving.. Came up on an accident last week, and I want to see if the side/back roads were red or congested on the map. The turn was coming up for the side/back roads, there was ample time to check, but I COULD NOT zoom/pan out in time with the control knob. Would've taken literally 3 seconds or less on a touchscreen (or my phone).
Another time.. Google navigation wanted to take me down an unpaved rough-looking road to a friend's house (rural roads). I know the CX-5 can handle it, but no thanks, I'll drive around it.. don't feel like going down a creepy dark dirt road in a wooded area. But of course I couldn't zoom/pan out QUICKLY to check what other roads I could take. So I had to pull over, unplug my phone, and use my phone's touchscreen as it was intended to be used to find my alternate route. Doing ALL OF THAT was quicker than using the control knob.
Never again am I using AA for maps & nav. I love the control knob for the Mazda menus & audio controls, it's perfect for that. But for maps & nav, it's just a fish out of water and I hope it dies a painful death lol.
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- 2022 2.5GT
I do agree but that is exactly what Mazda want to discourage because if you are hunting for a diversion you aren’t looking where you’re going. I’m an old fashioned fart who thinks smart phones should be automatically disabled unless connected to basic controls on a screen with hard keys on the steering wheel. Everything else done by voice. Too many people get consumed by media devices while driving. Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino is my hero
In general I agree with Mazda. But every situation has different needs as well, and I tend to be mindful of not getting distracted when driving either. But the 2 situations I mentioned were 1) in stop 'n go traffic with A LOT of time on the brakes, and 2) absolutely no cars around (rural roads).. where taking 1-3 seconds to swipe/zoom out of the nav screen is not a cause for alarm or danger to anyone around me at all.I do agree but that is exactly what Mazda want to discourage because if you are hunting for a diversion you aren’t looking where you’re going. I’m an old fashioned fart who thinks smart phones should be automatically disabled unless connected to basic controls on a screen with hard keys on the steering wheel. Everything else done by voice. Too many people get consumed by media devices while driving. Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino is my hero
I'm not a big media person myself, I'm an old fart too and 90% of the time I just use the infotainment screen to monitor my fuel economy while I drive lol. I don't interact with my phone or infotainment screen at all if there's a lot of traffic and everyone's traveling along at normal speeds. But there are plenty of scenarios (like the 2 I listed) where having that ability to quickly interact with the Nav screen is actually just safer than operating the control knob IMO.
In Georgia anyway, you can get a ticket for touching the phone while the car isn't parked. There are so many accidents caused by distracted drivers. The infotainment systems themselves are also to blame IMHO.
Or, you can use the My Mazda app to search for the destination and then send it to the car. Takes only a few seconds to look, find and send.
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- 2022 CX-5 Turbo
Didn't know that. Thanks. This could be useful.Or, you can use the My Mazda app to search for the destination and then send it to the car. Takes only a few seconds to look, find and send.
