Honda says Apple CarPlay coming standard on 2018 Accord 2.0T, optional on other trims

AppleInsider

Honda has announced that the 2018 Accord, launching this fall, will once again offer Apple's CarPlay, which allows iPhone owners to bridge Siri and select apps with a car's dash interface.

CarPlay -- and Android Auto -- will come standard on the 2.0T trim, and optional with the 1.5T and Hybrid, Honda said. Vehicles equipped with the technology will have 8-inch Display Audio touchscreens.

Honda's own dash interface will offer "smartphone-like" features, such as customizable app tiles and homescreen shortcuts. The touchscreen will also have physical volume and tuning knobs.

Other tech options will include wireless charging, automatic Bluetooth pairing for NFC devices, and LTE/Wi-Fi connections.

Honda already supports CarPlay on 2016 and 2017 models of the Accord.

On Monday the company also began rolling out the 2018 Fit. The Fit was previously a conspicuous gap in Honda's CarPlay support, being one of the automaker's most popular lines. Indeed the technology is still missing from the car's base trim.

ktappe

It makes no sense to make something like this "optional". 

Dumb.

zroger73

Something seems "off" here. Historically, Honda have not offered "options" in the traditional sense except for certain cases where navigation, Honda Sensing, or summer tires (Si) are available as a factory option. Even in this case, vehicles so equipped are given unique model names such as "EX-L WITH NAVIGATION".

For Honda to offer the same model and trim level with and without CP/AA would would be unusual. Perhaps they will be offering a "tech package" in the style of Acura.

williamh

zroger73 said:

Something seems "off" here. Historically, Honda have not offered "options" in the traditional sense except for certain cases where navigation, Honda Sensing, or summer tires (Si) are available as a factory option. Even in this case, vehicles so equipped are given unique model names such as "EX-L WITH NAVIGATION".

For Honda to offer the same model and trim level with and without CP/AA would would be unusual. Perhaps they will be offering a "tech package" in the style of Acura.

The press release linked in the article doesn't really explain how CarPlay will be made available.  The chart in the release suggests to me it will be part of one of the current standard packages, like part of the Navi package or something.  Whatever you do Honda, FOR GOD'S SAKE GET RID OF THE IN-HOUSE DEVELOPED CRAP!  I will never again pay for the garbage that is the navigation on the 2016 Odyssey.  Can you imagine that in vehicles that actually have a touch screen, you need to enter an address by turning a knob to choose letters?  Having results come up that are thousands of miles away from where you want to go is a clever way to get people using the car more, right?  You might think making it horrible to use is a trick to prevent using it while driving.  No, it's disabled while driving.  Make Carplay standard!

schlack

It's gonna come with EX and above trims most likely. Honda doesn't offer options like other car manufacturers do. They just have multiple take it or leave it trims (LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, Touring, etc.)

nht

I've been looking at retrofits to get CarPlay on a 2016 Accord Sport.  Got the Sport but would have paid for a Sport model of the EX since I wasn't going to pay for Touring.

Honda is very annoying at times.

macxpress

ktappe said:

It makes no sense to make something like this "optional". 

Dumb.

I'm going to assume its only optional because it requires a radio with a larger screen. Some vehicles still don't come with radios with larger screens, or even a screen period. You can't use CarPlay with a radio that only has a 3.5" screen. I would assume it needs to be at least 5 or inches. 

mdriftmeyer

What makes no sense to me is the hybrid costs considerably more but you don't get CarPlay built-in. That's asinine.

zroger73

sog35 said:

What I don't understand is why car companies do put a DECENT multi-touch screen?

They are still using dung screens.  The 2016 Accord has those dung screens where you can't use pinch to zoom or other gestures on Apple Maps.  It sucks.  And how much does a decent screen cost?  $40?  Ridiculous.

$40 x 350,000 Accords = 14 million dollars per year

Automotive touch-screens are also expected to work in sub-freezing temperatures and after the vehicle has been parked in the hot, desert sun all day and the interior reaches 150°F or more for more than a decade and hundreds of thousands of miles - far more extreme conditions for a much longer period of time than an iPad will ever see.

wood1208

During 2016-17, midsize car market didn't do well compare to their cross over SUVs but Honds's 2018 Accord might attract new buyers compare to Toyota's 2018 Camry. One big selling point for Accord vs Camry is support of Apple's CarPlay(and androidauto). Hope, Honda change mind and offer Carplay in every trim/model level including LX. Carplay software feature once implemented in one model doesn't cost extra in other models. Side comment, Toyota,wake up and look around what your competitors are doing !!!!

robertwalter

Honda has played games with its roll out of CarPlay. As 2016 Honda Fit owners, in 2015 we were baited into waiting and to buy our 2016 car when both several dealers and Honda corporate in California indicated the 2016 would get a backwards firmware update. Later Honda decided it wouldn’t offer backward updates giving various reasons as justification. Honda is basically trying to recover the income they made from their lousy Navi system and more by making, what other OEMs made standard in their cheapest cars, an optional feature tied to their premium display sound system. Honda used to be an honest ethical company. Seems not so much like it any more. Oh and the Honda link system is basically schite.

robertwalter

wood1208 said:

During 2016-17, midsize car market didn't do well compare to their cross over SUVs but Honds's 2018 Accord might attract new buyers compare to Toyota's 2018 Camry. One big selling point for Accord vs Camry is support of Apple's CarPlay(and androidauto). Hope, Honda change mind and offer Carplay in every trim/model level including LX. Carplay software feature once implemented in one model doesn't cost extra in other models. Side comment, Toyota,wake up and look around what your competitors are doing !!!!

Honda is basically leveraging CarPlay by holding it hostage trying to force an up sell.

big kc

Even notoriously cheap Volkswagen includes CarPlay & Android Auto at ALL trim levels. This is a bad move by Honda IMHO.

6502

Just got a 2017 Ford Fusion that has Ford's own Sync 3 and CarPlay. Will probably never use CarPlay; it's not wireless (have to remember to plug it in every time) and doesn't offer all that much more than Sync does. Sync's maps are pinch to zoom, CarPlay maps (Apple maps) are not (have to hit + or - buttons). Also can't control the radio (Sirius) from CarPlay so have to exit back to Sync if not using the steering wheel buttons. Still haven't played too much with either yet.

fallenjt

sog35 said:

What I don't understand is why car companies do put a DECENT multi-touch screen?

They are still using dung screens.  The 2016 Accord has those dung screens where you can't use pinch to zoom or other gestures on Apple Maps.  It sucks.  And how much does a decent screen cost?  $40?  Ridiculous.

BMW can. My F15 X5 has it, but not all apps are multi-touched.

wood1208

6502 said:

Just got a 2017 Ford Fusion that has Ford's own Sync 3 and CarPlay. Will probably never use CarPlay; it's not wireless (have to remember to plug it in every time) and doesn't offer all that much more than Sync does. Sync's maps are pinch to zoom, CarPlay maps (Apple maps) are not (have to hit + or - buttons). Also can't control the radio (Sirius) from CarPlay so have to exit back to Sync if not using the steering wheel buttons. Still haven't played too much with either yet.

Carplay can be very valuable if implemented correctly/seamlessly with car's infotainment system. And wirelessly(Wifi or Bluetooth) connecting phone's carplay/androidauto, Apps to infotainment system is also a step in right direction. Customer who is using phone's map or other apps like message, music should be able to mirror/project on car's infotainment system and use them on car's larger screen like using on phone..

blatzman

Settle down people.  CarPlay is on 13 of the 15 trim levels.  Only the LX 1.5 and the base hybrid trim don't have it.  Should Honda not make less expensive options available to people who don't want to pay for it? That being said the infotainment system in my 2016 Pilot Elite is garbage and barely usable.  I really wish Honda followed what the other auto makers are doing and made CarPlay available as an update for the Display Audio units.  That would cover EX and above trim levels of the Pilot.  They've put out some BS line that it needs to be installed at the factory and it's hardware incompatible with the 2016 model.  I don't mind paying for an upgrade as it provides more value to the car.  People have purchased the 2017 head unit and installed in the 2016 car and it works. It's supposedly also the same head unit with same processor, just with the different software.  Alternately, if Honda came out and just said they're not making a CarPlay update available for the Pilot because they don't want to I'd have more respect for them.  

vmarks

6502 said:

Just got a 2017 Ford Fusion that has Ford's own Sync 3 and CarPlay. Will probably never use CarPlay; it's not wireless (have to remember to plug it in every time) and doesn't offer all that much more than Sync does. Sync's maps are pinch to zoom, CarPlay maps (Apple maps) are not (have to hit + or - buttons). Also can't control the radio (Sirius) from CarPlay so have to exit back to Sync if not using the steering wheel buttons. Still haven't played too much with either yet.

Sync 3 gets to pick the hardware it runs on. CarPlay has to be adaptable to all kinds of hardware from different mfrs with resistive screens of varying quality. Pinch zoom may not work satisfyingly well on all of those, so Apple chooses the method that will work reliably well - buttons, in the same size and location across all manufacturer's implementations.

vmarks

blatzman said:

Settle down people.  CarPlay is on 13 of the 15 trim levels.  Only the LX 1.5 and the base hybrid trim don't have it.  Should Honda not make less expensive options available to people who don't want to pay for it? That being said the infotainment system in my 2016 Pilot Elite is garbage and barely usable.  I really wish Honda followed what the other auto makers are doing and made CarPlay available as an update for the Display Audio units.  That would cover EX and above trim levels of the Pilot.  They've put out some BS line that it needs to be installed at the factory and it's hardware incompatible with the 2016 model.  I don't mind paying for an upgrade as it provides more value to the car.  People have purchased the 2017 head unit and installed in the 2016 car and it works. It's supposedly also the same head unit with same processor, just with the different software.  Alternately, if Honda came out and just said they're not making a CarPlay update available for the Pilot because they don't want to I'd have more respect for them.  

CarPlay is an app that runs on the headunit. That means they need to have a way to enter that app when the phone is connected (not necessarily connected by wire, since we now have wireless carplay). CarPlay runs on QNX and Linux based headunits. Provided the Display Audio units are running one of those operating systems with current hardware, there's no real reason for CarPlay to be impossible as an update. When CarPlay is connected, you turn off the BT handsfree profile and do audio over the wire / CarPlay connection. Maybe they just don't see the point, and figured issuing the BS line was easier than figuring out how to distribute a software update. Honda has an anecdotal history of bricking head units at the dealer, it's possible they didn't want the headache.

vmarks

It looks like the 2016 Honda Pilot is using a unit made for Honda by Clarion, running android 4.2.2 as its base OS. They then run a whitelist service to prevent the installation of apks. It's possible that they need to be using android 5 or 6 in order to do CarPlay properly, and it's possible that the 2017-2018 units that do CarPlay look outwardly identical but are different under the covers. IIRC, Android Auto requires Android 5.x, not 4.2.2. CarPlay predated Android Auto by not much, so I'd expect similar requirements.