Autopian: Acadia’s Infotainment Screen Is So Good All Cars Should Copy It

When discussing the current state of automotive interiors, Valley GMC wants you to consider cars from about 25 – 30 years ago. Back then, you could hop from one car to an entirely different car from a different manufacturer and have no trouble figuring everything out. The controls may have been finished differently, but they generally were in the same place and operated in the same way. That was the good part.

The flip side is the limitations of these vehicles. Your music choices were likely limited to CDs or whatever was playing on the radio. At best, you had an auxiliary jack that would let you connect to a headphone jack from an iPod or similar device, but then you had to control everything from that device, so safety became an issue. We were all starting to get cell phones then, but using them in the car became a significant safety concern. Navigation was likely to be in the form of incorrectly refolded maps in the glove box.

Goodbye Buttons, Hello Touchscreens

As cars started to have more capabilities, such as hands-free phone use, multiple audio inputs, navigation, and other technologies, there had to be controls to operate them all. Dashboards started looking like airline cockpits and threatened to require as much training to master. Touchscreens were the necessary answer to handle all these controls. Now, you had a control panel that could change screens for each system on specialized controls for each. Unfortunately, shifting from system to system can be cumbersome. Saving a radio station may have once meant pressing and holding a pre-set button. With a touchscreen, it could involve bringing up the audio menu, choosing radio as the source, pressing a save station button, and finally choosing the pre-select number for the station.

Then there is this other thing. Automakers figured out that developing code for control was much less expensive than designing and building a button for it. Manufacturers trying to impress you with their minimalist designs by leaving everything to the screen are actually just saving some interior design dollars.

Acadia Calls on Google

Perhaps this is why when automotive site Autopian recently sampled a 2024 GMC Acadia, they devoted an entire article to how well they believe its infotainment system works. 

The Acadia has a very large 15-inch screen, but Autopian points out that its size is secondary to how well it operates. GMC’s secret is that they didn’t design it. Instead, they deferred the interface to Google, which has considerable expertise in this area. The Google Built-in system operating the Acadia infotainment system is far more intuitive and responsive than the model’s previous system and most other vehicles. 

It also means you have the world’s favorite navigation system, Google Maps, in your car even if you left your phone on the kitchen table. Google Assistant is also on hand for the voice command system, which is more intuitive and responsive than you have likely experienced in other vehicles. While it is a Google system, you can still use your Apple CarPlay® or Android Auto™ interface if you prefer. In fact, the system makes that easier by enabling a wireless connection for either.

The big screen leaves plenty of room for permanent climate control at its bottom. At the very bottom of the screen is a bank of the most common climate functions, which can be engaged by touching them directly or by the corresponding physical buttons below. In this same space is a big can’t-miss volume knob because there is still no better way to adjust the volume. Autopian praised another set of physical controls: “Next to the driver is another button bank allowing you to change drive mode and AWD settings on the fly. These are real, tactile switches, too, yet they don’t spoil the nice interior.”

The site wasn’t entirely without complaints. There are a few additional functions that they would like to see physical controls for, but they sum up by saying: “I would love more automakers to follow GMC’s lead here.”

Plenty of factors lead to vehicle satisfaction, but cabin controls are at or near the top because they are the primary manner in which you interact with your vehicle daily. Test drive an Acadia at Valley GMC and see if you agree with Autopian’s opinion that all vehicle infotainment systems should work this well.