I have used and liked CarPlay and was put off by tesl not having it... until I tried Tesla’s. CarPlay is essential for routing around the horrible crap put out by most carmakers but the Tesla ui is awesome. It’s big, it’s fast, and it’s 100% focused on automotive use. I’d still like the option, but I can’t say I miss it.

Second this. I love Android Auto. But I love my Model 3 UI more.

I'm picking you to reply to, but several people noted they like the Tesla UI -- but none of the people I know IRL do. That's interesting.

What Tesla does is kind of irrelevant to us, though, since we're a 1-car family, and need to retain the ability to take long trips in areas with poor charger concentration. IOW, if we had 2 cars, one could definitely be a Tesla, but we don't need 2 cars.

Though I wouldn't mind CarPlay in my Model 3, the custom system Tesla has is just as good, or better than it. It is generations ahead of anything built into other vehicles, even luxury ones.

I also LOVE CarPlay, however I'm baffled as to why more manufacturers don't equip the wireless CarPlay option. I have it in my daily driver, and it's so nice to be able to leave my phone in my pocket, or toss it on the wireless charging mat, and still have CarPlay work perfectly. But my brand new truck only has the wired option:(

That sounds cool, but I also find that for any drive over 10-15 minutes, it's probably a good time to top off the battery, and so the tethering doesn't bother me.

But I get what you're saying.

I can second this. I've used both CarPlay and Android Auto in my Golf R, and compared to a few rentals I've driven recently its amazing how much better VW is at this.

Beyond just the normal controls (which can sometimes be hit or miss once you're in CarPlay/AndroidAuto mode) the extra little functionalities you notice are amazing. A good example is when using Google Maps I can zoom in/out by just pinching the touchscreen in the car, or I can use the physical dial (normally for changing radio stations) to control the zoom level, or scroll through selections. If you change contexts, what the physical dial control change along with them, and its really slick once you get used to it.

Heh. My VW is a GTI, so we have the same system.

I didn't know until I saw it in my ex-sister-in-law's Alfa, but apparently there ARE CarPlay implementations that don't have touchscreens. That makes it much less easy, though still better than any automaker's.

I suggest you actually try the Tesla UI. It puts every other automaker's system to utter shame so you shouldn't be lumping it in with the others. It's at the level of CarPlay, if not better.