Kia UVO: Mainstream Infotainment In The 2012 Soul

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sp0nger

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This seems super basic to me..

I see what you did there kia, but as a reader of toms i would be much more interested in you inspecting the tech around more advanced systems in higher end cars
 

sp0nger

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On second thought i would love to see your break down of the new GTR those systems are insane, thats worthy of a 10 page read
 

tuanies

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Thanks for the input. We're working on bringing coverage of higher end vehicles and have a 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track and Audi Q5 with NVIDIA Tegra and QNX in the pipeline.
 



Genesis Coupe's are nice.

Come on ya'll should do a Morning or Matiz. Or heck review a tricked out Daewoo Damas, just for kicks.
 

Parrdacc

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Amazing that car companies like Ford and KIA and others are just now doing this. Meanwhile all us car enthusiasts have had most of these capabilities for years now. I have had hondas with head units like JVC and Alpine that do the same thing. The current JVC I got four years back is running strong with Bluetooth connection to my phone with voice, GPS, Voice navigation and recognition, usb mp3 playback, ipod connection, which I do not use as I find just plugging in a usb to the front of the player just easier than the running a cable to the ipod.

Well, welcome to the party Ford and KIA.
 

Parrdacc

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Oh, on more thing. A 4.3inch display. Really. I got a 7" display thats touchscreen and that was without any custom work done. The KIA appears to have a double din which should be more than capable of using a 7" inch touchscreen, or at least one that is larger than 4.3 inches, so why they went this route I do not know. A buddy of mine has got a Nissan with a factory radio and his display is about 6".
 

willard

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Ugh, Kia. I owned a Kia once. Took $5k in engine repairs over three years to keep it on the road. Blew two head gaskets, three thermostats went out, radiator failed once. The front end CV joints are bad about going out on most of their older cars as well (I went through three), and good luck if you need to replace a wheel bearing (which also like to go out on the front end). Need a special Kia service tool to do it, which they don't sell and no mechanic has except Kia dealerships. Enjoy your $400 repairs you could have done yourself for $50 if they just used standard tools.

Kia costs less up front, but WAY more in maintenance. Buy a Hyundai if you're looking for a quality car on the cheap. They don't fall apart on you like Kias do.
 
Picked up a Hyundai for my wife a few years ago and love it (well... for the price anyways... it is no VW). I am now looking for a commuter car for myself and am looking at KIA (which is the cheaper Hyundai brand). I had been wondering about their UVO system because I am thinking about a Rio5 which also has this as an option. It dosn't seem that great, but it is good to know that what is there works solid (other than the texting issues), so perhaps I will spring for it when the time comes to jump on it.

Can you select a playlist instead of an individual song? or is it too basic for that?
 

tuanies

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Unfortunately that's how all new cars are unless you get a convertible.



Vehicle manufacturers work on a longer development cycle. This stuff has to be planned at least 5-years before the product hits a production vehicle for QA and a lot more testing than aftermarket manufacturers.

5-years ago I had a Pioneer AVIC F700BT, and a F500BT a year later, it did all of that but the UI was awfully slow (ran Windows CE), extremely buggy but the Parrot Bluetooth wasn't too bad. All current factory systems are a major upgrade from older after market systems.



I'd say its about the size of a double DIN. A 7-inch touchscreen would have probably fit but then it would take up the entire space of the area leaving no room for buttons. The 4.3-inch is perfectly adequate for your music and media playback. If it had navigation, then yes a minimum 6-inch is a must IMO.

New 2013 Nissan Altima's are shipping with 7-inch displays with Intel Atom :), I'm really looking forward to that!




Not sure which Kia you had. The early Sephia's with the 1.8L are Mazda/Ford I4s. The current ones share the same powertrain as Hyundai. The 4-cylinder being used now, including the GDI Turbo is a global motor design shared with Mitsubishi and Chrysler. My uncle still has a second generation Rio that's running fine, granted he beat the crap out of it.
 

tuanies

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Yes, it does work with playlists on the flash drive.

The new Rio 5 is a decent looker. I keep seeing them around town and they look decent.

I need to get another Kia in to do a quick test on texting. It seems that Windows Phone is the only platform that supports Bluetooth MAP so I just got a Lumia 900 from Microsoft for texting tests.
 

KidABear

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Anyone else not a fan of touchscreen infotainment?

1. It gets fingerprints
2. It's more distracting than the alternatives

I like the Audi/BMW approach with a scrolling wheel/touchpad near the shifter. Much easier to use while driving and very intuitive. I hate navigating through touch screens.
 

tuanies

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I don't mind it. I like that manufacturers offer multiple input methods. My personal preference is towards steering wheel controls, direct source buttons, volume knobs and good voice commands for navigation input. I only touch the screen if I have to. The Audi / BMW scroll wheel / touchpad is a really good / cool idea since it places it where your hand would normally be.
 
What are you guys now - Road & Track?!

There are soooo many other Articles that need to be done than 'stuff' like this and/or women with size D videos are making me wonder WTH TH is thinking here?!
 

tuanies

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I only cover automotive technology so it doesn't affect the hardware articles at all. Nothing is being pushed aside for automotive coverage. We still have articles in the pipeline.
 

freggo

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What a costly nightmare it will be to get that repaired sometime down the road.
I think this is a bit overboard; and distracting. Most people are barely capable of keeping a straight line in traffic as it is.

 

freggo

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[citation][nom]ZakTheEvil[/nom]So the backup camera is there to compensate for the poor "style over function" body design that limits the rear view?[/citation]

Ever had the pleasure of backing up a Ferrari?
I did (not mine unfortunately; or fortunately...). And I never heard anyone complaining :)

Due to roof supports there will always be some sort of 'dead spots' in the rear. But it is not an 18 wheeler (talk about back rear view). So if backing up a tiny 4 passenger city car poses a problem I buss pass may be a better and less expensive solution :)

 

tuanies

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Backing up isn't the issue most of the time. Its avoiding small animals and children that like to get behind vehicles in the blind spots that are the problem and why cars have backup cameras.
 

sp0nger

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[citation][nom]tuanies[/nom]Thanks for the input. We're working on bringing coverage of higher end vehicles and have a 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track and Audi Q5 with NVIDIA Tegra and QNX in the pipeline.[/citation]

Looking forward to those reads!
 

danwat1234

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A good addition to the rear backup camera would be a 35w reverse light HID system. Nice and bright so you can see clearly when backing up in pitch black areas.
 
G

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Really? REALLY?
Did I miss them mentioning in th article where USB MP3 albums don't play in the correct order after shutting the car off, because the UVO ALWAYS defaults back to sorting alphabetically? Also the random feature isn't remembered after a power cycle either.

Searching on youtube for "Kia UVO system mp3 issues" will show decent demonstration of the issue.
KIA - THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED!!!!!
 
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