Kia UVO, 5 things to know | Test infotainment on the Kia XCeed Plug-in Hybrid

Continue our journey into the world of infotainment systems more & ugrave; recent, the technological heart of cars and of the latest generation means of transport is in fact one of the increasingly important factors; decisive in the selection phase. This today we focus so on the Kia Xceed PHEV , a model we already have; tried in recent months testing it in a commuter context.

However, we are not here to talk about consumption and performance, let's leave aside any other consideration in this regard and let's concentrate on this; on the technological substance of the UVO system, on the interface and functions supplied with this model. There are, of course, many similarities with Hyundai's Bluelink system that we told about Kona Electric in the first episode of this column.

INDEX

• INTUITIVENESS & Agrave;
• NAVIGATOR AND VOICE RECOGNITION
• ANDROID AUTO/APPLE CARPLAY
• UVO CONNECT APPLICATION
• WHAT WE LIKE AND WHAT WE DON'T

INTUITIVENESS?

Instrumentation full digital, the essential part for the driver & egrave; well viewable on a 12.3-inch display and everything else can be found on the 10.25-inch central display, many functions that we will gradually talk about in this article. The Xceed PHEV & egrave; a Plug-in hybrid as the name itself makes clear, we & ograve; means an abundance of information for both propulsion systems that blend well within the instrument cluster.

Is not serious; certainly granted this last step, Kia has basically divided the display into three, leaving the odometer and the residual autonomy relating to the thermal engine on the left; in the middle the different information on destination, speed, calls, ADAS and more, on the right instead everything is; which concerns the electrical part. Therefore power required from the engine and regeneration under braking, in addition of course to the remaining range. We found the distribution tidy and clear information to read, the buttons on the steering wheel for controlling the radio stations, navigation within the interface, cruise control and much more were also neat and well positioned.

On the central display, things change slightly, so there are many categories available and multiple options and functions: the UVO system & egrave; large and complex, from its boasts a certain speed; of execution in the passages and conversely a graphic that is not; still among the most & ugrave; modern. The environment is quite similar to the one seen on Kona, as already seen; said, which is why the perplexities remain; on category optimization and capacity to reach any function in a few clicks. You have to become familiar, use it a lot and find out how it is; all necessary functions.

The physical button at the bottom, near the gearbox, is very useful, allowing you to switch between mode without misunderstandings; & quot; thermal only & quot; to the & quot; hybrid & quot; or “ electric only '', as long as you have enough charge (remember that the electric range is about 50 km).

NAVIGATOR AND VOICE RECOGNITION

Among the advantages of Kia the fast connected navigator in the answers and the Live Services with TomTom technology which, automatically, give information on charging stations, speed cameras, weather, traffic, parking and much more. Really quick to provide a destination on the screen once the request is entered, even if you set a point hundreds of kilometers away.

Some difficulties instead found in voice recognition, especially with a little of background noise. In our test it is; in fact it was the rain that created that (slight) disturbance that did not allow us to steal the commands and perform the required actions. As told in the video, the noise was not so much; strong, it therefore remains an obvious limitation through third-party apps on Android Auto and Apple Carplay.

On the other hand, pairing via the Bluetooth voice request is easy and immediate, plus you can associate two mobile devices at the same time.

ANDROID AUTO/APPLE CARPLAY

Let's start from the Google environment, then Android Auto which is very fluid and quick after the connection via cable is made, with all the applications responding without jamming. Surfing & egrave; a pleasure and you pass from one to the other in the utmost speed. As already said in the previous chapter c & # 39; & egrave; then the speech recognition that raises the level of understanding compared to the native system.

Pairing on iPhone is; It is also very fast, Apple Carplay is therefore immediately available and as usual guarantees an extremely pleasant navigation experience. In comparison with Android Auto it is always and in any case more & ugrave; reactive and even in this situation we have confirmation.

The level reached by these two software environments is; now very high, plus the usability; of the interfaces studied by Apple and Google reflect very well what should be the kind of experience that should be expected from a (new) car in 2021. They both represent a nice added value, the only voice recognition more; reliable proves it.

UVO CONNECT APPLICATION

To really enter into symbiosis with your own (connected) car you must necessarily go to the proprietary application UVO Connect, certainly not very easy to connect the first time because of all the security steps. Allow at least ten minutes to complete the connection successfully.

Being a connected car there are all the information on the state of the vehicle, therefore geolocation, residual autonomy, state of the recharge (for the electrical part) and much more, including the internal temperature. From a distance & egrave; in fact it is possible to air-condition the vehicle and bring it in the desired conditions, arriving by car with a nice warmth waiting for us in this period is in fact comfortable.

Quick and well done application, even graphically, you can navigate with extreme ease & agrave; from the first moment and everything seems to be positioned in the right place.

WHAT WE LIKE AND WHAT WE DON'T