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Best car infotainment systems: From UConnect to MBUX, these are our favorites

Declaring one infotainment system the best over any other is an inherently subjective matter. You can look at quantitative testing for things like input response time and various screen load times, but ask a room full of people that have tried all car infotainment systems what their favorite is, and you’re likely to get a lot of different responses. For the most part, the various infotainment systems available all share a similar purpose. They aim to help the driver get where they're going with navigation, play their favorite tunes via all sorts of media playback options and allow folks to stay connected with others via phone connectivity. Of course, most go way beyond the basics these days and offer features like streaming services, in-car performance data and much more. Unique features are aplenty when you start diving through menus, but how they go about their most important tasks vary widely. Some of our editors prefer systems that are exclusively touch-based and chock full of boundary-pushing features. Others may prefer a back-to-basics non-touch system that is navigable via a scroll wheel. You can compare it to the phone operating system wars. Just like some prefer Android phones over iPhones, we all have our own opinions for what makes up the best infotainment interface. All that said, our combined experience tells us that a number of infotainment systems are at least better than the rest. WeÂ’ve narrowed it down to five total systems in their own subcategories that stand out to us. Read on below to see our picks, and feel free to make your own arguments in the comments. Best infotainment overall: UConnect 5, various Stellantis products Ram 1500 Uconnect Infotainment System Review If thereÂ’s one infotainment system that all of us agree is excellent, itÂ’s UConnect. It has numerous qualities that make it great, but above all else, UConnect is simple and straightforward to use. Ease of operation is one of the most (if not the single most) vital parts of any infotainment system interface. If youÂ’re expected to be able to tap away on a touchscreen while driving and still pay attention to the road, a complex infotainment system is going to remove your attention from the number one task at hand: driving. UConnect uses a simple interface that puts all of your key functions in a clearly-represented row on the bottom of the screen. Tap any of them, and it instantly pulls up that menu.

Maserati Levante starts at $72,000, Levante S for $83,000

The 2017 Maserati Levante won't arrive in the US until later this year, but we know it will cost $72,000 to park the posh crossover in your garage, Maserati spokesperson Jiannina Castro told Autoblog. The extra power from the Levante S will ring up for $83,000. The actual amounts to buy one will be somewhat higher because Maserati won't discuss option pricing or the destination charges until dealer orders begin in April. In its US guise, the standard Levante uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with 345 horsepower, which can get the CUV to 60 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds. The Levante S uses the same engine with 424 hp, which cuts the 60-mph run to 5.0 seconds. Both mills use an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. A plug-in hybrid with the powertrain from the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid will reportedly join the US lineup later, too. The newcomer Levante faces stiff competition among more established luxury CUVs in the US. For example, the base Porsche Cayenne with 300 hp starts at $60,650 after destination and the 420-hp Cayenne is $77,250. The Land Rover Range Rover Sport with the 340-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V6 is $65,945. We'll get another look at the Levante at next week's New York Auto Show. The Geneva Motor Show earlier in the month already provided a great opportunity to check it out. Related Video: LEVANTE - THE 'MASERATI OF SUVS' TO MAKE U.S. DEBUT AT 2016 NEW YORK AUTO SHOW Thoroughbred on-road handling meets solid off-road capabilities "Levante" is inspired by a warm wind that can change from gentle to gale force in an instant that can emerge any season or time of the year, day or night, mirroring the powerful and soulful character of Maserati's first SUV. Following the success of its global reveal in Geneva earlier this month, the all new Maserati Levante will make its way to the New York Auto Show on March 23rd for its official U.S. debut. The U.S. market launch is planned for late summer 2016 with a starting price of $72,000 for the 345 hp (Levante) and $83,000 for the 424 hp (Levante S) model (not including destination and delivery), which will be available for order in the U.S. this April. The Levante represents a new chapter in Maserati's iconic history. With over one hundred years of automotive excellence behind it, Maserati is well positioned to introduce its first ever SUV that represents the house of the Trident's core values and truly is the 'opposite of ordinary'.

Maserati makes 328-foot-long trident with 80 Grecale test mules

Maserati delayed the launch of the Grecale, its long-awaited second SUV, from November 2021 to the spring of 2022, but that doesn't mean the test mules and the engineers tasked with driving them are taking a sabbatical. The company is still testing prototypes all over the world, and it brought 80 pre-production models fully draped in camouflage to a test track in Modena, Italy, to create a giant trident emblem. Over 250 development models are racking up miles in Italy, Finland, the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan and the United States, according to the Italian firm. About a third of them gathered near the company's home town to form the 328-foot trident. It's a stunt that allowed Maserati to release a handful of cool images, but it teaches us little about the Levante's baby brother, which will be aimed at the Porsche Macan. Luckily, Maserati also released a couple of images that show four prototypes parked in front of the Milan Cathedral. We can tell that the Grecale borrows a handful of styling cues from the MC20; it's not simply a scaled-down Levante. Its headlights are oval and nearly vertical (the Levante's are thin and almost horizontal) and its grille looks wider and thinner. Earlier spy shots suggest that the Grecale wears a roofline that leans more towards sport than utility; it's not a utilitarian people-hauler with the proportions of a school bus. Unverified reports claim that Maserati will build the Grecale on an evolution of the Giorgio platform that underpins Alfa Romeo's Stelvio and Giulia models. If that's accurate, rear-wheel drive will likely come standard (at least in some markets) and all-wheel drive will be offered at an extra cost. We're guessing that four- and six-cylinder engines will be available, though full specifications haven't been published yet, and Maserati previously confirmed that a high-performance version worthy of the Trofeo emblem will join the range at some point.  More details about the Maserati Grecale will emerge in the coming months.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.