3 infotainment systems I tried when car buying, and one I loved

If you've read anything from me here at Pocket-lint, you'll already know where my interests lie in this regard, but to keep us up to speed, I had a few requirements for said infotainment systems, too. It needed to be wireless, it couldn't be the size of a small television, and it had to have a fast enough display that wouldn't lag. Those turned out to be simple requests, but when I actually started looking, I was shocked at how different each system actually was.

I had my eyes on a Ford Explorer

But it didn't feel quite right once I sat down

Credit: Ford/Pocket-lint

While I think the more aggressive exterior styling of the newer Ford Explorers works, the interior has always been a bit lackluster. However, that's usually not something that bothered me in previous years. But at the ripe age of 25, I feel as though I want to be comfortable in whatever I'm paying for. The prior generation of Explorers truly felt like they had a small screen just grafted onto the dash. It stuck out like a sore thumb and didn't look cohesive from any angle.

Therefore, when I heard a refresh was coming for the 2025 models, I was excited, especially as a prospective buyer. However, after sitting in a 2025 Explorer, I still felt the same as I did with the previous two models — the interior didn't feel as well put together as it could be from a design standpoint, and the tech still felt like an afterthought, just stapled to the dash. Mechanically, the Explorer was a great vehicle, and it checked all of our other boxes. Still, the lack of engineering with the infotainment display turned me away from the new Explorer.

Then, the Mazda CX-70 turned my head

I really loved the styling, but there was one strange issue

Credit: Mazda/Pocket-lint

When it came to what interior and infotainment display looked the best, the Mazda CX-70 took the cake. With this hyper-modern and minimalistic design language, Mazda has become an incredibly attractive brand to young families, and for good reason. I loved everything about the CX-70 from a driver's perspective, and the turbocharged model we looked at even had 340 horsepower. However, the infotainment display, as good as it looked, ultimately turned me away for a strange reason.

Like most Mazda models, the native infotainment system is operated via a touch wheel that sits between the driver and passenger. I've found this wheel a bit awkward in previous Mazda vehicles I've driven, but in this particular model, it actually sat in a great place. I even really enjoyed it because it kept fingerprints off my screen. The issue came, though, when I tried to engage Apple CarPlay.

When you link the Mazda infotainment display to CarPlay, it becomes a touch screen. Not only that, but it's very clear that the display wasn't actually designed with a touchscreen in mind, as it's not a very manageable distance away from the driver. I found myself craning to reach it in the middle of traffic and ultimately decided to check out what would become our final choice immediately after driving the Mazda.

The Volkswagen Atlas was too good to be ignored

I guess I have some brand loyalty after all

After debating the Mazda for a bit, I was handed the keys to a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. As a former VW owner, I had some expectations of how this would go. I thought the car would be down on power, that the system would be slow to operate, and that it wouldn't feel all that different from my previous vehicle. Admittedly, I had looked at the Atlas before, but had my mind set on the sportier-looking cross sport version, which foregoes a third row for a sloped rear roofline.

Imagine my surprise, then, when the Atlas was the most well-equipped out of all the options we had already discussed. It had every feature my fiancé wanted, and, to boot, the infotainment system was buttery-smooth to scroll, quick to connect, offered wireless capability for both CarPlay and Android Auto, and even featured a pretty seamless climate control section. After a week of ownership, I can confidently say I don't regret the decision to land on the Atlas, and, in that same breath, props to Volkswagen for realizing the last system was for the birds.