Touchscreen Infotainment Experience Compared - Fortuner vs Endeavour vs Tiguan vs Alturas G4

Infotainment systems aren't just a feature anymore. They can decide if you drive home with a car or have to walk away from it.

Technology has become so entwined in our daily lives that spending a day or even a few hours without a cell phone starts to get our anxiety up. And that is why our chatty friend accompanies us everywhere - from the office to home and even the bathroom. And now, even in cars! 

And to help you avoid using the phone while driving, essential features like calls and navigation are now available in your car’s infotainment systems. These screens don't just relay audio or call information, but also relay vital car stats like climate control, navigation, vehicle settings like suspension, drive modes and even transmission settings. In fact, these infotainment systems have become our window to communicate with the car. 

In this segment, we will compare the infotainment packages of the most relevant cars of each segment on 5 parameters:

• Display quality

• Ease of use

• Features

• Sound system 

• Instrument cluster

And here, we will take a look at the most tempting vehicles on sale, the full-sized 7 seater SUVs. 

1. Which has the best looking display?

Best: Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

Needs Update: Mahindra Alturas G4

Insights

This segment is particularly important as the display quality creates the first impression in a buyer's mind. 

• The display of the Tiguan All Space feels a generation ahead of the others in the segment. It’s crisp, bright and with its high resolution animations, feels like an expensive tablet to use. Plus, the viewing angle is one of the best. However, it is a fingerprint magnet so keep a cleaning cloth handy. 

• The Ford Endeavour’s display ranks second here as it too is vibrant and bright. However, the resolution and clarity is not on par with the VW. 

• The Fortuner’s display looks aftermarket but with its choice of themes and mix of colour, it is easy to read. 

• The Alturas G4’s display feels dull with a matte finish on top. And the low brightness leads to a lot of glare and reflection on the screen in the afternoons. 

2. Which is the easiest to use?

Best: Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

Needs Update: Mahindra Alturas G4

Insights

Ergonomics and predictability are two important factors for an infotainment system, especially while they are being operated by the driver on the move. 

• The placement of the Tiguan Allspace’s display makes it easy to reach for the driver. And given the high resolution display,  it remains legible even while driving. Plus, the physical knobs and soft-touch buttons help navigate the otherwise crowded menu with ease. And let's be honest, the satisfaction of turning a knob for volume cannot be matched by any button. 

• There is a tie between the Endeavour and Fortuner for second spot. Both of them use large icons, semi-customizable home screens and simple menus. The Fortuner gets good physical buttons and the Endeavour’s infotainment, though a bit of a reach from the driver’s side, gets a nice ledge to rest your finger on while you operate it. 

• Alturas G4 comes in last with confusing menus and physical buttons. The Setup button remains dead on some screens, and leads to the Settings page when in a particular menu like media or calls, making the process complicated. 

3. Which one gets the most useful features?

Best: Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

Needs Update: Mahindra Alturas G4

Insights

More features in the infotainment system means added convenience. 

• The Tiguan Allspace has a proximity sensor at the bottom of the display which highlights certain menus and pop up menus when you take your hand closer to it. The lag-free and smooth animations make the interactions with it a pleasant experience. 

• The Allspace allows you to pair both an Android and an Apple device together, and switch between Android Auto and Apple CarPlay from the screen. 

• Infotainment of the Tiguan can display vehicle status, energy consumption (the effect of in-car features like the AC on the efficiency) and Think Blue efficiency display. However, we could not use the in-built navigation and voice commands as they were not activated in our car.

• The Endeavour comes in second as it gets an easy to set up navigation, limited but useful and accurate voice commands and a smooth Android Auto and Apple CarPlay experience. 

• The Fortuner comes in third with a wireless phone charger and screen mirror. The latter can be used when the car is stationary. However, the voice commands are just for pre-selected contacts which have to be pre-recorded and saved, making the process tedious. And in an age of 360 degree cameras, it packs a horrible rear view camera which makes parking this mammoth SUV a challenge. 

• The only other feature, apart from the ability to record the song playing on FM and save it as an audio file, you get in the Alturas G4’s infotainment is disappointment.

Before we move on to the next segment, have a look at their boot up and reverse camera display after ignition timings. 

4. Which one has the best sound system?

Best: Ford Endeavour

Needs Update: Toyota Fortuner

Insights

A premium and punchy sound system can change your mood or lift the experience in the cabin with one beautiful track or a strong beat drop. However, having a disappointing one can spoil the mood just as easily. 

• The best sound system in this segment is undoubtedly the Ford Endeavour. It packs a subwoofer to handle the heavy bass and the clarity from the speakers remains intact even at higher volume. The occupants can enjoy a true surround sound experience and it doesn't matter whether you are a Jagjeet Singh fan or headbang to Hardwell, this system will impress equally. 

• There is a tie between the Tiguan Allspace and the Alturas G4 for the second spot. Both offer clear sound and decent bass, but don't deliver quite the surround experience of the Endeavour. And while the Tiguan does get 2 more speakers, they focus on a more front seat experience, while the rear seat experience is on par with the Alturas G4. 

• The Fortuner’s speakers don't quite match the rest of the segment. The front 4 are still acceptable, however the 2 on the rear doors are just not acceptable for an SUV costing Rs 45 lakh. If Toyota would have offered the 11 speaker JBL sound system on the Legender as well, like it does in the 4x4 models, the result could have been very different. 

5. Which one gets the most detailed instrument cluster?

Best: Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

Needs Update: Toyota Fortuner

Insights

The instrument cluster is the most important display for the driver. One look should relay all the vital information in a clear and legible fashion. 

• The all-digital Virtual Cockpit of the Tiguan Allspace is the best here. You can switch between various menus from the infotainment screen and customize the two digital dials, and opt for Navigation, G-Meter, and audio / call information in the centre part of the display. And all of these are in a large and clear font. 

• The Ford Endeavour ‘s cluster is a classic mix of analogue and digital. The large centre speedometer is flanked by two digital displays which show various vehicle information along with call and audio information. You can even make a call from the recent calls list on the instrument via the steering-mounted buttons. 

• The Mahindra Alturas G4 also gets a big centre digital MID which can relay vehicle information and settings. However, the Fortuner here is the most basic and looks dated. 

Final Scorecard

• By winning 4 out of the 5 categories, the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace wins this test hands down. The infotainment package here feels a generation ahead of the rest of the pack in both display and functionality. 

• Endeavour comed second by having the best sound system on offer and finishing second in the other 4 categories. 

• The Toyota Fortuner’s infotainment feels aftermarket and hence places third. It's the functionality and the ease of use of this system that helps it not finish last. 

• The Mahindra Alturas G4’s infotainment packages feels outdated, It is in a serious need of a revision. Be it the display, menu layout or features, the Alturas finishes last by quite some distance and hence finishes last in our comparison as well. 

Read More on : Fortuner on road price