Ford Everest vs Hyundai Santa Fe vs KIA Sorento: which one has the best infotainment system?

By Farzana Chaumoo

We take a look at the highlights of the infotainment systems found in the Ford Everest, Hyundai Santa Fe and KIA Sorento.

 

Ford Everest – 4/5

Ford rolled out its latest SYNC3 infotainment with an embedded navigation system for the first time in its local model line-up in 2017. It was initially released in the Ford Ranger and Ford Everest.

The SYNC3 with Navigation infotainment system boasts a fully featured embedded navigation. This is displayed on a faster performing, brighter 8-inch colour touch screen with clearer icons and convenient multi-touch gestures (like the swipe, scroll, and pinch-to-zoom of a smartphone). It also features voice recognition that works with real-world voice commands.

The navigation system provides a full 3-D experience with an elevated map view, enhanced full-colour graphics and point of interest (POI) building images. Similar to searching on Google, destinations can be entered via the simple one-box search by typing the address, POI category, intersection, city, postal code or GPS coordinates. The search function is predictive, with results appearing as the information is typed. Voice commands can also be used to select a POI.

Tracks4Africa was also included in the system which allows Everest owners to take advantage of the distinctive mapping created from the collective travel experience of the Tracks4Africa travelling community. This includes gravel roads with hazard notifications, off-road tracks, four-wheel drive routes and rocky roads, as well as deep sand routes. Additionally, more than 129 000 POIs are included, encompassing diverse types of accommodation, services (fuel stops, tyre repair shops), leisure and recreational venues, as well as emergency points of interest (police, hospitals, embassies and clinics).

A new Everest will receive free annual map updates for the first five years. The navigation system gives you access to more than 20 country’s maps which include: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. More than 3.6-million kilometres of road and 869 000 POIs are listed. Additionally, text and voice guidance are available in a multitude of languages that include Afrikaans, Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Zulu.

Transforming connectivity, the SYNC3 system also offers smartphone integration which is done through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

 

Hyundai Santa Fe – 4/5

The Santa Fe features a 7.0-inch high-resolution colour LCD touchscreen infotainment system as standard in all three derivatives. The system integrates all media and connectivity features, allowing drivers to keep their eyes to the road. The mounting placement on the dash also makes it easy to glance at while its bright and colourful screen is not difficult to read in direct sunlight.

The Display Audio offers owners accessible connectivity by means of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The navigation applications of your smartphone can be mirrored to display on the Santa Fe’s touch screen. The system recognises the passenger’s voice allowing them to dictate messages or to make phone calls. The Display Audio also features an integrated rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines. The Santa Fe’s system also features a USB port and an AUX jack as standard.

The menus are reasonably easy to navigate through and there are plenty of physical shortcut buttons to help you quickly skip between key features. The system also includes a neat feature that lets you create your own page and fill it with your favourite shortcuts – to things like your preferred radio stations or to go straight to the sat-nav’s destination input screen.

Voice Activated Bluetooth also features as standard across the range as well as 2 USB ports (1 in the front and 1 in the rear) and an AUX port.

Read Hyundai shakes up its 2018 Sante Fe - A story about grace, style and practicality

 

KIA Sorento – 4/5

Older entry-level KIA Sorentos (LS and LX models) featured a 3.8-inch LCD audio system which offers radio and CD player control, Bluetooth Handsfree, and MP3 storage/playback functions.

Older EX and SX models featured a 4.3-inch touch-screen audio system which adds to the standard system`s capabilities. It features a large colour touch-screen and an integrated backup camera display.

Since October 2018, all derivatives feature a new comprehensive 8.0-inch colour touchscreen with built-in Satellite Navigation, from which occupants can also control audio, whether it is a favourite radio station, via the USB/Aux jacks, or through their mobile device via Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto, once released in South Africa). The system is intuitive to use and menus are a little easier to read.

Using the on-screen keyboard, entering an address into the sat nav is fairly easy. Alternatively, you can opt to use your phone’s navigation apps through smartphone mirroring onto the infotainment screen by means of the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto operating systems.

Through these features, you can also stream your music, from music apps like Spotify, through the Sorento’s six-speaker stereo system.

 

Verdict

These are all equally good and have their own unique characteristics. When shopping for one of these SUVs, play around with the systems when visiting for a test drive and see which system most appeals to you. 

 

Recommended: Hyundai’s Santa Fe takes on Kia’s Sorento and Ford’s Everest