As we roll into the 2016 model year, General Motors is finally about ready to put its 2009 bankruptcy behind it as it completes the launch of a full lineup of post-reorganization vehicles. In addition to all-new vehicles designed and developed in this decade, GM is also rationalizing its in-vehicle infotainment options which had become fragmented over the past four years. For Chevrolet, that means there will basically be two levels of infotainment under the MyLink brand.
MyLink was initially announced in February 2011 on the Engadget Show prior to going on sale that fall. However, that was just the first of four distinct systems that were created to be compatible with the differing electrical architectures of GM’s then-current lineup. That first system was used on the Volt, Malibu, Equinox and Cruze as well as various Buick and GMC vehicles under the Intellilink brand. A completely different system had to be developed for the full-size Traverse crossover and its siblings. A high-end system debuted on Cadillacs under the CUE brand and was then adapted to Chevrolet vehicles starting with the redesigns of the Silverado, Impala and Corvette.
The fourth was an entry-level system designed specifically for GM’s smallest and most affordable vehicles, the Spark and Sonic. This system developed under the codename “bring your own media” (BYOM) would also be installed in the Trax subcompact crossover. Recognizing that even in 2010, the younger customers that were the target market for these small cars were rarely listening to CDs or even the radio anymore, GM designed the BYOM system for a lifestyle that revolved around mobile digital devices.
The BYOM head unit has a seven-inch touchscreen with on/off, volume and home buttons. No optical drive is available at any price. AM/FM and satellite radio tuners are built in but any other functionality is provided through a connected phone including navigation. The smartphone link includes support for Pandora, Stitcher, TuneIn and the BringGo navigation app. When you connect an iPhone or Android phone with those apps, you can control them directly through the touchscreen. The media apps all work pretty much the same as any of the connected phone systems with access to channels, thumbs up/down, forward and back etc.
The unique aspect of GM’s approach is that the only way to get map-based navigation in vehicles with the BYOM system is by using the BringGo app from a connected phone. If you’ve never heard of BringGo, you’re not alone, on Android it has fewer than 50,000 installs and a rating of just 2.7. One advantage it has over Google Maps is that all the map data is stored locally on your phone so no persistent data connection is required to use it. That’s about the end of the advantages.
Like embedded navigation systems the point-of-interest database is stored locally rather than looked up on the fly so it’s not very complete. Address lookup was also somewhat hit and miss. In a BYOM equipped car, the maps are projected onto the screen just like an embedded system but there is no voice recognition so you actually have to type on the screen to enter a destination. The maps themselves are ok and routing was adequate but unless you are driving a car with BYOM there’s really no reason to spend the $0.99 on it, just use one of the free options like Google, Apple or Here maps.
Fortunately, in the very near future, GM will start rolling out a second-generation version of BYOM on a number of 2016 model vehicles. Still branded as MyLink or IntelliLink depending on whether you get it in a Chevrolet, Buick or GMC vehicle, BYOM2 gets upgraded processors and additional memory as well as a new screen with support for pinch-to-zoom and swipe gestures. More importantly, the new system will have full support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so users will have a much broader selection of apps to use including their preferred mapping provider (or at least the preferred maps of their phone OS provider).
The new entry-level MyLink will be standard on all 2016 Sparks and then get added to the Sonic and Trax for 2017. The 2016 Camaro and Cruze will get this seven-inch MyLink as the entry level option with the more full-featured eight-inch version as an upgrade. The Malibu and Silverado will continue to offer a non-touch audio system as the entry option primarily for fleets with the seven-inch BYOM2 and eight-inch systems as upgrades. The first MyLink/Intellilink systems that debuted in 2011 are being phased out as those models are redesigned, leaving GM with a more rational two-level lineup.
The original BYOM MyLink was actually a decent idea that was hampered most by the choice of BringGo for navigation. The availability of Android Auto and CarPlay should make the new version an outstanding entry level option which won’t be an extra cost upgrade on most models unlike Ford’s SYNC 3. I can’t wait to try it out.
