Roger Fingas
Ahead of next week's Chicago Auto Show, Subaru on Thursday announced the 2018 Legacy, just its second vehicle to support Apple's CarPlay platform, which brings Siri and iOS apps to dash interfaces.
The new sedan will ship sometime this summer, and like many recent vehicles also offer support for Google's Android Auto, Subaru said. People will have to connect through Subaru's Starlink infotainment system.
By default the car will come with a 6.5-inch Starlink display. An available upgrade, however, will include not just an 8-inch screen but a faster CPU, which Subaru said should shrink boot times and give the Starlink interface a "more smartphone-like operation and feel."
For people who can't or don't want to use CarPlay, Starlink will also support Bluetooth connections and native iPod control.
Subaru has yet to announce pricing for the 2018 Legacy, or its upgrade options. It's also not clear whether the company will support wireless CarPlay, something that's still extremely rare.
To date the automaker's only vehicle with CarPlay has been the 2017 Impreza. That puts it well behind most rivals, particularly firms like Kia and Chevrolet, which now have compatible models reaching into the dozens.
Charles Martin
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12 Comments
Good for future Subaru legacy customers but what about forester model ? And oh! there was good news about Toyota auto sales were down. Hope, their 2017 sales go down more to make them realize the cost of not supporting carPlay is lot higher than their ignorance, arrogance..
2018 car shipping in 2017? Ah you wacky Americans ;)
I understand it has something to do with Super Bowl.