DOES IT WORK?
VW hopes to patch up its tech reputation with cleaner, quicker and smarter infotainment.
Volkswagen is awfully sorry. No, really, it’s genuinely apologetic after the tirade of criticism of its MIB3 infotainment system, which launched with the Golf Mk8 and ID. 3. VW’s product manager for the Golf, Michael Blaul, called it ‘a painful experience’ to endure.
While VW cranked out a series of overthe-air updates for cars that ran MIB3 to help speed it up and remove bugs, software engineers quickly got going on an entirely new system – one that would address as many of the old one’s criticisms as possible.
Enter MIB4, the latest software from the wider VW Group that Volkswagen and Skoda are already putting to use. The updated Mk8.5 Golf, Tiguan, Passat and new ID. 7 from Volkswagen, as well as Skoda’s latest Superb and Kodiaq, are already up and running with the tech. Our first taste of it has been on the impressive ID. 7.
The climate controls are now backlit – a frankly baffling oversight on the previous user interface – and there’s now a fixed point at the base of the screen for frequently used climate controls. VW has also massively upgraded the processing power, reducing lag.
As well as having a customisable ‘home’ screen that shows you the information and settings most important to you, there’s also now a quick-access menu on the top that allows you to keep frequently used settings or menus within easy reach. You can customise that, too, allowing single-tap access to fullscreen navigation, the car’s safety system settings, and toggle switches for things like start/stop activation or battery information. The ID. 7’s specific version also includes huge customisation of the climate-control system’s airflow via its ‘smart’ vents, and features a Wellness application, arriving first in the estate version, that links v
