CNET 2007 Tech Awards (CTS Most Improved/RL most frustrating/xB Budget winner)
01-17-08, 05:09 PM
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CNET 2007 Tech Awards (CTS Most Improved/RL most frustrating/xB Budget winner)
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10846_7...3.html?tag=txt
10 more Car Tech awards
Looking back on 2007, we encountered some real highlights, a few letdowns, and some outright strangeness among the many cars we've driven. Our Car Tech Awards recognize these achievements and failures, covering ground from everyday affordable cars and gadgets up to the stratosphere of prices.
Pimpin' on a budget: Scion xB
At a base price of $16,600, the 2008 Scion xB qualifies as very affordable. We were very surprised to see rear-seat video with headrest LCDs when we reviewed an xB. With that gear and some other gadgets, our review xB ran up to about $22,000, still pretty cheap for a car. But you can mod it up yourself easily enough, and even at its base, it still has excellent standard iPod integration. Runners-up in the category were the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS and the 2007 Volkswagen GTI.
Pimpin' on a budget
Scion xB
Scion xB
Best tech update for your beater: JVC KD-NX5000
If your car still has a cassette deck, it's time for an update. You may not have the money to replace your perfectly good car with some new tech barge, but you can outfit it with the JVC KD-NX5000, an entertainment and navigation center that will make your old car more high-tech than most new ones. Along with the ability to play music and video as well as help you navigate, add-on modules for the JVC KD-NX5000 give it Bluetooth cell phone and iPod integration.
Best tech update for your beater
JVC KD-NX5000
JVC KD-NX5000
Coolest new car tech: Ford Sync
Throughout 2007, the new Sync system, built by Microsoft and offered by Ford, has had our little Car Tech hearts skipping beats. We first saw it at the 2007 Detroit auto show and the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, and Ford has been giving us little tastes all year, up until a real hands-on demo in December. The system gives you excellent voice-command hands-free phone support and MP3 player integration, such that you need merely say the name of an artist on your player. That's what the future is all about. We also considered in-dash hard-disc music servers as a serious runner-up.
Coolest new car tech
Ford Sync
Ford Sync
Most improved cabin tech: Cadillac CTS
Cadillac, more than any other American car brand, managed to reinvent itself for this century, starting off with a radical redesign of its models, then launching the 2008 CTS as a no-compromise tech car for a new generation of buyers. The car performs like a champ and has the best live traffic system integrated into its navigation that we've seen to date. Cadillac took the concept of TiVo and applied it to the car's radio, an incredibly unique feature, while also putting a music server in the dash. As a runner-up, we were very impressed with the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300, mostly because we can't stand the old Mercedes-Benz tech interface.
Most improved cabin tech
Cadillac CTS
Cadillac CTS
Freakiest concept car: Honda Puyo
"Freakiest" can mean a lot of things, but we took its most negative connotations when we chose the Honda Puyo as our winner in this category. We saw the Puyo at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show, but wish we hadn't. The only thing it demonstrates is a soft, gel-like exterior that might enhance pedestrian safety. Unfortunately, as ugly as it is to look at, the gel exterior makes it more disgusting to touch. Our less-egregious runners-up in this category were the Nissan Pivo2, for its included robot companion, and the Ford Airstream, for its incredibly groovy interior.
Freakiest concept car
Honda Puyo
Honda Puyo
Most frustrating interface: 2007 Acura RL
While we appreciate that the Acura RL was an early leader in car technology, we can't get over the sheer number of buttons littering the interior of this car. We've counted more than 20 buttons on the steering wheel alone. In a sign that the company has made no attempt to simplify the interface, there are actually two sets of buttons for voice command, one to use Bluetooth cell phone integration and a second for controlling the car's other functions. A close runner-up is the COMAND system, as implemented in the 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML550. We also considered BMW's iDrive, which we used on the 2008 BMW 535i, but we've started getting used to it and don't find it so bad.
Most frustrating interface
2007 Acura RL
2007 Acura RL
Most useless car feature: PC Card slot
Honda's standard navigation unit includes a PC Card slot behind the LCD, right above the CD slot. We also saw one in the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300. We hope these types of card slots aren't a trend, because coming by a flash memory PC Card isn't easy. It would be smarter for car companies to either go with USB thumbdrive ports or an SD card slot, two types of memory in common usage. Our runners-up in the category were the cassette deck in the 2008 Acura TL Type-S, because we threw out all of our cassettes long ago, and the NightView Assist feature in the 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL550, which is cool but difficult to use while driving.
Most useless car feature
PC Card slot
PC Card slot
King of the road: Ford Shelby GT500
We chose the Ford Shelby GT500 for this category because it's the car that most makes you feel like you own the road. It doesn't matter what anyone else around you is driving, the meaty hood and thick white stripes on the Shelby dominate. Where ever we went with this car, people would look. If we stopped at the gas station, men would come over and tell us they were thinking of buying one. But we also had some serious runners-up in this category, such as the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, which just doesn't have the panache of the Shelby. Likewise, the 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom makes heads turn, but it doesn't have the Shelby's bravado.
King of the road
Ford Shelby GT500
Ford Shelby GT500
Money is no object: Mercedes-Benz CL550
We test some pricey cars at CNET Car Tech, but none treated us quite as well as the Mercedes-Benz CL550. With the CL550, we could set the cruise control, and the car would have the good grace to slow down before hitting a slower car out in front. Its stereo system made our music sound better than ever, but what really moved the needle for us was that the CL550 massaged our tired backs. Yes, we could set our seats to massage us slow and gently or fast and vigorously. So while we were very impressed with the 2008 Lexus LS 600h and the 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom, neither car gave us the same level of personal comfort.
Money is no object
Mercedes-Benz CL550
Mercedes-Benz CL550
Best car to take you for a ride: Rolls-Royce Phantom
We generally prefer to drive our cars, so when one comes along in which we like to be driven around, it is a very special car. Such was the case with the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Oh, it drove very well, with no lack of power, but the real treat was sitting in the back seat, resting our feet in the plush carpet. Each rear seat tray also had a 12-inch LCD, letting us watch movies or television on a much bigger screen than we are used to seeing in a car. And the big C pillars let us hide our identities from the envious public. The only car that approached this type of rear-seat comfort was the 2007 Jaguar Super V8, but its supercharger made driving it just a little too fun.
10 more Car Tech awards
Looking back on 2007, we encountered some real highlights, a few letdowns, and some outright strangeness among the many cars we've driven. Our Car Tech Awards recognize these achievements and failures, covering ground from everyday affordable cars and gadgets up to the stratosphere of prices.
Pimpin' on a budget: Scion xB
At a base price of $16,600, the 2008 Scion xB qualifies as very affordable. We were very surprised to see rear-seat video with headrest LCDs when we reviewed an xB. With that gear and some other gadgets, our review xB ran up to about $22,000, still pretty cheap for a car. But you can mod it up yourself easily enough, and even at its base, it still has excellent standard iPod integration. Runners-up in the category were the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS and the 2007 Volkswagen GTI.
Pimpin' on a budget
Scion xB
Scion xB
Best tech update for your beater: JVC KD-NX5000
If your car still has a cassette deck, it's time for an update. You may not have the money to replace your perfectly good car with some new tech barge, but you can outfit it with the JVC KD-NX5000, an entertainment and navigation center that will make your old car more high-tech than most new ones. Along with the ability to play music and video as well as help you navigate, add-on modules for the JVC KD-NX5000 give it Bluetooth cell phone and iPod integration.
Best tech update for your beater
JVC KD-NX5000
JVC KD-NX5000
Coolest new car tech: Ford Sync
Throughout 2007, the new Sync system, built by Microsoft and offered by Ford, has had our little Car Tech hearts skipping beats. We first saw it at the 2007 Detroit auto show and the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, and Ford has been giving us little tastes all year, up until a real hands-on demo in December. The system gives you excellent voice-command hands-free phone support and MP3 player integration, such that you need merely say the name of an artist on your player. That's what the future is all about. We also considered in-dash hard-disc music servers as a serious runner-up.
Coolest new car tech
Ford Sync
Ford Sync
Most improved cabin tech: Cadillac CTS
Cadillac, more than any other American car brand, managed to reinvent itself for this century, starting off with a radical redesign of its models, then launching the 2008 CTS as a no-compromise tech car for a new generation of buyers. The car performs like a champ and has the best live traffic system integrated into its navigation that we've seen to date. Cadillac took the concept of TiVo and applied it to the car's radio, an incredibly unique feature, while also putting a music server in the dash. As a runner-up, we were very impressed with the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300, mostly because we can't stand the old Mercedes-Benz tech interface.
Most improved cabin tech
Cadillac CTS
Cadillac CTS
Freakiest concept car: Honda Puyo
"Freakiest" can mean a lot of things, but we took its most negative connotations when we chose the Honda Puyo as our winner in this category. We saw the Puyo at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show, but wish we hadn't. The only thing it demonstrates is a soft, gel-like exterior that might enhance pedestrian safety. Unfortunately, as ugly as it is to look at, the gel exterior makes it more disgusting to touch. Our less-egregious runners-up in this category were the Nissan Pivo2, for its included robot companion, and the Ford Airstream, for its incredibly groovy interior.
Freakiest concept car
Honda Puyo
Honda Puyo
Most frustrating interface: 2007 Acura RL
While we appreciate that the Acura RL was an early leader in car technology, we can't get over the sheer number of buttons littering the interior of this car. We've counted more than 20 buttons on the steering wheel alone. In a sign that the company has made no attempt to simplify the interface, there are actually two sets of buttons for voice command, one to use Bluetooth cell phone integration and a second for controlling the car's other functions. A close runner-up is the COMAND system, as implemented in the 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML550. We also considered BMW's iDrive, which we used on the 2008 BMW 535i, but we've started getting used to it and don't find it so bad.
Most frustrating interface
2007 Acura RL
2007 Acura RL
Most useless car feature: PC Card slot
Honda's standard navigation unit includes a PC Card slot behind the LCD, right above the CD slot. We also saw one in the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300. We hope these types of card slots aren't a trend, because coming by a flash memory PC Card isn't easy. It would be smarter for car companies to either go with USB thumbdrive ports or an SD card slot, two types of memory in common usage. Our runners-up in the category were the cassette deck in the 2008 Acura TL Type-S, because we threw out all of our cassettes long ago, and the NightView Assist feature in the 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL550, which is cool but difficult to use while driving.
Most useless car feature
PC Card slot
PC Card slot
King of the road: Ford Shelby GT500
We chose the Ford Shelby GT500 for this category because it's the car that most makes you feel like you own the road. It doesn't matter what anyone else around you is driving, the meaty hood and thick white stripes on the Shelby dominate. Where ever we went with this car, people would look. If we stopped at the gas station, men would come over and tell us they were thinking of buying one. But we also had some serious runners-up in this category, such as the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, which just doesn't have the panache of the Shelby. Likewise, the 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom makes heads turn, but it doesn't have the Shelby's bravado.
King of the road
Ford Shelby GT500
Ford Shelby GT500
Money is no object: Mercedes-Benz CL550
We test some pricey cars at CNET Car Tech, but none treated us quite as well as the Mercedes-Benz CL550. With the CL550, we could set the cruise control, and the car would have the good grace to slow down before hitting a slower car out in front. Its stereo system made our music sound better than ever, but what really moved the needle for us was that the CL550 massaged our tired backs. Yes, we could set our seats to massage us slow and gently or fast and vigorously. So while we were very impressed with the 2008 Lexus LS 600h and the 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom, neither car gave us the same level of personal comfort.
Money is no object
Mercedes-Benz CL550
Mercedes-Benz CL550
Best car to take you for a ride: Rolls-Royce Phantom
We generally prefer to drive our cars, so when one comes along in which we like to be driven around, it is a very special car. Such was the case with the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Oh, it drove very well, with no lack of power, but the real treat was sitting in the back seat, resting our feet in the plush carpet. Each rear seat tray also had a 12-inch LCD, letting us watch movies or television on a much bigger screen than we are used to seeing in a car. And the big C pillars let us hide our identities from the envious public. The only car that approached this type of rear-seat comfort was the 2007 Jaguar Super V8, but its supercharger made driving it just a little too fun.
01-17-08, 05:15 PM
#2
Congrats to all the winners!!!
Congrats especially to the CTS for the Tech Car of the Year title!!! The LS 460 L won the top award last year, and apparently the LS 600h L was a finalist...in both cases the Acura people mustered up the most public votes however.
And indeed, as others have mentioned, the front seat massagers are a marquee feature for Mercedes...haven't tried them myself, but as mentioned by CNET that is a feature which the Lexus LS 600h and the Rolls-Royce Phantom do not have. Good to see a different slate of winners this year!
The 2008 Cadillac CTS wins our 2007 Tech Car of the Year Award. Our judges were torn between the CTS and the 2008 Lexus LS 600h, but our reader poll had the CTS as second behind the 2008 Acura TL Type S. Our votes swung towards the CTS when we considered that the LS 600h has only one over-the-top feature, self parking, while the CTS has two: the ability to pause live radio and a weather feed through its satellite radio. Both cars feature an in-dash music server and live traffic reporting on the navigation system. Our staff judges felt that the 2008 Acura TL Type S had too much torque steer and too many buttons on the interface to be Tech Car of the Year.
And indeed, as others have mentioned, the front seat massagers are a marquee feature for Mercedes...haven't tried them myself, but as mentioned by CNET that is a feature which the Lexus LS 600h and the Rolls-Royce Phantom do not have. Good to see a different slate of winners this year!
01-17-08, 06:07 PM
#3
Speaks French in Russian
Oh is this that poll where all the Acura/Honda folks voted for the TL as the most technologically advanced car over LS600h?? lol
01-17-08, 09:50 PM
#5
2007 Acura RL
Most useless car feature: PC Card slot
Honda's standard navigation unit includes a PC Card slot behind the LCD, right above the CD slot. We also saw one in the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300. We hope these types of card slots aren't a trend, because coming by a flash memory PC Card isn't easy. It would be smarter for car companies to either go with USB thumbdrive ports or an SD card slot, two types of memory in common usage.
Our runners-up in the category were the cassette deck in the 2008 Acura TL Type-S, because we threw out all of our cassettes long ago,
Most useless car feature: PC Card slot
Honda's standard navigation unit includes a PC Card slot behind the LCD, right above the CD slot. We also saw one in the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300. We hope these types of card slots aren't a trend, because coming by a flash memory PC Card isn't easy. It would be smarter for car companies to either go with USB thumbdrive ports or an SD card slot, two types of memory in common usage.
Our runners-up in the category were the cassette deck in the 2008 Acura TL Type-S, because we threw out all of our cassettes long ago,
Ahem, did they forget lexus still uses cassettes???
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