General Motors is stepping up its infotainment offerings across its lineup, including various Buick models like the all-new 2024 Buick Envista and the refreshed 2024 Buick Encore GX. The question, then, becomes this: What makes these new infotainment systems tick? To answer, GM Authority is providing a hands-on infotainment system tour with the following video, exploring not only how the systems operate but also some of the pros and cons of the system.
Clocking in at 10-and-a-half minutes, the video is hosted by GM Authority Executive Editor Alex Luft, who’s behind the wheel of the 2024 Buick Envista. However, this same infotainment system is also present in the refreshed 2024 Buick Encore GXÂ and several other GM products.
The 2024 Buick Envista and Encore GX infotainment systems are comprised of two separate screens, with an 8-inch digital gauge cluster (Driver Information Center) matched to an 11-inch infotainment screen. Unlike in previous models, the digital gauge cluster is not controlled via steering wheel buttons but rather through the infotainment screen, which allows users to display various gauges, maintenance information, and trip data.
The infotainment screen provides access to features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, climate control, settings, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. Users can adjust climate settings both on the screen and the physical control panel. The system lacks built-in navigation and instead relies on users to provide their own via connected smartphones. A six-speaker audio system is standard.
Notably, the touchscreen can become quite warm during use, which may even become uncomfortable for users. Additionally, the shift from steering wheel buttons to screen-based controls for the digital gauge cluster may require some adjustment for users accustomed to the previous system.
That said, the infotainment system is more responsive and fluid than previous generations, but the screen-only control scheme and screen heat are still considered concerns.
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Comments
It seems like they could have done more with that knob that comes out of the screen. It could have been a scroll menu and push to select in addition to just the volume.
I love when auto manufacturers call a screen a certain size but there’s only 60% of it that’s usable. That things got more screen bezel than an iPhone 4
Easter Egg: Press and hold the right steering scroll wheel for greater than 1 second… You can then select different gauge layouts. A simple gauge without Tach, a more detailed layout, the layout that’s integrated with the info display (as shown) or one that shows your audio selection.