I have a question about InControl. The dealer told me that the InControl Apps package is similar to Land Rover InControl.

Land Rover's InControl includes car-wifi, SOS button, Land Rover Assist which is a concierge service like Onstar, ability to track your car by GPS and control the locks from your phone, as well as the apps.

Connected Car Technology - Land Rover InControl

When I look at the Jag website, all I see is the inControl apps, but I don't see InControl Remote, InControl Wifi or InControl Secure.

In Control Apps

Is the dealer wrong here?

 

I think it is "work in progress" for the F Type.

My dealer was fairly honest - said don't bother unless it really tickles your fancy. He has not sold one yet with it installed. LR owners tend to have it.

Unsure why there is a such a difference in the features or app functions.

Overall, I got the feeling that the F Type's support systems were pared right down. No radar cruise control, no traffic collision avoidance, nav/screen delivered systems barely adequate, little novel thinking for all the driver aids, not even a journey timer (my XF had that 5 years ago).

It is the (only) disappointment I have with the F Type - bad computer system and the penny pinching stuff as standard. Shame as the old XK had the whole options book thrown in by default.

 

I have the InControl apps and I do not have an SOS button or any OnStar-like service. Unless this is a mid-year change, your dealer might be wrong. I'm not aware of any Jaguars with this service right now - again, unless this is something brand new.

 

If I were driving a plutobarge that encouraged me to completely mentally disconnect from where I was and what I was doing, these might be useful, even though they all sound like they would increase the chances of mental disconnect.

Fortunately, I'm driving an F Type Coupe...

 

There are times to hoon and times you are just getting from A to B.

Radar cruise is a bleeding great option for the 1 hour motorway journey I do 3 times a week. Setting it to the speed limit (plus a bit) means a lot less stress on today's stupidly manic main roads and gives you a safety buffer in case the cretin in front decides to brake for no reason. Same for town driving.

Not much difference to the argument people made on power steering, disc brakes, anti-lock brakes, traction control etc. Radar safety systems save you from many small bumps that, in aluminium cars, will cost you a great deal of ££ for the smallest dent. They don't stop you making the most of it when conditions and circumstances allow.

Plus, the penny pinching still irritates - even Porsche are seeing the light on that front.

 

I think you are most likely correct - they may not know what they are talking about. They told me the early cars didn't have in control apps so they hadn't seen any with the feature at their dealership.


Having got the incontrol apps, do you think they are worth it or a waste of money?

 

I would save your money. Definitely not worth getting.

What's more confusing is the new entertainment system in the XE is also called InControl but it appears to be a completely new system that replaces the older system in current models - but that's not available until 2016.

 

The other side of this argument however, is... that if you don't order InControlApps with the car, you cannot add it later. The F-Type needs to be "wired" for this option, and they skip this step entirely on the assembly line if the option is not ordered.

Since it is a technology based system, I rolled the dice for the $400 investment, with the hopes that either the firmware and/or the software might get upgraded in the future, and/or the list of available apps might grow to something of value over time.

If not, I get a $400 dedicated port to charge my iPhone, iPad, etc.

 

Yes this is what I think I will do too, but it is nonetheless a bit disappointing.

The "wiring" option is only valuable as relates to apps. The car doesn't have a 3G/LTE modem wired into it so you will never be able to add the features the Land Rover or the XE have.

 

Agree 100%. The current system seems like it is pretty useless, but after they lowered the price to $400, I figured that was worth the investment to at least provide some insurance in case there are backwards compatible updates in the future...

 

Someone mentioned lackluster NAV features...

...something it DOES do is show traffic jams in yellow on the road you are on if you have it turned on. You can actually see where it is and what exits to use to avoid it (if applicable). Google and Waze and every other map program does this, but I had no idea until a month ago when a pop up showed up on the screen.

Just a friendly FYI to everyone else.

 

I like simplicity. The F-Type system has every button for any feature I'd care to use in the car with one or two finger touches. I don't have to go search through complex menu trees for stuff I don't care about. I don't need apps or voice control or anything else. I want my eyes on the road and not searching for some cool feature I shouldn't be using while driving. My iPhone is right beside me, and I have access to any feature I want when I'm not in motion. Music streams flawlessly from my iPhone, and calls are instantly coupled and crystal clear.

I hated the system in my last generation M3 because of it's complexity to find or do anything. My wife's Cadillac ATS has the supposedly advanced CUE system, which looks like an iPad, but once inside the picture icon, you still have to search too much for what you're looking for. I realize I am in the distinct minority here, but I like the old-school Jaguar system because of it's extreme simplicity. I don't find the menu or operation clunky at all, it's very intuitive, and it works beautifully in my car.

 

Likely not a bad idea as this isn't the system I was told to expect and if you are wired for it there is at least a chance you'll be able to install the upgraded system later. Folks like Kenwood are slowly figuring out hot to integrate car functions (I have one of their new decks in my XKR) but the issue is Jaguar doesn't have the volume for them to validate the interfaces.

 

There is a hopeful part of me that by getting the InControl with my car, it will be upgradable to Apple CarPlay at a future date since it appears Jaguar will be supporting that standard... Let's just hope they have a good processor and memory in their head end unit...


A man can dream, can't he?