Whether you like it or notGM is Development of our own infotainment operating system for its cars. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like the system is very good. And you’ll have to dig deep into your pockets if you want to use some of the system’s main features.
Motor Trend This unfortunate reality was recently discovered during their long-term testing of the 2024 Chevy Silverado ZR2. After seven months and 13,000 miles, they found that the system has some shortcomings.
The system would suddenly freeze at the most inconvenient and random times. When this happened, not only would the maps stop working, but the speed limit information on the driver information screen and head-up display would also freeze. Navigating to the infotainment system’s Google Maps app while the system was frozen would result in a “Searching for GPS” error message.
Motor Trend says the best solution they could find was a complete system reboot when it happens, which means holding down the hang-up button on the steering wheel for 15 seconds while the truck is running. Pretty annoying. Another annoying issue was the voice control feature. GM says drivers can say “Hey Google” and then control various functions in the car just by saying it, like changing the air conditioning fan speed or changing a radio station. But it’s not that simple.
If you simply say “Turn on the Disney Channel,” the prompt will fail. Instead, the prompt should say, “Turn the radio to the Disney Channel on SiriusXM.” This is nuanced, but important. The same goes for navigation. Instead of “Take me to Trader Joe’s in El Segundo,” you need to say, “Describe me the route to the Trader Joe’s store on Rosecrans Boulevard in El Segundo, California.” You also need to speak slowly and enunciate clearly so that the system processes most requests on the first try.
There is also an app store with apps like Waze. Motor Trend says that loading is so slow and entering an address is so difficult that they gave up on the first try. And the worst part about the system? You have to pay for a data access plan if you want to use the features that come with it, like Google Maps.
If you choose not to pay for OnStar, you’ll lose access to certain features. These include the Google Play app store, Google Assistant, and, most alarmingly, Google Maps. That’s right—without a paid subscription, our $75,000 2024 Chevy Silverado ZR2 doesn’t offer access to its native navigation system.
That means Google Maps, Assistant, Google Play Store and other connected features are useless without purchasing one of OnStar’s Connected Vehicle plans — which cost between $29.99 and $49.99 per month. I confirmed this with OnStar, who said that without a Connected Vehicle data subscription, you won’t be able to use built-in Google features. Fortunately, there’s a great workaround: You can still connect your phone and use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly. However, since GM plans to give up Phone mirroring features like AutoplayIt is only a matter of time before the car manufacturer closes this gap.
