Infotainment
Which multimedia system is best for music, sat-nav & connectivity?
Renault Clio
Renault Easylink Standard Key features: Nav, connectivity
ICONIC trim features Renault’s Easylink seven-inch touchscreen set-up that boasts sat-nav as standard. The Ibiza gets navigation, too, but it’s an extra on the Ford.
All three cars get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and in the Renault they work well. However, the Clio’s native system is the least responsive. All three use touchscreens, but the Renault misses more inputs than in either rival.
The graphics aren’t quite as slick in the Clio as in the Fiesta or Ibiza, either, but at least the menu layout and system logic is clearer than in other Renaults, such as the Mégane. The brand has learned here.
It’s a shame you can’t add options on Iconic like the digital dashboard feature, or wireless charging (this is the same as on the Ibiza), but otherwise the Clio’s tech matches its new, more upmarket cabin. It’s a definite improvement on its predecessor.
Ford Fiesta
SYNC Standard
Key features: 8” screen, connectivity
FORD’S eight-inch touchscreen is a good unit, with bright, sharp graphics. It’s also more responsive than the Clio’s system, so the standard-fit Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone programmes work well here. However, this is the only way you’ll be able to get sat-nav without specifying it as a £550 option. Both rivals feature this technology as standard.
As in the Clio, the screen floats out of the dash and is well placed; it’s close enough that using it on the move isn’t too bad, despite the Fiesta’s firmer suspension that occasionally means you might press the wrong button.
There’s no full digital dashboard option offered with the Ford, but then there isn’t in its rivals, either.
The Fiesta infotainment’s best feature is its ease of use, because most of the menus are logically laid out, although the SEAT ’s set-up is just as easy to use, too.
SEAT Ibiza
Full Link with Nav Standard
Key features: Nav, big, bright screen
SE Tech features an eight-inch screen and, as in the Clio, navigation is included. All three cars here have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well, meaning you can use your mobile for nav if you’d prefer. These systems work at least as well as they do in the other two cars – the Fiesta and Ibiza’s interfaces are quicker to respond.
The screen is glossy and the graphics sharp, but it’s lower in the dash than in the Clio or Fiesta, so you have to drop your eyesight down further away from the road to ensure you get the function you want. At least the menu layouts are logical, so this takes a minimum of time.
There are lots of features and the system works well. In fact, there is very little to split this trio on infotainment and it comes down to the slickness and speed of operation, which is better in the SEAT and the Ford than the Renault, although the Clio isn’t too far behind.