I must admit to being exhausted from the learning process, there's a lot to learn and I think room for trouble. If you don't like reading, then stay away from the bells & whistles on the Grand Touring, because you'll never figure it out on your own. The Mazda way is not always as straight forward as I'd like it to be, for example use of remote start is quite a process, lack of automatic door unlock as you approach vehicle to mention but a few. I can't help but think that with all this technology they need to continue working on simplifying things. They've made a good start but it's not there yet. It will take me a few more weeks before I'll be ready to try voice commands. My USB tab in the Audio section is ominously greyed out and I have not yet been able to connect my first generation ipod nano through the usb port (yes I have been careful of when I plug it in & out).
Of course the ride, engine power, seat comfort are excellent along with outstanding ground clearance and superb traction with snow tires. Rear view camera works very well. The pretend wood accents on front dash are terrible as is the flimsy silver paint finish (scratched in no time). I can't help but find that the switch gear for electronic controls also rather flimsy, hope they last better than they look and feel.
Overall an excellent vehicle, I made a good choice, but the Grand Touring has a painful learning curve.
P.S. If someone has an easy way of testing the operation of the USB port, please let me know. Is the USB tab supposed to be greyed out with no device plugged in ? I was thinking of putting some song files on a memory stick and plugging it in.
Got it working ! The problem was outdated firmware on my first generation iPod nano. Works perfectly with 1.3.1.
Of course the ride, engine power, seat comfort are excellent along with outstanding ground clearance and superb traction with snow tires. Rear view camera works very well. The pretend wood accents on front dash are terrible as is the flimsy silver paint finish (scratched in no time). I can't help but find that the switch gear for electronic controls also rather flimsy, hope they last better than they look and feel.
Overall an excellent vehicle, I made a good choice, but the Grand Touring has a painful learning curve.
P.S. If someone has an easy way of testing the operation of the USB port, please let me know. Is the USB tab supposed to be greyed out with no device plugged in ? I was thinking of putting some song files on a memory stick and plugging it in.
Got it working ! The problem was outdated firmware on my first generation iPod nano. Works perfectly with 1.3.1.
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