Hey guys and welcome back to the channel! My little system has been driving this car for a while and now it’s finally time I modernize it for her by installing this 9.7 inch Android head unit with built in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This Ford Escape came with a tiny little display, so adding CarPlay support was not an option without replacing the entire headunit. Anyway, I’m very excited to see how well this works, so let’s take this car apart and get it installed!
It has been a week since I installed this unit in the car so now it’s time for a quick review. Let’s start with the rearview camera. I’ll be honest, I didn’t read the instructions, so I didn’t know how to configure the rearview camera. Since these cars can have different camera options, you have to select the one you have in your vehicle. I’m happy to report that I contacted support and they were super helpful and quick to respond with instructions. Here is how you do it.
You will also have to connect to the internet in order to activate the 360 app which is what’s used for the backup camera. I used my phone’s personal hotstop for this and that worked fine. Internet is not needed for anything else after.
Now that we are here in the configuration menu, you can see everything else you can adjust. Personally, I didn’t touch anything else as everything else worked as expected.
Review of unit:
Connecting to CarPlay is very simple. You connect your phone to Bluetooth on the Android unit and then open the ZLINK app. In the settings you can enabled it to automatically start the app when you are connected. Then the next time you start the car, your phone will automatically connect wirelessly and CarPlay will turn on.
One thing I haven’t figured out was how to remove the control panel at the bottom here as it does not control the HVAC on this car since it is manual. Higher trim models have electric controls and would work with this control panel at the bottom.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with the quality of the unit and especially the display panel. It easy to see in the sun and there isn’t too much glare. Touchscreen feels very modern and operates smoothly between menus and apps. The headunit also integrates into the car’s system, so you can control things like volume using the buttons on the steering wheels. You can also get into car’s original settings from the settings menu in case there is something to adjust there. Finally, I wanted to touch on the sound quality. The built-in amplifier is doing a great job and sounds more powerful than the original headunit. Music sounds clear and there is no hiss or noise even at higher volume. There are many other things you can do on this headunit besides the CarPlay and Android Auto, especially, if you insert a SIM card, but that’s a whole video in itself. If you would like to purchase this or a similar unit for your vehicle, check out the links in the description. Seicane make units that fit your specific make and model which makes the integration that much better! Let me know what you think in the comments down below. Like the video if you liked it and I’ll see you in the next one!
Review:
Installed this in a 2017 Ford Escape with the basic radio (only the tiny screen) and wow what a difference. The car now feels a lot more modern and Wireless CarPlay works great as well. Installation took about 90 minutes doing it for the first time and going slow not to break any clips etc. The value for money here is great as well, you get a 9.7 inch QLED screen (WOW), modern features, support for original vehicle camera, steering wheel integration and much more. It even has a built in amplifier that’s more powerful than the original and pushes the speakers just right! It sounds nice and loud in the car. I would recommend this unit to anyone that wants to elevate their car and make it feel modern again giving it a few more years of enjoyable life.
Welcome back to the SimpleCarGuy channel. Today, I have something special, A BMW X6 M50i! It’s not a secret that I like small funky cars, so what am I doing with this high fashion SUV? Well, this one is a little bit different from the rest. Not only is it an SUV, but it’s also a COUPE in a way and oh yeah, it’s definitely funky. In this video, we will take a look at the exterior and talk about its distinctive looks, check out the interior, including the tech and other fun features, go over the engine and listen to that sweet V8 under the hood and then take it on a short little drive.
If you’d like to see more videos about this car or even other BMWs, hit that like button to support the channel.
Exterior:
Let’s start with the exterior. Some people believe that every new car, especially from a luxury brand like a BMW is beautiful. That has proven to be controversial when you take a look at the new 4 series with its gigantic grills and the same can be said for the rear of this car. The front of the X6 is unmistakably BMW with slightly oversized kidney grills and an evolution of the angel lights. It’s striking and aggressive and in this white color, it’s all on display. Car makers can get away with funky lines and some design choices by painting the car black or some other dark color, but here.. you can see it all. This brings us back to the rear of the car where there is a lot of this ‘design’. This X6 has quite a distinctive look that you really have to love. BMW clearly went for style over function with this design sacrificing the room and convenience of the X5 with the slopping rear hatch design. Even if you don’t love how it looks, which you should if you think of getting one, IT IS subjectively speaking quite interesting to look at.
Going around the car, there are a few things to pay attention to. At the front, we have these beautiful full LED or even optional laser headlights and of course full LED taillights in the back as well. I don’t even think there are any non-LED lights left on this car, but I could be wrong. Here at the back, we can also see the defuser that BMW puts on their M-Sport and M cars, it’s given the back a little more segmentation, which could be a good or bad thing. We can also see the quad exhaust pipes that fit into 2 pods. These sound fantastic, so stick around to hear it from the back as well as from inside the car. Another fake item on the exterior that I find kind of funny are the fake vents, not really sure why they would include these as BMW isn’t really know for these.
Thinking of other cars in this segment, what is the X6 really up against as far as looks? There isn’t anything very interesting other than the Lamborghini Urus, but that’s almost in a different category. I much better prefer this to the Mercedes GLE Coupe or the Audi Q8. I think we need to embrace cars and SUVs that look different. We can’t complain that all cars are boring and look the same but then also hate on the makers that try something different. Now, let’s go check out the interior and see what we can find.
Interior:
Alright, so what do we have here? From the start, it feels very rich and luxuries when you get inside and even though it’s very unique looking on the outside, it’s not nearly as unique on the inside. This X6 replaced the X5 I made a couple videos about a few months ago and you can clearly see the interior design has elevated in this generation car. It’s definitely not a complete overhaul, it’s more of an evolution, the screens got bigger, some buttons disappeared, but if you’ve been in a current gen BMW, you have experienced this interior as well. Of course, the fit and finish and the quality of the materials is on another level and it adds many extra features inside that separate it from the more basic BMWs, such as the heated door and middle armrests and it even has some unique features that are not found on the X5 like this door handle area. It feels big and spacious with these amazing 20-way adjustable seats that can adjust just about anything you’d ever want to adjust. (see if they have massage). Speaking of comfort, I think this M sport steering wheel is one of the best in industry, something you’d want to hold on to for hours at a time.
Now let’s take a quick look at the center console area. This interior feature 2 12-inch displays, one for instrument cluster and one for the iDrive or as BMW now calls BMW Live Cockpit Professional. You can control pretty much anything on this car from this screen, which BTW is a touchscreen, but luckily you can still use the physical controller to perform all functions, which I love. I’m also glad that the HVAC system hasn’t been completely moved to the iDrive and you still get physical buttons that you can hit while driving. They might be a little small, but thankfully the trend of removing physical buttons hasn’t hit BMW yet.
Being a new BMW, it has very impressive tech and one of my favorites is the backup and 360-degree camera system that overlays a 3D model making it kind of fun to use. Camera views can also be recorded and even viewed from the phone that has been paired to the car. The sounds system is just as impressive, it has nice deep bass and high-quality midrange and of course you can connect using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to stream your favorite music.
Moving to the back, the seats here are actually fairly comfortable and have plenty of space for someone that’s 5’10 with a few inches to spare. No issues with leg room either even with the front seat generously moved back. The way they achieve this is by basically making bucket seats in the back, dropping you back and down a little so you actually do have plenty of space and don’t feel cramped at all.
Trunk space is of course not as big as the X5, but the owner of this vehicle was able to fit plenty of stuff while moving and remember, style over function.
Engine:
This new X6 comes with two different options for the engine, the B58 straight 6 turbocharged engine that’s in other M-Sport cars and also in the new Toyota Supra, but those are much smaller and lighter cars, so for this beast, you want the n63 TwinTurbo V8 engine.
It’s important to understand that this is the n63TU3 engine which is the updated version of the engine you got on the last gen 50i cars like my F10 550i. Of course, this one makes 80 more horsepower and 70 more pound feet of torque so it’s definitely been worked on since then. To be clear, it is not the S63 engine that comes on the X6 M, but I think that’s a good thing. Sure, you get less horse power, but these are much more reliable and cheaper to maintain and fix in the long run AND who can complain about 523 horses and 553 torques under the hood of a family car? That’s pretty insane if you ask me especially since you get M level performance with the room and comfort of an SUV.
This beast can get to 60 miles an hour in about 4 seconds if you use launch control, but sadly this isn’t my car, so I will not be showing you this as it is taxing on the transmission, BUT if we can get 1000 likes on this video, I will convince the owner to try it and we’ll make a video about it.
We don’t have any data yet, but with it being the 4th iteration of the N63 engine, it should be fairly reliable over the years and hopefully last a long time, but time will tell.
One thing I know this engine isn’t very good at is fuel economy. You won’t get what anyone would consider good fuel economy out of this, but honestly.. who cares. If you go for the m50i version, you clearly care more about the raw power aspect rather than saving dollars at the gas station. I think it’s finally time to start it up and see what it sounds like.
Exhaust Note:
Since this is an M-Sport car, the engine sound is very important to the overall experience. When you first start the car, you can hear the aggressive V8 rawr and come to live. It sounds great on the outside no matter where you are. On the inside, the engine sound is pumped in through the speakers, so it can sound very loud on the inside, but luckily it can be turned off and you get to hear real exhaust without any fakery. There are a few options to pick from, so you get to decided depending on who you have in the car and what kind of impression you’d like to leave on them. I’d probably turn it off completely and just enjoy the raw engine sounds.
Driving/Summary:
Woooohooo! Wow that is not something you expect from a 5200 pound SUV. The acceleration on this X6 feels very strong and it definitely pushes you into the seat even with half throttle. And the sound, it sounds like a hot rodded V8 when you punch it, yet it is refined to the highest German standards.
As most big BMW cars now-a-days, this SUV has xDrive and being in Chicago, this is a huge benefit and reassurance you won’t get stuck in the snowy winter. Luckily the xDrive here is rear biased, prioritizing the rear wheels and allowing for some fun and better driving characteristics balancing the car out by having the front wheels concentrate on the steering.
Being a big car, I was expecting it to drive.. well, like a big car. But honestly, it doesn’t, It feels like a very sturdy sedan. Somehow, BMW has managed to make this feel sporty. planted and handle well, especially in sport mode where the steering goes heavy. It reminds me of my e92 335 I had many years ago with it’s heavy hydraulic steering. Unlike the e92, you do sit very high up in the air and it almost feels like it wants to understeer, but all things considered, it’s really, really nice to drive, everything fits me perfectly and is very easy to reach from the driving position as well.
Other than the exhaust sound, it’s very quiet inside and some of these even come with the acoustic glass option, so you will definitely be very well insulated from the outside.
Well, that’s about all I have for now on the BMW X6 M50i, if you’d like to see more videos on this car, leave a comment down below and let me know what exactly you’d like to see. Don’t’ forget to subscribe for more car videos and I’ll see you in the next one.
Hey Guys and Welcome back to another video on the SimpleCarGuy.com. Today we are taking a look at this 2019 Hyundai Kona that my girlfriend has been driving for the past couple of years. Has it been a good car, has it had any major issues, what are some of the cool hidden features or things that you didn’t know about and most importantly should you buy this European looking little car that’s just a little more than ordinary? Let’s take a look!
If you’d like to skip the review part and just see the hidden features, skip to:
Has it been a good car? Over all, yes. Now, of course your expectations of a car may vastly differ from mine, but for a car that’s under 25 thousand dollars, it packs a lot of European design, great bright headlights, lots of safety features and even a 7-speed dual clutch transmission with a peppy 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine that actually makes it kind of fun to drive. When it comes to front end of the car, it has been commented on a lot. In my opinion, the upside-down face with the headlights at the bottom and the daytime lights at the top, give it a nice aggressive, almost high-end German car look. It’s never a bad thing when you buy a daily gas saver and get something more in return. I do wish the fog lights would match the otherwise LED front end as they stand out quite a lot when used. One thing you may not notice on this car due to its grey color is the ugly plastic pieces around the wheel-arches and few other parts of the car. It works well on grey, black and some other darker colors, but looks very cheap on brighter paintwork. Of course, this is purely my opinion, but I had to mention it.
So, how has the reliability been? This KONA’s 1.6 turbo engine even though known to be very reliable has had an issue in the first few months of ownership. The car got a check engine light and we had to take it to the dealer. The service department quickly figured out that it was an injector, replaced it under warranty and it’s been running smoothly and very efficiently since then.
My opinion on the car only counts so much as I don’t drive it daily, so I asked my girlfriend to give me a quick review on the car from her perspective. She’d told me that after two years of ownership, there are some things that she really enjoyed and some that she could live without. She is impressed with the quality of the interior; especially, the leather seats that add a touch of luxury without having to spend thousands. With the ample trunk space, foldable back seats and relatively low trunk sill that the Kona provides, she is able to fit groceries, furniture, large boxes without having to turn to a minivan or large SUV. Apple CarPlay makes it very easy to enjoy music on the go and calling friends and family is done safely without having to pick up the phone.
Even though the Kona has a great interior, it does take a long time for the seats to warm up compared to other cars and even longer for warm air to start coming from the vents. Luckily, you can turn on the heater from your BlueLink app on the phone, but even after 10 minutes of running she still has to wear gloves before going on a drive on cold Chicago winter days. Once the heated seats are warmed up, they are a great feature and she would love to have the same convenience available for those sitting in the back. Lastly, as a none aggressive driver (ok, I would have to specify here and say that she can be a bit “enthusiastic” while driving), she did notice that if you take a corner a little faster the car tends to ‘tilt’ and she had to be mindful of her speed as it feels almost unstable. What she is talking about is of course body roll and I can’t say that there is a lot of it in this car, but it’s no sport car as far as handling, that’s for sure.
In conclusion, there have been pros and cons to owning a Kona but it does make for a great fun car that is reliable and easy to drive.
I hope that gives you a little bit of an insight into what a non-car enthusiast thinks of the KONA. I know there are many professional reviewers, but they don’t drive the car daily and that’s what matters in a daily driver, the personal experience with the car.
Now for a little fun, I thought I’d show you some hidden features, tips, tricks and just things you may not know about the KONA.
One of the more obvious, yet useful things you may not have known about the KONA is that there are two storage pockets under the HVAC controls right above the USB port where you can store your phone perfectly. Speaking of extra hidden space, a lot of people don’t know that in the rear hatch, you can take the floor cover off and the foam piece if your car has the cargo tray and drop it down about 3 inches giving you more storage room in the back.
Have you wondered where the space tire is on this car? Wonder no more, it is right here..
While we are at the back here, did you know that the rear wiper also has a washer fluid nozzle for cleaning? And if you have auto-wipers, the rear wiper will come on automatically when you shift in reverse and it’s raining. If you don’t like things happening on their own or afraid there might be ice buildup, you can easily turn it off in the menu. Of course, everyone knows there is a defroster on the back glass, but did you know that this car also has heated side mirrors? Pretty nifty!
The info-taiment is primarily focused on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but there are a couple settings you can adjust. As an example, you can move the sound to whatever corner of the car you want.
This Kona came with some good safety features, such as the lane keeping assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning, rear camera and a few others, but no parking sensors. All of these are listed in your car spec sheet, but did you also know that your KONA will turn off the fog lights when turning below 25mph and turn on corner lights for those slower turns. You can’t have both, it’s one or the other. Speaking of speed, if you hold the plus and minus buttons while the cruise control is on, it will increase and decrease the speed by 5mph increments. The last hidden features that I was surprised by is the sun visor, it can be extended to provide just a little more shade!
As most modern cars, the KONA has an app that allows you to remote start the car, set up custom climate profiles, flash the lights, honk the horn and locate your car among other functions. I do think it’s a little silly that the car lights up like a Christmas tree when started remotely, but it’s not the end of the world.
So, would I recommend a Hyundai Kona for someone that is looking for a fun daily driver? Absolutely, you will enjoy a fun and energetic driving subcompact SUV, with decent handling, great gas mileage and overall a smooth riding experience. The turbocharged engine is a must if you want refinement and some pick up! Not only that, when you get inside the cabin, it feels well made, upscale and future proof. So, thank you guys so much for watching, I really appreciate it. Let me know if you’d like to see more SimpleCarReviews and I’ll see you in the next one.
Today we are taking a look at a code reader/scanner and diagnostics tool specifically designed for BMWs. If you’ve ever tried scanning your BMW with a regular scanner and all you got was general codes that don’t really help much, this is a scanner for you. Not only can it show you BMW specific codes, it can also diagnose, all your car’s modules (Engine, ABS, Transmission, SAS, SRS, TPMS etc), test your old and EVEN register your new battery, reset adaptation, perform special DME engine functions such as injector compensation coding, reset your fuel pump and much, much more.
Buy From Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bKZ0L7 (affiliate link).
