Infotainment Review: Jaguar InControl Touch Pro

You won’t find any uncouth Apple CarPlay or Android Auto here, no sir. You will also not find any of those squat-shaped touch screens. Instead, nestled within the leather and shine of our test F-PACE R-Sport is the elegantly proportioned, responsive InControl display.

Design your own interface
The updated version of InControl provides the option for user-created screens with drag-and-drop widgets that can be positioned largely as desired. So, if you want a clock surrounded by the audio, climate or navigation options you rely on, that can be the custom display in your Jag.

The elongated touch screen, with a height of 10cm and width of 23cm, cleverly maximises widthways glass real-estate and the user interface is intuitive and quick to use.

The elegance of design continues through to the InControl layout, with the home screen divided into four intuitive selection quartets: audio, car climate, phone and navigation.

Each of these selection buttons provides current, relevant information: whose phone is Bluetooth connected, what road you are currently travelling on or which radio station is playing, for example. Quick-link selection buttons allow direct access to some of the more popular options.

User-friendly multi-touch gestures are beautifully reactive, particularly on navigation maps, making it easy to quickly zoom and rotate.

Like Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, the InControl dashboard can become a full-screen map, relegating other driver information to the margins. This works surprisingly well, with all the info you need still available at a glance, and the map – whilst not zoomable like the main touch screen – gives that extra element of navigation.

The F-PACE also features a 12.3-inch dashboard screen that while offering content and theme customisation options, remains satisfyingly clear and concise in the information the driver receives.

Sound and connectivity
The digital (DAB) radio option ($900) was a little flaky at times as we ventured from the metropolitan area to the outskirts of digitised transmission; dropouts felt more prevalent than comparable systems.

The 850W Meridian surround sound system delivered crisp aural entertainment during the ride, and despite our test vehicle gliding on 20-inch paws, with the turbo 3.0-litre diesel pinging away at 100km/h the Jaguar’s cockpit remained well insulated to the external world.

Bluetooth setup was speedy, though playback of phone content did not pick up automatically after the car restarted.

One smart feature of non-radio playback is the automatic pausing when the volume is reduced to zero.

InControl will play back CD, DVD and Blu-Ray with available video content when the vehicle is stationary. Despite the elongated shape of the touch screen, aspect ratios for video are maintained as intended.

The all-important steering wheel controls are thoughtfully laid out and give reasonable feedback to the press allowing confident control of the audio system without needing to take eyes off the road.

Getting you from A to B
Our F-PACE R-Sport was equipped with the optional InControl Touch Pro SSD Navigation Pack ($2,550) and it is largely an excellent system.

It may lack a Tour option – to set a stopover address – and like all other sat-nav systems it loses satellite connectivity winding through the forest and hills of the Great Otway National Park, but we were very impressed with the route choices and general presentation of this integrated system.

Nothing beats local knowledge, but in both metropolitan and country driving, we found it hard to faze the navigation system. We were very impressed with the routes chosen even through quite complex street layouts.

Safety camera alerts and road speeds are available for reference, and when stationary – such as at traffic lights – and not tracking a route the map screen will drop into a background mode showing helpful information such as nearby petrol stations or previous destinations.

Audio directions are delivered calmly and with the helpful “turn towards” feature giving the town or suburb you will be turning towards when taking that next corner.

Navigation is also integrated into the dashboard and the optional HUD (Head-Up Display including infrared windscreen is available for $2510).

The modern manual
A special mention needs to be made about just how good the Jaguar user manual is for this car. There are smartphone QR codes throughout, which can be scanned by your device to link to “how to” videos on almost everything to do with the F-PACE.

Connect your device via the dedicated USB port to download a range of free Jaguar apps that can be controlled through the car’s touch screen.

Jag has indeed gone out of the way to try to change up the variety of applications available through this function, from audio favourites like Spotify and Stitcher to more obscure apps such as voice memos, parking guides and mileage tracking software.

As a final nod to the increasingly mobile-centric world we live in, we would like to see the F-PACE swapping out the two rear-seat 12V sockets for USB ports.

Fun extras
Rounding out the feature list of the InControl Touch Pro is the more ancillary set of functions. InControl will give you a percentage rating, a driving score, in fact, to quantify just how much of a lead-foot you are. Looking up the eco-history of your recent drives can be disconcerting to the point where you might also utilise the functions to switch off parts of your Jag to get increased fuel efficiency.

More fun is the screen allowing you to set dynamic functions of the F-PACE such as engine and steering performance and gear shift ratios.

Likewise, the stat-minded driver will enjoy the graphic depictions of g-force on the car as well as brake and accelerator usage.

Overall, InControl Touch Pro option is a well-presented, rounded Infotainment system. It is lacking some of the more connected high-end features seen on similarly priced luxury vehicles; JLR is expecting connected vehicles to utilise built-in SIM features with the RR Sport and Range Rover from late quarter one, which will place the system well and truly in competition with BMW, for example.

JLR then plans to roll out these network-connected features across the range through 2017 and early into 2018.