My Subaru had a paid app that included the remote start option. Fuck them all gently with a chainsaw. I paid for the fucking car, I want the whole fucking thing.
I dunno if Toyota ever paywalled performance, but they definitely paywall features. My '15 Lexus requires a subscription service to use remote start. Its app based and relies on the car’s 2g cellular card so it doesn’t even work anymore.
Ford just gives you this for free. But inevitably my 5g cellular connection will age out on my 2019 Mustang. No coats for all of the added features. Ford gets a pass by my book.
I have three cars: '24 Chevy Bolt, a '24 Ford Edge, and a '79 Corvette. Unfortunately, for some unfathomable reason, the Corvette doesn’t have an associated app or even any remote connectivity. However, as you observed, the Ford does; as I mentioned, so does the Bolt.
The Chevy app I mostly use to make sure it’s plugged in before I go to bed. My Ford mostly stays outside of my garage, so the app primarily serves to start it remotely, letting the climate control run for a few minutes before I come out. (I also occasionally use it to honk because it amuses me, but I live in the middle of nowhere and am not bothering anyone other than maybe my wife.)
Back before the world was what it is today, I used to have a used '19 Tesla Model 3 (I replaced it with the Bolt). There were good things and bad things about it, but disregarding any social issues for the purpose of this comment, the app was better-functioning than that of any car I’ve purchased since. I was grandfathered into everything, so nothing was paywalled, and most of the stuff worked most of the time, unlike the Ford or Chevy apps which usually require multiple tries and sometimes chastise me for trying multiple times.
And since I’m writing about cars, I will say that the absolute best (for personal enjoyment, not external considerations) vehicle I’ve ever owned was a 2014 Ford Flex, Titanium Trim. There was no app because 2014, but goddamn if I didn’t love that car.
Officially never buying a VW, BMW, Tesla, Or Mercedes. Who else tried this shit? Toyota, right?
My Subaru had a paid app that included the remote start option. Fuck them all gently with a chainsaw. I paid for the fucking car, I want the whole fucking thing.
I dunno if Toyota ever paywalled performance, but they definitely paywall features. My '15 Lexus requires a subscription service to use remote start. Its app based and relies on the car’s 2g cellular card so it doesn’t even work anymore.
My '24 Chevy does this, too. Lock, unlock and remote start apparently route through OnStar, so using those requires an OnStar subscription.
Yeah mine requires the Toyota Safety Connect or some such, I’m pretty sure it’s just their implementation of OnStar.
Ford just gives you this for free. But inevitably my 5g cellular connection will age out on my 2019 Mustang. No coats for all of the added features. Ford gets a pass by my book.
I have three cars: '24 Chevy Bolt, a '24 Ford Edge, and a '79 Corvette. Unfortunately, for some unfathomable reason, the Corvette doesn’t have an associated app or even any remote connectivity. However, as you observed, the Ford does; as I mentioned, so does the Bolt.
The Chevy app I mostly use to make sure it’s plugged in before I go to bed. My Ford mostly stays outside of my garage, so the app primarily serves to start it remotely, letting the climate control run for a few minutes before I come out. (I also occasionally use it to honk because it amuses me, but I live in the middle of nowhere and am not bothering anyone other than maybe my wife.)
Back before the world was what it is today, I used to have a used '19 Tesla Model 3 (I replaced it with the Bolt). There were good things and bad things about it, but disregarding any social issues for the purpose of this comment, the app was better-functioning than that of any car I’ve purchased since. I was grandfathered into everything, so nothing was paywalled, and most of the stuff worked most of the time, unlike the Ford or Chevy apps which usually require multiple tries and sometimes chastise me for trying multiple times.
And since I’m writing about cars, I will say that the absolute best (for personal enjoyment, not external considerations) vehicle I’ve ever owned was a 2014 Ford Flex, Titanium Trim. There was no app because 2014, but goddamn if I didn’t love that car.
Kia has a subscription service for the ability to set remote start options. They can get fucked, too.
Dunno. My Corolla doesn’t have any features locked out that I am aware of. It certainly hasn’t tried to upsell me any “upgrades”.