The Official Apple CarPlay Upgrade for the 2010 Range Rover Serves as a Reminder of What We Have Lost.

      Land Rover

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      If you’re a car enthusiast who has been passionate about vehicles for over ten years, you likely have thoughts on screens in cars. How many should there be? What size is appropriate? Are they truly practical? These topics prompt endless debate among enthusiasts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if many support Land Rover Classic’s infotainment upgrade for the third-generation Range Rovers. This upgrade simply adds Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the L322’s single existing 8-inch touchscreen. What more could you want?

      Earlier this month, Land Rover announced this retrofit for Range Rovers from the 2010 to 2012 model years, but it’s important to note that it isn’t officially available in the United States. This is disappointing, as this solution offers a perfect blend of modern convenience through phone projection, allowing easy access to your preferred navigation and media apps, while retaining a compact display that still provides room for stylish trim, practical buttons, and knobs. In comparison to what is offered in the current Range Rover, it serves as a bittersweet reminder of how automakers may have lost their way.

      This is exactly what we’ve been hoping for at The Drive. Today’s vehicles and the public’s expectations require at least one screen. If designers attempted to incorporate a button for every single function modern cars possess, they would quickly run out of dashboard space, and we would lose patience trying to locate them. Remember those tiny sliders for stereo faders back in the ’90s? While they might evoke nostalgia for some of us, they lack practical purpose today. Screens provide a welcome relief from such annoyances.

      While the current L460 Range Rover dashboard, introduced in 2022, is a notable design, it lacks the ornamentation and touchpoints associated with vehicles. The previous tactile features have been replaced by bland, flat surfaces interchangeable with those from any other model by different manufacturers. Moreover, the touchscreen no longer sits integrated into the dashboard; instead, it hovers above, disconnected, reminiscent of an iPad.

      In their pursuit of minimalism, Land Rover’s designers have stripped the interior of any remarkable or identifiable features. They’ve centralized every function into a glass interface with small, ambiguous icons. The vehicle isn’t any simpler than before; it’s just that all its complexity is now confined to a 13-inch tablet that offers no physical feedback, forcing drivers to divert their attention from the road. This, too, is not an ideal solution.

      That’s precisely why the L322 infotainment upgrade is so appealing. It maintains the common sense that has guided generations of automotive design. Buttons and dials remain easily accessible, and in a vehicle like the Range Rover, they’re designed for exceptional tactile feedback. (At least, I imagine they would be—I’ve, unfortunately, never driven an L322.) Additionally, the metallic trim contrasts beautifully against the tan plastic, black leather, and cherry wood.

      With Wireless CarPlay functioning in an L322 Range Rover using the new upgrade kit, it’s clear that when automakers remove intricate details from dashboards, they eliminate interesting points of engagement that encourage physical interaction with the vehicle beyond steering and pedals. What is there to appreciate about a seamless slab of soft-touch plastic? There’s nothing memorable, leading to an uninspired cabin that fades into the background.

      For all these reasons, we cherish seeing older vehicles updated with modern conveniences without compromising their original design functionality. Land Rover has executed this upgrade perfectly by utilizing the original screen that came with the SUV. There are pros and cons to this approach—after all, we’re dealing with an old TFT LCD that likely has poor viewing angles, color accuracy, and responsiveness, not to mention potential challenges in recognizing taps and swipes. However, the benefit is that no trim has to be replaced or installed, and the existing ergonomics are preserved. It would be appealing if Land Rover Classic offered this upgrade with an optional OLED panel for enthusiasts like myself willing to pay extra, but this offering is still quite satisfactory.

      Of course, there will be limitations when integrating new technology into a 15-year-old vehicle. Reviewing Land Rover’s technical FAQs on the upgrade reveals that media through CarPlay and Android Auto replaces the vehicle’s aux input. This means that in order to hear anything from your phone, you must switch to aux mode, introducing an extra step compared to modern vehicles that typically switch automatically from radio to your device’s media upon pressing play. Additionally, the voice control button on the L322 steering wheel cannot be used to access Siri or Google Assistant; you must call out “Hey, Siri” or “Hey, Google” to engage them.

      Even so, these minor trade-offs are worthwhile for the substantial added convenience. Just like Honda’s recent Wireless CarPlay upgrade for the last-generation Accords or Porsche’s PCCM head units for older single and double-DIN cars, we believe that owners of early-2010s Range R