The life of a reviewer is never going to be one of luxurious vehicle purchases. For our trips we often look for a way to spice up and improve our little petrol guzzlers. With a glovebox full of Compact Disks and no way of working out directions other than printing out them out beforehand, Carpuride has jumped in to solve that situation with a quick and easy portable entertainment and Sat-Nav situation.
This product can be purchased hereCarpuride has released multiple models compatible with your vehicle and we at Cubed got our hands on the 7″ version. Eager to see just what this was capable of, it impressed early with a no-nonsense, straight out of the box approach. With an intuitive system, after plugging in through the cigarette lighter, an instant connection was made with the android through the Android Auto system. Connection through Apple Carplay was also just as simple. Not only does the Carpuride 7″ allow mirroring through these devices, but comes with its own apps, easily accessed through the Touchscreen HD display. When driving, simplicity of use is paramount and with an easily laid out menu and instant access to music, maps, messages and calls, this is safe and simple.
Looking at the music side of things (the most important part of an entertainment system), the system comes with a speaker built in that should do an ample job of pushing the tunes front to back, however one issue does seem to be the mixing element. To this reviewers ears, most preset mixers have little to no variance. A much better option is to use the frankly magical FM radio collection. By tuning your radio to the correct frequency, all sound inputs will play through your car speakers, allowing fiddling to your hearts content. Spotify is also installed as standard allowing control through the device itself or a smartphone. For other media, USB connectivity and a MicroSD slot are also included.
Physically, we opted for the suction cup on the dashboard setup for ease of removability. It can also be connected to the windscreen. This is something you want to be able to take out easily and not leave on display. A carry case would have been a nice touch but with its size this will easily fit in a lot of electronic cases you may have lying around the house. It’s a sturdy setup and once initially attached, no amount of turbulence on the journey is going to move this. Speaking of journeys, we utilised google maps for any trips and this is clearly displayed without interfering with whatever media apps running, due to the split screen mode. Voice commands through Googles assistant also works with no issues so those hands can be kept firmly on the wheel.
The two main standouts of the Carpuride 7″ are ease of use and most importantly, value for money. When going from no in-car system at all to this, it feels like a massive jump, dragging a 2011 reliable Kia into the present with a system that is more responsive and easy to use than a previous 2023 in-built system. Every function you could ask for just works, with no hassle or fiddling to setup. As soon as the key is in the ignition, you have instant access to hands free calling, satellite navigation and most importantly, tunes. Take full advantage of that mirroring function also to ensure that the system is being used to its full potential. No more boring trips with this bad-boy. With such a simple way of working, you may also be tempted to shell out for the additional rear view camera which can also be controlled from this.
