Subaru Starlink In Car Connectivity Aims At Ford Sync

When it comes to in car connectivity, the big push for automotive manufacturers is to get away from systems that require drivers to take their eyes off the road to voice control. Ford was one of the first companies to offer this type of system with its Sync voice control system that has been available for a number of years. Subaru has now announced at CES 2013 that it has its own in car connectivity system called Starlink.

Subaru is showing the system off at CES and the system is also integrated with some smartphone applications such as Aha. The Subaru connectivity suite allows drivers to access thousands of web-based radio stations and podcasts via streaming. Drivers can also access on-demand music services such as Slacker, Rhapsody, and others.

Subaru promises that Starlink will continue to grow with new partners and connectivity capabilities coming over time. The system will debut in the 2014 Subaru Forster and will be available in all versions of that vehicle at are factory navigation equipped. The system will also come to 2013 Legacy and Outback models as an upgrade if they are equipped with factory navigation.

Starting this summer, all 2014 model year Impreza, BRZ, and XV Crosstek models with factory navigation will also begin getting the service. Subaru is also talking up its new EyeSight driver assistance system. The system integrates adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, pre-collision throttle management, and vehicle lane departure display warnings. Subaru says under certain circumstances the EyeSight system can bring the car to a complete stop, avoiding a collision. The system uses two CCD cameras mounted inside a car on the upper edge of the windshield view the road ahead.