We took a DBX707 with the new multiscreen iOS integration for a spin

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Hands-On Test: Apple CarPlay Ultra Debuts on Aston Martin Cars

We took a DBX707 with the new multiscreen iOS integration for a spin

Basem Wasef

15 May 2025

In a Cinderella story of technological lag followed by full-circle redemption, Aston Martin has gone from being an infotainment has-been to debuting the biggest update to Apple CarPlay since the feature was first unveiled as a concept at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show. In 2014, we called CarPlay “… a sea change in the way we see onboard operating systems;” nearly a decade later we previewed a highly anticipated next-gen integration that was just officially unveiled as Apple CarPlay Ultra.

We’ve laid hands on the full reboot and redesign which leverages every screen in the vehicle—in Aston’s case, both the central 10.3-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch driver information screen. Apple calls it “deep integration;” after a product presentation and time with the system during a drive through the desert golf town of Rancho Mirage, we call it a long overdue handshake between the consumer electronics giant and the often slow-to-adapt automotive space.

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say this collaboration signals the future of in-car infotainment, marking a notable shift since the days when Apple and the auto makers doggedly siloed their operating system. The new multiscreen setup not only brings vehicle elements like instrumentation layout and key menu items under Apple iOS control, it enables the option of six different display styles which can be individually tailored to a menu of curated two-tone color palettes. Want an Apple Watch-style “complications” view that renders simplified interpretations of speed, engine temperature and fuel level? Behold the refreshingly different iconography. Prefer a more traditional speedometer/tachometer view? CarPlay Ultra has you covered, this time with a more minimalistic rendition that does away with the overabundance of visual extras. Also bundled is a zen-like option with an abstract landscape silhouette and a full-screen navigation map, both of which incorporate a discreet speed display to meet legal requirements.

Setting up CarPlay Ultra for the first time requires a cellular signal in order to install key software, but once the system is up and running the cellular demands are essentially as before. After an iPhone is linked wirelessly the screen setup can be selected via the vehicle interface—in the case of the Aston Martin DBX we sampled, via the center touchscreen and the small, steering wheel-based haptic thumbpads. This steering wheel setup works easily enough for navigating through basic functions in addition to the usual combination of physical buttons and Siri, which can now operate radio, climate, and more specific audio settings.

While it’s refreshing to see the familiar CarPlay widgets on the center screen accompanied by complementary driver display, it takes some time to acclimate aesthetically to the latter. Apple collaborated with Aston Martin chief creative officer and studio head Marek Reichman on the look and feel. While Aston’s input included elements like the tick marks around virtual gauges and a ‘Handmade in Great Britain’ graphic, the non-serifed typographical elements on the driver screen feel more Apple than Aston, especially in all but the conventional two-dial speedo/tach setup. Within that particular layout the center square can scroll through familiar items like a Now Playing music artwork thumbnail, tire pressure, trip information and ADAS settings. The typeface is clearly iOS-derived, though Apple reveals it was made as extensible as possible so it offers weights, sizes and characteristics to match the ethos of the car its paired with. The minimized layout feels somewhat contemporary in the context of DBX interior, though it also seems a tad oversimplified because it’s surrounded by Aston Martin’s classically complex and almost baroque sculptural forms of supple hides and techy carbon fiber.

That’s not to say there are not clever touches to the interface. For instance, when a map display is selected on both screens the system automatically ensures the view is not duplicated. Switch to a POV view in the center screen, and the driver screen will re-orient itself to show the full route; do the reverse and it switches back. At long last (in a CarPlay first), Apple’s native Maps app can be pinch zoomed and manipulated on the screen. Our demo did not include Waze or Google Maps, and we’d be curious to see how the two are integrated. Another first is the ability to adjust sound settings within CarPlay Ultra, a welcome capability for audiophiles.

Our first interaction with Apple CarPlay Ultra reveals a fascinating harmony between two long-estranged worlds. No longer relegated to an insert on a touchscreen, this new expression of CarPlay is more immersive, intuitive to navigate and, in the great and sometimes lost paradigm of Apple of yesteryear, it just works. It’s also a pleasure to experience the modernized interface in a car whose infotainment system was widely panned when it was introduced in late 2019. “We’re very proud to be involved,” Reichman told us, “proud to be fast and first. The amount of collaborative work that’s been going on between the two teams has been an amazing process.” Perhaps the only remaining questions surround the subtleties of visual identities and how a brand like Aston—contemporary yet serifed, handcrafted yet modern—meets in the middle with Apple’s less-is-more interface style.

Apple CarPlay Ultra is available starting today, 15 May across the currently delivering Aston Martin lineup and can be retrofitted to 2024 DB12 through dealers. This holistic solution to cell phone integration is an intriguing and promising start that will be followed up with brands including Hyundai, Kia and Genesis in addition to Porsche as previously announced.