Concerning high end audio names in new cars

Keep in mind that car audio designers also are handcuffed by:

Components prices and total system budget (I’ve lived the auto industry supply base and it’s absolutely brutal when it comes to the OEM’s and part prices)

The need to minimize warranty claims thereby limiting outputs of amplifiers, bass /treble adjustment and total system volumes.

Appealing to a wide and diverse customer base expectation of what an automotive sound system should sound like - not just marketing/designing a system to audiophiles.

Temperature extremes for drivers, head units and amplifiers (think about this one and what that gear has to put up with)

Moisture resistance and UV resistance

User interface - needs to be simple enough for the average non audiophile user to operate

Almost ridiculous phase, time delay and standing wave issues in a car with all those seating positions and speaker positions. I doubt many audio engineers in the automotive arena get to choose their ideal speaker locations. It’s the same ol’, same ol’ setup of woofer in the lower door, tweeter feet away in the A pillar, small center channel speaker in the middle of the dash, then rinse and repeat for the rear doors. Now add in the rear deck and sub frequency drivers. Everything essentially fires almost sideways to the occupants’ ears with nothing really directly radiating to the occupants’ ears at ear level; how crazy is all of that driver placement? One wonders how anyone can even design anything to sound good in a car as compared to the relatively controlled environment of a living room / listening room at home.

I’m a big car audio nut. I’ve heard incredible aftermarket systems in cars and have had many a high watt, high impact system in various cars I’ve owned. If you get it right, it’s very fun to experience in a car, but it’s really hard to do. It’s a totally different environment vs. home audio. To compare home audio and car audio is almost pointless and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a stock OEM audio system sound as good as a custom, high dollar aftermarket system in a vehicle.

Here's how I look at it: whatever alleged up class name is placed in a car, it's better than what sound acquisition used to be from auto manufacturers.

My wife's 2022 Mazda CX 5 has a Bose system in it and it is quite spatial. Sounds way better than what was in her 2014 Subaru.

After setting relatively low expectations for the Meridian system in my Rivian R1T, I am more than pleased with the performance of the system. It sounds as if Meridan used some fairly decent DACs in the front end and designed the system for grown ups.

I had a Mazda a few years back. GREAT car. With a Bose system. I always joked that they probably shouldn't brag about that. LOL

About four years ago, I entirely gave up listening to audio of any kind when I drive. Driving is much more enjoyable without distraction.