CarPlay talk? Let's go.
I just got CarPlay installed on my Mazda 3. I actually like the Mazda Connect OS a LOT, so jumping into CarPlay didn't feel like a huge update. But what was big for me is being able to finally use Waze and Google/Apple Maps. Using Siri was also a major thing. I ain't paying CAD$400+ to get the Mazda navigation enabled, and any attempts to use Siri via Bluetooth is weird, due to the car treating it as a phone call. Might as well add an extra $100 for the retrofit.
One thing I want to be able to change, and I'm hoping Apple allows for this in the future, is to choose my default maps app. Mazdas have a Navigation button on the centre console that opens up Apple Maps, and I wouldn't mind changing that to Waze.
On a different note, maybe I expected a lot out of CarPlay and I'm not seeing much of a leap from the default OS. It feels like there's a lot of potential to it, and it currently feels somewhat half-baked. I do go back and forth on it, in that I wouldn't want to be distracted by it, so it's fine as is; but also the potential for more. Ultimately, I like CarPlay.
I mess around with Shortcuts, and I might play around with some Siri-enabled shortcuts for it.
Also, Spotify doesn't work properly on it sometimes. I've had to reboot my phone because all I'd see is a blank screen when opening Spotify. Apparently, switching to another app and back to it should fix the issue, but not on my system. It's not time consuming to do, but it's a little annoying.