I have often said I am not interested in any of the 'new' Porsche Macans (I have a 2018) because after 2019 they went to LED strips etc. I want analog dials, knobs, switches, buttons.

Two take aways that I got:
poking and swiping on a LED screen reduces your reaction times to at or below drunk driving. . .
and that VW (the owner of Porsche) are stating they are going back to buttons and such for some things.

Let me be clear, I want buttons and lights and switches and thingamabobs above, next too, on the steering wheel and on the doors. I want gauges in front of me.

Article in Wired

Good. The physical buttons and lack of a touch screen on the entertainment system are two things that I really like on my 2022 Mazda. Mazda has been one of the last holdout on physical controls, rather than everything being controlled digitally (typically on a giant tablet).

Similarly, the controls on my 2020 Speed Queen washer and dryer are physical dials and buttons, and I appreciate that.

I can find physical controls with my hands without looking away from the road.

Phone use while driving is illegal in many places. How are touch screens any less distracting? Physical buttons become second nature pretty fast when used daily, zero distraction.

Touch screens belong in the back seat for entertainment. I cannot stand them for the driver. As already stated, they are dangerous as a split attention device- no better than a cell phone, and even more hazardous as they are acceptable because they’re “part of the car”.

I don't know what the automakers were thinking when they introduced the touchscreen. NASA employs human factor psychologists that help design controls for the astronauts. It does not surprise me that drivers using a touchscreen are more dangerous than drunk drivers or those high on weed.

If one of these touch screens goes down, everything it controls goes kaput.

I'm ok with navigation screens, but putting everything on the screens is a distraction. I hate it. Standardizing button placement across manufacturers would be great, but that will never happen in my lifetime.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
I can find physical controls with my hands without looking away from the road.

This!

quote:

If one of these touch screens goes down, everything it controls goes kaput.

And this!

Those two things, plus the glare at night, and occasional difficulty seeing anything in direct sunlight. I hate touch screen controls in cars, and the sooner they go back to knobs and buttons the better.

I also am not a fan of putting everything on a touch screen in a vehicle. I have to look at the screen to function anything, plus they can't make a screen that doesn't scratch and dust won't stick to.

I miss being able to switch between defrost and heat and adjusting temp without ever taking my eyes off the road. I hope they bring knobs back. The giant tv’s cars have today are like a flashlight in your eyes. I made a cover from cardboard and black felt to cover up mine.
The nav built into cars are great for a few years, then by the time the lease is up or it’s bought second hand, it’s a useless antiquated program. Just put in a screen and have it display your phones nav app. We update our phones all the time, mirroring that to the vehicle display can’t be that difficult. And add a rotary switch to adjust the brightness and power so I can adjust it without taking my eyes off the road also.
Some of the shit manufacturers come up with baffles me. It may look good on the showroom floor but a lot of it is almost useless. Take the money you save on all that crap and pay an engineer that can actually design a visor that will block the sun from any angle. We’ve been driving for well over a century and most can’t seem to get that right.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 400m,

Article's behind a paywall...

If someone could post the article I'd be interested in seeing what was noted. IMO, buttons have advantages....and disadvantages. I doubt there'll ever be a no-button, no-switch screen-only car.

The disadvantages I see with touchscreens, having driven with buttons for ~40 years and touch screen-enabled cars for ~10, are exhaustively listed below:

1) if the screens aren't responsive, or if the apps are designed poorly to require precision or with deep menu structures, then it takes too much focus to work them while driving.

Fixes: better hardware (more responsive), better UI/app design, and user discretion not to futz with any crazy apps while driving.

2) if they break (mine haven't, but they've been Toyotas so not much else has broken, either) the fix is not easy or cheap, compared to replacing an electromechanical part like a button/switch. (Here I ignore the difficulties of getting to either screen or button to fix/replace, which would depend on dashboard designs - labor costs could outweigh parts costs for either/both.)

Fix: unlikely. Touchscreens are inherently more expensive/complex.

3) ...beyond the above, I've got nothing.

This doesn't seem to be the thread to post the numerous advantages of screens.

What I will say is, I use the heck out of mine - nav, audio control, car option settings that would otherwise take a trip to the dealer, etc. - and would not consider any future cars that didn't have adequate screen functionality.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: joel9507,

Ideally, screens would be for navigation and entertainment only.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
....Take the money you save on all that crap and pay an engineer that can actually design as visor that will block the sun from any angle. We’ve been driving for well over a century and most can’t seem to get that right.

I agree! The best I experienced was the Mercury Grand Marquis that had two visors per side.

Which year? I gave my oldest kid a 2003 grand marquis. I drove it for two or three years. I could be wrong, but I don’t remember two visors.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
Just put in a screen and have it display your phones nav app. We update our phones all the time, mirroring that to the vehicle display can’t be that difficult.

That's what most cars do nowadays, via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Good. The physical buttons and lack of a touch screen on the entertainment system are two things that I really like on my 2022 Mazda. Mazda has been one of the last holdout on physical controls, rather than everything being controlled digitally (typically on a giant tablet).

Similarly, the controls on my 2020 Speed Queen washer and dryer are physical dials and buttons, and I appreciate that.

I have a 2022 Mazda MX-5 RF and it has a 7" "Infotainment" screen, which is mostly an entertainment setup and several other functions like clock, rear camera, etc. But it does not control the basic operation of the car like climate control, etc. Other than the rear camera, I hardly use it except for the radio which I control with steering wheel buttons (stations, volume), and I have no built in navigation. If the screen went down, I really wouldn't miss it at all.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:

The nav built into cars are great for a few years, then by the time the lease is up or it’s bought second hand, it’s a useless antiquated program.

The nav system in my 2024 car is powered by Google maps. It is updated in real time. Traffic information is updated continuously, and things like location of police cars, accidents, vehicles on the shoulder, etc. are shown. Not sure, but I'm guessing that this is common to current production GM vehicles.

My heating / air conditioning controls are physical switches and knobs. I think that the radio stuff is, too, but I have never used the radio because hearing impaired.

The on-screen touch stuff is mostly for things that typically do not need to be messed with while driving. In my opinion, GM did a decent job with this system.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
Just put in a screen and have it display your phones nav app. We update our phones all the time, mirroring that to the vehicle display can’t be that difficult.

That's what most cars do nowadays, via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Is that just for the radio or for the navigation also? I’ll admit the newest vehicle I own is 2015. The nav unit built into my car reminds me of a Nintendo. I’d rather it just mirrored Google maps from my phone.

Great V-Tail. I’m glad to hear that. Sounds like somebody is thinking. How are the visors?