Volkswagen will restore physical buttons to the dashboard in its latest compact car, part of a wider move away from touchscreens.
In a particularly retro touch, the new ID Polo will even have a volume dial.
For a decade or so, automakers rushed to replace knobs and switches with screens, Autoblog noted in October, but users largely disliked them: Controlling the air conditioning, for example, required delving through submenus while driving, which was both difficult and dangerous. Research found that using touchscreens took longer and distracted drivers.
Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and VW have all announced plans to return to more tactile controls, and US and EU regulators announced last year that cars with touchscreen controls could get worse safety ratings.
My 2002 Eclipse and 2004 F150 have the exact same climate controls. Three dials. All ya need, adjustable without a glance.
Wife’s 2014 Outback has gray buttons with black markings by day, nearly identical red markings at night. “Is that front or rear defrost?” Got in deep shit the other night because, all at once, the interior windshield fogged, rain was misting too light to clear the outside, wiper fluid smeared a gray screen in front of me. In old cars I could have slammed the front defroster without a glance, been back in business within seconds.
You can’t flip the rearview mirror with a mechanical switch. Blinded from behind? Use your muscle memory to find the up/down buttons to move the motorized internal mirror, takes a few seconds. But it has a cute rearview display! Which is broken. BTW, you can’t see the buttons, just use the Force.
I loathe modern cars. My 2004 truck runs circles around her broken down 2014. Oh, and my 2004? Can’t figure out how to change the plugs without 5-hours of fucking hassle.