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I have a 2017 Honda Civic. That particular model year, they chose to remove the volume knob for a capacitive little slider thing (in addition to the buttons on

I have a 2017 Honda Civic. That particular model year, they chose to remove the volume knob for a capacitive little slider thing (in addition to the buttons on the wheel). The very next year, they put it back. Turns out it's pretty useful to be able to control the volume of your stereo without taking your eyes off the road when operating a car. They did a similar thing for the air controls, except they left some of them as actual knobs and buttons. Sometimes the old ways are better and have lasted so long for a reason.

thomastjeffery 4y ago
The volume knob is gone as early as the 2015 model, at least in the EX-L variant; but the steering wheel buttons are still there. If I didn't have physical buttons on the steering wheel to press, I wouldn't bother using the stereo at all. Driving is the absolute worst environment for touch screens. Not only am I unable to look at where I am touching at the same moment I want to touch, the whole car is moving unpredictably in relation to my finger.
vel0city 4y ago
> Turns out it's pretty useful to be able to control the volume of your stereo without taking your eyes off the road when operating a car. I do agree the volume slider is a terrible choice of interface, but TBF there is a tactile, physical volume control on your car within reach of your hands while they're on the wheel. There is a volume adjustment on your steering wheel, so theoretically you shouldn't even have to use the volume control on the stereo while you're driving.
- analog31 4y ago
  I still prefer the knob. Among the myriad of buttons, levers, and paddles on the steering wheel, with tiny symbols on them, I have to look down and figure out which ones are the volume control. It's much better on the other car where there are fewer buttons. The slider is a bad idea because the car is bouncing up and down, so your hand isn't stable unless you pin it down with your thumb or something like that, and you have to look away from the road. The car doesn't roll as much, so a knob is inherently more stable, and can be found by peripheral vision plus feel.
  - fomine3 4y ago
    I'd like to have volume knob for a rental car because I don't remember everything at once, but I think button on steering is fine for my own car.
  - vel0city 4y ago
    Why is it a collection of physical controls literally in front of you all the time while in the driver's seat somehow impossible to remember but a collection of physical controls further away from you easier to remember? I would think the controls you're literally holding constantly would be easier to remember than the controls further away and farther from your normal vision when driving. Why would you have to look down at the wheel but not the dashboard?

thomastjeffery 4y ago

The volume knob is gone as early as the 2015 model, at least in the EX-L variant; but the steering wheel buttons are still there. If I didn't have physical buttons on the steering wheel to press, I wouldn't bother using the stereo at all. Driving is the absolute worst environment for touch screens. Not only am I unable to look at where I am touching at the same moment I want to touch, the whole car is moving unpredictably in relation to my finger.

vel0city 4y ago

> Turns out it's pretty useful to be able to control the volume of your stereo without taking your eyes off the road when operating a car. I do agree the volume slider is a terrible choice of interface, but TBF there is a tactile, physical volume control on your car within reach of your hands while they're on the wheel. There is a volume adjustment on your steering wheel, so theoretically you shouldn't even have to use the volume control on the stereo while you're driving.

analog31 4y ago
I still prefer the knob. Among the myriad of buttons, levers, and paddles on the steering wheel, with tiny symbols on them, I have to look down and figure out which ones are the volume control. It's much better on the other car where there are fewer buttons. The slider is a bad idea because the car is bouncing up and down, so your hand isn't stable unless you pin it down with your thumb or something like that, and you have to look away from the road. The car doesn't roll as much, so a knob is inherently more stable, and can be found by peripheral vision plus feel.
- fomine3 4y ago
  I'd like to have volume knob for a rental car because I don't remember everything at once, but I think button on steering is fine for my own car.
- vel0city 4y ago
  Why is it a collection of physical controls literally in front of you all the time while in the driver's seat somehow impossible to remember but a collection of physical controls further away from you easier to remember? I would think the controls you're literally holding constantly would be easier to remember than the controls further away and farther from your normal vision when driving. Why would you have to look down at the wheel but not the dashboard?