6 ms·

I drive a 2007 pre-touchscreen car, and have told the dealer every time I go in for service (yeah, yeah) that I will hold on to this car until the bitter end be

I drive a 2007 pre-touchscreen car, and have told the dealer every time I go in for service (yeah, yeah) that I will hold on to this car until the bitter end because it has physical buttons. I tell them "I can 'touch type' this car" i.e. I never need to take my eyes off the road in order make a critical adjustment. I've driven a LOT of rental cars in the last 5 years, and the de-standardization of the interface elements -- even how to shift!, increasing distraction and eye-aversion has made the highway driving experience much worse - both as a driver and someone who has to share the roads with distracted people baffled by their cars.

nso 4y ago
The shifting thing has not been standardized in a while. Stick shift, stick on steering wheel, even buttons on steering wheel in some cars. I agree with you tho.
- Ichthypresbyter 4y ago
  Even within floor-mounted stick shifts there's a bunch of different layouts- reverse can be anywhere from up and left to down and right, and can have various different lockouts (push the stick down, pull up a ring...) or none. And then there are "dog-leg" shift patterns, where reverse is immediately above first (this means that the shift between second and third, which is the one most commonly needed in racing, is a simple straight movement) The only legal standardization in the US is the PRND layout (and the direction of automatic column shifters). Before this was codified, in the 50s, some cars had PNDLR layouts which resulted in people accidentally selecting reverse while driving. (There is also a requirement that the shift pattern of a manual car needs to be displayed somewhere visible to the driver, except if it's what is still, amusingly, called the "standard" 3-speed H pattern. The last passenger car available in the US with a 3-speed column shift was the 1979 Chevy Nova, though it hung around on trucks for another 8 or so years.)
  - dublin 4y ago
    The "three on the tree" manual column shift is the ultimate anti-theft device these days. There aren't many of us left who know how they work.
spywaregorilla 4y ago
I see comments like this and I don't really get it. What are you changing during your drives? What are those critical adjustments? I've got a touch screen, but I don't touch it while driving, and I'm not sure why I would. Aside from volume control but hopefully that's not on a touch screen.
- nvr219 4y ago
  Change radio stations, change A/C settings.
- dangerlibrary 4y ago
  If you live in less-than-temperate climates, adjusting the AC/heat is very common. If you listen to the radio, switching stations is common (a not-safe-for-kids story comes on the news, a song you hate comes on, there are obnoxious commercial breaks).
- slau 4y ago
  Both AC controls and volume are on touch-sensitive buttons on the new VW entertainment systems. The volume bar/AC temperature buttons don't even light up at night, making it completely invisible under the bright touch screen. Once in a while, the system locks up, and you can't change AC anymore (can't turn it on/off, can't change the intensity). You have to shut down the engine, walk away from the car (with the key) for more then 20-30 meters and then wait 10 minutes. I love my Seat Leon for many reasons, but the lack of buttons is not one of them.
- Ikatza 4y ago
  Aircon, music volume and skipping songs, emergency blinkers, driving mode (suspension, etc)... These are some things that I could manage with a physical button and are now placed on a screen, forcing me to look since I don't have tactile feedback.
  - upupandup 4y ago
    I use the volume key to turn down the music when other cars are around me at a stop. Then as I get away I turn the volume back up
k2enemy 4y ago
Speaking of non-standard controls, it does seem that in the last ten years car designers have just plain forgotten long-standing conventions. It used to be that the fuel gauge would appear on the same side of the instrument cluster as the gas cap for refueling the car. Now it seems to be random. It makes it very frustrating with rental cars.
- ziddoap 4y ago
  Every car I've been in has a little arrow/triangle on the fuel gauge that points to either the left or right, wherever the fuel cap is. I've never actually heard of (or noticed) the entire fuel gauge being on the respective side. Only ever noticed the arrow.
- huffmsa 4y ago
  The little arrow by the E is supposed to point to the fuel cap side. E> means right <E means left
- stewarts 4y ago
  There is often an indicator on the gauge itself. The spout or an arrow will point to the side of the gas cap.
driverdan 4y ago
There are still a lot of cars with physical buttons. My 2018 Camaro, for example, has physical buttons for all normal functions. I don't love that it has screens since they will be impossible to replace in 20 years but at least everything important will be usable.
tibbon 4y ago
I feel the same way! I have a 2005 Porsche Boxster, and it doesn't have a touch screen or junk like that. I can operate all controls without looking at them. People are shocked to find its 17 years old because it doesn't look dated like cars just a few years newer with bad TFT displays, slow touch screens, infotainment, etc. This car is the best driving experience I've ever had, and for less than a new Kia.

nso 4y ago

The shifting thing has not been standardized in a while. Stick shift, stick on steering wheel, even buttons on steering wheel in some cars. I agree with you tho.

Ichthypresbyter 4y ago
Even within floor-mounted stick shifts there's a bunch of different layouts- reverse can be anywhere from up and left to down and right, and can have various different lockouts (push the stick down, pull up a ring...) or none. And then there are "dog-leg" shift patterns, where reverse is immediately above first (this means that the shift between second and third, which is the one most commonly needed in racing, is a simple straight movement) The only legal standardization in the US is the PRND layout (and the direction of automatic column shifters). Before this was codified, in the 50s, some cars had PNDLR layouts which resulted in people accidentally selecting reverse while driving. (There is also a requirement that the shift pattern of a manual car needs to be displayed somewhere visible to the driver, except if it's what is still, amusingly, called the "standard" 3-speed H pattern. The last passenger car available in the US with a 3-speed column shift was the 1979 Chevy Nova, though it hung around on trucks for another 8 or so years.)
- dublin 4y ago
  The "three on the tree" manual column shift is the ultimate anti-theft device these days. There aren't many of us left who know how they work.

spywaregorilla 4y ago

I see comments like this and I don't really get it. What are you changing during your drives? What are those critical adjustments? I've got a touch screen, but I don't touch it while driving, and I'm not sure why I would. Aside from volume control but hopefully that's not on a touch screen.

nvr219 4y ago
Change radio stations, change A/C settings.
dangerlibrary 4y ago
If you live in less-than-temperate climates, adjusting the AC/heat is very common. If you listen to the radio, switching stations is common (a not-safe-for-kids story comes on the news, a song you hate comes on, there are obnoxious commercial breaks).
slau 4y ago
Both AC controls and volume are on touch-sensitive buttons on the new VW entertainment systems. The volume bar/AC temperature buttons don't even light up at night, making it completely invisible under the bright touch screen. Once in a while, the system locks up, and you can't change AC anymore (can't turn it on/off, can't change the intensity). You have to shut down the engine, walk away from the car (with the key) for more then 20-30 meters and then wait 10 minutes. I love my Seat Leon for many reasons, but the lack of buttons is not one of them.
Ikatza 4y ago
Aircon, music volume and skipping songs, emergency blinkers, driving mode (suspension, etc)... These are some things that I could manage with a physical button and are now placed on a screen, forcing me to look since I don't have tactile feedback.
- upupandup 4y ago
  I use the volume key to turn down the music when other cars are around me at a stop. Then as I get away I turn the volume back up

k2enemy 4y ago

Speaking of non-standard controls, it does seem that in the last ten years car designers have just plain forgotten long-standing conventions. It used to be that the fuel gauge would appear on the same side of the instrument cluster as the gas cap for refueling the car. Now it seems to be random. It makes it very frustrating with rental cars.

ziddoap 4y ago
Every car I've been in has a little arrow/triangle on the fuel gauge that points to either the left or right, wherever the fuel cap is. I've never actually heard of (or noticed) the entire fuel gauge being on the respective side. Only ever noticed the arrow.
huffmsa 4y ago
The little arrow by the E is supposed to point to the fuel cap side. E> means right <E means left
stewarts 4y ago
There is often an indicator on the gauge itself. The spout or an arrow will point to the side of the gas cap.

driverdan 4y ago

There are still a lot of cars with physical buttons. My 2018 Camaro, for example, has physical buttons for all normal functions. I don't love that it has screens since they will be impossible to replace in 20 years but at least everything important will be usable.

tibbon 4y ago

I feel the same way! I have a 2005 Porsche Boxster, and it doesn't have a touch screen or junk like that. I can operate all controls without looking at them. People are shocked to find its 17 years old because it doesn't look dated like cars just a few years newer with bad TFT displays, slow touch screens, infotainment, etc. This car is the best driving experience I've ever had, and for less than a new Kia.