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Things I regularly adjust... - seat heaters - HVAC temp/fan level - audio volume - audio track Last two are via steering wheel controls on both our cars (BMW,

Things I regularly adjust... - seat heaters - HVAC temp/fan level - audio volume - audio track Last two are via steering wheel controls on both our cars (BMW, Honda). But, on different sides of the wheel, so I frequently hit cruise control buttons when intending to hit volume. First two are via physical buttons in both cars. However, buttons are located in very different locations, one uses dials and the other paddles. Also, the BMW has what I feel is a needlessly complicated fan control/temp system with a left/right split and also a chest vent temp setting that functions independently of what the HVAC panel displays, which means even in "auto" mode, there are manual settings that need tweaked (and this is all in a small 230i coupe - total overkill). I can't imagine the mental load using a Tesla, where the seat heat control is burned 2-3 menus deep at the bottom edge of a touchscreen where the virtual buttons actually change function depending on what your doing. It's a UX mess and never should have been allowed.

Sebb767 4y ago
> Last two are via steering wheel controls on both our cars (BMW, Honda) Try a new Golf 8. It turns out manufacturers can even screw that up.
- dublin 4y ago
  Heck, Mercedes can't even get steering column stalks right. For decades, they've insisted on an asinine arrangement that combines way too much (turn signals, wipers, mist, clean, high-beams) into one stalk that is positioned so poorly low that you always hit the adjacent (not opposite side!) cruise control stalk when you try to signal a turn or lane change. Truly one of the most horrific physical UI experiences ever.... I will say that my wife had a Pacifica (the crossover, not the minivan) that is one of the best thought-out cars I have ever driven - not the best built (though it was tolerable), but definitely the best thought-out. (And we've owned dozens of cars from America, Italy, Japan, Germany, and Korea) Absolutely everything about that car oozed the thought and consideration of the designers thinking about how the car would be used. We'd still have it if it hadn't been totalled by a careless wench shoving her Jeep's winch deep enough into the Pacifica to total it.
  - prvit 4y ago
    > into one stalk that is positioned so poorly low that you always hit the adjacent (not opposite side!) cruise control stalk when you try to signal a turn or lane change. We’re talking about these stalks, right? https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/1414325d1442156504-mercedes-benz-s350-cdi-w222-best-car-world-stalks.jpg https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/test-drives-initi... How do you hold your steering wheel to manage that? The turn signal stalk isn’t low at all, it’s exactly where your hand is supposed to be https://i.pinimg.com/originals/56/73/61/567361ad8bb3e7313a386ee52c7da49c.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/56/73/61/567361ad8bb3e7313a38...
  - Hamuko 4y ago
    I have never ever activated the cruise control when trying to signal in a Mercedes-Benz, and I find the mono-stalk to work well. Really the only difference is that it has wiper controls (since most cars have signal and high beams in one stalk). I find the BMW way more confusing, since I can never remember which direction does a single wipe and which direction actually turns them on (one of them is up on the stalk, one is down, don't ask me which one was which). And you can't actually know by feel which wiper setting you are in since the BMW stalks are fixed. The Mercedes has completely different actions for single wipe (push button) and activating wipers (rotate the knob) and since the knob rotates, you have tactile feedback of which setting you are in.
dmix 4y ago
My friend has a Tesla and they have 2 different seat/steering wheel/mirror presets they use before driving and I've watched them do it multiple times within a second. They tap a few times and everything automatically glides into place which seems super convenient, that would be 3x different manual motions in my Civic to move the seat, mirrors, etc (finding the steering wheel toggle is always a struggle). The only thing that seems annoying about Tesla is the A/C is toggled via the screen. Otherwise it has those same controls for changing songs/volume/assist on the wheel.
- llbeansandrice 4y ago
  > 2 different seat/steering wheel/mirror presets they use before driving This was a feature on a truck my dad bought in like 2002. It was mapped to physical buttons near the seat controls. Tapping a few times is a regression.
- GekkePrutser 4y ago
  Of course you could make physical buttons for presets as well :)
  - Kon-Peki 4y ago
    A lot of modern cars can be told to tie the presets to the key fob (it's a setting, not usually turned on by default). If you open the driver's door with your key fob in your pocket, your presets are loaded and the seats and mirrors move to what you want. If your spouse opens the driver's door with their key fob, everything changes to their settings. If you have more than 2 drivers, you can buy extra key fobs at the dealer (expensive!!) and the car will keep track of settings for those too. It's not just luxury cars that do this ;)
    - FabHK 4y ago
      Sooner or later, those settings will not be tied to (or saved on) the fob, but your smart phone. Everyone has one of those in their pocket. I found the car related announcements in Apple's most recent WWDC key note monumental in their reach. Many manufacturers signed on (notably except Tesla, Mazda, BMW) to support the next version of Car Play, which in a sense might reflect a surrender of the UX ownership: > Ford, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Honda, Acura, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, Nissan, Volvo, Porsche, and more https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/06/apple-announces-multi-display-carplay/ https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/06/apple-announces-multi-d...
cortesoft 4y ago
On my Tesla, I control all of those things with buttons on my steering wheel. I never have to touch the screen. You can also use voice control.

Sebb767 4y ago

> Last two are via steering wheel controls on both our cars (BMW, Honda) Try a new Golf 8. It turns out manufacturers can even screw that up.

dublin 4y ago
Heck, Mercedes can't even get steering column stalks right. For decades, they've insisted on an asinine arrangement that combines way too much (turn signals, wipers, mist, clean, high-beams) into one stalk that is positioned so poorly low that you always hit the adjacent (not opposite side!) cruise control stalk when you try to signal a turn or lane change. Truly one of the most horrific physical UI experiences ever.... I will say that my wife had a Pacifica (the crossover, not the minivan) that is one of the best thought-out cars I have ever driven - not the best built (though it was tolerable), but definitely the best thought-out. (And we've owned dozens of cars from America, Italy, Japan, Germany, and Korea) Absolutely everything about that car oozed the thought and consideration of the designers thinking about how the car would be used. We'd still have it if it hadn't been totalled by a careless wench shoving her Jeep's winch deep enough into the Pacifica to total it.
- prvit 4y ago
  > into one stalk that is positioned so poorly low that you always hit the adjacent (not opposite side!) cruise control stalk when you try to signal a turn or lane change. We’re talking about these stalks, right? https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/1414325d1442156504-mercedes-benz-s350-cdi-w222-best-car-world-stalks.jpg https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/test-drives-initi... How do you hold your steering wheel to manage that? The turn signal stalk isn’t low at all, it’s exactly where your hand is supposed to be https://i.pinimg.com/originals/56/73/61/567361ad8bb3e7313a386ee52c7da49c.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/56/73/61/567361ad8bb3e7313a38...
- Hamuko 4y ago
  I have never ever activated the cruise control when trying to signal in a Mercedes-Benz, and I find the mono-stalk to work well. Really the only difference is that it has wiper controls (since most cars have signal and high beams in one stalk). I find the BMW way more confusing, since I can never remember which direction does a single wipe and which direction actually turns them on (one of them is up on the stalk, one is down, don't ask me which one was which). And you can't actually know by feel which wiper setting you are in since the BMW stalks are fixed. The Mercedes has completely different actions for single wipe (push button) and activating wipers (rotate the knob) and since the knob rotates, you have tactile feedback of which setting you are in.

dmix 4y ago

My friend has a Tesla and they have 2 different seat/steering wheel/mirror presets they use before driving and I've watched them do it multiple times within a second. They tap a few times and everything automatically glides into place which seems super convenient, that would be 3x different manual motions in my Civic to move the seat, mirrors, etc (finding the steering wheel toggle is always a struggle). The only thing that seems annoying about Tesla is the A/C is toggled via the screen. Otherwise it has those same controls for changing songs/volume/assist on the wheel.

llbeansandrice 4y ago
> 2 different seat/steering wheel/mirror presets they use before driving This was a feature on a truck my dad bought in like 2002. It was mapped to physical buttons near the seat controls. Tapping a few times is a regression.
GekkePrutser 4y ago
Of course you could make physical buttons for presets as well :)
- Kon-Peki 4y ago
  A lot of modern cars can be told to tie the presets to the key fob (it's a setting, not usually turned on by default). If you open the driver's door with your key fob in your pocket, your presets are loaded and the seats and mirrors move to what you want. If your spouse opens the driver's door with their key fob, everything changes to their settings. If you have more than 2 drivers, you can buy extra key fobs at the dealer (expensive!!) and the car will keep track of settings for those too. It's not just luxury cars that do this ;)
  - FabHK 4y ago
    Sooner or later, those settings will not be tied to (or saved on) the fob, but your smart phone. Everyone has one of those in their pocket. I found the car related announcements in Apple's most recent WWDC key note monumental in their reach. Many manufacturers signed on (notably except Tesla, Mazda, BMW) to support the next version of Car Play, which in a sense might reflect a surrender of the UX ownership: > Ford, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, Honda, Acura, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, Nissan, Volvo, Porsche, and more https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/06/apple-announces-multi-display-carplay/ https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/06/apple-announces-multi-d...

cortesoft 4y ago

On my Tesla, I control all of those things with buttons on my steering wheel. I never have to touch the screen. You can also use voice control.