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Are there any reliable modern vehicles with a UI more like a decade or two ago? (eg. physical knobs and a dash that doesn't blind you)

jabroni_salad 4y ago
Mazda and Honda both have said they will avoid touch screen for climate. They both use the three knob system (fan strength, temp, zones) and there is no possible improvement as far as I am concerned.
- Cthulhu_ 4y ago
  Can confirm, a friend of mine was looking for a lease car, explicitly with knobs for controls like this. I think he went for a Mazda in the end.
- galangalalgol 4y ago
  Didn't mazda eliminate touchscreens entirely? Buttons around a screen instead. I want a steering wheel with more buttons than an xbox elite controller, with chording, pressure sensitivity, long press double press etc. Why settle for a steering wheel that isn't Turing complete while you are touring? And your eyes never leave the road.
  - jabroni_salad 4y ago
    [monkey paw] okay, but they are capacitive buttons that give no feedback at all when you brush against them. Market research suggests that users like this, actually.
- passwordoops 4y ago
  Honda did go the touchscreen route - or at least they did - one of my relatives has a 2017-ish civic sedan with climate on the touchscreen. It's an absolute pain, especially in winter where I like to start on high to make sure the windows are clear, then reduce the power as I'm driving. Kudos to them if they reversed the decision. Touchscreens have no purpose on the dash except for navigation and maybe the rear camera
  - jabroni_salad 4y ago
    “We changed it from touchscreen to dial operation, as we received customer feedback that it was difficult to operate intuitively. You had to look at the screen to change the heater seating, therefore, we changed it so one can operate it without looking, giving more confidence while driving.” https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-show/honda-bucks-industry-trend-removing-touchscreen-controls https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-...
danielvf 4y ago
Toyota Tacoma - still has all the knobs and buttons just like God intended. Touch screen is small, works with CarPlay, good for podcasts and maps. Everything else, just reach over and touch it. And a Tacoma is the very definition of reliable. Console view: https://toyotaassets.scene7.com/is/image/toyota/TAC_MY21_0005_V002-1?wid=2000&fmt=jpg&fit=crop https://toyotaassets.scene7.com/is/image/toyota/TAC_MY21_000...
- rkagerer 4y ago
  Thanks for the replies everyone. I think it's interesting that all the examples shared of "physical UI" vehicles, save one, are pickup trucks.
bob1029 4y ago
I've got a new Ram 1500 and I haven't had to turn on the infotainment system or use a touch screen one time. I've got the screen completely off except when in reverse (automatically turns on and off as needed). Most of the inputs are chunky physical things. Drive select is a gigantic clicky knob and there are three dedicated rotary dials just for the climate controls.
sbradford26 4y ago
The Ford Maverick has pretty much all physical controls, but still supports Android Auto and Apple Carplay. They are pretty difficult to get though at the moment.
bbx 4y ago
I've never bought a car but if I do, that might be the third most important criteria on my list (1st being security, 2nd being reliability/ease of maintenance). It seems the Japanese brands (Toyota, Mazda, Honda…) tend to tick most of these boxes. I would have hoped brands like Volvo or Volkswagen would avoid this touchscreen trend but it seems they jumped on the bandwagon.
ct0 4y ago
Porsche of the previous generation. The latest generation has touch panels with feedback, but they're not nearly as good as a button for literally every function. Check out the interior of a 958 Cayenne and youll see what I mean. More buttons than a Cessna.
medvezhenok 4y ago
I have a Kia Rio Hatch 2021, and it has the screen only for the reverse / carplay. Everything else is physical buttons)

jabroni_salad 4y ago

Mazda and Honda both have said they will avoid touch screen for climate. They both use the three knob system (fan strength, temp, zones) and there is no possible improvement as far as I am concerned.

Cthulhu_ 4y ago
Can confirm, a friend of mine was looking for a lease car, explicitly with knobs for controls like this. I think he went for a Mazda in the end.
galangalalgol 4y ago
Didn't mazda eliminate touchscreens entirely? Buttons around a screen instead. I want a steering wheel with more buttons than an xbox elite controller, with chording, pressure sensitivity, long press double press etc. Why settle for a steering wheel that isn't Turing complete while you are touring? And your eyes never leave the road.
- jabroni_salad 4y ago
  [monkey paw] okay, but they are capacitive buttons that give no feedback at all when you brush against them. Market research suggests that users like this, actually.
passwordoops 4y ago
Honda did go the touchscreen route - or at least they did - one of my relatives has a 2017-ish civic sedan with climate on the touchscreen. It's an absolute pain, especially in winter where I like to start on high to make sure the windows are clear, then reduce the power as I'm driving. Kudos to them if they reversed the decision. Touchscreens have no purpose on the dash except for navigation and maybe the rear camera
- jabroni_salad 4y ago
  “We changed it from touchscreen to dial operation, as we received customer feedback that it was difficult to operate intuitively. You had to look at the screen to change the heater seating, therefore, we changed it so one can operate it without looking, giving more confidence while driving.” https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-show/honda-bucks-industry-trend-removing-touchscreen-controls https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-...

danielvf 4y ago

Toyota Tacoma - still has all the knobs and buttons just like God intended. Touch screen is small, works with CarPlay, good for podcasts and maps. Everything else, just reach over and touch it. And a Tacoma is the very definition of reliable. Console view: https://toyotaassets.scene7.com/is/image/toyota/TAC_MY21_0005_V002-1?wid=2000&fmt=jpg&fit=crop https://toyotaassets.scene7.com/is/image/toyota/TAC_MY21_000...

rkagerer 4y ago
Thanks for the replies everyone. I think it's interesting that all the examples shared of "physical UI" vehicles, save one, are pickup trucks.

bob1029 4y ago

I've got a new Ram 1500 and I haven't had to turn on the infotainment system or use a touch screen one time. I've got the screen completely off except when in reverse (automatically turns on and off as needed). Most of the inputs are chunky physical things. Drive select is a gigantic clicky knob and there are three dedicated rotary dials just for the climate controls.

sbradford26 4y ago

The Ford Maverick has pretty much all physical controls, but still supports Android Auto and Apple Carplay. They are pretty difficult to get though at the moment.

bbx 4y ago

I've never bought a car but if I do, that might be the third most important criteria on my list (1st being security, 2nd being reliability/ease of maintenance). It seems the Japanese brands (Toyota, Mazda, Honda…) tend to tick most of these boxes. I would have hoped brands like Volvo or Volkswagen would avoid this touchscreen trend but it seems they jumped on the bandwagon.

ct0 4y ago

Porsche of the previous generation. The latest generation has touch panels with feedback, but they're not nearly as good as a button for literally every function. Check out the interior of a 958 Cayenne and youll see what I mean. More buttons than a Cessna.

medvezhenok 4y ago

I have a Kia Rio Hatch 2021, and it has the screen only for the reverse / carplay. Everything else is physical buttons)