[blackwasp]

I'm not a big fan of touchscreen controls and have made my displeasure known several times. They might be fun for the passengers, but as a driver, they are just too distracting and difficult to use when on the move. Infact, the Honda City's touch AC controls get my goat too! I have driven my uncle's diesel City multiple times, and at each instant I usually have to ask the passenger to adjust it, or do it at a signal / when the car is stopped.

So the below news comes as a welcome relief to me.

It seemed like a bit of a risk when Mazda decided to not offer a touchscreen in the new Mazda 3. But Mazda may have just been ahead of the trend, as Honda has also abandoned some reliance on the new Honda Jazz’s touch controls because they just aren’t “intuitive.”

Touchscreens are worse than touch controls for one very obvious reason: A touchscreen requires two human senses—touch, obviously, and sight. But with enough experience, the genius of the human brain is capable of motor memory, so touch dials and buttons will eventually only require the memory of where it’s located and a finger to touch it. Eyes can stay on the road.

Honda did this earlier by bringing the volume knob back on the 2019 Civic.

The problem is people want cool technology in their cars. They want to feel like their hard-earned loan is going toward something nice and fancy and smarter than them. This is why some people like the Tesla tablet—they think its efficient to put literally thousands of functions all in one very distracting toy. That’s not very safe. It’s safer to put the toys away and just turn a knob to be more comfortable.

Simplicity is the greatest efficiency, and I’m pretty jazzed for a touchscreen-less future. It’s like music to my ears.

The touch screen has been abandoned entirely on the new car, and the 8.8-inch display screen canted toward the driver is standard on every trim. The menus are easy to navigate with the dial and its surrounding four buttons.

Source

Closer home, can't resist sharing my Abarth's system:


And the one that came in later model years:


Note - The article talks about the touch controls. The screens would be there as its needed for the reverse camera, navigation, Android Auto / Apple CarPlay etc.

[//M6]

I feel touchscreen for AC controls are slightly painful. I don't understand the cry for volume knob as I always use steering mounted buttons to control the media. Apple Carplay and Android Auto need touchscreens so the main headunit should be touchscreen and rest all should be old school. I will prefer digital dials only if they integrate with the central headunit to show the navigation information.

[ashis89]

A similar thread (Touchscreen / Feather Touch Controls: Boon or Bane?) was started few years ago when the trend of adding touchscreens was picking up. After all these years, I don't see OEMs doing away with touchscreens. Consumer preference is still towards such screens. Just one look at the new Creta thread and one can see that people wanted the Chinese version of the Creta to be launched here, with its Tesla-esque touchscreen central console!

I have never been comfortable around touchscreens. After using touchscreen phones and even touchscreen head units, I am confident that I won't be comfortable without buttons. Give me a big screen for display (only) but also give me few buttons to control the system!

I don't like to take my eyes off the road for even a moment. And I can't operate a screen blindly. Which means, I can't operate the touchscreen most of the times when I am driving. The only exception is the navigation playing on the screen which I manage to glance once in a while. Even here, I prefer the audio alerts.

Sharing few posts of mine from the other thread:

Originally Posted by ashis89

I have always preferred a HU with dedicated tactile buttons for all the necessary operations. A touchscreen system is a huge distraction while we are driving. It might look cool, serve the additional purpose of a reverse camera screen, etc. but to use it if one has to take ones eye off the road, then it's a strict no-no for me.

My OE music system comes with tactile buttons and for me, it is very easy to use. Only when required, my left hand fiddles on the system facia to press the necessary buttons while my eyes are firmly set on the road. I remember the placement of the buttons and hence, I can 'blindly' fiddle with the system.

On the other hand, in my friend's Baleno, I have a real tough time pressing the right buttons, especially when the roads are not smooth. Mind you, I do this when I am in the passenger seat and yet, face the problem. While I am the one driving, I don't go beyond the Volume up-down and Track change buttons from the steering control.



While using the phone, we can dedicate all our senses to the phone and hence, apart from the lack of feel, touch screen doesn't much of a problem. But if you are using the phone while driving, I would again go for a Nokia brick phone. I remember few years back, my friend was so used to the keypad, he could type any message of any length without looking at the screen of his old Sony Ericsson with tactile buttons. Today he uses an iPhone and needless to say, he has to look at the screen to perform any action. I hope you understand what I intend to say.

PS: My friend uses Siri quite a lot. Now that I think of it, something similar for our HU can help overcome some of the shortcomings of the touchscreen HUs. Mostly it will be expensive right now but few years from now, it can be available on all HUs (something like what Ford offers).


Yes that is the best case scenario. User should have dedicated buttons for all the basic necessary functions. For the extra bits, navigation, etc there is always the touchscreen. But in this case, there should be a button to lock the screen (like we have in our phones). This will ensure that while we operate the physical buttons, we don't accidentally press something on the screen.

My 2 cents.

Originally Posted by ashis89

I was contemplating changing the OE music system in my car next week. I had seen few posts of Android Auto and Apple Carplay equipped units and wanted to get one. Then your post came up and I was reminded of the reason why touchscreens are not my cup of tea. Now I have started looking for a new HU but with buttons only. For navigation, my cellphone and cellphone holder will continue do the job as always.

Edit: I noticed that I had suggested about Siri and other voice commands to control the HUs. After using iOS Siri and Google's Assistant, I don't think very highly of these solutions too. My experience: they are dependent on Internet, not always reliable and not very accurate. I have voice command feature in my current car and avoid using it because of the above reasons.

[Relax&Cruise]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I don't like to take my eyes off the road for even a moment. And I can't operate a screen blindly. Which means, I can't operate the touchscreen most of the times when I am driving. The only exception is the navigation playing on the screen which I manage to glance once in a while. Even here, I prefer the audio alerts.

Spot on. I too hate taking my eyes off the road to search for something on the touchscreen.

For navigation I prefer to use my mobile phone up top on the windscreen uber driver style. I purchased a well priced Mobile holder from Croma (vaccum type) and that has worked really well for me, even on broken roads.

Unless the touch screen is placed up high on the dashboard (without hampering driver visibility) I don't see any value.

I would prefer a HUD with gesture control or the tactile buttons with a normal screen over the touchscreen.

If the carmakers are ditching the touchscreen, I can align with their thinking.

Mods I mistakenly voted no in the poll, pls edit if possible.

[Traveler]

Touchscreen controls are the most stupid idea and a sure shot disaster in cars. Like many have opined earlier, it is impossible to navigate the system without taking eyes of the road. I would anyday prefer, rather demand a conventional volume control knob and other buttons in cars. I hope sense prevails sooner rather than later. It used to be simple to switch FM stations on old Pioneer systems just by pushing the buttons and now it's impossible.

[Reinhard]

I feel touchscreens are good. Their pros are more than cons - as long as the driver is sensible and knows the harms of using one, while driving.

Also - I'm totally against purely touch screen systems. For certain things like AC controls, music seek, volume & phone - there must be dedicated physical dials/buttons in addition to the touch screen. Purely touch screen systems are certainly dangerous as for simplest of things one has to take eyes off the road & thanks to poor touch response - the driver has to make multiple tries to make it work.

This can lead to accidents also. Most European and Indian car makers have got the balance between touch screen & physical buttons JUST RIGHT. I hope it stays that way.

[Rajeevraj]

I think a good balance is important. Every single control being via touch screens is not something that I would prefer. A combination of touch, buttons, steering controls is important for the best user experience.

The other factor today is the popularity of voice controls. Cars like the MG Hector rely heavily on voice controls- which makes the touch screen a backup for many tasks.

[psankar]

While most manufacturers are moving to touchscreen controls, identifying smartphone use as their inspiration - most recently seen in Audi’s latest A3 - Honda has decided to reintroduce heating and air conditioning controls via a dial rather than touchscreen, as in the previous-generation Jazz.

More at: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/m...creen-controls

I for one appreciate this. The tactile feedback that you get in physical buttons, knobs etc. is totally missing in touchscreens.

Mods, please merge with appropriate thread.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by psankar

I for one appreciate this. The tactile feedback that you get in physical buttons, knobs etc. is totally missing in touchscreens.

Plus the ability to switch things on and off without getting your eyes off the road. Which seems to be what convinced Honda to take a step back here.

Good move and I hope others will follow (wishful thinking?). Some things are better left unchanged.

[GrammarNazi]

Looking at the MG Hector, I thought things were going the other way round and that car makers would continue that way so they have more control over the servicing and it'd help them build-in the kind of obsolescence that only their ASCs can resolve. Glad Honda is going on its path of putting the human aspect over blingy gizmos.

Touchscreens distract me & make me feel less connected to the car as there's no question of levers & physical buttons to pull/push during operations.

I personally enjoy haptic feedback from holding/pressing the steering wheel and pushing intuitively located buttons of different sizes and shapes, as it makes me sort-of feel a sense of occasion, when I put something to action.

Same with the engine note, I like the cabin silence & noise insulation, but I do want something audible to convey to me that substantial pressure has been applied & mechanical propulsion is underway.

I don't know how to articulate it precisely enough to put finger exactly on it, but hope forum members can guess what I'm trying to explain about the ergonomic design and haptic feedback.

[DicKy]

Touchscreens unfortunately are here to stay.

Easier to plonk in more 'features' onto a screen. Bigger, better. Fancier visually.

Love the Mazda interiors, and it is not the first time the small daring company is showing the way. When all companies were downsizing like crazy for on paper fuel efficiency and emission figures, Mazda wisely kept their engines 'right sized'.

Basics like a volume knob, A/C knobs/buttons should be placed for ease of use. Touchscreens maybe cool for showrooms and stationary use, or for passengers. But for the car's core purpose; driving, touchscreens or any sort of capacitive touch controls are as good as using your phone while driving.

Haven't used yet, but feel the BMW iDrive rotary control is one of the best systems. The volume knob and A/C controls are to remain though.

With 'connected' features and all-in-one screens, manufacturers wouldn't leave any tables unturned for customers to keep going back to their service centers.

Know this is a touchscreen thread, and not for 'connected' features, but a sample of this future was seen when Tesla 'removed features' from a used Tesla, as the second owners had not paid the company for the top end features.

[abhishek46]

I have noticed 2 distinct patterns of modernization in passenger vehicles, with respect to buttons & screens.

I have tried to enlist them along with their merits/de-merits, as per my experience.

The Touch Screen 'only' approach:

• Remove each and every button (useful, not useful, everything included) and replace it a a 'single' massive touchscreen slab.

Merits:
1. Can be used as a Television.
2. Make for good bragging rights & looks cool in brochures.

De-Merits:
1. Single point of failure. All the vehicle functionality is tied up at one place.
2. Expensive replacements
3. Needs lot of practice, to perfect even basic operations while driving.

The 'Hybrid' Approach:

• Retain Physical buttons for 'key' functionalities.
• Provide touch-enabled panels (Like for e.g. a touch panel for ACC, a Panel for Driving Modes etc.)
• Provide Multiple screens - 1 for AV, 1 for Driving Info Cluster,Maps.
• Provide an Intelligent Voice Recognition System, which can perform Basic Tasks, without the Driver having to press a single button.

Merits:
1. Best of both worlds. Modernization without loss of Intuitiveness.
2. No single point of failure.

De-merits:
1. Can NOT be used as a Television.

[blackasta]

Apt timing by Honda?

At a time when in-car touchscreens are becoming larger and incorporating even more features, Honda is looking to buck the trend, returning to analogue controls for certain functions, and will most likely follow suit on the India-spec fifth-gen City as well. The carmaker has decided to reintroduce heating and air conditioning controls via a dial rather than touchscreen, as on the outgoing Jazz and City models. Even Honda’s e electric vehicle, whose interior features five screens, remarkably offers rotary controls for the climate control system.

I can personally vouch for the following statement - you do need to take your eyes off the road to operate the AC controls of the current gen Jazz. That's why I fiddle with it very less.

“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.autocarindia.com/car-new...re-cars-416577

[anjan_c2007]

If we apply basic common sense, our hands and fingers need to be preoccupied with the steering wheel, gear lever/auto gear lever and the steering mounted controls viz. dipper, indicator, wiper and so on and the steering facia controls.

Multi tasking and controlling something through the touchscreen/s while driving is uncalled for.

Can we say that these touchscreen controls are invoking "cruelty to drivers"?

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

I usually have to ask the passenger to adjust it, or do it at a signal / when the car is stopped.

.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

De-Merits:
Needs lot of practice, to perfect even basic operations while driving.

Basic operations = increasing / decreasing volume, changing songs, picking up a call and a button to activate voice command for any further need. [In my books], can be achieved by steering mounted controls and most cars [if not all] having a touch screen HU should be having a steering controlled buttons for these.

I do not think, a basic need would demand more, unless we talk about A/C controls having touch-screen, haven't used one, so can not comment, but on cars which I regularly drive, it is intuitive and all you got to is adjust temperature.

And I haven't voted. I am okay with both, but for navigation, would prefer something higher up.