[DicKy]

Voted for Nay, for the simple reason I have the worst of what could be of analogue dials. The Etios ones.

But the worst for digital dials is like an infinity cess pool.

Analogue dials

Not being a luddite, ofcourse the future is not pure analogue. It can't be.
But the main stuff. Speedo and tacho atleast should be analogue, if not the fuel gauge and temperature gauge.

Digital dials

The 80s American ones and the old Mazda ones were at best novelty. The one that really grabbed my attention and made me excited was the Lexus LFA ones.
It really showed me the possibility of digital dials and even today sets the standards for me.
But the main problem is the cost factor. That's how we end up with for the sake of it digital dials in the budget end of the market.
Don't mind the Kwid, Spresso type ones, since they show less info and are basic.

But when it ends up like the Tiago, Nexon type
(we should have puking smilie, fed up of hitting the head, there, finished smilies quota for the Tiago/Nexon.)
And it looks worse in real life. A big design failure, both in practicality and aesthetics.

The ones that enthusiasts hate are not necessarily for them being digital dials. They are hated for the design aspect. Trying to differentiate for the sake of it. Oblong stuff instead of simple circles.
Case in point, the reverse tachometers. I first thought it was a chinese market speciality, enforced by the fact the Hector also got one. But of all manufacturers, BMW adopting such a design was an utter shocker.

At the end...Digital dials are inevitable.
If future direction is that of the new Honda City. Am all for it. Simple design, yet the digital part is configurable. Choose what you want, not forced upon.

That said, while the dials in Lexuses and high end VAGs make me ga-ga over them, I would prefer a simple two pod setup, with the fuel gauges and temp gauges smaller needles inside the bigger ones, and a TFT MID in middle with awesome graphics and info.

Something like the Ertiga, Innova Crysta/Fortuner ones. Or the new Ecosport one minus the waste space.

[coolkurt]

The only iteration with a great digital dial, for a car under 20 lakhs, is the Honda Civic. Even the 8th gen digital dial was brilliantly done.

[100Rabh]

I would prefer analogue dials with large MID in between them, I really hate digital meter of Tiago, Nexon or Bolero, they are bummers to me. Cars that I have mentioned or those which suit my requirements fall under the bracket of <15L OTR so expecting top-notch aesthetic dials would be unfair.

[Zen2001]

Voted yes. Purely based on what the Karoq has to offer. If that kind of "analogue feel" (of needles moving around) can be integrated with the modernity of digital customisation, why not! Based on one's driving mood, one can change the display depending on what one wants to see. But yes, digital only if customisation of the display is possible aka "the virtual cockpit". Otherwise, it's an eyesore. Downside is, might be a costly affair to repair (most likely replace) even if a small thing goes wrong. Hardly anything ever goes wrong with an analogue one.

[Warlock]

Voted YES. But with a qualification, I like the analog style Speed, Tach, Fuel Gauge, and Battery Meter, but a MID Digital screen. A combination of old school visibility and new age data.

[satrikon_454]

Voted 'No', but as long as it's a Civic setup, I'm buying it!



Image Courtesy: Pinterest

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by GTO

Incidentally, I am driving a BMW 330i this weekend with digital dials. Some manufacturers do it well, some don't. Regardless, I just can't warm up to them at all. I prefer physical, analogue dials. They can be well-designed and still look "with the times". Manufacturers just want to move to digital so they can pack more information into them and give you varying themes

While it’s great to get inputs on digital dials, the “driving 330i this weekend” but got my attention. Should we expect early impressions note boss?

[Ultim8]

Pity I couldn't vote in this poll. Anyways, I'd vote for analogue dials, with or without digital display in between.

As GTO mentioned before, people buy analogue watches, cheap or expensive, because of the timeless old-school classic feel which they provide. I feel that no digital display can match that classic feel, even if it's a futuristic sci-fi tech.

With that being said, I enjoy watching the tachometer needle twitch whenever I rev a car. Watching that needle hit the redline immediately when summoned by the throttle pedal response and listening to the symphony of the engine revs is a joy to many enthusiasts, including myself.

Even if manufacturers are hell bent on providing full digital instrument cluster, they better use high resolution bright displays, and at least provide an option to display speed & revs as analogue graphic.

I've attached photos of my favorite location in dad's Ford Fiesta 1.6 SXi below. Apologies for amateurish smartphone photo clicks!

During Day Time:



At Night:



Cheers,
Ultim8

[EuroMachine]

No!
I strongly dislike any video game effect when I am driving a machine in real.
The entire blank space when the vehicle is off gives me a feel like this thing isn't connected or working.

Not only the instrument cluster, I hate even the tablets pasted in between and prefer knobs, dials and buttons. This gives me an assurance of my desired action instead of diverting my brain to search.. to touch..and check if it worked or not.

[rpunwani]

Definitely prefer the old school dials; there is a certain charm to them. Absolutely dislike anti-clockwise tachos - eg latest BMW's

Most cars today have a comprehensive Infotainment System with (with Apple Car Play / Android Auta / Mirror Link) and data about driving distance/time/fuel consumption/etc which is good enough for me.

[landcruiser123]

YES, only if legible & customizable so that I can remove all the unnecessary data. What gets my goat is dials moving the counter clockwise direction - the human eye is trained accustomed to read clockwise dials or linear scales.

[RaghavEvoX]

The bigger and bigger we are moving towards the digital dials and touch screens, the more I am starting to like the old school analogs. The mechanical parts have more feel than electronics (which these days are just gimmicks rather than any practical usage).

I am all for minimal electronics & no touchscreens and would pay for better performance, build quality and safety. Example, I would have 2 extra airbags instead of digital dials, touch screen AC controls, auto headlight & wipers and those color changing clusters for the same price.

[tbppjpr]

High end cars still come with pure analogue clusters. Even if they have screens in place of the classic cluster, there is provision to keep the dials in analogue format.

I feel the classic analogue dials will still be available in the future in the driver oriented cars, though the buyers will have to pay more for those cars. The fancy digital displayes will be limited to the budget oriented mass segment cars, since fancy features quicly attract the large number of people and nothing else is there to explain about those cars.

Even today we see lot of 'gadget on wheels' plying on the roads. We see ads of most cars where only touch screen, infotainment, voice commands etc are marketed over crucial things like safety, driving dynamics and other basic feaures. Those cars quckly sell like hote cakes out of shelves.

[NFS2024]

Voted NO for Digital Dials.

I want my Tachometer and Speedometer, along with Temp and Fuel Gauge to be Analog. Rest all can be Digital and manufacturers can provide whatever they want.

Besides, we have the Infotainment systems with connected features that are already Digital these days.

Classy Analog dials for Tacho and Speedo have a charm of their own which the Digital dials can never satisfy.

[amitayu]

Prefer my Speedo tacho and fuel gauge to be old school analogue. Anything else may be packed in the MID.

Contrary to some popular opinion, I find bright coloured digital displays to be distracting especially at night. Even for the digital displays I love the ones in white rather than very bright blues or reds.