[CEF_Beasts]

Digital Dials have gained a lot of traction in the past few years; honestly it's a love it or hate it matter. I am personally more inclined towards hate it! Almost all manufacturers want to join in on the bandwagon.

Likes
1. Only those which can give Google Maps directions on them via Apple
CarPlay and Android Auto.
2. Can show a lot more data compared to analog clusters with a screen in
between.

Dislikes
1. Illegible while driving,
2. Rob the feel of an analog tachometer,
3. Some are filled to the brim with technology which can get confusing to use
on the move,
4. Anti-Clockwise rev-counter in some
5. Could cost a bomb to replace if anything goes wrong with it,
6. Some manufacturers leave a lot of blank space in them.

MODs please delete this post if a thread related to Digital Clusters already exists.

Few pics of the digital clusters I like which are/were available in India.

Fellow BHPians please feel free to add your POV and more pictures

[CEF_Beasts]

The Digital Dials I hate;

[WhiteSierra]

I request mods to add a poll on this.

Personally, I hate digital dials. I love the good old analogue speedometer, tachometer and fuel, temperature gauges. I don't mind odometer, trip meters, DTE, Averages being digital, but complete instrument cluster being digital is kind of overkill for me. But hey, we have to move on with technology changing everyday.

[Nazaar25]

Apart from Audi's, Merc's, Honda's and (old) Beamer's digital speedos, I just hate all others in the market!
And the worst ones naturally come in mass market cars which mostly include Hyundais, Renaults and Tatas! These three manufacturers are simply going bonkers over the digital thing.
Although Hyundai and Tata have good screens in some of their cars, cost cutting is pretty evident from the way it's integrated. (If you can use a high quality screen for 80% of the console then why leave the rest 20?)
My humble request to all the manufacturers- "Give us a proper high res screen or else just stick to a sweet old school analogue unit!"

This is far by the best implementation of screen in the speedometer in a mass market car! (Kia Seltos)


This one looks sweet too! (Honda Civic)

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

I request mods to add a poll on this.

Done! Poll has been added.

[carriage.retorq]

This change is inevitable. Sooner or later all tachos will be digital, may be in a decade, and everyone probably would have embraced it too.
May be in the soon to come era of the EVs.

I like the full digital clusters in some high end cars, esp. when the dials mimic the analog style but definitely not the calculator font styled ones in some new Indian cars like the Nexon or the triber for instance. I hate to see the rev counter stepping up by 500. I also hate to see the RPM/ speed in numbers as opposed to needles shooting up.

So at least for now, I ll still take the analog dials or digital with analog style dials with digital needles.

Originally Posted by Nazaar25

This is far by the best implementation of screen in the speedometer in a mass market car! (Kia Seltos)
Attachment 2051816

Sorry but the seltos still has analog dials.

[Nazaar25]

Originally Posted by carriage.retorq

Sorry but the seltos still has analog dials.

I was actually talking about the large screen in the middle of the two analogue dials.
What I actually wanted to say was that apart from putting a cheap looking screen for the speed/rpm readings, companies should instead use a nice functional display for all the information, navigation, lane watch camera, etc and retain the analogue dials.
Didn't elaborate it as well in the first post. My bad

[ashvek3141]

Personally I prefer an old school analogue dials. But the trend is definitely shifting towards all digital. Having said that, I don’t mind a part digital-analogue cluster, like the one in the Harrier & Altroz. It depends on the design also to say. Earlier Beamers had a beautiful design of the digital instrument cluster. Can’t say the same about the newer launches though.

[haisaikat]

I see majority opinion in the poll to be swaying towards Nay. Come on, look at the bigger picture. I am sure a majority of those voting know must be using a digital smart watch that has a analogue dial . Its a matter of getting used to the same way you all embraced smart phones.

Digital clusters are the way to go for the flexibility they offer in terms of reusing the same real estate for multiple purposes based on the need at various points in time during a journey.

In fact an after market digital cluster is the perfect mod for a 5 year old car to rejuvenate your senses as it may make half of the other gizmos in your car that you have been carrying around obsolete. Nowadays most modern cars keep even the mileage information in the ECU so no tampering of that required.

Look at the following possibilities as a starter. You can still retain the analogue gauge type look and feel on your digital cluster but still be able to take the advantage of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ZSi2S_EVI

[RedTerrano]

My vote for yes.
We are living in a digital age and change is inevitable. And change is not only restricted to road vehicles.

IMO digitisation can offer a good balance between information available v/s user preference.
Going by personal experience, the info I will most keep an eye out on is the speed. After that fuel level, followed by engine temperature. For me these are the most crucial, in that order. Others might have different preferences. A customisable dashboard would be a nice thing to have.

But old school fans need not be disheartened. You can have widgets which look like behave like analogue on digital interfaces.
Like these watch faces. Same information, different presentation

[raunak2X90]

A well designed analog-digital cluster is appealing and useful for communicating a lot of information. But I prefer the speedometer and tachometer should be analog. Its much easier to see an analogue dial with no ghost sighting or eye strain when driving in pitch darkness at night and no reflection on the lcd screen when driving in the day when the sun's out. The small negative effects of digital dials are magnified when driving for days at a stretch.

[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 (e.g. for Sport mode).

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

But old school fans need not be disheartened. You can have widgets which look like behave like analogue on digital interfaces.
Like these watch faces. Same information, different presentation

As digital as watches / smartwatches have become, there is still no replacement for the below. I feel the speedometer & rpm meter can be just as classy & timeless as a good Rolex or Tag. "Dials" are super important to me, whether on my wrist or behind my steering:

[SaiSW]

Definitely, YES. But as OP said, only the type which can have multiple functions like showing Android Auto Gmap instructions, other important data, not the types like in the Kwid. No thanks to that.

Also, companies can program the digital screens to show the info like in old school style, as in some Audis I've seen, which can show info as the old style analog tacho and speedo.

So basically win-win situation as far as I am concerned.

[CarNerd]

Well I have never observed the speed on my digital dial. Earlier when there was an analog one I used to see it move physically. But in the digital one everything is so jumbled up with other information that I just don't see the instrument cluster while driving. So I think having a good & bright display with the speed appearing as an analog dial is the right way. If high end feature like heads up display trickles down on normal cars, that would be great. Another thing that I would like to change is the fuel warning lamp. They are so small to see. Why can't they have a bigger lamp with some voice warning?

[Turbohead]

I feel the basics should still be analogue i.e speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and coolant/oil temperature gauge.

I don't mind the rest being digital. The rest are optional stuff. You are expected to look ahead and drive

Why analogue dials?
1) You can see where the needle is pointing with your peripheral vision. Helps in deciphering approximate speed, RPM etc.
2) Yes, you can get dials in digital too but it doesn't feel real or premium. A real dial with good quality materials and lighting is truly a treat to the eyes!