[fhdowntheline]

Sometimes I also feel that these Infotainment gadgets act as a distraction from thoughts while driving the car. People have a lot going on in their heads while driving, especially during commutes. People tend to use the HU's as another device to change focus, fiddle with a song, watching temperature and other driving dynamics, navigation (which may not always be needed). It is a testament to the reliability and performance of modern cars that one can possibly look at these distractions since generally people are'nt overwhelmed with the task of driving itself, with power steering, power brakes, smooth gearshifts (or none at all) and generally available performance on tap.
Maybe it is time for us to bring back a culture of driving a car, devoid of such distractions. I for one avoid taking work calls while driving, and even personal calls for which I try to only respond, rather than initiate and wherever possible, stop at the side to do so.

[Zinda]

I just hate this transition of dedicated controls over those on touchscreen.

Why? A few weeks of usage and your left hand is trained with location vs function of switches. And then you get the instant (and relevant) feedback.
Best part? Your hand "knows" it on multiple cars too. During my Estilo and 4th Gen City ownership, I don't remember any "mix-up" operating the different dashboard layout.

And then during night drive there was absolutely no distraction.


I don't think "everything on touchscreen" has any of these advantages - its more of form over function IMHO. There are some good and well thought bits like my XUV500 stops playing video when on move but Tesla type screens are making the matters worse.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

YouTube is filled with cars being modified with "Tesla" systems. Mind you, these are not always base variants which don't have a music system. Most often these are higher variants, where the owners feel the need to replace well designed and integrated OEM systems.

I know taste is personal but seriously just what the hell are these abominations? They don't look tasteful, are very distracting and would have cost a lot money! YUCK is the only word that comes to mind.

Originally Posted by Zinda

I just hate this transition of dedicated controls over those on touchscreen.

Why? A few weeks of usage and your left hand is trained with location vs function of switches. And then you get the instant (and relevant) feedback.
Best part? Your hand "knows" it on multiple cars too. During my Estilo and 4th Gen City ownership, I don't remember any "mix-up" operating the different dashboard layout.

And then during night drive there was absolutely no distraction.


I don't think "everything on touchscreen" has any of these advantages - its more of form over function IMHO. There are some good and well thought bits like my XUV500 stops playing video when on move but Tesla type screens are making the matters worse.

In all honesty, except if like Tesla or Hector where everything is via the touchscreen interface, most cars made today are a combination of tactile + touch. Besides, what makes me wonder (both from the survey and the thread resulting from it) is why is there even a need to touch the touchscreen often?

In my own experience, I set up the map, podcast (or music), change the brightness settings, adjust my seat (if needed), ORVM's and IRVM's (as needed) in the 5 mins my car is on idle whenever I start, once started, am set and very very rarely do I need to fiddle with the settings.

Sometimes I might need to change route or add a new destination and before I would stop the car to type in the location, now I let Google voice command do the trick.

Out of curiosity, aside from these, why would anyone even need to change settings or fiddle with the touchscreen, esp when you are driving.

[Achilles]

My Ford Aspire doesn't have any touchscreen system. The steering mounted controls were very convenient for me. But when I see all manufacturer's are now adding a touchscreen infotainment system, I felt like something was missing in my car.
While buying a second car at home, I selected the fully loaded top version. But now, after an year of ownership of the new car, I don't remember the last time I used the touchscreen system! I was always playing with the steering mounted controls!!

[Fordlover88]

My Ecosport trend variant doesn't have any touchscreen. It play songs from pen drive attached in music system(pretty old school). Steering mounting controls & Bluetooth does all the basic functions required without touching the music system(except making a call). I am very happy this way. Never felt the need of touchscreen ICE till date.

[F1-Addict]

OMG. The below chart is such an eye opener.

But I guess we can draw similarities with the humble mobile phone.

What started off as a device to make and receive calls today is jam packed with all sorts of functionalities. Many useful of course. But many useless features too.

Similarly center touchscreen consoles in cars have evolved to such an extent that now we have the Honda Civic with a web browser and a calculator built in.. When will I ever use the calculator I still cannot imagine.

Would request my fellow TBHPians to let me know if anyone ever used this calculator.

p.s. - While I am focusing on one point of the Honda Civic console above, I think overall its an excellent design and compliments the overall interior design of the car. Well built and high quality.

[Madywheel]

This is quite an important thread and thoughts shared here may be eye opener to many. Some strong practical points have also been put forward in support of Android Auto/Apple Carplay as well.

While many senior BHPians have already shared their reservations against an extensive touch-based interface, I am too on the same side divider. A touch interface is great for navigation, way more convenient than using our smart phone. But anything more than that seems not necessary to me. Instead, there should be emphasis on providing steering based controls and basic voice commands in all cars, as much possible.

I believe driving a car is full time job for the duration of the drive. There are better places for entertainment as per someone’s taste. Thanks

[naphill]

Touch screens in the vehicle- both the inbuilt ones and the mobile phones have been known causes for distracting drivers. We have seen several videos of dash cams recording drivers using mobile phones in highways leading to accidents. I also remember seeing an episode, of a series in Discovery channel which was dedicated to the adverse effects, mobile phones have on driving skills. There is anecdotal and scientific evidence on this. However, on the other hand I have encountered many of my friends/taxi drivers indulging in 'multi-tasking' while driving without a hitch.
Overall, I feel the general trend nowadays is when people buy cars, they are more focused on the size of the touch screen and other bling elements, instead of the safety features.

[dicor]

I hate any kind of LCD / TFT screens in the vehicle. They are big distraction to the driver. Specially during night time, the glare emitting from screen is quite a distraction.

In the past (1st gen XUV), I use to put handkerchief to cover the surface. I prefer complete dark inside during night drives.

[51morris]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Good that the research showcases the dangers of operating the touchscreen while driving. Before the Range Rover Sport I never had a car with a touchscreen, so I had not faced this. But since I started driving this car I have been bewildered on how people use the touchscreen while driving. As I have written somewhere before on this forum as well, I find it very difficult to use. Half the time I click on some other button. It is good that I hardly drive alone and most of the time I do not listen to music when I am alone. I usually operate it at a traffic signal or a traffic jam. But I truly feel that it is a menace and as SS-Traveler said, it is best to avoid the touchscreen while driving. I will surely not do it anymore.

I cannot agree more, Sumitro!

I absolutely HATE touch controls for anything in a car, especially the head unit. I briefly had a Toyota Auris which had a "full" touchscreen unit. Even volume controls were touch-sensitive buttons. It is a massive distraction to use these while driving.

I have always preferred buttons/levers/switches in a car. They are always at the same place where you left them and you can still find them without taking your eyes off the road. On my VW Polo, thankfully volume control, driving modes and a few other settings have physical buttons. Yet, navigating on Waze and other actions still need me to take my eyes off the road for crucial seconds. Very hazardous.

I too have made it a point to NOT interact with the touchscreen whilst on the move.

[mi2n]

Having upgraded to touchscreen units on 2 of our cars I can say that I do not recall having to touch the screen or having to look(navigation aside) at it while on the move. As with most technology, I feel the study suggests that this piece of technology has also fallen prey to ill-informed or bad usage patterns. The steering wheel buttons are functional enough in almost all cases and for the rare "other things" there's Google Assistant or Siri. I find the solution far better than having a mobile dangling loosely from a windshield mount for SATNAV and that was my primary objective for the switch. The other reason for the switch was the shift to music streaming apps for which these versatile headunits are a boon. Further, the OEM systems are a step ahead with placement and integration providing further ease of use.

That said, I agree that if I absolutely had to operate the unit by touch interface while driving, it would be quite the irritant over having to operate physical buttons or knobs. But as it turns out, the technology in these units also makes the "touch" feature redundant by enabling voice commands and steering remotes. These voice commands and steering remote integrations are the intended interface of these car infotainment systems. Just because the unit also operates via a touch panel doesn't mean you have to "touch" to interface with it. Changing songs or tuner stations, making and taking calls, volume sliders, maps, etc. are all doable without having to touch the panel physically or having to look at it. Therefore, I still think these units can be handled safely while driving with proper know-how and understanding.

On the contrary a bright screen inside a car can be a distraction during the dark hours. However, most OEM units automatically dim when parking lights are switched on. GMAPS goes dark by night time and one can also apply a dark background on the unit itself.

[osp]

I have been quite used to using Google Maps esp while commuting in traffic (in order to take the best route) so for me, there's always the map screen glowing above the dash.

Surprisingly though, the gMaps implementation on Android Auto seems to be somewhat limited compared to the gMaps implementation on the phone, esp when you're trying to search for specific places en route to a pre configured destination.

For example, on the phone I can find a CCD en route, but on AA I can only search for categories like "Petrol Pump", etc.

Not sure if there's any way to get around this

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Keeleri_Achu

I'm sorry but I believe this report is extremely biased against touch screens or should I say Android Auto/Apple CarPlay in general. They left out one important parameter. How do the participants fare when they are asked to do the same task in a regular 2-Din or 1-Din infotainment system?

Originally Posted by Keeleri_Achu

Is it just me who thinks this thread is just turning into a touchscreen bashing one? We can sure have one, but I feel it is very much misleading to quote this study as the foundation.

I don't think this thread or its responses are either biased or have anything to do with touchscreen bashing at all.

There was a time, when having a cassette player or radio (which one had to tune manually using a knob, and there were no steering mounted control buttons) in the car was a matter of luxury, and one had to pay an annual tax in some Indian states to install one in one's car. Cassettes had to be swapped out (CDs did not exist), and the radio channels had to be tuned using a rotary knob. As a result, we had a limited few "favourite" songs and musicians (how many cassettes can one stock in a car?), and the radio was reserved only for news.

From there to unlimited choices in music / other forms of entertainment through our phones connected to Android Auto / Apple CarPlay is a gigantic step. Yet, car controls did not change much over the last 100 years, and the quantum of attention needed to drive a car remains the same, if not more (due to higher speeds). Unless, of course, we discuss autonomous driving cars, where distractions caused by a touchscreen don't matter, and the driver can happily play Ludo while the car drives itself safely past hazards.

But till that time when autonomous cars are considered to be the gold standard in car safety (the Germans don't think so yet), the less distraction we expose ourselves to while driving, the safer our roads will be. If that involves what may be considered "bashing" touchscreens, or even snazzy MIDs and disco lights in the footwell, so be it.

[asingh1977]

I find the screens in cars distracting. I feel much more at ease in my old i20 vs screen enabled Creta.

[devsoftech]

I love the heads up display integration with input from android auto on my 2020 Mercedes GLE350. Greatly reduces distraction and I stay focused on the road. MBUX also enables most of the hard to reach controls like temperature setting, seat massage, steering heating over voice, so no fiddling with controls. The MBUX touchscreen sensitivity/response and low latency coupled with my flagship galaxy 20 plus are also a marriage made in heaven. I had my fair share of lags with Jetta's android auto, and a faster processor on phone and head unit does wonders. I have made the switch from spotify to youtube music, now Google's algorithm feeds me the recommended music so less fiddling on touch screen. In a nutshell, nothing to complain with android auto being a distraction for my setup.

Also given that this platform comes with a level 2 semi autonomous hardware (though not fully exploited), it's not an excuse for me being less cautious on the road. Just that android auto does not deserve to be bashed. Much better and safer than the gps/mobile holder days.