[sampat.sahoo]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I actually like this feature. It maybe deemed as an inconvenience, but indeed a nice way to remind the driver of the perils of not paying attention to the road.

I completely agree with you that this is a nice way to remind the driver about the things that may go wrong if there is lack of attention. But could there be a legal aspect to it? Are the manufacturers trying to play safe in case of any mishap by saying that the driver was already warned and he agreed to heed the warnings? I may be wrong but I wanted to know what everyone perceives of this new feature.

[i74js]

Buttons - I would say. The ease of operation should always prevail on what is considered as upmarket. I am in for few more additional buttons on steering wheel as long as it does not take away my driving experience yet would not be happy with a touch screen based operation for complete driving experience.

GPS and may be couple of other features can go through touch screen while track selection, temperature control, dimming / switching lights on and off etc. should stay with switches.

I think the polls are very much in favour of old school comfort of switches over touch screen.

[Flanker99]

My 2 cents: I really miss the AC controls of my 2004 WagonR (LXi). The Jazz's ACC panel is mighty distracting, to be very frank.

While I was using the WagonR, my funda was simple. Just switch the blower on, and then keep pressing on/off the AC button as and when required. But for some reason really haven't become comfortable with the touchscreen ACC. First of all the AC 'button' actually doesn't exist. I actually have to take my eyes off the road momentarily to find its exact location. Often I have accidentally pressed the 'Auto' button instead. And, despite Jazz having an ACC, I still haven't found a 'comfortable' temperature yet. Apparently I start feeling cold even at 26 degrees, even with the middle two blowers aligned to the middle and facing forwards, and the blower setting at just the first 2 bars.

[AveekKumar]

What about options like the Elite i20? It now provides a touchscreen entertainment system but the ACC is still knobs & buttons. I mix of both.

I don't prefer the touchscreen operation of the Jazz, however it does add that class factor to the car. Also prefer the round knobs(like Honda lower models/i20) over the bulky knobs(like old Indica or Ertiga)

[aniketi]

Touch screens are very useful and easy to use any day, but definitely not in the car

Knobs or buttons are always best for use in car. In my car I can blindly switch on the AC or increase the speed of AC changing from position 1 to 2 or by rotating the volume button i can increase or decrease the volume. All these i can do without seeing. At high speeds, ignorance of one second can cost you your life as well, somebody else's life can also come under threat. So i guess they should not put touch screen options for necessary things like AC, music controls etc. Also one more point is touch screens are too sensitive and so make your actions inaccurate at times. In knobs and buttons its perfect. In my opinion touch screen should not be be allowed only for drivers. It may cost life as well.

[SmartCat]

Going by my experiences with touchscreens on mobiles, the long term reliability (5+ years) is a suspect.

Now if a mobile's touchscreen starts acting up, you go to a local shop to get it replaced. It works with 95% functionality, but eventually, you get rid of the old phone and buy a new one.

What does one do if touchscreen behaves abnormally in the 7th year of ownership? Especially if the car is out of production?

[PrideRed]

Ever since the advent of touch screen in phones, these have caught fancy of many people. I think the comparison is something like digital vs analog watch. While the digital watches made significant impact in the initial period, the trend is back with Analog. While same might not be the case with touch screen and buttons, I would any day prefer latter for reliability and ease of use.

OT: I have slowly started realising how robust and reliable the Nokia button phones were compared to current smartphones.

[navrddy]

Hi Bhp'ans

I will always prefer Mechanical Switches with Tactile feedback, especially operating HVAC and ICE systems, for simple one reason for the sake for "I" need not take my eyes of road, when operating these devices, which we often do during especially highway drives.I always get a feedback, through tactile operation, the operation is performed.

I beg to differ, anybody would like to take there eyes off-road especially one is driving cruising at 80-120 kmph even for a single second.

Consider a situation, if you were to operate HVAC or/and ICE touchscreen, would anybody stop for everytime song / HVAC setting is to be tweaked. ??

In my wagon R, I am more comfortable with all mechanical Switches, But in addition even HVAC fresh air/recirculating mode switch is operated without actually taking away eyes off-road, known by switch position.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

With increasing number of controls on the car going the electronic way, (such as switches for power windows, electric ORVMs, telephony, audio controls, A/C controls etc), now with all these switches and buttons around, a car does feel cluttered with too many controls.
In olden days we didn't have too many "features" that would require these buttons to be present. But now they are here, the manufacturers need to find a way to de-clutter and reclaim the lost space.
The way they have come out with, is using the touch screen. In my opinion, this will be the way forward for the controls for all the features that are "good to have".
It can even add some good feel to the customers. Consider how would the customer feel if the glove box can be locked with a password or a pattern using touchscreen, and when the customer types or draws the same on the screen, the glove box opens in a dampened slow motion!
Most of us who typed messages using normal keypad with Nokia 1100 phones hate to type anything on smart phone, right? But still we have come a long way and in future, it is impossible to think about a phone without internet or the apps, right?
It is going to be the similar. Most buttons will move to touchscreen, and the customers have to prudently use the touch controls, without missing any action on the road.
Good thing is, when some problem occurs, it can be solved with a software update!

I must say, it was entertaining to see you wax lyrical about how buttons will be replaced by capacitive touch controls in the future I and I imagine most others as well, like to have tactile feedback. We complain about hyundai's dead steerings and here we are (surprised to see any upvotes at all for feather touch controls) actually having to defend the existence of physical buttons that allow us to actually touch something and intuitively know that it has performed its task

Was even more surprised that Honda, a brand known for its quirky yet extremely user friendly and ergonomic interiors, has opted to go this route. I think it is an indication that the brand is loosing hold of its core values when it comes to mass-market cars. There is absolutely no question to be posed here. I wonder if all the members who voted for feather-touch controls over physical buttons, will stand by their vote if asked to perform a simple task such as defogging the front and rear windshield while driving fast on a demanding route.

[landcruiser123]

Although I've never used a touchscreen HU in a car, I think it's a distraction.
Migrating to a car with a touchscreen will just like migrating to a touch smartphone from a regular keypad phone.

I just think we should still have buttons for some prime functions like mute, volume, off etc
Also, we must have quick toggles for navigation <-> music in systems which support both.

From a manufacturer's POV, the touch screen is cheaper, easier to program, easier to package( due to less wires) and easier to replace( or repair) if anything goes wrong.

[sourabhzen]

I had a single din old school Blaupankt system in my car for five + years. The CD player stopped working and it had no USB. I decided to replace it with a Sony system that uses Android phone as touch panel for controlling it. I find it so inconvenient to use that I have started using the remote for all basic functions. I simply do not change the mode or channel if remote is misplaced.

[KaranP]

I personally hate this touch revolution.
Something like a Tesla or the new XC90 would be such a pain..I'd pick the latest German interfaces any day.
If watching videos on ICE units is diabled while the car is in motion, operating the radio or AC controls is as dangerous.
Steering wheel controls though, yes please!

[groom]

i find touch screen is the way to go, its simple, all functions at one place.

Too many buttons is not to my taste. I got into a Nissan Sienna and spent a good 15mins to figure out the AC controls alone. So many buttons just for AC, Phew.

touch screen usage has same rules are using a smart phone, which is stuck on to the holder and rarely is too distracting. More over once getting used to, things are far more simpler.

Biggest advantage of touch screens which are app based, they can be future proof to a large extent and easily updated.

Here is a picture of Bosch MySpin, which is the inspiration for Google Car and Apple Play.



Video attached:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4b6WayEejc#t=43

[2000rpm]

I thought I was the few people who prefers Old School. But thanks to this survey, my irritation towards In-Car Touch Screen is shared by a lot of colleagues.

[Jeeper1941]

Originally Posted by groom

touch screen usage has same rules are using a smart phone, which is stuck on to the holder and rarely is too distracting. More over once getting used to, things are far more simpler.

Except when you have to look away to do mundane things like change the fan settings or the radio station. I've driven cars with touchscreens and they are very annoying! You can easily press the wrong button if your finger slides/slips over the screen when the car is moving and get something else completely different.

Personally, I think touchscreens have no place in cars. Using a touchscreen while driving is no different to texting, it requires too much attention which distracts from the road.

Interestingly, though somewhat OT, JD power has released the 2015 DrIVE report, which finds that most drivers (at least in the US) don't use the new technologies being put in cars.

http://www.jdpower.com/press-release...e-drive-report