Does anyone prefer the older, simpler interiors anymore?

[JulesMaximus]

Does anyone in this thread actually own a car that they consider over the top on technology interior wise? I don't have touch screen anything and would say at this point I'd prefer manual knobs and buttons, but in general people don't like change. Is it possible that if I (or any of the opponents in this thread) would love a touch screen / voice activated car once we got used to it?

I don't think mine is over the top but it definitely is well equipped with modern technology. I would never go back quite honestly.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

There is a lot of "Lets be high tech and cool for the sake of being high tech and cool" in the auto industry. For example:

These are complete shit to use in real life, they look kinda cool, but its akin to using a 50 dollar chinese tablet while driving...no thanks.

This is how you do it right:

 

[nageov3t]

a lot of people criticize Subaru interiors for being spartan, but I actually like the simplicity of my new Crosstrek:

(though, mine is black)... hate hate hate touchscreens in cars. I want tactile buttons that I can press in the dark without having to look down. also hate built-in GPS. I plan on my car lasting me +10 years, but I couldn't imagine still having to use a 10 year-old GPS today. I'm assuming 10 years from now, I won't want to have to be stuck with a 10 year-old GPS either.

 

[mmntech]

Yo Ugly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. :biggrin:

Looks like Ricky's car after Phil Colins smashed it up. ^_^

 

[DrDoug]

Looks like Ricky's car after Phil Colins smashed it up. ^_^

One thing I really liked about older cars was that they were so different from each other. Too many vehicles today use styles that are so similar to those that their competitors use that it's hard to tell them apart without looking at the name plates. I like new tech but nothing beats driving an old car that you restored (and modified) yourself, they have a personality all their own. This one is my preferred daily driver and I get a lot of compliments on it all of the time from young and old alike. It's different, I'm different and it fits me in this world of lookalikes.

New tech is fine if that's what turns your crank while you are driving but when I drive I want music and instrumentation to see what is going on. Everything else is a distraction.

 

[DaTT]

I like confusing interiors. Makes figuring out stuff fun and interesting. I was in heaven when I test drove an Audi S5. Took me 15 minutes to figure out how to turn the seat warmers off. I love that in a car.

 

[roguerower]

I like the layout of my Cherokee. It's very similar to the picture MonGrel posted where all funtionality can be controlled through the touchscreen, however volume and AC/Heat can be controlled with dials and buttons. When driving at night I can turn the screen off so it isn't as much of a distraction. I love how easily it pairs with my phone every single time.

What I wished they did better...I wish I had a physical button for the seat and steering wheel warmers. Not a fan of the touchscreen for those. I also wish they had gotten rid of the speedometer and used that real estate for something else. I have a digital speedo which is all I've used since getting the car, even though the "analog" dial is 3" to the right.

 

[Anubis]

I hate touchscreens in cars, or any kind of big screen in the dash.

im 100% with you on this for this most part

 

[SearchMaster]

I used to feel this way, until I got a car with a modern interior. I don't like the fingerprints that get all over the touchscreen but otherwise it's just better. This assumes that it won't fail at some point, because replacing a $2000 piece of equipment is much more painful than a $200 stereo.

 

[dawheat]

I actually like BMW's simple interiors like in the 2-series (vs. their more complex ones in their larger cars). If only they used the same high quality materials throughout as in their larger cars.

Not too many buttons, slightly driver oriented.

 

[hanoverphist]

 

[Imported]

I actually like BMW's simple interiors like in the 2-series (vs. their more complex ones in their larger cars). If only they used the same high quality materials throughout as in their larger cars.

Not too many buttons, slightly driver oriented.

Agreed. The interior on my 228i is fantastic. Everything is within reach, not a touchscreen, not too many buttons and the iDrive thing is very easy to use once you get the hang of it.

 

[Insomniator]

I like simple better, actual gauges, no screens. GOTTA have steering wheel radio controls though.

 

[hanoverphist]

i love the old styles much more than the newer cars. that said, i love the double din head unit i have in my 95 subaru, it adds a bunch of functionality to the vehicle. its a good mix of new tech and older simplicity. ive had the chance to play with the tesla screens, and there is sooo much stuff in there it can get very daunting. but the overall screen can be made very simple as well, which was very cool.

 

[imagoon]

I dislike unresponsive touch screens. I really dislike anything that should be "one touch" that gets buried in a menu. It is one thing to stick the radio balance or whatever in a menu. It is another where changing the temp is something dumb like "home" -> "Climate control" -> "Temp" -> little +- that makes change take several presses to go up and down. Couple that with some slow to respond display and it is frustrating and stupid.

I do however like some of the Cadillac full screen dash boards because it lets me configure virtual needle gauges on it for a ton of crap and it actually responds well.

 

[fralexandr]

2012 rav4 interior

with how complicating the touch screens are, they should just make steering wheel controls act like a remote control/game controller type thing for the touch screens hah. with arrow keys/d-pad/analog and enter/back/home buttons, etc

it's the same reason that TV remotes SHOULD have buttons. So you don't have to take your eyes off the main attraction.

 

[senseamp]

This is the way of the future. All the knob based interfaces like i-drive are just a technological dead end IMO. They are kind of like trackball or trackpoint mice.
Touch is the natural way humans interface.
Also, why reinvent the bicycle and redesign the user interface for every vehicle like you do with physical buttons. With touchscreen, you just keep improving the software, and keep the tooling and hardware simple.

 

[nageov3t]

This is the way of the future. All the knob based interfaces like i-drive are just a technological dead end IMO. They are kind of like trackball or trackpoint mice.
Touch is the natural way humans interface.
Also, why reinvent the bicycle and redesign the user interface for every vehicle like you do with physical buttons. With touchscreen, you just keep improving the software, and keep the tooling and hardware simple.

until voice recognition is perfectly and accessible for everything, keep that shit away from me.

 

[senseamp]

until voice recognition is perfectly and accessible for everything, keep that shit away from me.

It's coming, like it or not. Consumers will demand it. Interface that's not locked in hardware, but is updated as the car ages. Not stuff that was designed two years before a car launches and is six or seven years old when the car is still being sold. That's ancient way of doing things. If you like it, enjoy it while you still can.
As far as voice recognition, that stuff is advancing at Moore's law. If you are designing a car now that will be released in 2016, do you bet against voice recognition working, do a design around buttons and knobs, and risk your product looking stale until 2021? Or do you put in a huge glass touchscreen that gives you the option to update the software every year? The less fixed function you have, the more future proof it is.

 

[halik]

I like my integrated navigation/mmi thingy and separate buttons for everything

 

[MixMasterTang]

I don't think mine is over the top but it definitely is well equipped with modern technology. I would never go back quite honestly.

I bet, that's why I posed that question The only tech I have heard people not liking (even after owning the car for quite a while) was some of the first BMW iDrive stuff. I have hated certain rental cars I've had because I didn't know how to use the fancy electronics, but I'm sure if I got used to them I would love them.

 

[nageov3t]

It's coming, like it or not. Consumers will demand it. Interface that's not locked in hardware, but is updated as the car ages. Not stuff that was designed two years before a car launches and is six or seven years old when the car is still being sold. That's ancient way of doing things. If you like it, enjoy it while you still can.
As far as voice recognition, that stuff is advancing at Moore's law. If you are designing a car now that will be released in 2016, do you bet against voice recognition working, do a design around buttons and knobs, and risk your product looking stale until 2021? Or do you put in a huge glass touchscreen that gives you the option to update the software every year? The less fixed function you have, the more future proof it is.

how much does the "interface" need to be updated?

obviously you want the touch screen updated, but the placement of the heat/AC controls? I think 99% of drivers are fine with them not being changed every time their car maker decides to push a new OS with UI changes for the hell of it (see: every MS Office release since 2000)

 

[yhelothar]

This is the way of the future. All the knob based interfaces like i-drive are just a technological dead end IMO. They are kind of like trackball or trackpoint mice.
Touch is the natural way humans interface.
Also, why reinvent the bicycle and redesign the user interface for every vehicle like you do with physical buttons. With touchscreen, you just keep improving the software, and keep the tooling and hardware simple.

The knob based interfaces are safer IMO since you can navigate through them blind through memory alone.

 

[PricklyPete]

I much preferred the knob based MMI in our old Audi rather than the touch screen mess that is in our 4Runner.

 

[Imported]

I hate touchscreens too. Especially those that control heat/ac/etc.