I want to get an electric car soon, so yesterday I was looking at the new Volvo XC30 online.
I was surprised to see that they've gone for the large, centred touch screen display for everything.
My car has a decent display, but I have a regular instrument panel behind the wheel and a HUD for the essentials.
I think of screens as a safety hazard, and my HUD to be a significant improvement to traditional instrument panels.
Why are (some) cars moving in the opposite direction now?
Also, I find displays to be inherently unreliable as a primary control interface. Maybe that's just me as a programmer not trusting software, but I have had issues with mine in my own car. It doesn't do anything critical, so it's not a major issue, but I get very sceptical when you depend on it for everything. They even have the speed displayed there.
@veronica touch screens as controls also mean that you have to look to change any setting - AC, radio, etc.
@tmr232 @veronica I was reminded of this article from @arstechnica ironically comparing touchscreen interfaces to the physical interface in an older Volvo.
"VB tested 11 new cars alongside a 2005 Volvo C70, timing how long it took to perform a list of tasks in each car. These included turning on the seat heater, increasing the cabin temperature, turning on the defroster, adjusting the radio, resetting the trip computer, turning off the screen, and dimming the instruments.
The old Volvo was the clear winner. 'The four tasks is handled within ten seconds flat, during which the car is driven 306 meters at 110 km/h [1,004 feet at 68 mph],' VB found. Most of the other cars required twice as long, or more, to complete the same tasks."
@internic @tmr232 @arstechnica I'm all for improving things with new technology. I'm very happy with the technological improvements in my car compared to my first, a 1986 Opel Ascona. But this seems a lot more like a "cool" design choice rather than an improvement.
@veronica @tmr232 Totally agreed! I'm all for tech for making cars better. This just seems to be one application of tech that is making them worse (probably more guided by aesthetics or cost). I think there are all sorts of interesting things cars could do with, e.g. multi-spectral sensing and HUDs/AR.
@internic @tmr232 It took me a while to get used to the HUD, but now I'm not sure I want a car without one. It shows my speed, driving directions from the GPS system, and cruise control info. All without having to take my eyes off the road. I do have to change eye focus, but that can only be solved when glasses with overlay becomes a common thing.