I’ve been thinking about updating the wife’s SEAT Leon and looked at the new model just released, it seems that almost all controls are now on the touch screen, not keen on scrolling through different pages to get to heater controls etc whilst driving and these screens can freeze if too cold or hot, what’s wrong with buttons or dials Ffs, I have been told to wake the screen there is no proximity sensor but voice control, say Ola Ola! Definitely a visit to the dealer is in order, no way a click and collect here.

 

1. Because it's cheaper than physical knobs.
2. Because the i-heads think its kewl and have evidently never tried to use one on a bumpy road.
3. Because modern cars are increasingly shit.

 

I've had one on my Golf for a while and I actually find it pretty easy to use.
Note that there are still real buttons for essentials like heating (although it's rare I actually change the temperature) and a volume knob (as well as buttons on the wheel).

Voice control is where it's at, though I've not paid the "release fee" VW demands to activate it. The voice control on Android Auto is excellent as it's provided by Google.

 

Last model Jazz has touchscreen controls, they have a mind of their own. Constantly forget what they were set to and if you dare to adjust on the move it does all kinds of weird shit.

Fiesta has analogue dials and they work a treat.

Touch screen is fine IF done properly.

 

What the Germans banged you up? For what crime?

Yes I know just mocking gently and you mentioned Android so there is a work-round you just have to have a smart phone at/in your hand.

 

More on Android Auto. The car is equipped with it, which means I can connect the phone to the car and a version of the phone appears on the touchscreen.

This means that I can access various Apps on my phone and use them using Google's Voice assistant thing. (Apple Carplay is also available and works similarly, though probably not nearly as well).

Apps I use regularly are, Maps (way better than the VW Sat Nav), Music and I can send texts and WhatsApp messages by talking to it. This works extremely well.

In addition, when Google updates Android Auto, the car can be updated, too, so you get new features etc over time.

The wheel controls allow me to change the volume and skip tracks without looking away from the road at all.

All in all, it works very well.

 

Seems SEAT have gone one step further than VW, heater controls are all on the screen, virtual sliders for some things on the bottom of the screen, once you get to the right screen, and voice control just doesn’t understand the Fife accent on the current model, I need to learn Spanish?

 

Off to see one of these Hondas at the weekend.. covid permitting

i dont really like a touch screen in a car due to our industrial roads as pointed out up there. Having said that i haven't really tried anything from this decade ( or last, when does the switchover happen?) car wise as nothing appeals to me bar an expensive lotus and i already have 2 bikes and 2 2-seaters so that really is missing something...

the tesla looks minimal and appealing but i found it a pain in the ass trying to find stuff.. on the go you should really be looking where you are going, i dont seem to touch much bar climate tweaks but all of the stuff like lights etc warrant a knob. Having said that none of my cars have anything bar lights .. my Yam has a horn, indicators, hazards and a kill switch.. also a main beam / flash.. what more do you need?

voice is good in theory but my experience of alexa is she is shyte and amazon are beyond broken.. hey google is also shyte unless its quiet so that tech has some room for improvement ime. I never use it any more.. or gestures.. well not to the phone anyway

 

I'm with LG on this - people know their phones. So just make the car 'radio' a virtual copy of whatever mobile they have and design the apps like SATNAV around that instead. The next car we buy will be specced with Android Auto but i do not want touchscreen heater controls .... i want dials / switches that can be set and will remain set unless the human in charge decides otherwise.

The only things i want set as automatic are gears and possibly lights / wipers but the latter two i want as optional automatic so i can choose.

One of my pet irritations with the current Jazz we have is that when you start it, the touchscreen comes on first with a warning, then with Radio at what seems like 50% louder than it was when you last used it, then reverse camera and only then can you turn the radio off and go back to just camera. It should be off until i turn it on and the reverse camera should not be a part of the radio powering on.

This is part of the charm of the 90s Del Sol - it has none of this crap - you can just get in and go. Even the Fiesta which is almost 20 years newer doesn't suffer from badly designed systems interference.

 

Google are better at UX than <insert car manufacturer here> is not a shock is it? Though apple went off the rails a bit they probably still do a better job

I use Spotify or Radio X mainly for tunes, I don't interact with either really after switch on though

The very antique BM has idrive which is controlled by a large spinny knob which can also click and go up, left, right etc. It's actually good for a bad ride.. which is useful. A touchscreen would require a wrist rest in a car like that