How distracting are touchscreens in cars

[Short Norman]

Quite a bit

Saw the above on a carfection video, he was commenting on stuff like lane assist etc being added to cars to balance the distraction of the touchscreen.

Also I was watching a car Harry’s garage review the other day (can’t remember what car it was), but they’d put the control for the center air vent in the touchscreen why

 

[McGherkin]

I f**king hate touchscreens in cars. You aim for a button, you hit the slightest of bumps and end up pressing something else. With physical buttons you can touch them without pressing them and also feel your way around without looking - Touchscreens were just an innovation for the sake of it.

 

[Daniel]

I’m not a fan at all.

we could really do with one in the truck at work (reverse cam, sat nav, Apple car play etc etc) to get rid of all the phone mounts and cables etc etc but actually using them whilst driving is proper hard work so we’ve avoided it. I agree, they’re way more distracting than anything else.

new cars too that have the climate controls built in to the touch screen.... why??? It makes it so bloody hard to see what you’re doing when you should be concentrating on actually driving. Not staring at a screen on the dash for 30 seconds trying to figure out where the stupid tiny buttons are.

 

[McGherkin]

On the teslas the wiper controls are on the touch screen. As you can imagine that’s probably super complicated to use.

 

[SC03OTT]

I don’t mind the setup in my Octavia. HVAC items have physical buttons. Media is all touchscreen but I use Apple Car Play all the time so just use Siri. Saves me looking away from the road and works well. There is a balance to be found but a lot of manufacturers seem to have gone too far. The touch sensitive steering wheel buttons VW are implementing seem to be getting universally slated.

In the past I used a pool car which was a C4 Cactus. Everything was controlled using the touchscreen and it was horrendous. I ended up just using my own car for work instead.

 

[Ben]

My heating controls are in a touch screen system apart from the front and rear de-mist and it’s a ball ache.

 

[Darren61]

My other half’s Ateca has a big touch screen and car play but is so frustrating to use whilst driving. I’m sure it’s a case of me not driving it all that often.

However, on my BMW (F31) the iDrive system with scroll wheel & Pro Nav screen is genuinely spot on. I don’t find it distracting and you click and scroll your way around the different options with relative ease!

 

[KitsonRis]

I don't use the touch screen in my M140 as you can see finger print marks on it and I can't be dealing with that.

 

[R3k1355]

new cars too that have the climate controls built in to the touch screen.... why??? It makes it so bloody hard to see what you’re doing when you should be concentrating on actually driving. Not staring at a screen on the dash for 30 seconds trying to figure out where the stupid tiny buttons are.

New Peugeots are like that, it's f**king stupid.
Whats the point in having regulation on motor vehicles if they allow this kind of utterly moronic rubbish?

You could be s**t-faced and be in better control of your car than f**king around with the in car system.

 

[colesy]

New Porsches are terrible for this!! How it’s safe to navigate through 3 sub menus to change a radio is beyond me.

 

[Flat Eric]

The 3 series has a touchscreen but its been used once just to actually test if it was a touch screen

The I drive system works really well

Physical buttons for heating controls etc are essential, having to go in a menu on a screen is bonkers.

 

[Amos91]

The 3 series has a touchscreen but its been used once just to actually test if it was a touch screen

The I drive system works really well

Physical buttons for heating controls etc are essential, having to go in a menu on a screen is bonkers.

This, plus a heads up display helps with the basic controls.

 

[Short Norman]

Wiper controls being in the touchscreen is madness even with auto wipers

 

[jenic]

Got to question that chart, how did they work it out and what was the sample size?

They say handheld phone is more distracting than texting, which I can't understand at all. Both require brain and hand to be occupied with the phone but texting actually takes your eyes off the road lol.

Anyway, agree with everyone. Touchscreens are terrible imo, as said by a few I think this is where BMW are doing well, keeping climate controls as buttons and having iDrive alongside a touchscreen. My uncle was looking at an XC60, but it was terrible with the heating controls being on the screen, he bought an X3 instead and this was one of the main reasons (the other being the Volvo dealers were s**t).

 

[Ex-User (99307)]

Ph2 heater controls are bad enough.

 

[Starlet_gt]

Can't text and drive but you can f**k about with your touchscreen menu to get to the heater controls. Mental.

 

[Short Norman]

Got to question that chart, how did they work it out and what was the sample size?

They say handheld phone is more distracting than texting, which I can't understand at all. Both require brain and hand to be occupied with the phone but texting actually takes your eyes off the road lol.

Anyway, agree with everyone. Touchscreens are terrible imo, as said by a few I think this is where BMW are doing well, keeping climate controls as buttons and having iDrive alongside a touchscreen. My uncle was looking at an XC60, but it was terrible with the heating controls being on the screen, he bought an X3 instead and this was one of the main reasons (the other being the Volvo dealers were s**t).

Was mentioned in here just after 12 minutes

 

[Waitey]

The last gen none touchscreen i-drive was perfect from BMW.

Once they added touch to it, it may as well get in the sea.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

It is getting more and more ridiculous with where manufacturers are putting basic controls of the car i.e. wiper controls and heaters. Why are these not left as independent controls? Just throwing common sense out of the window, where the window switch is in the glovebox and you can only open the glovebox via a button located under the drivers seat.

 

[adamlstr]

This is so f**king stupid.

Might as well have a 12 inch ipad nailed to the dash.

 

[cs_rich]

View attachment 1514998

This is so f**king stupid.

Might as well have a 12 inch ipad nailed to the dash.

Going to get worse before it gets better....

Ford's latest dash design on the Mutang Mach-E:

and Mercede's preview of future dashboards:

Problem is that the main reason (as I understand it) is price. A large touchscreen with literally everything controlled through it, is significantly cheaper than a slightly smaller screen with some stuff on it and a bunch of controls, stalks, dials, buttons etc.

Add into that the cost of developing electric cars at a competitive price-point and fallout/fines from Dieselgate, and it means that most manufacturers are taking every opportunity to screw the production costs down.

 

[fakeConcern]

As above I've read that screens are much cheaper than proper controls. Even if the touch element is reduced, many now seem to me very distracting just because they are there, the new Honda E for a start...

I've also read somewhere that NCAP are going to start rating touchscreens for safety...

 

[Hxrry]

I grew up with touch screen devices etc so for me it's second nature, however I do think that life would be easier for everyone if they had buttons.

My blue 182 came with climate control but all the buttons are rubbed away so had to guess which button does what, think I've got it 85% nailed lol

 

[Philip.]

Don't find my Leon too bad. Tend to use the steering wheel controls rather than the screen when driving though.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

View attachment 1514998

This is so f**king stupid.

Might as well have a 12 inch ipad nailed to the dash.

I mean what the f**k is that dash and that steering wheel, the controls are the least of Tesla's problems.

 

[Ex-User (60778)]

As above I've read that screens are much cheaper than proper controls. Even if the touch element is reduced, many now seem to me very distracting just because they are there, the new Honda E for a start...
View attachment 1515003
I've also read somewhere that NCAP are going to start rating touchscreens for safety...

The exception is this car. It’s awesome. If it could do 200 miles on one charge I’d have one.

 

[Strell]

I can see why touchscreen is getting used but also agree it’s not got the same UX.

Also another one that can’t believe that data on the chart. How can texting be so low compare to others where you just have to talk?

 

[fakeConcern]

The exception is this car. It’s awesome. If it could do 200 miles on one charge I’d have one.

I think they look great and have been looking at BEVs in a hot hatch sort of format, but nothing has the range I need or anything close.

Back on topic, I saw this article about safety of touchscreens

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/analysis-car-makers-face-screen-test-judge-safety

 

[jenic]

The last gen none touchscreen i-drive was perfect from BMW.

Once they added touch to it, it may as well get in the sea.

No Apple carplay though

The latest gen is alright isn't it? You can just use it without the touch, I've not noticed it's much different in the X3 compared to my pre-touch tbh. The gesture control is proper s**t though.

 

[Waitey]

No Apple carplay though

The latest gen is alright isn't it? You can just use it without the touch, I've not noticed it's much different in the X3 compared to my pre-touch tbh. The gesture control is proper s**t though.

The late I drive 5’s have CarPlay and no touch screen.

Works really well too.

 

[Andy_con]

Quite a bit
View attachment 1514914
Saw the above on a carfection video, he was commenting on stuff like lane assist etc being added to cars to balance the distraction of the touchscreen.

Also I was watching a car Harry’s garage review the other day (can’t remember what car it was), but they’d put the control for the center air vent in the touchscreen why

i dont want to bore people but not sure "typical drivers have a reaction time of 1 second" is factually correct.

the design manual for roads and bridges, which was written in the 80s and still used today suggests 2 seconds and manual for streets which was written around 2010 say drivers have a reaction time of 1.5 seconds.

anyway thats all for tonight
fun fun fun

 

[Darren S]

Problem is that the main reason (as I understand it) is price. A large touchscreen with literally everything controlled through it, is significantly cheaper than a slightly smaller screen with some stuff on it and a bunch of controls, stalks, dials, buttons etc.

Add into that the cost of developing electric cars at a competitive price-point and fallout/fines from Dieselgate, and it means that most manufacturers are taking every opportunity to screw the production costs down.

Exactly this. It's far easier and simpler to present everything through a screen than to have physical representations of buttons and dials, etc. Added to that, today's obsession with society to customise everything 'becoz I can'. The manufacturers will get far more Likes due to Karen switching her heating controls to have a pink flowery background than the tedious intervention of pressing a button to raise the temp to 21C.

If they are removing older functionality on things like mobile phones (I still really miss the Home button on my iPhone) for the sake of cost and a larger viewing area - then the additional complexity of a car dash hasn't a hope in hell. Plus, s**t like this is a perfection transition model towards the ultimate goal...... driverless cars.

 

[fakeConcern]

Exactly this. It's far easier and simpler to present everything through a screen than to have physical representations of buttons and dials, etc. Added to that, today's obsession with society to customise everything 'becoz I can'. The manufacturers will get far more Likes due to Karen switching her heating controls to have a pink flowery background than the tedious intervention of pressing a button to raise the temp to 21C.

If they are removing older functionality on things like mobile phones (I still really miss the Home button on my iPhone) for the sake of cost and a larger viewing area - then the additional complexity of a car dash hasn't a hope in hell. Plus, s**t like this is a perfection transition model towards the ultimate goal...... driverless cars.

It does make you wonder at what age cars will start to be binned because the infotainment system has died if for example you can't change the heat settings without it.

 

[Darren S]

It does make you wonder at what age cars will start to be binned because the infotainment system has died if for example you can't change the heat settings without it.

Lol - and it will happen.

"So why are you trading in your 320ee again, please?"

"Well, sat in traffic on the M62 again and the streaming of Smash My Backdoors In v.62 wouldn't skip to the shower scene. It's knackered."

 

[_Tom]

Don't find my Leon too bad. Tend to use the steering wheel controls rather than the screen when driving though.

The only annoying thing is about traction control being on the head unit.

I’m glad that even with electronic climate you’ve got a knob. (Ooo err)

 

[Philip.]

The only annoying thing is about traction control being on the head unit.

I’m glad that even with electronic climate you’ve got a knob. (Ooo err)

You not got a button for traction control by the heather controls? Never done it through the screen!

 

[_Tom]

You not got a button for traction control by the heather controls? Never done it through the screen!

Nope.

 

[Philip.]

Nope.

View attachment 1515373

Wow! Guess that must have changed on the 290 then. It’s press once for TC on sport and hold for it completely off.

 

[riber3]

View attachment 1514998

This is so f**king stupid.

Might as well have a 12 inch ipad nailed to the dash.

Aren't they called Tesla's lol

 

[Darren S]

Bit of a thread bump - I was forwarded the link below to a Swedish article that compared actual buttons to touchscreens in several cars. Makes for interesting reading - in particular with how well the elderly Volvo V70 performed in comparison to much newer cars.

Physical buttons outperform touchscreens in new cars, test finds

Physical buttons are increasingly rare in modern cars. Most manufacturers are switching to touchscreens – which perform far worse in a test carried out by Vi Bilägare. The driver in the worst-performing car needs four times longer to perform simple tasks than in the best-performing car.

www.vibilagare.se