I notice this when I have to switch cars. My current hyundai has the little alerts letting you know if an object is in your blind spot. It's habit forming to click your turn signal and listen for the warning beep - such that if you switch to a car without those warnings, I have to make sure to keep that in mind and not to trust my ears.
As for touch screens, for a time I had to use a rental car while mine was in the shop. The toyota I was given had this gaudy thing that literally look liked someone took a tablet and jammed it upright into the dash. I didn't mind it much at first (as it's just a rental car, I'm not going to bother customizing it). Until night fell. Then I'm trying to drive the car staring out at the dark while a screen is just outside my peripheral blazing bright white and distorting my night vision. (I could not find an option for dark mode. WTF?) How do these features not cause more wrecks?
My parents have gotten two new cars recently. The SUV has the mega screen panel on it controlling everything, including the environment. The smaller truck has a much more tactical control system. I like the truck far more.
Maybe it's bias, but I feel like my 2017 hyundai hit the sweet spot. It has a touch screen, but it's tucked in the dash where I can look at it while keeping most of my eyes on the road, yet not so obtrusive it draws attention to itself. The buttons and commands it pops up are massive so you can very nearly operate them out of the corner of your eye. And finally it's still surrounded by a lot of tactile controls so half the time I don't have to hit the touch screen. (the environmental are also all tactile)
But don't even get me started on the removal of options & control from the drivers. I still find it deeply offensive that you don't always have control over the airbag options.
Amen. Preach it, brother!
I notice this when I have to switch cars. My current hyundai has the little alerts letting you know if an object is in your blind spot. It's habit forming to click your turn signal and listen for the warning beep - such that if you switch to a car without those warnings, I have to make sure to keep that in mind and not to trust my ears.
As for touch screens, for a time I had to use a rental car while mine was in the shop. The toyota I was given had this gaudy thing that literally look liked someone took a tablet and jammed it upright into the dash. I didn't mind it much at first (as it's just a rental car, I'm not going to bother customizing it). Until night fell. Then I'm trying to drive the car staring out at the dark while a screen is just outside my peripheral blazing bright white and distorting my night vision. (I could not find an option for dark mode. WTF?) How do these features not cause more wrecks?
My parents have gotten two new cars recently. The SUV has the mega screen panel on it controlling everything, including the environment. The smaller truck has a much more tactical control system. I like the truck far more.
Maybe it's bias, but I feel like my 2017 hyundai hit the sweet spot. It has a touch screen, but it's tucked in the dash where I can look at it while keeping most of my eyes on the road, yet not so obtrusive it draws attention to itself. The buttons and commands it pops up are massive so you can very nearly operate them out of the corner of your eye. And finally it's still surrounded by a lot of tactile controls so half the time I don't have to hit the touch screen. (the environmental are also all tactile)
But don't even get me started on the removal of options & control from the drivers. I still find it deeply offensive that you don't always have control over the airbag options.