Musk again....

[d000hg]

Maybe Teslas screens are different but I've used a few touch screens on rentals and they just boil my piss and imho can be dangerous. Missed "clicks" and having to go through silly sub menus to find stuff which is simply available on an ordinary button.

No modern cars let you change all your settings "on a button". They all have (crap) touch-screen menus or force you to navigate several levels of menu with buttons on your steering wheel like an F1 driver.
The Tesla one is streets ahead, it's basically an iPad and as such super accurate and responsive. It's one of the big adverts from the Teslarati that you can play games and watch movies on it... they genuinely think that's a major selling point when for £300 you can buy an iPad. But in terms of car setup, it's pretty great.

[dsc]

No modern cars let you change all your settings "on a button". They all have (crap) touch-screen menus or force you to navigate several levels of menu with buttons on your steering wheel like an F1 driver.
The Tesla one is streets ahead, it's basically an iPad and as such super accurate and responsive. It's one of the big adverts from the Teslarati that you can play games and watch movies on it... they genuinely think that's a major selling point when for £300 you can buy an iPad. But in terms of car setup, it's pretty great.

Well there's always some sort of a screen, I drive a 2013 car but it's controlled via a toggle wheel and that works fine, I actually hardly ever use it, as heating / volume etc are all done via normal smaller toggle wheels, so without looking you can turn the temp down, or the volume up. Touch screen is tulipe because when driving your finger typically moves a bit, especially when trying to "hit" things on the screen and those movements are often not registered, which then forces you to focus more on touching the damn thing than driving. I get why it's easier to have all on a screen in sub menus but I still prefer normal switches / toggle wheels for controls.

[vetran]

The Kia has a touch screen and sufficient toggles on the steering wheel.

Most of the stuff on the touch screen is likely to be done while stationary setting the sat nav etc.

It also has audio control so I can press a button on the wheel and shout "Phoone the wife!" again & again until it gets it right.

[DealorNoDeal]

Well there's always some sort of a screen, I drive a 2013 car but it's controlled via a toggle wheel and that works fine, I actually hardly ever use it, as heating / volume etc are all done via normal smaller toggle wheels, so without looking you can turn the temp down, or the volume up. Touch screen is tulipe because when driving your finger typically moves a bit, especially when trying to "hit" things on the screen and those movements are often not registered, which then forces you to focus more on touching the damn thing than driving. I get why it's easier to have all on a screen in sub menus but I still prefer normal switches / toggle wheels for controls.

Mucking around with a screen, while driving, seems like an accident waiting to happen. Could be just as distracting as using a handheld mobile phone, which was made illegal.

[WTFH]

It also has audio control so I can press a button on the wheel and shout "Phone the wife!"

My car shows its Italian background when I say that, it responds with "Whose wife do you want to call?"

[d000hg]

Mucking around with a screen, while driving, seems like an accident waiting to happen. Could be just as distracting as using a handheld mobile phone, which was made illegal.

So is faffing around with buttons though. Even controls on the steering wheel can be distracting, I find. Very easy to be looking at the display in front of the wheel not out of the car. A decent touch-screen (not a 4" one you have to press) can work well, I mean I don't have many issues using my phone when in a car as passenger unless we're on a country lane.

But how often are we changing things while driving anyway? Music and climate control mainly?

[WTFH]

But how often are we changing things while driving anyway? Music and climate control mainly?

Gears.

...which is why it's good to be able to change them without taking your hands off the wheel.

[DealorNoDeal]

With some of the EVs, reviewed on 5th Gear Recharged, the screen looked almost as big as a laptop.

Personally, I'd prefer a no-frills driving car. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be an option these days. The ton of electronic gubbins is just more tulip to go wrong.

Speedo and battery charge level would do me. Aircon is useful but I could do without electric windows.

[dsc]

So is faffing around with buttons though. Even controls on the steering wheel can be distracting, I find. Very easy to be looking at the display in front of the wheel not out of the car. A decent touch-screen (not a 4" one you have to press) can work well, I mean I don't have many issues using my phone when in a car as passenger unless we're on a country lane.

But how often are we changing things while driving anyway? Music and climate control mainly?

I'm sure it's all about what you get used to, I just prefer buttons / switches as typically you have a rough idea where the damn thing is on the dash, a very quick glance and you find a know / button, hit that, it works every time and you are done. On a touch screen it's not 100% responsive when your hand is moving about, even if a control field on the touch screen has a dedicated location. I've seen touch screens pushed heavily in automation and very often ops hate it, they prefer hardware that can be used in gloves etc. even if the touch screens are decent.

As for wheel controls, hate those as well, ffs the amount of times I switch audio input to radio when turning is beyond a joke. Well maybe cruise control is fine, other stuff can go and do one. And yes it's just my opinion, others might love it.

[d000hg]

I'm sure it's all about what you get used to, I just prefer buttons / switches as typically you have a rough idea where the damn thing is on the dash, a very quick glance and you find a know / button, hit that, it works every time and you are done. On a touch screen it's not 100% responsive when your hand is moving about, even if a control field on the touch screen has a dedicated location. I've seen touch screens pushed heavily in automation and very often ops hate it, they prefer hardware that can be used in gloves etc. even if the touch screens are decent.

As for wheel controls, hate those as well, ffs the amount of times I switch audio input to radio when turning is beyond a joke. Well maybe cruise control is fine, other stuff can go and do one. And yes it's just my opinion, others might love it.

Yeah absolutely. On the steering wheel the issue is if you get into the wrong setting by accident, it can be quite stressful and easy to get flustered.

WTFH how quaint.