[pascalmahe]

I'm genuinely curious, could you explain how the touchscreen is a disaster?

I haven't seen a Tesla interior so when you say "all controls" it's a bit concerning. I'm assuming you're talking only of non-driving related control...

[vrc]

Because of the lack of tactile feedback, touchscreens often lead to distracted driving by forcing drivers to take their eyes off of the road to carry out simple tasks. As an example, take HVAC and radio functionality -- in older cars with buttons and knobs, after a short amount of time, people can operate these functions without looking. The same is not true for touchscreens. That's not to say that there is no place for them in cars, but the consensus it's better to use a combination of touch screen (for things you don't often adjust while driving) and physical controls (for things you do). But it's generally cheaper to slap a big ol' touchscreen in cars that does everything, and change configurations in software, rather than investing in custom interior designs for each model of car. And it's not just Tesla doing this, even companies who hang their hat on safety like Subarus are stuffing more and more functionality into touchscreens[0].

[0] https://www.motortrend.com/cars/subaru/outback/2020/2020-sub...

[kypro]

Not entirely related, but I always hated the red dash lighting on my car. I thought it looked ugly and wondered why they didn't just go with a cleaner white colour.

Then I read about red light is specifically used in car dashboard lighting and airplane cockpits because it helps with night vision. What I thought at first was just an ugly colour choice was actually a very subtle design decision to help while driving at night.

It always reminds me how complicated and multifaceted good design is. There are always trade offs to consider, but minimalism as a design trend often seems a little too willing to ignore those trade offs and will sacrifice traits like safety, efficiency and flexibility for the sake of cost and simplicity.

[bumby]

While the trend for touchscreens is probably increasing, some manufacturers have begun pushing back and reverting to analog controls.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-...

[bityard]

This 1000%.

I don't even have a Tesla, I have a 2013 Prius which has an array of buttons for everything instead. The only knobs are the miniscule (and hard to turn) volume and tune buttons on the radio. They made a token effort but placing indentations on the heater temp and fan speed buttons but after five years I still can't operate anything on the center console without taking my eyes off the road.

I love almost everything about my Prius but the person who designed the interior to look like a Starfleet shuttlecraft should be shot.

[dlivingston]

As a Model Y owner (who still has his roof!), you very quickly become accustomed to it. Excellent voice controls allow for finding music easily, and adjusting things like the AC is done so infrequently that doing it through the touch screen is a non-issue.

[derekp7]

Even the Ford Mustang Mach E has copied the Tesla center-screen design. At least they also have a short-wide screen behind the steering wheel too, and they've included a big knob embedded into the bottom of the center console screen. Hopefully that helps.

[ummonk]

Wow. I feel like I got my Subaru at just the right time when driver assistance tech was somewhat mature but the user interface was still mostly mechanical.

[ss3000]

I'm not familiar with Teslas at all, but it sounds like a voice interface might help work around some of these limitations, a la Alexa/Hey Google. Maybe they already have it?

[bfieidhbrjr]

The whole point is that you won't be driving it soon, so you can put whatever you want on the panel at that point.

We can argue how far away that is etc, but that's the mission statement.

[ardy42]

> I'm genuinely curious, could you explain how the touchscreen is a disaster?

Touchscreens in cars are a disaster, in general. They're a bad technology for the use case. They're more so in a Tesla, because Tesla relies on them far more heavily than any other manufacturer, and gives users no alternative for most functions.

Cars should be designed to minimize touchscreen use, not maximize it.

[zbrozek]

I completely agree. They're not as reliable as buttons. A single failure breaks everything. They're not particularly robust to temperature extremes. I can't use them by touch alone. They don't work with gloves.

In fact, the reliance on a touch screen is why I've stricken Tesla off the list while shopping for an EV. I currently drive an old BMW and I love the interface. There are physical buttons for everything and there's no unnecessary fluffy stuff.

The most-modern vehicle I've driven whose interface I've liked was a Skoda Fabia.

[dmode]

Sounds like you are stating an opinion rather than some fact based on data. As proven by exponential growth in Teslas, there is clearly a massive fanbase of people who like touchscreen. I personally absolutely love it, and don't really know why other cars have knobs and buttons.

[fastball]

You're missing the part where Tesla is pretty gung-ho about having driverless cars in the near future.

[vidanay]

I have never seen/driven a Tesla either, but I believe the only manual controls are gas, brake, steering, and turn signals.

Everything else is in the touch screen UI.

edit: I bit more than I originally thought, but not much. (gear selector, lights, and cruise control also have manual interfaces)

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/JO/model_s_eu...

[m-ee]

One thing I’ve never seen mentioned online but a Model 3 owner I know complained about is that the speedometer is blocked if you have your right hand between 3 and 6 o clock on the steering wheel. He had to change the way he’s used to gripping the wheel to accommodate the car which seemed like a high burden for a luxury product.

[Zanni]

I truly don't understand how your friend has this problem. I have a Model 3, and after I read your comment, I tried to block my view of the speedometer with my right hand and couldn't do it. I tried sitting closer and farther back, higher and lower. I tried every position on the steering wheel. I flared my elbows out. I tried to imagine my hands and wrists were twice the size. I just don't see how this is possible. I'd love to see a POV pic from your friend that illustrates the problem. For my money, having the speedometer on the central screen makes it more visible. My view of a conventional dash is always partially blocked by the steering wheel.

[shuckles]

A lot of people have offered other details. I’d add: in the Model 3 even instrument panel information like speed is in the center display.

Touchscreens cut costs because you can ship the same hardware to all SKUs and change features in software. Buttons need to be added or replaced with fillers depending on the options that each car has.

[mhh__]

It takes the focus away from the driver.

On my dad's old land rover, you can literally operate the radio wearing blindfolds because everywhere is simply placed. It responds instantly, draws no power, and shut up when you aren't using it. His current car just gets in your way, even if it has more features.

[mark-r]

My Camry won't let you turn off the radio or adjust its volume for about 30 seconds after you start the car. Evidently the radio UI is still booting.