It’s an almost weekly occasion that someone here at Jalopnik laments the removal of buttons in favor of touchscreens in cars. And although, at times, it looks a bit like an old man screaming at a cloud, we have a clever explanation of why to complain. This is because it turns out that using buttons for systems like air conditioning, stereo, and some driving purposes is safer than a screen controlling everything in your car.
This surprising revelation comes from swedish car magazine Vi Bilägare, which studied the ease of use of buttons and touchscreens in fashionable cars.
To do this, the publication tested the user interfaces on 11 other cars recently on the market. Models tested included the BMW iX and Tesla Model 3 with full screen, the Dacia Sandero with touchscreen and a 17-year-old Volvo V70.
During testing, drivers had to perform automotive tasks, such as converting radio stations or converting weather controls. In each case, the car was driven at 109 km/h, and the researchers measured the time and distance each car traveled. while the automotive industry performs the tasks.
The site was willing to point out that drivers were not blindly sent to each and every car: they had time to familiarize themselves with the car before completing the tests.
So what did the effects show?
Well, it’s not surprising that the 17-year-old Volvo is the simplest car to drive. This button-filled masterpiece covered only three hundred meters while completing the task, 1,000 meters less than the worst-performing car : the MG Marvel R.
Cars like the BMW iX and Seat Leon, which incorporate a combination of screens and buttons, were considered quite capable, but still covered about 900 meters of the task. And a lot can happen if you drive distracted during that distance.
Fortunately, not all new cars were a nightmare to use. Among the new cars included in the experiment, the Dacia Sandero and Volvo C40 achieved the results.
The two new models still have touchscreens, but they also allow users a lot of things through the buttons. The Dacia and Volvo each covered 414 metres and 417 metres respectively in the event.
Therefore, we do not say that this verification proves that all touch screens are bad, far from it. The effects revealed that simplified interfaces and functions for buttons or presentations were the ones drivers had to use. drive a total lot.
However, the site noted that there was a faulty button. He said the backlit controls were a nightmare for users, with cars like the VW ID. 4 and Seat Leon employing dark buttons that were “completely invisible at night. “