Shouldn't automotive catch a hint from the fact that the only mainstream capacitive control devices are phones and tablets - something that you're constantly looking at while operating?
this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2024
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Completely ridiculous, used to own a mk6 Jetta and the steering wheel was perfect as it was, everything was right there and it was all regular buttons
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I own an ID3 and it's got the same capacitive bullshit steering wheel. So far I've only managed to accidentally fuck with the audio by brushing the right side of the wheel during a turn, but it's really scary that those cruise control buttons are right there with the potential to be fucked with at random.
Luckily I've learned to be pretty well aware of the adaptive cruise control suddenly deciding there's a different speed limit on the road than what's actually there, so maybe I can manage to catch any accidental fuckings with the buttons too.
As a safety risk, they should be recalled and replaced with proper controls for free.
In germany you migh have the chance to get a 50€ voucher for your next german car
Thankfully, after every reviewer called them bullshit, their newer cars have shifted back to real buttons on the wheel.
There's still capacitive button BS for the heating controls though, so there's still shit reviewers need to push back on.
I had a 2023 hire VW Caddy while mine was getting repaired and it had real buttons on the steering wheel thankfully. The climate control was all on a touchscreen though which was awful. At least they had a button next to the wheel that would set it to demist the windscreen (change the blowers, heat and fan to Max) so you could do that without crashing.
Was so glad to get mine back with actual controls.
Capacitive buttons on anything are annoying, they're unreliable as fuck. They might trigger with the slightest accidental touch, but then they'll act like your finger doesn't exist for a dozen pushes.
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It is absolutely insane to treat capacitive buttons as a good thing in cars at this time.
The only capacitive input I will accept in my next car is the infotainment, CarPlay is brilliant.
Controls for lights, speed, wipers, climate, volume, play/pause, and anything else that you need to use when driving should have a physical control.
I hate having capacitive buttons for temperature in my car, not to mention that to activate the seat heater, I have to go into a menu in the infotainment.
The ID.4 doesn't just have capacitive buttons, it has swipe controls on the steering wheel.
And of the most frustrating cars I have ever driven.
While im not a fan of the capacitive buttons on the steering wheel, I’ve gotten used to them and havent had any issues. That said, if there’s some sort of recall that swaps it out for a wheel with regular buttons, im down for that. I saw some of the newer VWs had physical buttons again, i wonder if it is just as easy to sawp like my MKV Rabbit from the bare bones to a R32 wheel?
Now the capacitive buttons below the screen could f right off lol. I barely use them. I tend to rest my hand on the top of the screen and use my thumb to navigate where i need to go. Thanks above for the travel assist mode.
It's both. VW can't make their mind up.
Swiping works on them, but so does pressing.
Can confirm that these buttons on the steering wheel of the id4 are really, really dangerous bullshit. I regularly drive those cars as rentals, and I've never (not "rarely" - it's really never) faced a worse decision on buttons in any device I ever handled. Those touchpads are solely the reason I despise all VW-cars - they are complete crap. (I use these cars only for short trips and never activate any system by these buttons after encountering numerous dangerous situations as described in the article.)
I think it's Mercedes that has two mini touchpads on the steering wheel? Horrible.
#bringbackbuttons
A well-designed button can be incredibly satisfying. Just ask anyone who owns a mechanical keyboard.
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I've got a few capacitive buttons in my car, none of them critical, but I'd gladly replace them with the physical buttons in the lower tier version of that car...
Like, how is this considered the nicer option? Hell, I think they're actually cheaper for the manufacturer than proper buttons at this point...
But sure, I really want to have to try three times to turn the vented seats on because I don't hit the exact right spot on the pad, only to accidentally switch it to the heated seats in triple digit weather while reaching for the AC knob (which actually is physical, thankfully)
Yeah, this stuff is always cheaper. Companies, like Tesla, have convinced a few stupid people that it's "premium" but if you look at all the cheapest cars coming to market all they have is a touch screen, like Tesla. It's the absolute cheapest option and it sucks.
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Nicer in the sense of flat panel that doesn't have dust in the seams making designers happy. And they're indeed cheaper to install.
Of course they are cheaper, thats why they put them everywhere instead of regular buttons.
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