Hacker News Reader

Comment by degenerate | Hacker News Reader

I still drive a 'dumb' car with actual buttons and knobs, because I loathe (with a passion) almost every car UI I have interacted with. I haven't been in a Tesla yet, but all the big makers (GM, Nissan, Audi, etc) get the interfaces so wrong, to the point where I assume it was their intention. I'd be interested to hear of any cars that get it right.

View on HN

I really like the interface Mazda came up with. Right by the shifter there's a knob that controls everything on the screen, which is as easy to glance at as the speedometer. Muscle memory still works to an extent

They also keep the HVAC controls entirely separate, and there's controls on the steering wheel too, in addition to the "commander" knob and volume/mute knob.

Biggest reason why i wouldn't get a Tesla. All i want is a Golf cart with doors and a plug for my phone really. Keep the 15" screen that sucks my battery dry.

Surprisingly (to me), I do use a lot of muscle memory with my Tesla UI: some of the most important controls are positions near corners and I hit them purely by feeling for the corners. So it's not as bad as you might think.

Re. screen sucking the battery dry, you might consider the energy needed to keep the car moving which complete dwarfs the few watts the screen takes. It's a complete nonissue.

Only if you expect to use the same car for inner cities, highways, short and long distance. As long as we are hauling a literal metric ton of steel to move 100 kilos of flesh and bones not much will change.

My solution was to buy a car that has physical HVAC knobs and install a non-touchscreen aftermarket stereo.

I thought I'd got enough of a balance. Next time around I'll be irritating dealers going through the UI much more carefully.

> to the point where I assume it was their intention

It really does feel that way sometimes. They must have special "Interfaces that almost work" courses. :)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com