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Mazda did the research, and transitioned back to real tactile controls in 2019. I expect more automakers will be or are already following their lead.

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is-pur...

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I love Mazda for resisting the touchscreen-everything car interior. Everything in my 2021 CX-5 is physical buttons and knobs. The design and ergonomics are just fantastically nice and usable.

Like you said, the infotainment is also not a touchscreen and is rotary control only. While not as immediately intuitive as a touchscreen, once you get the hang of it it is much safer and more accurate to use while driving. Trying to use a touchscreen while moving is just awful.

And I don't think it is wise to optimize short term intuitiveness over long term safety and usability for a vehicle I will own for several years.

I have a 2016 Mazda and they had tactile controls then. What they did in 2019 was remove the touch screen feature on the center display, but there were always tactile controls to access the display. I have a 2022 Mazda and it's largely the same interface as the 2016 controls.

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