Touchscreen are inherently harder to use in a moving vehicle regardless of make or model. This conclusion was reached by Swedish automotive outlet Vi Bilägare which tested out modern vehicles equipped with giant touchscreens and pitted it against a 2005 Volvo V70.
The team at Vi Bilägare chose a series of four tests for drivers to perform—turning on the heated seats, adjusting the climate control by two degrees Celsius, and activating the rear defroster; powering on the radio and setting the channel to a particular station; reset the trip computer; and finally, dim the interior lights and turn the center display off.
To level the playing field among the cars, the Swedish publication gave drivers the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the controls of each vehicle before testing. After they’ve become acclimatized to the controls, they then drove each car to 110 km/h while time required to make adjustments was measured.
At 110 km/h, a car travels about 30.5 meters per second, so easy-to-use controls can really be the difference between a smooth drive and a crash.
You can check out the full results below, but for the record, the Volvo V70 with its archaic no-touchscreen center stack performance the best. Drivers did all four tasks within 10 seconds during which meant they would have moved 306 meters forward.
The touchscreen-equipped Dacia Sandero came in second at 13.5 seconds while the Volvo C40 wasn’t that far behind at 13.7 seconds. Vi Bilägare attributes the Sandero’s impressive performance due to the fact that it wasn’t “overloaded with features.” The C40 though produced a genuinely impressive result, per the publication.
After the C40 though, the results took a turn for the worst. There’s a 5.7-second gap to the Outback which meant that tasks took almost twice as long in the Subaru as in the V70. The Mercedes-Benz GLB ended up at 20.2 seconds, while the Tesla Model 3 required 23.5 seconds.
The worst performer in the test? The MG Marvel R. The all-electric SUV required drivers a total of 44.6 seconds to complete all four tasks. This meant that the car traveled more than a kilometer (1,372 meters to be exact)—four times the distance compared to the V70.
Making things even worse, the MG required the driver to look down 56 degrees from the line of sight just to view the lower end of the screen. This is compared to just 20 degrees in the Mercedes-Benz GLB.
Vi Bilägare also brought up several gripes with infotainment systems such as too much complexity to obvious cost-cutting.
For example, the BMW iX has a touchscreen, but drivers found that while it crammed a lot of features, its interface is also the most complex and complicated ever designed. Meanwhile, Volkswagen made do without backlighting the touch-sensitive climate controls below their touchscreen making them completely invisible at night.
Vi Bilägare’s test result closely mirrors a UK-based study done by What Car? in 2020, and even raised concerns from automotive supplier VNC Automotive just last month.
Make & Model / Time to Perform Four Tasks (in seconds) / Distance Traveled (km)
- BMW iX – 30.4 (928 meters)
- Dacia Sandero – 13.5 (414 meters)
- Hyundai Ioniq 5 – 26.7 (815 meters)
- Mercedes-Benz GLB – 20.2 (616 meters)
- MG Marvel R – 44.9 (1,372 meters)
- Nissan Qashqai – 25.1 (765 meters)
- Seat Leon – 29.3 (895 meters)
- Subaru Outback – 19.4 (592 meters)
- Tesla Model 3 – 23.5 (717 meters)
- Volkswagen ID.3 – 25.7 (786 meters)
- Volvo C40 – 13.7 (417 meters)
- Volvo V70 (2005) – 10 (306 meters)
Photo courtesy of Glenn Lindberg/Vi Bilägare
Ito yung para kay boy kalikot (partner ni boy interior) na di mabuhay ng walang android auto o apple carplay. Ayan, delikado pala ginagawa mo.
ReplyDeleteHalatang luma at walang alam sa mga bagong sasakyan. Bago pa lang umalis sa bahay naka set-up na lahat, makikinig kana lang. Automatic rin ang air con. Sino ba namang bobo mag pipindot habang nag didrive, mukhang ikaw lang.
DeleteSuperhero itong isang ito oh. Hindi niya daw kailangan pumindot habang nag dadrive. Aba eh ikaw na ang magaling! Kasing galing mo yung mga jeepney drivers na nagbibilang ng pera habang nagmamaneho!
DeleteAaminin lang na bobo daming sinabi. Steering wheels have buttons now, to answer calls and skip songs, merong voice command carplay for directions or text. Ay wala nga pala ganun yung sasakyan mo. Lakas maka comment wala naman palang alam. Bobo.
DeletePakialam mo ba kung ganun gusto ko? ikaw ba nagmomonthly sa sasakyan ko? baka pang down palang mamulubi kana, di mo nga alam pano gumana android auto at carplay eh delikado mo mukha mo hindi mo lang
DeleteYung mga tanga na tulad mo gumagawa ng aksidente sa daan. Wag mo kami lokohin boy. Kailangan pa rin pumindot sa touchscreen kahit kay android auto at apple carplay. Bakit yung mga tulad niyo makalikot? Parang may bulati sa pwet. Hindi mapakali.
DeleteYung voice command bihira lang gumana. Kakapagod pa. May ganyan sasakyan ko, hindi ko ginagamit. Para kasing nagmumukha kang tanga na kumakausap sa sasakyan mo.
Napapaghalataang gawa gawa lang mga sinasabi. Walang voice command yung sasakyan, yung apple carplay ang meron, si Siri. Pwede ka magreply sa mga text dun. Hindi ka mukhang tanga, tanga ka talaga.
DeleteAng dami na nman sinabi. Makalikot agad tapos gumagawa ng aksidente, eh wala na nga pinipindot habang nag didrive. San mo na naman nakuha yan? Ikaw, ano pinipindot mo sa imaginary mong sasakyan? HAHAHA.
Ikaw yung delikado sa daan, feeling may sasakyan wala nman talaga. "wag mo kami lokohin", sino kayo? hanap ka na nman ng kakampi? haha. Iyak.
DeleteTanga. Di mo alam may built in voice command ibang mga sasakyan? Check mo Ford at Subaru.
DeleteAyan. Eh di lumabas din, nagmamagaling ka kasi na wala sa lugar. Nabisto ka tuloy na walang alam.
Halatang dahilan lang at walang alam. Dimo magagamit voice command ng sasakyan para utusan ang android auto at carplay. Sa mismong voice commands ka nila makikipag usap. So ano pinipindot mo sa carplay habang nagmamaneho eh may voice command nman na maayos? Hindi masabi kasi wala nman talaga. Haha. Abnoy.
Delete“Ayan, delikado pala ginagawa mo” - hindi mo alam kasi wala ka. Comment pa eh lumang wigo or ecosport naman ata yung sasakyan niya. Haha
DeleteMaliit pala utak nitong kausap ko at hindi marunong umintindi ng maayos. Sinabi ko ba nag android auto o apple carplay ako? Wala diba? Ang sabi ko may voice command sasakyan ko at hindi ko ginagamit kasi mukhang tanga yung kausap ka ng kausap sa sasakyan. And be honest, talaga bang ginagamit ng mga tao na may apple carplay ang siri instead na pumindot? I don’t think so, they’d rather press the touchscreen than do that. Sinasabi mo lang yan dito pero iba ang realidad.
Delete“merong voice command carplay for directions or text” - carplay usapan tapos ipapasok mo voice command ng crappy mo na fixed or repair daily na sasakyan mo. Hindi mo naintindihan tapos kapag tinama ka sasabihin mo ako yung maliit ang utak, naka shabu kaba? Haha.
DeleteOo wala. Kasi naka set up na. Unang reply palang. At may buttons manobela, tanga kaba nasa kamay mo na lalayo kapa? Maliit pala utak nitong kausap ko, pati titi sigurado, maliit ulo eh. Haha.
Ano nga kasi pinipindot mo sa imaginary car mo? Haha
Napaka bobo talaga ni abnoy boy interior. Di niya nakuha ang punto. Ito sisimplehan ko para maintindihan ng maliit mo na utak, hopefully.
Delete1. Voice commands, kahit ano pa yan, it does not work that well. Kahit siri pa yan. Minsan hindi pa paintindihan sinsasabi mo. Hindi lahat nakukuha. Minsan mali din yung command. Tapos sandali lang yung timeframe na kailangan magsalita before mag register as a command, Plus, similar to talking to a passenger, it is still considered a distraction.
2. Steering wheel controls are basic and limited. You still need to operate more complex tasks with the touchscreen. Tapos sasabihin mo ulit use voice command. Well it doesn’t work all that well in the first place! Ayun, babalik pa rin sa pindot pindot.
Gets mo na boy interior o mag tatanga-tangahan (o tanga talaga) ka na naman?
Ang haba, halatang gigil, na buking kasi na nagpapanggap lang. Haha.
Delete1. Hindi porke basura voice command ng ford mo basura na rin lahat. apple at google yun, pero syempre dimo alam di keypad kasi phone mo.
2. Basic nman talaga, tanga kaba? gusto mo katulad ng remote niyo? volume up down next back voice command answer call. ano pa hanap mo? ah, di mo nga pala alam busina lang kasi nasa manobela mo. haha.
so ano na? ano pinipindot mo habang nag didrive? tanga ka kasi, while driving ka nag seset up sa imaginary car mo. haha
Abnoy. Ano pala ginagawa mo sa touchscreen? Alangan naman dinidilaan? Syempre pinipindot. Papano ka ba mag type sa keyboard ng infotainment mo? Ang hina talaga nito.
DeleteIkaw nga itong nag kukunwari. Hindi mo alam ang reality. Nababasa mo lang sa internet na may voice command ang apple carplay. Hindi mo nga alam papano yung actual use at implementation. Yung voice command bihira lang gumana. Hindi niya nga ma identify ng maayos yung mga ibang words na tagalog o bisaya. Hindi tayo sa USA abner. Matuto kang mag drive na alam ang pinupuntahan at walang kinakalikot. (Talking about navigation just in case hindi ma gets ng maliit mo na utak)
bobo. eh di mag english ka. bawal mag english porke nasa pinas? abno haha. ang gusto yung sasakyan yung mag adjust sa kabobohan niya. haha. oh diba, pahamak, habang nag didrive nag pipindot. NAKA SET UP NA BAGO UMALIS. di mo ba gets yan? di na kasya sa utak mo? haha
DeleteBobitang ito. Papano kung biglang may bago sa plano habang nasa daan ka? Tapos yung destination mo Tagalog o Bisaya yung pangalan? Nasa pinas ka din, mag english, napaka pretentious. Siguro tambay to sa mga coffee shop para isipin na mukhang sosyal.
Deletepapa-input sa front passenger? mag input habang nasa stoplight? o nakapark? bawal ba yun? ang dami mong problema. ikakamatay mo ba kung gumagamit ng android auto or apple carplay yung iba?
Deletekawawa ka naman, mukhang di nakatapos, ang tingin sa nag eenglish ay mayabang at pretentious. dapat tumakbo ka sa senado kasing bobo mo sina robina padilla at bato.
Yan ang hirap sa ford tertory, pati aircon sa touchscreen mo pa e adjust
ReplyDeleteI believe touchscreen system is a pain in the ass in the long run.
DeleteTama. Kaya overhyped yang mga infotainment. BS na biling bili ng masa.
DeleteSadly thats the future of the industry. @anon 1:23PM, walang choice buyers kung puro ganun yung lumalabas na sasakyan. May article about why cars are getting more and more screens. Main reasons are cost cutting and additional sources of revenue.
DeleteBest is to make it as simple as possible. Make use of physical buttons and knobs. Having Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is already more than enough for most.
DeleteMazda is right all along.
ReplyDeleteMazda's is just or more dangerous. You have to look for the scroll near the shifter and use that to scroll through the menus. That's why Mazda sales are plummeting worldwide
DeleteNever have to look at the scroll dial after a few days. Safer to have the road in your line of sight while using the infotainment actually. Just need to connect to Android Auto/Bluetooth before driving then you're good to go. Only complain is the less than average interior space.
DeleteTrue
DeleteAnonymous @5:31PM actually never owned a Mazda.
DeleteI drove a Mazda and it takes just small amount of muscle memory to flick those Commander dials. It's pretty much like holding a gear stick without looking. If you don't have strong muscle memory to take note of physical controls and their positions, let alone the driving stick, then your driver's license should have been revoked.
AC at volume control lang naman para sa akin ang dapat naka physical button. The rest pwede mo naman i adjust bago ka umalis o pag naka park ka.
ReplyDeletehindi yan gets nung isang toxic na commenter dito, gusto habang nag didrive nag pipindot sa screen. haha bobo kasi.
DeleteI'm glad Uly now brought back Google account sign-ins before posting comments. It gets extremely toxic here lately (hiding under their Anonymous name handles.)
ReplyDeleteJust look at the above thread.
Not everything has to be a touchscreen, jeez. Important functions should have their own dedicated button, dial, lever or similar mechanically-actuated interface. Not only would it be less of a distraction since one can operate it without looking at the interface, it would also prevent the function from getting totally inoperable if the touchscreen digitizer layer or display itself goes down for some reason.
ReplyDelete