351–360 of 392 posts
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That turns off the entire climate control system, not just the air conditioner.
I misunderstood what you were looking for. AC seems easier for me as there’s a button labeled “A/C” that is lit up when AC is turned on and not lit up when it is off.
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Unless you really know what you’re doing, you’re better off trying to steer the car into the safest crash site/uphill possible than to try to stop it with the hand brake. The hand brake only locks the rear wheels and are not designed to brake at driving speeds (they are for keeping a stationary car from moving). Improper use of the handbrake results in the car spinning out.
This is exactly why I'm so sore about the newfangled button handbrake in my current front-wheel driven car. No more fun getting the rear to spin out by yanking the handbrake while exiting a corner at full throttle. Sadness.
Can we make the steering wheel a touch screen too? Like a digital wheel you turn with your finger to steer the car. Wouldn't that be just super duper? Couldn't possibly go wrong.
There was a prototype in 2011 that, though the wheel was still a wheel, was otherwise even worse than you're imagining: No touch buttons, it used gestures . https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43296926
Humans are just apes looking for the newest color of banana. We already know a lot about human machine interfaces and safety and human attention, and yet we throw that all away to offer and get the new shiny toy that merely changed something and usually for the worse . The older you get, the more you realize why older people are so cranky about certain things. As you gain age and experience, you become aware of the r…
There’s the simplicity of Toyotas that keeps me attracted to them. Although when battery dies, you can’t open the trunk in newer RAV4s. So they’re going to shit as well.
I would buy a dumb cheap electric car in a heart beat.
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Except that I open my glove box twice a year and turn the wheel slightly more often than that.
This makes an interesting point. The less used something is, the more apparent it must be how to use it. If something is used once a year, most users won't know what myriad of menus to follow. Some won't even know it is a menu option, and may hunt all over the car for a hidden release.
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It's a cost cutting move. One touch screen is cheaper than 30 individual buttons, and ultimately many people have died because of it. But I'm sure GM would never do anything sketchy or illegal to lower cost or increase revenue
The touch screen is one thing. To your point, arguably it's no incremental cost. But I don't buy that electro-mechanical latches and actuators and wiring cost less than a dumb latch.
Also, the mechanical latch mechanism needs to be strong enough to withstand hard use over many years. AND it needs to be made in a shape and finish that fits the design of the interior. AND it needs to feel good in the hand. AND it might need a lock in it, either due to expectation or regulation.
Suddenly a simple little solenoid and metre of thin gauge wire starts looking pretty cheap.
But just to play devil’s advocate here: the benefit of the glovebox being software-controlled is that it enables features like PIN-protecting the glovebox contents, or Tesla’s “valet mode” where certain car features (including opening the glovebox) are disabled when you hand your keys to a stranger.
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Nice little tool. I'm in an Australian rural farming district and a neighbour of mine used something similar when his 4x4 landcruiser was T-boned into a dam back when he was 90 or so (he's pushing 97 ATM). If you or your mum haven't done this already .. get her a few old seat belts and passenger windows from a wreckers to practice on. The theory is good but nothing beats a bit of muscle memory practice.
Muscle memory is good, you made me think ; maybe this should be taught as part of driver's training courses?
Skid pans, broken road hill climb, basic first aid, accident protocols (both in accident (freeing yourself or not) or as first on scene) etc.
I don't want touch screens in cars period and I can't stand this trend of using them. I'm finally starting to understand the feelings my grandfather had for anything thing he considered superfluous or inconvenient in a car.
The round knob to increase / decrease sound volume is simply the best UX in the car. Why do I have to navigate to a submenu to push a button repeatedly to change the volume. The less I look at the road the higher the risk of an accident.