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The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

theturnsignalblog.com

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Re: The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

#31

Post by magicalhippo »

bombcar wrote: post #6

Here’s a thing I realized about climate controls that is NOT intuitive - it is not about the temperature/humidity in the car or room! That’s only an accident - it’s about how the person/people feel. So the older cars work closer to that because they basically have the options “blow hot/cold air on me” instead of “try to maintain this temperature”. I can be quite comfortable in a wide range of temperatures if I can ge…

Indeed. During winter, my SO turns the temperature to max and adjusts fan speed to comfort.

This is because she wants hot air on her hands, and in order to get enough hot air on her hands with a "normal" set-point temperature, the fans must be turned up enough that the wind chill makes her feel cold.

Instead she prefers very hot air, but at a limited rate.

Re: The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

#32

Post by ModernMech »

Mazda had it just right in 2016 with mostly tactile climate controls, paired with the center console dial interface (also tactile). I think their latest models have regressed just a bit with the button climate controls instead of the dials, but that's still far better than touch screen.

Re: The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

#33

Post by sbradford26 »

Retric wrote: post #20
bombcar wrote: post #6

Here’s a thing I realized about climate controls that is NOT intuitive - it is not about the temperature/humidity in the car or room! That’s only an accident - it’s about how the person/people feel. So the older cars work closer to that because they basically have the options “blow hot/cold air on me” instead of “try to maintain this temperature”. I can be quite comfortable in a wide range of temperatures if I can ge…

Car temperature controls can work really well, but they need to account for IR radiation through the windows. If the sun is shinning in my lap the comfortable temperature for the air goes down, if it’s snowing outside the comfortable temperature goes up. On top of this if it’s cold outside I may be wearing very warm clothes in my car and not actually want room temperature.

I have had several cars with automatic temperature control and there is a lot of variability in the quality of the systems. My 06 F150 the system was terrible always having to adjust the temp up and down, but my 07 BMW X3 I set the temperature and never had to adjust it year round. My current vehicle is a 2022 Ford Maverick and the climate control is pretty consistent. If I am wearing a jacket in the car it is set to 66 and if I am not it is 68.

Re: The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

#35

Post by ct0 »

rkagerer wrote: post #8

Are there any reliable modern vehicles with a UI more like a decade or two ago? (eg. physical knobs and a dash that doesn't blind you)

Porsche of the previous generation. The latest generation has touch panels with feedback, but they're not nearly as good as a button for literally every function. Check out the interior of a 958 Cayenne and youll see what I mean. More buttons than a Cessna.

Re: The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

#36

Post by fovc »

Please don’t automate the climate controls further. If it’s 20F outside, I’m probably bundled up and happy with 55F cabin temperature. If it’s 85 I’ll be wearing a tshirt and will freeze in 65F.

Then there’s a separate issue of the control system being crappy. Even if it’s 20F and you need to heat the cabin to 55F, I don’t want deafening heat blasting in my face for 2 minutes to get there ASAP. I’d prefer a 10-15 slow ramp.

I realize those are highly personal desires, but I’m way better served by an old school(hot/cold)x(1/2/3/45) control. I’m happy to be the PID controller for the system

Re: The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

#38

Post by remote_phone »

Touchscreens should be outlawed. End of story. They are extremely dangerous. I’ve driven a Tesla for 5+ years now and I hate with a passion how the temperature interface is. It’s the single worst thing about it. And tesla loves changing it every few months including location. That should be outlawed as well.

A year ago they changed the air to a sliding bar which was inconceivably stupid. It was straight up dangerous to try to change the air level while driving because not only did you have to look to get your finger on it, it was so sensitive it was hard to get it to the level you wanted.

They should outlaw changing the interface of a car once it had been released. This isn’t a computer it’s a car. Lives are depending on it and the hubris tesla had to change it Willy nilly is infuriating.

Re: The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

#39

Post by sbradford26 »

xyzelement wrote: post #25

As someone who doesn't want to navigate the touchscreens, I love that my 2021 Highlander has physical climate controls. But I also realized that you no longer need them. My wife set her climate control to 70 degrees and never touched it since. In the winter it warms her up, in the summer it cools her down. Her car is a perfect 70 degrees all year round. So for her, it doesn't matter how inaccessible the controls are,…

Yeah I think if manufacturers do a good job you don't really have to adjust the temperature often. But also it is also a learning curve for some people. My dad has a brand new F150 that he is always adjusting the temperature up and down and turning off the auto fan. It very much is the setting the thermostat higher in an attempt to heat the house faster.

Re: The design of in-car climate controls has gone backward

#40

Post by MattRix »

“The reason why humidity isn’t included in cars, or most HVAC systems, is that it is not possible for most of us to attach a specific value to the humidity level.”

I would argue that humidity control is included in cars by the air-recirculation button. It’s certainly not exact control, but if you recirculate the air in winter everything will quickly get fogged up (and often vice versa in summer).

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