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Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons

drive.com.au

21–30 of 523 posts

Re: Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons

#21

Unmentioned is touchscreens frequently don't work. I often have to make repeated presses on my iphone until it registers. The same with swipes. Since there is no audible or tactile feedback, this cannot work well while keeping your eyes on the road.

I think something might be wrong with your phone. Or your finger.

Ah yes Jobs, just hold the phone right.

Re: Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons

#23

If they have custromer feedback and focus groups like they mention how did it happen in the first place? Some overoptimistic head-of-something? Really curious. I own previous -2021 mb and had to drive the upgrade (touch buttons) once as a replacement car. UX is terrible. Period. I even checked then in the dealership what they did to S-class and mybachs - and yes, same crappy wheel, etc. Anyways, I was mostly surprise…

That was my first thought. How did they go all screen if they ran the study groups?

You don’t know what the group was presented and how.

Remember you have the stupid stuff that Tesla pushed hard during the peak Elon reality distortion field time. I regularly are in a Toyota, BMW and Honda, and all of these have well thought out touch/knob implementations.

Re: Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons

#24
I’m seeing some brands say they have physical buttons but they aren’t the same. They’re more like touch based buttons that are not in a screen. And I feel they’re just as bad. I want to be able to use the button without looking. Like one car had a touch based slider for operating the air vents. Ridiculous

Re: Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons

#25

Please bring back physical gauges, too. I don't want to stare at a lcd while I'm driving.

For 4x4 pickup trucks, bring back physical transfer case shifters and get rid of the idiotic menus for that. Also bring back transfer case Neutral mode so that flat towing again becomes commonplace. A Jeep Gladiator pickup is a great vehicle but doesn't replace larger pickup trucks that have lost those great transfer case features.

Re: Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons

#26
And for those commands that do not deserve a physical button and are only accessible via touch, please adhere to a few simple rules.

1. Put them always in the same place. Especially the "back" or "exit" button!

2. Each button should do one thing, not switch between 3 or more modes that you should look to understand which one you've just activated. Negative example: one button to cycle from cuise control, to drive assist, to speed limit, and back to off.

3. The area where a tap is interpreted as a button press should not also be where a swipe is recognized. In moving vehicles it is too easy for your finger to swing just an inch before touching the screen.

4. The active area of a virtual button must be large, larger than the icon it displays, so large that you shouldn't be distracted from driving just to aim at it!

Re: Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons

#29

What I'm surprised by is that cars are chock-full of ornate, unique parts (cupholders are a good example). I would have imagined that car infotainment controls would be a small fraction of the BOM, so I've been wondering if it's not really a cost thing. Sort of like small phones or 3D TVs from the early 2000's.

If you can save a dollar on a part, and that part goes into millions of cars per year… then it will be on the chopping block. That cost and weight savings are then passed onto other things, better rear camera? More electrical current to charge your phone faster. Quicker HVAC operation? Everything is a compromise and tradeoff.

Source - I work in an OEM.

Re: Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons

#30
post #2

Laudable. But I'd rather read about how they plan to fight Chinese EVs.

The same way they've fought cheaper ICE brands: delivering higher quality materials, a fancy badge and a great driving experience. Currently the Chinese EVs are cheap, but far from Merc levels of refinement.
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