VW removed many of the physical controls from its initial electric vehicles and went through a lengthy, difficult learning process as a result.
- Volkswagen plans to reintroduce physical keys for control purposes, beginning with the ID.2 model.
- Every upcoming model will feature control buttons instead of touchscreen panels on the steering wheel.
- Mercedes is another car manufacturer that recognized in-car screens are far from perfect.
Car manufacturers are gradually beginning to pay attention to what both automotive journalists and vehicle owners have been criticizing for nearly ten years now: Packing every function of the car into a touchscreen is not as effective as having separate physical buttons for important operations.
One of the companies noted for reverting to physical keys is
Volkswagen
, whose newest models have become overly reliant on touch controls, with features either hidden within a touchscreen interface or moved to an irritating haptic feedback panel.
For quite some time, we’ve been aware that Volkswagen was thinking about bringing back certain buttons in their vehicles. However, the company never formally confirmed these plans. Recently though, Andreas Mindt, who leads VW’s design team, confessed that they are indeed looking into reintroducing physical buttons.
Autocar
That using this method was an error, and now the car manufacturer is reversing course on this direction.
“From
the ID.2all
From now on, we will feature physical buttons for the five key functionalities: volume control, temperature adjustment on both sides of the vehicle, fan operation, and hazard lights, all located below the display,” Mindt explained.
Autocar.
He stated, “These will be included in all our cars moving forward. We will never repeat this error again. The steering wheels will feature actual buttons instead of touch controls. No more uncertainty. You get tangible feedback; it’s genuine, and everyone enjoys using them. To clarify, these are vehicles—not smartphones.”
In addition to this, the five functions that will have separate controls are
criteria set by Euro NCAP, which plans to incorporate these into its safety assessments beginning in 2026
If a vehicle lacks manual controls for the horn, windshield wipers, turn signals, hazard lights, and SOS features, it will not attain the highest five-star rating.
Therefore, it’s not only us journalists who view shifting towards touch-only interfaces as unwise. Matthew Avery, the director of strategic development at NCAP, pointed out: “We’re witnessing an increasing number of incidents involving collisions due to distractions.”
Politico
.
You’ll understand why that isn’t surprising if you’ve ridden in a contemporary Volkswagen, similar to this one.
an ID.4
, which requires you to use illuminated haptic sliders beneath the screen for adjusting the cabin temperature or media volume (though the 2024 update did add backlighting across all models except the entry-level one). If you wish to precisely tweak your climate control settings, you have to do so via the touchscreen—a process that feels more complicated than necessary, particularly since Volkswagen’s infotainment system can sometimes be cumbersome.
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Volkswagen worsened the driving experience by replacing traditional buttons with touch-sensitive panels on the steering wheel. This design can lead to accidental activations and may not consistently respond when intentional contact occurs.
Mercedes is another manufacturer that went all-in on screens, and its steering wheel-mounted touch controls are even
more annoying
then VW’s. Similar to Volkswagen, Mercedes ought to consider reverting to buttons and knobs following statements from the company’s Chief Design Officer, Gorden Wagener, who acknowledged that “
screens aren’t luxury.
This statement comes from a carmaker that provides an enormous 56-inch display made up of three screens fitted within their vehicles, spanning across the complete width of the dashboard.
Expense has significantly fueled this shift. Car manufacturers understand that incorporating a large display in contemporary vehicles is essential for attracting buyers. Consequently, it becomes more straightforward and cost-effective to consolidate all controls into a single screen instead of procuring and installing numerous physical switchgear components. This approach has resulted in considerable frustrations, such as with Volkswagen and Volvo implementing certain designs.
Their windows switch settings are far more irritating just for a few cents in savings.
.
Tesla initiated this pattern with
the original Model S
And with its enormous display that made everything appear outdated. Despite being an impressive screen that pushed traditional car manufacturers to strive for more, once the initial excitement faded, many began questioning if relying solely on a screen-based interface was truly superior.
This issue became more pronounced with subsequent Tesla models. The introduction of the Model 3 Highland pushed simplicity even further by eliminating the turn signal, windshield wiper, and gear shift stalks entirely. This makes their vehicles uniquely dependent on swiping controls on a touchscreen for shifting between drive and reverse gears. However, at some point, Tesla acknowledged that removing the indicator stalk went too far.
And it might return it, albeit in a more basic version without extra features.
Gradually, these businesses appear to be realizing that physical buttons can be crucial for safety when driving at speeds of 65 mph on the highway. Even if this adds a few extra cents to the cost of each vehicle for brands like Volkswagen and Tesla, it appears to be a beneficial compromise.