Not a fan of giant screens in cars

Warning: ‘old man yells at cloud’ rant coming up.

It seems I’m the only person who is not wild about the latest trend of ginormous LCD screens permeating into modern automotive interiors. I’m not referring to the regular display for navigation and the sound system, but rather the giant screens automakers are utilizing to do absolutely everything, looking like an iPad glued to the dashboard.

I reckon the genesis of it started in the Tesla Model S, with a 17-inch center screen serving as proxy to perform even the most basic of functions, such as adjusting the fan speed. Admittedly it was quite the party piece for Tesla, especially when contrasted to the traditional buttons and knobs of its contemporaries. Unfortunately, novelty have begotten standardization, and as the Tesla brand proliferated and gotten more popular, other automakers are seeing fit to copy the big screen implementation. Because customers want ‘cool’.

And the trend have thoroughly trickled down to the masses: the new Subaru Legacy can be optioned with a nearly 12-inch infotainment screen, absolutely dominating the entire center dash like a Tesla car. In a way it makes sense: smartphones are giants touchscreens, so presumably the transition to having them in cars to control functions is a natural extension of something we use every single day.

However, it gets worse. LCD screen in cars have encroached into the instrument binnacle as well, with manufacturers seemingly in a competition to replace as many items of the interior with touchscreens as possible. The latest Audi and Land Rover products are already there - Audi wants to replace the wing mirrors with screens, too - and Mercedes will soon join them if spy shots of the next generation S-Class are good indication.

An interior that is entirely screens: that is a future I don’t particularly want. I shall cling to the mechanical dials and physical buttons of my GT3 as long as I can.

Why are automakers so massively embracing these screens? For sure part of it is to emulate the same wow-factor of a Tesla Model S , but I surmise the base reason, as with any capitalistic endeavor, is to save on costs. In a world full of laptops and smartphones, LCD screen technology comes relatively cheap; all automakers have to do then is develop the software. Modern cars are full of computers anyways so integration is likely not difficult. I’m sure it’s far less complicated and expensive than engineering individual physical buttons and dials, with relays and switches for each single item.

If car manufacturers save on cost, does the customer as well? I’m going to guess no. A broken interior button is a cheap fix, but an entire screen module? That sounds painfully expensive. In using our computers and phones daily, we know all too well that screens aren’t the most durable of things. And there’s another problem: those devices also have tendency to periodically freeze up, necessitating a hard reset. I can’t wait for automaker’s customer support to have to ask this question: “Have you tried turning off and turning the car back on?”.

I have serious reservations about the longevity of these all-screen car interiors, but who am I kidding: you’re all leasing, right?

Stacks on stacks on stacks.

Apple CarPlay is a must-have

As a proper enthusiast of on the car variety, a vehicle’s infotainment is near the bottom of my concerns. How much power a car has got and how it handles into a corner is the primary interest. It’s the oily bits that counts; a car could have the crappiest stereo system in the world and I wouldn’t have cared less. Who needs amazing music when the song from the engine is ever so melodious.

That was then; as I’ve grown older I’ve come to appreciate a nicely done car stereo. When leasing the Hyundai Tucson for my family a few months ago I elected to get the trim with the upgraded stereo, and every time I’m in the car I marvel at how awesome the sound is. Of course, an SUV isn’t the type of car to offer any driving enjoyment, therefore the quality of the interior is further up on the importance scale. Nevertheless I got spoiled; in my next car(s) I definitely will tick the better sound system option.

Along with that there’s one killer app that is an absolute must-have: Apple CarPlay. I’ve been an iPhone user since the 4 came out on Verizon, and having used CarPlay in various cars of not my owning, it’s simply amazing. CarPlay the most easiest and best possible way to integrate the data from an iPhone to car: music, maps, contacts; all it takes is a singular USB cable. Honestly all automakers have to do is provide a quality touchscreen screen in an appropriate size.

And they have: thanks to Tesla outfitting the Model S with a 17-inch display on center console to control just about everything, established manufacturers have hurried to copy. The latest Audi cars is almost entirely screen: the instrument cluster is a screen, the infotainment is a screen, and the climate controls are on a screen. Thanks to Tesla, physical buttons appears to be a thing of the past in new luxury cars. Even most mainstream cars have at least a 7-inch touch display at the center.

What automakers haven’t been so good at is actually offering Apply CarPlay, and I’m primarily talking to you, Toyota and Mazda. (And somewhat you too, BMW: charging a subscription to use CarPlay? Get the F out of here.) I would be bombing the backwoods in a Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro for years now had Toyota simply implemented CarPlay in the venerable SUV. It’s only this year that Toyota and Mazda have started implementing the function in their respective new cars.

A word to automakers: I’m not buying a car from you if it hasn’t got Apply CarPlay ability. Full stop.

All screen everything