One of the biggest gripes among owners of modern cars is the overuse of touchscreens – and I completely agree. Not only can they be incredibly frustrating, as you hunt through menus to carry out a simple function, but – more importantly – many systems require you to take your eyes off the road for far too long.
Some cars are worse than others. I recall a particular journey in a Jaecoo where the car kept beeping at me for getting too close to the white lines on a motorway. But when I tried to turn that warning off via the touchscreen, it started beeping again because I’d taken my eyes off the road. I couldn’t win.
I recently received an email from regular contributor Russell Mead about his new Volvo. Russell said: “I recently purchased an EX30. It is a fine car with excellent build quality and plenty of aesthetic appeal. I am, though, struggling with buyer’s remorse.
“I want to love the car, but I can’t get past the ergonomic disaster that faces me when driving it. Volvo (with a bad case of ‘Tesla envy’) has replaced the instrument cluster with a ‘distraction monitor’ – a device that beeps at me for looking at the centre touchscreen, the very screen I must look at to check my speed, follow the sat nav, and perform myriad basic tasks.
“Navigating menus to carry out key driving functions isn’t high-tech; it’s just poor design. Checking my speed shouldn’t require a deliberate glance away from the road ahead. By stripping away the driver’s display, Volvo hasn’t simplified the driving experience – they’ve made it more distracting.”
Russell is not alone. It’s an issue many car makers are now grappling with.
Not that long ago, I led a campaign to bring back buttons. Thankfully, some manufacturers listened. Volkswagen, for example, has replaced the touch-sensitive pads on its steering wheels – which often led to drivers inadvertently changing radio stations or adjusting the volume – with physical buttons. Meanwhile, newer ID models now feature separate heating and ventilation controls, along with a proper volume knob. Lovely.
All is not lost for those struggling with frustrating touchscreens, though. Over-the-air software updates mean these digital systems can be – and are being – improved. It may feel like a sticking plaster, but at least it signals an acknowledgement from many car makers – including several Chinese brands – that customers are unhappy and changes are needed.
However, perhaps buttons have had their day, and the answer isn’t simply more touchscreens. Russell’s Volvo will be one of thousands set to receive an over-the-air update bringing Google’s Gemini AI assistant into the car.
The mere mention of AI may fill some people with dread, but I remember speaking to an expert who suggested we think of it simply as a tool to help us. That, at least, is Volvo’s aim.
I haven’t yet used Google’s system in a Volvo, but I have experienced Grok in a Tesla. And while some may be reluctant to talk Tesla, the technology is undeniably impressive, as is the integration of Elon Musk’s AI assistant.
These AI systems – as I’ve also found with the latest Alexa+ release – allow for more natural ‘conversations’ with your car. They won’t always get it right, but AI learns quickly.
The real challenge for car makers is how best to integrate these systems. I’ve already tested several voice controls that work well – for instance, asking ‘Reno’ in the Renault 5 to lower the driver’s window or adjust the temperature. It might sound lazy, but asking the car to change the temperature is surely safer than taking your eyes off the road – whether to press a button or navigate a touchscreen.
It remains to be seen whether Russell’s EX30 will allow him to, say, switch on the fog lights – something that currently requires several taps on the touchscreen. But this does feel like a natural technological progression that could resolve many of the frustrations drivers have with modern systems.
As always, I’d love to know what you think. Have you used voice control systems at home or in your car? Would you use them? Do you actually like touchscreens, or should we insist that car makers bring back buttons? I’ll be following this up in a future edition of DriveSmart, so just leave a comment below to share your thoughts.
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