No more capacitive buttons on the steering wheel says the German automaker.
Quite a lot of modern cars use touch-sensitive capacitive buttons instead of physical buttons inside, and some have all of their controls buried in their touchscreens. These buttons may seem futuristic or techy, but they are not. A physical button is tactile and provides feedback, making it easier to press while keeping your eyes on the road. A capacitive button does not. Volkswagen’s cars feature some of the most infuriating touch-sensitive capacitive interior controls, including the steering wheel, and now the company is beginning to realise where it went wrong.
Why the switch (pun intended)?
Last week it was revealed that VW was planning an era of “new simplicity” in the operation of vehicles going forward, according to a post published by CEO Thomas Schäfer on Linkedin. He talked about how the company is going to listen to customers, and that one of the things that buyers want are actual push-buttons on the steering wheel rather than touch-sensitive capacitive buttons.
The problem with these controls
At the moment, almost all VW cars use touch-sensitive capacitive buttons of some sort, and some have them on their steering wheels too. These buttons take the place of regular steering wheel controls. And just like regular steering wheel controls, they too are present on either side of the horn pad or airbag module, but it’s just that they are piano black panels (read: finger print magnets) with indents for controls that are sensitive to taps, swipes and presses. Instead of a switch or a scroll wheel to adjust volume, there is a touch-sensitive bar. It is very easy to accidentally press some buttons while driving as they respond to touches.
New Volkswagens feature touch-sensitive controls away from the steering wheel too. For instance, under the touchscreen of the MK VIII Golf or the ID.3 and ID.4 amongst other cars there are capacitive bars for climate and volume controls. Apart from the obvious ergonomic flaws, they don’t light up at night, rendering them completely useless in the dark. Other manufacturers must take a note of this, and VW should bring back buttons for the rest of the interior controls too.
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