The tyranny of touch screens may be coming to an end

[RushMan]

It’s horrible. You use a little dial that scrolls through all the icons/items and you push the button down to select them. I change vehicles when rental companies try and assign me one.

Around 2012, I had a loaner BMW 335D while my X3 was in the shop. Similar horrible setup. I had trouble just changing radio stations without having to stop the car to figure it out. I recall that Top Gear did a review of a BMW around the same time and had a long criticism of the BMW controls, or lack thereof. They even had trouble adjusting the driver's seat as it was accessed via the "video game knob controller" [my description, not Top Gear's] for the infotainment screen. The reviewer had to stop on the side of road for an extended period of time to set the car up for themselves. Except for the extraordinary engine power and torque, it was one of the worst cars I've driven.

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[RushMan]

I've recently
had a desire
for a completely analog car
crank windows
5 speed transmission
and a key made of jagged brass
I may throw my iPhone into the sea
if I'm a Luddite
Let it be Known

Make mine a 1969 VW Bug. I'm fine with 4 speed.

 

[MoFoCo]

I'm good with the amount of buttons my BS has. I don't think I have to go into the touch screen to do anything on a regular basis. And I don't think they can convert any CarPlay features to physical.

What does annoy me is how they have the volume and track on different parts of the wheel. My Honda had them together on the left side and cruise control on the right. It was very easy to decide what to do. Maybe I was used to it but after 18 months, I still have to think about which side I need to press.

I’ve had my BS 3 years now and I still have to think about which side is volume control. The Ford steering wheel buttons are poorly designed. They all look and feel nearly the same. Most other cars give tactile cues so you can find the most used buttons by feel.

The other frustrating feature of the BS touchscreen is if I’m connected to CarPlay, I have to navigate 3 menus to turn the FM radio on.

 

[davidg4781]

I’ve had my BS 3 years now and I still have to think about which side is volume control. The Ford steering wheel buttons are poorly designed. They all look and feel nearly the same. Most other cars give tactile cues so you can find the most used buttons by feel.

The other frustrating feature of the BS touchscreen is if I’m connected to CarPlay, I have to navigate 3 menus to turn the FM radio on.

Ok. I wasn't sure if it was me not adapting yet or Ford. Glad it's not just me.

The FM doesn't bother me. But I think I just have to hit the Ford app then hit play? I could be wrong. I almost exclusively use Apple Music or Podcasts via CarPlay except at the beach since I have no cellular signal.

 

[Jmuns]

I’ve had my BS 3 years now and I still have to think about which side is volume control. The Ford steering wheel buttons are poorly designed. They all look and feel nearly the same. Most other cars give tactile cues so you can find the most used buttons by feel.

The other frustrating feature of the BS touchscreen is if I’m connected to CarPlay, I have to navigate 3 menus to turn the FM radio on.

This is really my main gripe as well. Navigating out of CarPlay is just too many clicks. I drive my work car more than my BS and the Equinox has a physical Home button that takes you out of CarPlay to the cars home screen. It’s so much more convenient than exiting maps and finding the Ford icon to get back Home.

 

[DahliaDarlin']

I've recently
had a desire
for a completely analog car
crank windows
5 speed transmission
and a key made of jagged brass
I may throw my iPhone into the sea
if I'm a Luddite
Let it be Known

That is what I sold to buy my Bronco Sport! Did not mind any of the analog bits, except the key in the door. I don't miss that in rain and snow!

 

[DahliaDarlin']

Make mine a 1969 VW Bug. I'm fine with 4 speed.

But not those seat belts! You deserve a shoulder belt at least!

 

[SportWest]

I think my Bronco Sport has enough knobs and I just turn my screen off on longer drives.

The first gen interior is what sold me on the Bronco Sport, even if the interior materials are cheap-o. It was so refreshing to have an "optional" touch screen and plenty of physical buttons/knobs. So many other vehicles I test drove had garbage interior layouts, too many screens, etc.

 

[coopny]

I think the current gen Bronco sport has a fantastic interior for usability. Some people prefer stick shifters over dials, but unlike competitors, the dial shifter in Fords (in my experience) have great feedback. I know exactly how many gears I've shifted without having to look just by the feedback (compared to some FCA vehicles I've driven, where I have no idea...)

Unfortunately, larger screens have great curb appeal. And I'd welcome the larger Sync4 touchscreen in the refresh more, if it didn't come with removal of most of the physical climate controls and radio controls. Judging by press shots of the 2025 BS, the climate controls are a staple at the bottom of the screen constantly ,but you have to look to touch them and see if your command went through correctly or if the screen detected your touch as the wrong button. For radio controls, it seems that you're just relegated to sometimes having the relevant controls on the touchscreen.

I think this design is a victim of the mid-year refresh. Compare the radio in the newer BS:

To the radio in the 2021-2024 BS:

Part of a mid-year refresh is not requiring drastic parts changes. This allows you to use mature, tested parts with revisions for fixes, and reduces the number of new parts you have to develop/overall number of parts you have to stock. The market has clearly said "8 inch touchscreen is too small", or Ford wouldn't make this change.

When you compare the two side by side, it's clear that the new screen essentially "stole" the space from the air vents and the radio/camera/auto start/stop/vehicle ignition controls. You can't eliminate the air vents, so the air vents steal the space from the cubby. This meant Ford only had to iterate these couple of parts, rather than create an entirely new dashboard part.

Ford didn't want to iterate the dash part below the existing screen/radio controls either. Note that the newer set of controls (with far fewer buttons) fits in the same cutout as the HVAC control module in the current model does. We stole space that had critical controls above (ignition, engine start/stop, camera, etc.) so we had to take this space to give it back.

I understand why Ford did it, but it doesn't make it a great human interface decision. I would not say it would be something where I would tell someone to buy a refreshed 2025+ MY BS, but it would be something that would definitely go into column of a con if I were to consider doing so, and would make me more likely to consider other vehicles.

The glass half full side of that is that I think it reflects Ford making this choice as a practical necessity to fit a larger touchscreen for market demand in the midyear refresh, and not a trend of Ford looking to reduce physical controls to cheap out (screens are cheaper than buttons).

 

[Paradocks]

Imagine the feedback we'd be seeing if a BS owner was forced to drive a Tesla. ??

 

[coopny]

Imagine the feedback we'd be seeing if a BS owner was forced to drive a Tesla. ??

I got a Model 3 as a Hertz rental in October 2022 and it was terrible. At least it had a column shifter (unlike the Cybertruck, which has capacitive "buttons" [no feedback] in the top middle of the windshield to shift [they say, however that the touchscreen is preferred.]

I could get on a longer rant about how it had no speedometer and I felt unsafe driving it, but there's a reason I didn't even consider a Tesla in my new vehicle purchase, and it wasn't because they only sell EVs.

Sync 4A is just as bad as tesla, but at least Ford offers you the option to get the larger screen in vehicles where it's offered (not the BS), or just stick with a smaller one flanked with a great assortment of buttons...

 

[Bill G]

Imagine the feedback we'd be seeing if a BS owner was forced to drive a Tesla. ??

Not now, not never — I’d walk first ?

 

[BSBB4Les]

I had occasion to drive 2 vehicles with the larger screen, a 2024 Expedition and a 2024 Escape. The Expedition was with us for 3 weeks. It was literally brand new. The owners manual was still wrapped so, since it was a loaner, I didn't feel i had the right to open it. On the touch screen menu there was the option to access the manual there, but it was a condensed version and not very helpful. One gripe I have is it's a split screen. I tried to find a way to open the full size of it to no avail. The useful part of the screen is the same size as my BS, what's up with that? Another issue I have is the AC controls, which I, being an old geezer, couldn't find the tab I wanted without taking my eyes off the road and even then, I had to take too much time to find the one I wanted. If my wife wasn't with me I would have to set everything up before getting on the road and leave it alone until I could stop to make changes. Granted, maybe, if I owned one of these new models and had to learn how to maneuver the obstacles inherent with the touch screen functions, I'd be happy..ah, I don't think so. I'll keep my BS with its knobs and raised buttons, thank you!

 

[CLR]

Lovely was my commute
until they took my buttons-
do we need to
desperately poke at a screen
instead of
twirling a knob?
enough!

 

[sinbuster007]

so been a long time posting here, but thought i would comment on the "touch screen" vs "buttons" debate. i would go 100% buttons and knobs! the computer screen is just a huge distraction for 99% of the driving population. i hear (in my area) where the majority of accidents is due to distracted drivers, yes we still have those who drink then drive but mostly the drivers are not paying attention due to watching videos, playing with their "play list" or whatever else you want to fill in the blank with. the fact is, if you are behind the wheel your PRIMARY job is to drive the vehicle. ..... not do everything else but drive. if you are "too busy" to even drive a car, then either take public transportation or dont drive at all....stay home.
also, what happens to a car where all the "features" are integrated into the touch screen and that fails? well you probably wont be driving. and will set you back $1000's....
all this to save a few $$ at the end of the day. humans have "muscle memory" and will find the button or knob without looking. i believe its part of your spatial recognition built within your memory banks..... and lastly, i set at a computer all day, do i really want to look at another one when i drive home? maybe i would like that time to "cool down" before i get home and take it out on my wife and kids....
i guess im just old school. but i like it when you got into a car to "drive" and that was it.
now it seems its a whole "entertainment" center for whatever else you got going on....

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