[jrgaston]

Requiring a driver to navigate a touchscreen while driving is a needless distraction. Bring back buttons and knobs, things you can feel without looking, things that don’t move with every app refresh.

Now if only VW would resume bringing small cars to North America. I’ve owned a few VWs, I liked them, but I don’t want a big car, much less an ugh truck, but that seems all they offer any more. I suppose the market has spoken.

[jolt42]

Renting a car is more of a pain these days. I find I actually have to learn how that car "likes its buttons". I don't remember having to look at a physical gear shifter to know it's in drive/reverse, etc. Now I have to see if some light is on. It must have been obvious to Human Factors folks from the outset that this was all a waste of time.

[mmmlinux]

not to mention it has all the phone pairing of the last dozen people to use that car. I wish rental fleet cars had some super easy to access setting to reset them for the next person.

[Suppafly]

> I wish rental fleet cars had some super easy to access setting to reset them for the next person.

Just factory reset the radio, that's what I had to do with my truck that has no apparent way to remove a phone once it's been added.

[AngryData]

Yeah but if they didn't change anything substantial and merely followed customer preferences and established norms, how would they justify the massive administrative and managerial bloat with inflated salaries in established auto companies? How will you keep the investor class satisfied without promises of massive returns within the next few years or so to keep that stock juiced with new gimmicks to sell? How do you keep the MBA holding c-suite relatives employed if they are simply making the same or similar bulk consumer cars for decades at a time? Think about that year or so window when only OEM parts are available to repair new vehicles before generic parts are modeled and built and the new and completely unnecessary tools that can be sold to mechanics and dealers that they can gouge people on.

[yencabulator]

I owned a Polo way back when. As far as I know, they've never been sold in the US, the smallest US-sold VW is one size up, Golf. So while I agree with the desire, that's not really a resumption. US has only seen compact VWs, not small ones.

[Hikikomori]

Vw were still using buttons, but capacitive.

[ActorNightly]

I would never drive a small car in US. The amount of distracted/drunk/high drivers is way too high.

[mzmzmzm]

And so the arms race continues!

[ActorNightly]

Id happily give up my truck if there was legislation that prevented people from drinking and driving. Doesn't have to be invasive either like mandatory breathalyzer to start car, it can be something like a mandatory key check in places requiring a breathalyzer to get your key back

[Terretta]

> bring back buttons and knobs, things you can feel without looking

“Things you can feel without looking …”

Sadly, this refresh seems to miss this point. The photos look like a grid based keyboard on everything, instead of the tactile experience that means your eyes don't leave the road.

The buttons are likely to work better than the touchscreens, and when you look at what you press you'll actuate your intent every time, but you'll still have to look.

I still drive a VW from 12 years ago because it was the last with "old school" buttons and knobs. VW has been pre-marketing this change for several years now, but looks like they'll need a few more before going back to your point.

Sad.

> Now if only VW would resume bringing small cars to North America.

The VW EOS was one of the last hard top convertibles, while also being a small car and practical. The concept needs to exist, yet doesn't seem to any more — another reason for prolonging the useful life of one if you have it!

// EOS retrospective: https://youtu.be/qkU-UP-iTag

[rkhassen9]

Agreed on all points.