Buttons on steering wheels

[jfmuva]

Everybody dissed the BMW iDrive but I liked it once you get used to it. hand on knob (don't laugh!) is more stable than finger to screen

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[R1Tims]

Missed one of the more Iconic vehicles. The Mach 5

 

[mkg3]

Don't forget Bugatti Tourbillion!

 

[Feetdry]

Personally, I would like more refinement for the volume on the roller switch. One click is too much and one roll back is too little..

 

[ENVErider]

So there has been some discussion about car makers starting to add physical buttons back into their vehicles - for lots of reasons, such as customer demand and less driver distraction compared to screen menus.

Which got me thinking about where Rivian might put these buttons. I think buttons for climate control would be the most welcome, and probably the dash somewhere would be best, but the Steering wheel is another option.

Rivian already has some cool steering wheel controls, but they are still dynamic rather than dedicated controls, and still rely on some screen display somewhere.

Ever since Speed Racer's fictional Mach 5, kids have been dreaming about the perfect steering wheel, and I did some digging and found even crazier designs car makers have experimented with in their concept cars over the years and thought I'd share them here just for fun. Who knows, maybe Rivian will do something weird and wonderful someday, inspired by these wild wheels.

The Italians are known for their exotic designs, but Maserati has come up with some doozies from decades ago

Skip ahead a decade or so, and I found this one I kinda like -- note the Sony CRT and floppy drive!

Around the same time, Mazda designed a cockpit that speaks to the pilot in me. No they weren't the first or only, but I still like this version.

Lotus looked to the F1 world for this fairly recent design. Other than the gold knob, I actually think it looks almost conventional with present day designs:

Closer to home, Oldsmobile(!) did a really crazy wheel yoke that's so bad it's good. I wonder if the grips twist like on a motorcycle. Also, I'm not sure if they included enough buttons.

I agree there have been a lot of discussions, probably too many threads on the right amount of physical controls & buttons, but I'm one of those in the middle who feels that Rivian's amount of controls is nearly perfect, as close to perfect as any vehicle I've been in. Tesla went too far, and too minimalist; others, including the upcoming Scout, offer more buttons than I'd want, but Scout is still better than the Ford and GMC electric truck interiors.
What I'd rather see automakers prioritize is a more universal and consistent software interface so 5-10 years from now, with mostly software vehicles, we can jump into an unfamiliar brand and know exactly where to find the control that we want. Maybe Rivian will have a Microsoft DOS moment, with automakers beyond VW adopting its software for a universal vehicle OS, offering the added advantage of allowing OEM parts makers to sell parts compatible across multiple brands and models. At least, that's my dream...

 

[MTVhike]

What I would like best to have the function of the buttons/rollers changeable without having to look at the screen. The biggest change would be to have a pan (l/r & u/d) and zoom of the map. And, have the zoom stay where I set it.

 

[Eeyore]

I agree Rivian needs buttons for some climate control activities. My wife still can’t figure out how to adjust Rivian’s. But I would not put them on the steering wheel as passengers may be the ones doing the adjusting.

I don't want any passenger adjusting the temp in my truck.

 

[Nixapatfan]

What no Pontiac steering wheel from the early 90s?

I think what GM is doing in their EVs currently is the right balance and setup for buttons. Physical buttons that change functionality and the manual vent controls in the Cadillacs so simple and elegant at the same time.

 

[BigSkies]

I'm pretty happy with the status quo here.

Too many people gripe about the lack of buttons to control everything, yet can't articulate how you're supposed to use a modern nav system without a touch screen.

Then they complain about media. Well, it's kind of hard to navigate through modern streaming services without a touch screen (I have gripes about streaming services themselves, but that's a different topic). They also forget that the important media controls are already physical controls on the steering wheel.

HVAC could be either buttons or a screen. I personally don't really care. The touchscreen interface works fine. Physical buttons would work fine. It's not like I'm changing hvac settings every 3 minutes. It's possible to create a well designed touchscreen and it's possible to design well designed buttons. It's also possible to create poorly designed versions of each. Just give me something that works.

This is just one of those hedonic adaptation things where we naturally want whatever we're used to. Then we try something new and it becomes second nature in 30-45 days.

 

[DD4ST]

I don't want any passenger adjusting the temp in my truck.

You must not be married.

 

[Eeyore]

You must not be married.

I am and as the driver, I get to control the temp, even when I'm setting the temp to what I'm told is "correct". I don't necessarily get to choose the temp.

 

[skyguyscott]

I'm pretty happy with the status quo here.

Too many people gripe about the lack of buttons to control everything, yet can't articulate how you're supposed to use a modern nav system without a touch screen.

Then they complain about media. Well, it's kind of hard to navigate through modern streaming services without a touch screen (I have gripes about streaming services themselves, but that's a different topic). They also forget that the important media controls are already physical controls on the steering wheel.

HVAC could be either buttons or a screen. I personally don't really care. The touchscreen interface works fine. Physical buttons would work fine. It's not like I'm changing hvac settings every 3 minutes. It's possible to create a well designed touchscreen and it's possible to design well designed buttons. It's also possible to create poorly designed versions of each. Just give me something that works.

This is just one of those hedonic adaptation things where we naturally want whatever we're used to. Then we try something new and it becomes second nature in 30-45 days.

I think I understand what you’re saying, but a big reason this has become a point of discussion is that it turns out, after car makers have been eliminating a bunch of physical buttons for screen-driven menus and controls, both to save costs and to compete with Tesla, it turns out many users find that they prefer some physical buttons because, as studies have verified, sometimes physical buttons enable the driver to affect the desired change quicker and with less distraction from the critical driving task.

I agree that for certain things like navigation and adjusting the car’s software settings, a screen or voice control is probably the best and easiest way to affect changes, but for things like climate control, and adjusting the vents, adjusting the volume of the radio, twisting a knob or pressing a dedicated button that is placed in a dedicated position that you can reach with muscle memory is hard to beat.

Believe it or not there are a number of people whose training and expertise in ergonomics are all about designing human interfaces that are the most effective and efficient and cost-effective. Their entire careers are all about diving into the minutia of how big a button is and where it’s placed and how it functions. They build mock ups and perform tests and evaluations on subjects and gather data - design build test.

 

[mkg3]

Just when we thought all the variations have been covered, wait...

The Ferrari Luce has an interior designed by Apple’s Jony Ive
https://www.evo.co.uk/ferrari/20688...or-designed-by-apples-jony-ive-we-take-a-look

 

[Mellowyellow]

Are those physical buttons coming out of the screen? I can’t tell my eyes suck

I will say on first glance it looks nice

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