The gear levers have come out, rotary dials, screen menus and even glass orbs, but although they can look cool, they are often counter-intuitive and can even pose a safety risk
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by Sam D. Smith
March 23, 2025 at 07:37
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- Many consumers are confused with regard to the feeders of new car equipment.
- With everything, dials with orbs used to select the gears, drivers are often disconcerted.
- Counter-intuitive conceptions are more than drawbacks; They can be a security problem.
Earlier this month, Volkswagen finally admitted what we knew from the start: in some cases, the buttons are good, the screens are bad. It has often been debated by the reason why the hiding place behind constantly evolving menus on the certainly flashy touch screens is considered a bonus, but according to Euro NCAP, this could also be a security problem.
But the lack of pimples and the constantly increasing screen sizes are not the only things that car manufacturers simply cannot leave alone. The gear controllers become constantly unnecessary complicated, like many, of car journalists (myself included) to engineers and car leaders, underline it. And then there are of course, the buyers themselves who are not always satisfied in the way of the new brilliant car of selecting gears.
Read: Does this story of the owner of Chrysler Pacifica prove that the rotary speed controllers are stupid?
The days of the traditional column or traditional console or console controllers; Today’s vehicles include a wide range of unconventional changes mechanisms, such as dials, joysticks, touch screens and even glass orbs.
Linda Hoff, a frequent traveler, was blocked in a Rogue Nissan Rental, unable to understand his equipment selector in the shape of a joystick. His frustration echoed a common feeling among drivers who are not familiar with the modern conceptions of the gear lever. “I didn’t even know how to drive this fucking car,” she said. “So I had to return to the rental agency and say:” Is there something here? ” »»
If it’s not broken …
The discrepancy of mechanical links to electronic controls has given car manufacturers the freedom to experiment with innovative conceptions, but not all changes were well received. Certain configurations, such as the rotary gear lever of Chrysler placed near the radio volume button, have raised safety problems. The drivers are concerned to accidentally move gears while adjusting the volume – a very alarming possibility.
Luxury brands have adopted even more ambitious designs. Genesis introduced the crystalline sphere, a brilliant orb which turns 180 degrees to reveal a lever of torsion speeds, in its GV60 EV. Although visually striking, some owners have found it impractical, a loser even a post-it note inside the mechanism.
Tesla, known to push the limits, integrated the selection of equipment in its touch screen interface, completely eliminating the traditional feeders and leaving only the buttons mounted on the roof as a secondary option. While some owners, such as Jeff Tropeano in Colorado, have adapted, others, including his wife, find the configuration configuration. “When she gets into my car, she said to herself:” I don’t know what to do, “he said Wall Street Journal.
The bad gear lever could be fatal
The modern approach to equipment controllers was not without controversy. Chrysler’s dial lever was linked to Rollaway incidents and even a death. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that these cars are installed with a central console gap lever which “is not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the selection potential of involuntary equipment”.
See also: VW brings back physical buttons after admitting that touch screens are a disaster
More recently, Consumer reports that the testers inadvertently transferred an R1 rivian in reverse while trying to disengage the adaptive cruise control. Rivian responded by emitting a software update to solve the problem.
Despite these challenges, experts suggest that familiarity is essential. Once drivers acclimatize to unique controls of their car, confusion tends to fade. However, car manufacturers postponing the limits of design in search of differentiation and efficiency, the debate on intuitive controls compared to innovation is far from being settled. For the moment, drivers may need to carefully study the manual of their new vehicle – which, in some cases, is also buried in one of the infotainment menus …
