Digital vs analogue cockpits... help or hindrance?

I'm pretty torn with them. I like the traditional aspect of having a regular set of clocks but I can also appreciate the functionality and flexibility that the digital displays give. To be honest though I think I'd rather just see the minimum of information I need whatever the method of putting that data in front of my eyes.
 
Having had both analogue and digital clusters in the past; I'm not really fussed about which a car has. The LCD on the Jag XJ was nice but I can't say I miss it now I'm back to old fashion gauges.
Now a HUD, that's something I will very much miss if I ever change to a car without one.
 
I'm in favour of them, they're much neater than having an old school sat nav or phone hanging from a dock on the window - until it falls down of course.

I would guess most cars that come with a high level of tech also have a number of driver assist/safety features; parking sensors, lane-departure warnings, blind-spot warnings, adaptive cruise control, auto brake, automated parking, street sign recognition, auto lights etc etc.

I know people will always argue that too many of those features results in complacent drivers, but frankly we have vast numbers of shoddy drivers who don't have any of the above assist/safety features, so adding these surely can't make things worse. If anything it should protect people when stupidity gets the better of them.
 
I'm fairly torn about them really, i've not had a car with one so there is a cool new tech aspect of it which would be cool.

On the flip side i'd always worry about the cost if the screen failed (especially if buying 2nd hand) or how annoying it'd be if it got some dead pixels in an annoying place.
 
discussed this recently wrt glasses .. large digital speedo numbers might help these people drive at the right speed
eg It is estimated that 1.5 million UK licence holders have never had an eye test and bad eyesight is thought to cause 2,900 casualties on UK roads every year.
The only UK driver vision test is taken as a part of the main driving test, meaning the eyesight of some drivers has not been tested for decades.
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if they are long sighted, .. and can nonetheless see the road signs

"excuse me sir, can you tell me whast speed you were doing"
 
I like the setup my mondeo has, TFT screen and you have a analogue looking Speedo and tachometer and a digital Speedo if you want.
I like that cars are more like pcs, opens up customisation, I've already changed the way my lights, mirrors and displays work to suite me.
 
Ive got the audi VC, it is rather cool.

What I really like is that this means there are so few buttons in the car, just about everything is VC controlled. My normal tab is car data, so speed, revs, trip data, and oil temp.
But with a flick I now have the multimedia (eg radio) in front of me, still able to see speed etc.

Is it a game changer? No, just like I don't get the fixation some people have if you have a mono level dash, I mean honestly who cares.

But it certainly makes driving way safer once your used to it, as doing pretty much anything is a look down to the dash in front of you, rather than a look across to find some seemingly randomly placed button in the centre concole etc

Cars will go wrong, inevitably. I havent heard of anyone though (on audi forums) complaining their VC has failed. I mean its pretty much just like an ipad in effect.
I do dislike touch screens though, I have yet to see one that doesnt look bad in real use, stick with a few buttons to control it imho

Oh Edit to say going back to handover at garage when I bought it. Sales guy said to me "i love the VC as once I show you how to work it my job is pretty much done, where as without it I have to go over loads of buttons"
 
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They probably haven't been around long enough to reach the age where they start going wrong yet. Give it a few more years :p

If you go way back and look at some of the old Lexuses etc with integrated systems. Lots of those failed and it's near impossible to fix it now. You can't use the heating/AC once they go as it's all controlled through the same panel lol
 
Being a big techie I think they are great. Its not a must for my next car but it certainly ticks a big box for me! Finally got to play with one last week, my friend has just got a new Golf GTE. It was really nice and the dials looked great on the screen. It is a scary thought though, if something goes wrong I expect most garages will simply want to replace the whole unit. I bet the cost is at least a grand!
 
Nasher said:
They probably haven't been around long enough to reach the age where they start going wrong yet. Give it a few more years :p

If you go way back and look at some of the old Lexuses etc with integrated systems. Lots of those failed and it's near impossible to fix it now. You can't use the heating/AC once they go as it's all controlled through the same panel lol
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Won't happen. Take my Mondeo for instance, has the Microsoft SYNC 2, bit you can fit SYNC 3 or you can fit any number of Android based units as well if you want.
 
robj20 said:
Won't happen. Take my Mondeo for instance, has the Microsoft SYNC 2, bit you can fit SYNC 3 or you can fit any number of Android based units as well if you want.
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If it's a standard din fitting then it won't be a problem. If not then good luck :p

I know the sync system in my Fiesta ST wasn't even close to being a standard fit.
 
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One thing I would say about reliability is that on my 2001 Polo GTi the needle on the Speedo broke so it basically dropped down a notch. This meant it read 10-20 mpg lower than I was actually going!

So don't assume just because it's an analogue dial it'll never break or read incorrectly!
 
I'm happy with semi-digital, so long as there are lots of physical buttons and switches and dials and things.
My ultimate cockpit dash would be something between a Saab and a Vector W8, probably... with maybe some KITT thrown in.

The current trend of full-digital, touchscreen things that just look like they've glued an iPad to where the controls should be, is why I have no faith in cars of the future.
 
ttaskmaster said:
I'm happy with semi-digital, so long as there are lots of physical buttons and switches and dials and things.
My ultimate cockpit dash would be something between a Saab and a Vector W8, probably... with maybe some KITT thrown in.

The current trend of full-digital, touchscreen things that just look like they've glued an iPad to where the controls should be, is why I have no faith in cars of the future.
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Look at the mk8 Fiesta. They basically just glued what looks like an an etch-a-sketch to the middle of the dash. Looks hideous. Really fisher price materials too.
 
It’s appropriate for the segment and the screens like that are so they are reachable without having a massive bulky dash where you have quite a can forward design like the Fiesta.

Also trend now is to have screen above the vents for less time with eyes off road.
 
Nasher said:
If it's a standard din fitting then it won't be a problem. If not then good luck :p

I know the sync system in my Fiesta ST wasn't even close to being a standard fit.
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It's not DIN, still plenty of aftermarket options, certainly enough to replace it if it broke. Android 6 one available that replaces the remaining buttons and gives a portrait size screen.
 
dale1uk said:
Had so much want for an Astra GTE back in the day. £10k for one now :eek:
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Bought a Belmont (Astra with a boot) SRi back in the day purely because I couldn’t get on with the Astra GTE’s LCD dashboard....

The Belmont had analog clocks, drove a few GTE’s but hated the dash yet weirdly loved the digital dash on the old Audi Coupe Quattro....

Really tempted by a G30 5 Series, looks like I’ve gone full circle because I really like the analog look but wholly digital dash on that....
 
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