The new dashboard is a big mistake IMO

[Twin Turbo]

Lets move on, gentlemen. Thank you.

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[SINBUSTER007]

one word.
INTEGRATION.
thats all im saying. maybe they can make it "look" like it belongs there, and not an "oh we forgot something" approach. i want to drive the car not play i-racing. digital is going to be the future, ok we get that. just make it look pretty. if i want 2 ipads setting on my dash then ill put them there myself.
i would buy this car no problem. the interior (sans dash) looks great. the dash is the only thing holding me back....the most important thing you would be staring at ALL the time you would want to be at least pleasing to your eyes right?

 

[ay1820]

I have to say all this passion about the dash based on a few photos/videos seems a bit premature. I will reserve judgment until after I sit in an actual car and see how it all looks and feels IRL.

I remember when GM released the 3rd generation F-Body cars that I got caught up with all the marketing hype. I had to have a 3rd generation Firebird, and in the summer of '83, I was ready to buy. But when I finally sat in one, I was totally underwhelmed, especially with the dash which seemed just gimmicky and cheap.

I ended up buying an '83 Mustang GT. If I had judged that car by its marketing material alone, I would have never considered it, but after sitting in it and driving it, I was MUCH more impressed. It all just felt right to me.

 

[Strokerswild]

Bingo. It's all about the money. The reason for the digital dash is the same as why most companies do anything: it's cheaper, and to make more money.

To plagiarize myself from another thread (one of several on this topic) -

Several studies have shown that digital dashes in cars are more difficult to use, take more time than analog knobs and buttons, and are disliked by consumers:

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/0...y-are-worse-than-buttons-in-cars-study-finds/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/opinion/touch-screens-cars.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/22/why-some-people-hate-touch-screens-in-cars.html

It's not rocket science. It takes longer and is more difficult to take your eyes off the road and peck at a screen to make something happen in a car, compared with being able to operate physical knobs and buttons by feel. In a smart phone a digital screen is progress, and likewise for a GPS mapping display. But for other operations it's less intuitive, and less safe. Traveling down the highway at 90 ft/sec, taking your eyes off the road for even a couple of seconds, a lot of distance is covered (a football field every 3 seconds) and a lot can happen in that time - like hitting something.

Even Jony Ive, the former Apple design chief responsible for the iPhone, iMac, iPad, and iPod, thinks more physical buttons should return to cars:

https://www.drive.com.au/news/former-apple-design-boss-physical-buttons-return-to-car-interiors/

There is only one reason the car companies are moving to screen interfaces: it's cheaper than physical knobs and buttons. It costs less to hot-glue a screen to the dash and program all the controls into software than to actually manufacture knobs and switches. My highest priority in buying a car is for a fun and safe driving experience, not to maximize the company's profits. If digital interfaces weren't cheaper, the companies wouldn't be putting them in. They're not doing it because it makes driving better, but to make more money for themselves. Plain and simple.

Ford can spin the marketing BS about the 'bold new immersive digital cockpit experience', but that's only because it sounds slicker than the truth - 'it's cheaper than knobs and buttons and we're all about the bottom line.'

Exactly.

 

[shogun32]

I was totally underwhelmed, especially with the dash which seemed just gimmicky and cheap.

but they spent thousands of man hours on it. And it was what the focus group said they wanted.

Or that's what @Bikeman315 said his designer friends told him.

 

[because_murica]

Dawg??? Is that a word? My post is just an opinion for a classic car. I want it to be what it should be and always has been IMO. If opinions hurt your feelings then don't read the majority of opinions (many much worse that mine) on this forum concerning the dash board. Don't want to see you pout ... Dawg!

You're the most butthurt one here. Ford clearly doesn't care about your opinion. The majority of opinions outside suggest more people like it than hate it. It is what it is. Accept it or don't, geez.

 

[ay1820]

but they spent thousands of man hours on it. And it was what the focus group said they wanted.

Or that's what @Bikeman315 said his designer friends told him.

Oh I am sure they did, and I based on how those cars sold, I am sure they got it largely right too. BUT, not everyone has the same tastes. Which is why I say, go and see the real thing in real life before making a decision.

 

[spectremotorsports]

Those that don't care that it looks a lot like other dashboards also don't care about the classic integrity & pedigree of the Mustang. That is just sad.

Or alternatively we just aren't interested in becoming like the 911 folks or any other car that hasn't changed names in its history. Screaming from the rooftops exclaiming that nothing should ever be changed if it isn't some sort of homage to the 60's. I'd also like to sit in it before I decide how I feel about it fully.

I'm not in love with the way the screen is integrated into the dash. But it is by no means the egregious offensive slap in the face some are claiming it. Is it pretty? Not particularly, but it's certainly something I could live with, I care more about the performance and how hard a dealer is gonna try to blast my ass when it comes time to order a DH or whatever high performance model comes after.

 

[because_murica]

Or alternatively we just aren't interested in becoming like the 911 folks or any other car that hasn't changed names in its history. Screaming from the rooftops exclaiming that nothing should ever be changed if it isn't some sort of homage to the 60's. I'd also like to sit in it before I decide how I feel about it fully.

I'm not in love with the way the screen is integrated into the dash. But it is by no means the egregious offensive slap in the face some are claiming it. Is it pretty? Not particularly, but it's certainly something I could live with, I care more about the performance and how hard a dealer is gonna try to blast my ass when it comes time to order a DH or whatever high performance model comes after.

Not to mention that the Fox Body's dash was also a drastic departure from the double brow. Does that make it any less of a "Mustang"? Those would be some fighting words for some old timers I know that absolutely adore the Fox Body.

Even the 911 guys aren't as demented as some of the posters on here - and they are arguably the most hardcore when it comes to heritage. With that said, I've never heard or read a 911 enthusiast say they wouldn't buy the latest iteration because the dash has been modernized.

And if we're talking heritage, the exterior is far more important than the interior.

 

[shogun32]

I've never heard or read a 911 enthusiast say they wouldn't buy the latest iteration because the dash has been modernized.

because they still HAVE a dash. This one has none. And furthermore this is the bitch thread - no amount of calm, soothing voice is going to change the intensity of opprobrium, the rending of garments, the wailing and donning of sack cloth.

 

[Patio208]

because they still HAVE a dash. This one has none. And furthermore this is the bitch thread - no amount of calm, soothing voice is going to change the intensity of opprobrium, the rending of garments, the wailing and donning of sack cloth.

Serious questio, when does the bitching end? What are you're long term plans if you're not interested in what the Mustang has to offer?

 

[Strokerswild]

Serious questio, when does the bitching end? What are you're long term plans if you're not interested in what the Mustang has to offer?

Um, well, keep what I have indefinitely and never buy a new Mustang again, because no physical controls for HVAC and sound system outside stupid touchscreens is a deal breaker?

 

[shogun32]

Serious questio, when does the bitching end? What are you're long term plans if you're not interested in what the Mustang has to offer?

it will end when I'm damn good and ready! probably the day the production model is revealed and we see that Ford has gone back and fixed all their mistakes (and those hard lessons learned by VW).

The S550 is totally acceptable to me so I will be buying those used if need be. I can't stand the S650 bodywork either so it's not just the dash that is the death knell of future purchase.

Just yesterday I came across an Acura that looked the spitting image of the ghastly S650 front-end. I literally screetched to a halt, jumped out and took a picture of it because it was uncanny how similar it looked. I'll post it on the more topical threads later.

 

[because_murica]

Um, well, keep what I have indefinitely and never buy a new Mustang again, because no physical controls for HVAC and sound system outside stupid touchscreens is a deal breaker?

I get you not wanting that in a Mustang. But what are you going to do for a new daily in say 10 years? Everything will be full touchscreen by then.

 

[because_murica]

no amount of calm, soothing voice is going to change the intensity of opprobrium, the rending of garments, the wailing and donning of sack cloth.

This is the funniest shit I've heard in a while. Thank you for that - I intend on using this line in future.

With that said, if I got a good laugh out of it, I guess this thread has served its purpose.

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