Tacked-on Infotainment Screens Trend

[Ewheels]

Serious question here: if everyone seemingly hates the recent trend of tacked-on screens in cars, why is every manufacturer following this trend?
I'd think car designers would do some sort of market review and see what potential buyers want from a new car. All I ever see or read is how much people hate this trend but are we actually in the minority? Do most new car buyers like the tack-on screen look?

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[unfairslide]

I think they look great. Let's them put the screen higher up closer to eyeline, if they were more integrated they would sit lower.

Thinking designers don't do market research isn't even worth arguing against.

As to your last point, the vocal minority is usually the loudest

 

[Back2Gas]

I currently drive a Model Y so I'm pretty indifferent to screens. Honestly as long as the software is responsive then it's not really an issue. As far as design, well that's subjective. Personally I prefer the look of the single screen in the premium models vs the two attached screens in the non-premium models.

 

[Q6543]

I think it looks awesome!
I really like that they took such a forward thinking jump for the interior.

I don’t get why people like the digital cluster in s550’s though… you have this beautiful tech and then force wrap it into some stone age faux gauge cluster…. Much prefer the tablet dash.

 

[Elcuh]

Vocal minority. I'm sure their market research showed that most people always went for the high tech packages. I have been waiting to upgrade my shitbox for an interior upgrade in any of the American muscle cars and as soon as I saw mustang do it I hopped on an order.

 

[Zcarmenb28]

It’s kinda like Justin Bieber sells a lot of albums. He sucks, and isn’t a good musician, but people still buy them in big numbers. The tacked on dash is the same but in a car interior. The integration sucks, but people see it and think “tech!!!”. It still sucks despite people buying into it. Not having buttons in general sucks for functionality.

 

[Southpaw78]

I think it looks great too, the interior is what tipped my decision to order one along with this likely being the last V8 American muscle car. Hated the look of the center stack in the S550 with the small screen and fake plastic stitching on the sides so it was never an option despite how it looked on the outside.

I was actually dead set on an Audi S5 convertible but the current version has been out for a while now, and that screen is what I consider tacked on. When the unveil of the mustang came out, it was no brainer for me to switch up.

 

[Zcarmenb28]

I think it looks great too, the interior is what tipped my decision to order one along with this likely being the last V8 American muscle car. Hated the look of the center stack in the S550 with the small screen and fake plastic stitching on the sides so it was never an option despite how it looked on the outside.

I was actually dead set on an Audi S5 convertible but the current version has been out for a while now, and that screen is what I consider tacked on. When the unveil of the mustang came out, it was no brainer for me to switch up.

honest question: what about the Mustang tacked on screens looks good?

 

[Southpaw78]

honest question: what about the Mustang tacked on screens looks good?

For me (and that's the key here) its a combination of the curved full glass look along with the jump in graphics. Its a design that I thought looked cool in BMWs and Mercs so to see it translate to a Mustang was unexpected and refreshing. I was seriously expecting the Mach E screen which is overload.

Mind you, I don't have the long history and nostalgia factor a number of folks here with mustangs have, this is my first and I don't have any stories growing up with one. I'm also not a car show guy so I may be an outlier in this forum. But I am a car nut, and joined to get every tidbit of info I can on a very exciting purchase for me.

 

[AZRobert]

Honestly, I had always hated them - it looked like someone just jabbed a tablet into the dash as an afterthought. In the last 8 or 9 years I'd had 3 or 4 cars with the 7+" screens mounted lower. Then I got impatient after I ordered my '22 and bought a '19 430i with the tablet jabbed into the dash. After driving for several months it seems to just make sense with the screen in my line of sight. When my '22 came in the screen in my line of sight was the one thing that I really missed.

 

[unfairslide]

It’s kinda like Justin Bieber sells a lot of albums. He sucks, and isn’t a good musician, but people still buy them in big numbers. The tacked on dash is the same but in a car interior. The integration sucks, but people see it and think “tech!!!”. It still sucks despite people buying into it. Not having buttons in general sucks for functionality.

Have you ever took a second and thought what you think sucks others might like? Or is your opinion superior?

 

[unfairslide]

Honestly, I had always hated them - it looked like someone just jabbed a tablet into the dash as an afterthought. In the last 8 or 9 years I'd had 3 or 4 cars with the 7+" screens mounted lower. Then I got impatient after I ordered my '22 and bought a '19 430i with the tablet jabbed into the dash. After driving for several months it seems to just make sense with the screen in my line of sight. When my '22 came in the screen in my line of sight was the one thing that I really missed.

Yup, exactly what I was saying earlier. Having them mounted higher makes a huge difference. I'm glad they went this route.

I think the aux gauges will look sweet in that spot.

 

[Zcarmenb28]

Have you ever took a second and thought what you think sucks others might like? Or is your opinion superior?

Of course, but in this case, from a design integration standpoint, the tacked on screens aren’t good design. They could make a big glass curved screen and integrate in a way with a tasteful design language. But they didn’t.

 

[unfairslide]

Of course, but in this case, from a design integration standpoint, the tacked on screens aren’t good design. They could make a big glass curved screen and integrate in a way with a tasteful design language. But they didn’t.

Fair. Although having them higher is more ergonomic and probably a lot easier to maintain/replace. Integration comes with it's own negatives just like tacking them on does.

 

[Jjr36011]

The animations are nice. Previously you just look at a tach. Rpms. Love it. But the animations , gauge styles….Going full in on digital opens a large amount of opportunities for features previously just not possible.


And many are looking at it at the perspective generally from the side aka someone taking a picture, so yeah it looks funny in a way lol but I have a feeling its gonna be super hot when your in the drivers seat looking at it head on.

Im a sucker though as they had me at fox body gauges haha. That will be chosen on the drive home.

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