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The hood stand is for pedestrian safety. My 2013 American Made Passat TDI had one too. If you look it up in the case of an engine fire the gas in the hood struts heat up and shoot the metal bar out. Firefighters and first responders have been injured because of it.
I've actually seen this. Not with a VW, but a GM vehicle caught fire in a garage and the gas hood strut shot across the street and dented a neighbours garage door
 
One of the major things VW USED to have going for it was they still had hard buttons for many functions like heated seats etc and the twist knobs rather than cheaping out and putting it all on the touchscreen the way many other brands did. Now, at a time when Kia and Hyundai and upping their game dramatically and making sure their hot new vehicles still have hard buttons, VW totally misreads the moment and decides to eliminate virtually everything for the touch screen. You've also got grands like Mazda that arguably compete with VW and seem to be judging better and keeping the hard buttons. Disappointing.
Quote 100% :thumbup:
 
The infotainment will be the same as it is in all of the MK8 models. They may speed-up the software but they won't add any buttons.
I tend to agree here, and that is too bad. For the very basic quick functions - nothing beats a knob or a button. Trying to fiddle with a screen for basic AC, seat heaters, air-recirc is
just infuriating to me. Things I can do now without taking my eyes off the road by simple touch,....and yes, I adjust them often.
 
I tend to agree here, and that is too bad. For the very basic quick functions - nothing beats a knob or a button. Trying to fiddle with a screen for basic AC, seat heaters, air-recirc is
just infuriating to me. Things I can do now without taking my eyes off the road by simple touch,....and yes, I adjust them often.
So, which way is the industry as a whole moving on this?
 
One of the major things VW USED to have going for it was they still had hard buttons for many functions like heated seats etc and the twist knobs rather than cheaping out and putting it all on the touchscreen the way many other brands did. Now, at a time when Kia and Hyundai and upping their game dramatically and making sure their hot new vehicles still have hard buttons, VW totally misreads the moment and decides to eliminate virtually everything for the touch screen. You've also got grands like Mazda that arguably compete with VW and seem to be judging better and keeping the hard buttons. Disappointing.
Quote 100% <img src="http://www.vwvortex.com/Anthony/Smilies/thumbup.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Thumb Up" class="inlineimg" />
The Korean car manufacturers aren’t upping their game. It is the same old garbage that will threaten your life while driving.

I remember when Korean cars were first in the USA. They had big news stories about brand new Korean cars having brake failures on hills etc. I never forgot this and refused/refuse to accept a Korean rental car. Well I’m glad a did because there was a recent recall for modern Korean cars for none other than Brake Line Failures!!!

Upping their game my arsch.

~1992:
Hyundai/Khia brake failure on tv news. Back then articles were printed in newspapers.

2013:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idINL4N0HL1F020130925

2017:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN18807P

September 2020:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnew...ndai-kia-recall-vehicles-leaks-fires-72793532

https://thebrakereport.com/hyundai-kia-recalling-more-vehicles-due-to-brake-issues/
 
Quote at 2:18 on the video

(The new dashboard) turns the simplest of commands into a massive (unintelligible)...When did the world become allergic to buttons?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmL_QbUwvsg

When it was simply cheaper to use a screen - period.
I have never heard anyone say "please replace my volume knob with a ridiculous screen slider bar", or "please replace my very easy to use climate controls to a screen where I have to take my eyes off the road to use them", or "please bury my seat heating controls in a screen menu so I can't find them easy"

But I have heard many, many people request to bring back the buttons.

Just like it was cheaper to not have a physical touch keyboard on a smart phone. Has nothing to do with technology, it's just all about the $$$ savings.
 
A lot of German car reviews I’ve seen talk about how glitchy the infotainment is, no illuminated touch panels for volume and climate. Also a bunch of other issues while driving on narrow roads with incoming traffic and such. It was actually suggested that the new technology in the Golf 8 is flat out dangerous. I bet we will see a bunch of features eliminated for NA since we can sue the living crap outta VW if something bad happens.....
Having recently had some passenger seat time in a Mk8 myself, I have to say all of that is true. I simply couldn't find some settings or info. The system is sometimes laggy. They gave the UI a white background, so it'd look like an iPad, apparently. You accidentally tap the touch panel below the display because there's nowhere else to support your hand on while trying to hit a target on the display while driving. And yeah, the volume and temp adjustment buttons aren't illuminated!

The whole car screams cost savings. There are some nice new things, like the touch-operated interior lights (instead of pushing a button to turn the light in the headliner on, you simply touch the light that, when off, is surrounded by this dim illuminated frame), but in way too many places a Golf 7 owner will find cost cutting that together with the "facelifted-Mk7" look of the car just plain makes it look cheap.
 
The whole car screams cost savings. There are some nice new things, like the touch-operated interior lights (instead of pushing a button to turn the light in the headliner on, you simply touch the light that, when off, is surrounded by this dim illuminated frame), but in way too many places a Golf 7 owner will find cost cutting that together with the "facelifted-Mk7" look of the car just plain makes it look cheap.
Ugh... That sucks. Was so looking forward to the MkVIII Golf R (so long as it had a 6sp MT). Now, not so much.

JB
 
Ugh... That sucks. Was so looking forward to the MkVIII Golf R (so long as it had a 6sp MT). Now, not so much.

JB
The Golf has been VW's highest selling vehicle for over 3 decades. They are not going to make a mistake with the Golf. Don't accept the opinion of someone with unknown motives. Wait until you see one.
 
Discussion starter · #75 ·
The evidence against Touchscreens in cars is now compelling!

These recent articles explain why it is dangerously stupid to replace knobs and buttons with Touchscreens in cars. Let's hope VW changes course, so that the next generation of the Golf (9) is drivable and safe again.

https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxur...ens-handy-device-hazardous-distraction-190717

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/a26016348/car-infotainment-distraction/

https://www.carsales.com.au/editori...istracting-than-texting-while-driving-123412/
 
These recent articles explain why it is dangerously stupid to replace knobs and buttons with Touchscreens in cars. Let's hope VW changes course, so that the next generation of the Golf (9) is drivable and safe again.

https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxur...ens-handy-device-hazardous-distraction-190717

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/a26016348/car-infotainment-distraction/

https://www.carsales.com.au/editori...istracting-than-texting-while-driving-123412/
So, is the Mk8 the only vehicle on the market that has moved to touch controls?
 
Discussion starter · #78 ·
So, is the Mk8 the only vehicle on the market that has moved to touch controls?
Just because other cars use touch controls, doesn't mean it's a good idea. Car companies follow trends, like every other industry - some trends are useful, others not so.

For example, Apple tried for a while to evolve their MacBook keyboards into touchscreens by making them so thin, that they had no tactile feedback. These 'butterfly keyboards' were an absolute disaster for the company - both from a financial and reputational perspective. Now they have reversed course and made their keyboards tactile again, and reintroduced the physical 'escape' key that they previously turned into a touch screen key.

The point is, big companies like Apple and VW do make fundamental mistakes. Sure, they do lots of consumer testing, but so much depends on what questions they ask. I seriously doubt that VW created full sized mockups of their Golf 8 touchscreens, installed them in cars, and asked people to test them by driving for thousands of kilometres. If they did, there is no way we would have ended up with such a problematic interface. It's not just me saying this, dozens of experienced professional car reviewers have said the same thing - look at the YouTube reviews.

I would like to stress that I am not a VW hater - I love my current Golf 7 - it's one of the best cars I have ever owned. I just want VW to put proper buttons and switches back into their cars.
 
Again - it's all about the money here, not if it is useful or not. Migrate a button to a screen icon - instant savings, no longer have to source the switch and run the wires to it.
Not sure how VW does it in the Mk8 - but recently Porsche in their 992 911 put the Homelink (garage door buttons) in the touch screen. So I believe you have to go through a menu or two to open your garage door. Getting kind of ridiculous out there IMO. :rolleyes:
 
Again - it's all about the money here, not if it is useful or not. Migrate a button to a screen icon - instant savings, no longer have to source the switch and run the wires to it.
Not sure how VW does it in the Mk8 - but recently Porsche in their 992 911 put the Homelink (garage door buttons) in the touch screen. So I believe you have to go through a menu or two to open your garage door. Getting kind of ridiculous out there IMO. :rolleyes:
Yes and I see the touch screen with finger prints all over them. And when the screen dies what will be the $$ after warranty? As they say KISS Keep It Simple Stupid !
 
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