Can the next generation Mach-E please include more buttons?

[Jimrpa]

Yeah, I think it's just you.

Which voice commands do you find most useful?

Mostly changing SiriusXM stations and adjusting cabin temperature. Navigation, particularly while driving. Sadly, ford has never bothered to publish an exhaustive vocabulary for the system.

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[LincolnLuvr]

That’s not what you said originally ?
You said “Buttons are never obsolete! Can't operate your hvac if the screen dies.”
I am pointing out that the second sentence is incorrect.
And just how often are you adjusting your climate controls that pressing one button on the steering wheel and saying a short phrase is too cumbersome? ? I rarely twiddle around with climate control while driving.

Haha, touche! I stand corrected on the HVAC not being operable if the screen dies (you are correct!!) but I maintain my original position that buttons are never obsolete and I further add that buttons are faster than voice control.

I was driving a rental '24 Ford Edge the other day and all the HVAC buttons are in the touchscreen. I like to initially start with a higher temp then turn cooler. And I couldn't even adjust the temp because I hit a rough patch of road and the car was bouncing up and down (along with the touchscreen). Eventually I was able to adjust it but not without taking my eyes off the road for several seconds. Now if it had physical controls....

 

[ack154]

I suspect IIHS will follow suit if they agree that the evidence supports it. They want to reduce crashes to reduce costs for the insurance industry that they serve. And if that happens, the manufacturers will absolutely get in line if not doing so costs them a top safety pick award.

I'd agree with that. Those ratings are pretty important to their marketing. I'll be really curious what even NCAP's ratings are actually based on. Like, which functions, exactly, do they expect to see buttons for?

 

[Jeff-NoVA]

I'd agree with that. Those ratings are pretty important to their marketing. I'll be really curious what even NCAP's ratings are actually based on. Like, which functions, exactly, do they expect to see buttons for?

From Ars Technica:

Now, Euro NCAP is not insisting on everything being its own button or switch. But the organization wants to see physical controls for turn signals, hazard lights, windshield wipers, the horn, and any SOS features, like the European Union's eCall feature.

The Mach-E already meets this standard. I think this was really aimed at Tesla.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Give Siri a promotion and fire all the buttons.

 

[Jimrpa]

Haha, touche! I stand corrected on the HVAC not being operable if the screen dies (you are correct!!) but I maintain my original position that buttons are never obsolete and I further add that buttons are faster than voice control.

I was driving a rental '24 Ford Edge the other day and all the HVAC buttons are in the touchscreen. I like to initially start with a higher temp then turn cooler. And I couldn't even adjust the temp because I hit a rough patch of road and the car was bouncing up and down (along with the touchscreen). Eventually I was able to adjust it but not without taking my eyes off the road for several seconds. Now if it had physical controls....

I agree that touch screen controls are not always optimal (your situation, for example), but they do reduce the cost of the vehicle and allow the manufacturer to update the user experience over time. I’ll point out that the Star Trek spaceships almost universally had touchscreen-type controls and you never saw the captain rolling down the windows when he meant to engage the impulse drive and he always ordered his tea by voice command ?

 

[933233311602]

Looking at the 2024 Ranger for inspiration. The buttons can be more cosmetically elegant but would like to see dedicated HVAC controls.

Let's hope so. I don't know who Ford let design the interior of the Mach E but it's obvious they had neither good industrial design skill nor a true driver's love for driving to match with a car branded with "Mustang."

The physical controls that are there feel cheap and are placed in awkward places. The roulette wheel PDNR spinner from the Escape with the left over "L" button makes me embarrassed for Ford every time I touch it. Not to mention that it has no gate stops and will happily let you spin from D to P or R while moving.

The current center screen is hideously ugly, looking like a teenager's driveway hack to screw a tablet to the dash to make their Ford Escort look like those Teslas they saw in a magazine. It's just stuck there, hanging, with no attempt to actually integrate it into the car.

Not to mention, the obvious, that touch screens are horrible interfaces for when you aren't staring at them with your full attention. Like while driving. Even with taking eyes away from the road, touch screens require precise finger aim. I've tapped the edges of icons and needed to re-tap so many times I'm surprised there aren't dents in my screen by now.

Proper controls are easy to find without looking at them, and give confident touch feedback when operated so you know if it is on-or-off, up-or-down, left-or-right without needing to see it. Japan and Germany have earned awards for their decades of excellent human-to-machine integration. Any car branded with "Mustang" should be a driver's car first.

The only alternative to good, physical controls would be a fantastic voice-controlled system; something that could keep up with simple sentences, provided audible feedback on what command it was executing, and could be interrupted / changed instantly, even chaotically.

Until we get Star Trek bridge level voice-controls, good physical controls will always be superior for almost all operations while driving.

Touch-screen controls are great for detailed adjustments and menu-level stuff while the car is parked and for big, bright displays of information that can change for different scenarios.

 

[mdolan92869]

I agree that touch screen controls are not always optimal (your situation, for example), but they do reduce the cost of the vehicle and allow the manufacturer to update the user experience over time. I’ll point out that the Star Trek spaceships almost universally had touchscreen-type controls and you never saw the captain rolling down the windows when he meant to engage the impulse drive and he always ordered his tea by voice command ?

Not on original Star Trek. They had buttons, Kirk ejected the pod when he tried to go to red alert (I know, he was cleared of that). Don't get me started on why they'd have an eject pod button on his arm rest, how often would he need/want to do that? ?

 

[Jimrpa]

Not on original Star Trek. They had buttons, Kirk ejected the pod when he tried to go to red alert (I know, he was cleared of that). Don't get me started on why they'd have an eject pod button on his arm rest, how often would he need/want to do that? ?

TOS was so old-fashioned! Do you remember the size of their “iPads” and “AirPods”? ???

 

[ChehRob]

Controls are almost distressingly complex on many cars, and for at least so the last ten years. And where to put them?? RAV4 had 'em on the steering wheel, column, center console, feft knee etc. I grade it D+, or C-

I would say the MME is B+. Wish it were better but appreciate the improvement. That big screen should be a lot more helpful than it is. Why can't it tell me which 'maps' it is currently using: Ford, Apple or Google. And when I press the HVAC why not a full screen with BIg type face and big touch screen buttons for heat, temp, defrost, and fan. It is all there but poorly presented.

Software engineers should be thinking Rental car, or first time user.

 

[LincolnLuvr]

Let's hope so. I don't know who Ford let design the interior of the Mach E but it's obvious they had neither good industrial design skill nor a true driver's love for driving to match with a car branded with "Mustang."

The physical controls that are there feel cheap and are placed in awkward places. The roulette wheel PDNR spinner from the Escape with the left over "L" button makes me embarrassed for Ford every time I touch it. Not to mention that it has no gate stops and will happily let you spin from D to P or R while moving.

The current center screen is hideously ugly, looking like a teenager's driveway hack to screw a tablet to the dash to make their Ford Escort look like those Teslas they saw in a magazine. It's just stuck there, hanging, with no attempt to actually integrate it into the car.

Not to mention, the obvious, that touch screens are horrible interfaces for when you aren't staring at them with your full attention. Like while driving. Even with taking eyes away from the road, touch screens require precise finger aim. I've tapped the edges of icons and needed to re-tap so many times I'm surprised there aren't dents in my screen by now.

Proper controls are easy to find without looking at them, and give confident touch feedback when operated so you know if it is on-or-off, up-or-down, left-or-right without needing to see it. Japan and Germany have earned awards for their decades of excellent human-to-machine integration. Any car branded with "Mustang" should be a driver's car first.

The only alternative to good, physical controls would be a fantastic voice-controlled system; something that could keep up with simple sentences, provided audible feedback on what command it was executing, and could be interrupted / changed instantly, even chaotically.

Until we get Star Trek bridge level voice-controls, good physical controls will always be superior for almost all operations while driving.

Touch-screen controls are great for detailed adjustments and menu-level stuff while the car is parked and for big, bright displays of information that can change for different scenarios.

Couldn't have said it better!

 

[Peugfan]

Voice control takes too long. Toggling a physical control takes half a second. Voice control takes a few seconds and requires first pressing the Sync *button*.

Just can't beat the efficiency and safety of a good old physical control/button.

Your temperature change button will change the heat output temp in 1/2 sec…lol

 

[Peugfan]

The 4 buttons I don’t like, the ones you have to push to open the doors. Just give me a regular handle.

Buttons are fine. I like the nice clean look of no handles…only problem is newbie passengers are looking for door handles.

 

[Womps]

I like the door handles on the new designed 2024 Lincoln Nautilus. They are handles with the electric release button on the inside of the handle. With winter gloves on they work 1st time, every time. Not so much my Mach E. If the door opening buttons were larger on the Mach E I think it would help a lot.

 

[JustBob]

I was disappointed first seeing the big center screen in the Mach E. I thought Ford was trying to copy Tesla too much. However after owning it, I've quickly become accustomed to it. I wish we could customize it more. HVAC is good. I just wish the icon would display the current state. Seems like some easy programming.

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