I wish Subaru didn't go all-in on touch for critical controls like climate and radio. It may be the #1 reason I don't look to them for my next vehicle.
I used to say I would never buy a phone without a physical keyboard. My last phone with a physical keyboard was the original Moto Droid, which I lost in 2012.
A touch interface in a car is nice for reaching all kinds of weird settings and hopefully make good ux for maps and stuff. But for direct control it sucks. The car I'm driving now I have no way to adjust the AC without multiple screen touches (switch to AC screen, wait, click the small - button multiple times to decrease temperature, click + button multiple times to increase fan speed).
I'm all for nice touch screens, just keep some knobs as well.
Understood, but I think the ability to adjust things tactile is more important in a driving scenario. Also, The UI lag on some of these infotainment systems feels like a 2010 iphone running iOS 13.
If only one could update the processor in their infotainment the way one does a phone, instead of having to buy a new car.
You raise a valid concern. At least in the Outback, a lot of things can be done with voice commands. It's not lightning-fast, but when driving, that's safer than both a touch-screen and physical buttons/switches.
