I mean, they added extending visors at least… but removed the sun roof shade? I guess Volvo wanted to continue to ensure that you couldn’t keep the sun out of your eyes in some way.

 

The problem with Volvo, is they don't have the capacity to make changes to their products at the rate of their larger competitors.
So while a competitor may add switches in the following model year, Volvo has already invested far too much to make abrupt changes to their products to now offer switches again.

A great example is our Honda. It was the only year (2016) when they initially changed to a touch-sensitive "slider" for the volume knob.
After many complaints from owners and auto media, they went back to a volume knob for the 2017 year onwards.

 

The problem with Volvo is they don’t listen not that “they are to small to quickly adapt “.

it doesn’t help when people don’t give honest feedback but scream how great the Volvo product is only to trade it in for BMW or Subaru…

 

Problem is also management, and too many millennials in the design team.

 

... customers actually do want more buttons....

Is that in response to no buttons (e.g., Tesla)? Or a desire for more choices despite complexity? Maybe buttons connected to nothing would satisfy.

This is good enough:

 

Is that in response to no buttons (e.g., Tesla)? Or a desire for more choices despite complexity? Maybe buttons connected to nothing would satisfy.

You might be onto something.
Maybe all Volvo needs to do is mount one of these on the dash of all late model vehicles?

 

I agree with DFrantz that automakers may live in echo chambers. My guess is that these echo chambers are ruled by bean counters. It's probably easier and less costly to slap a screen on the dashboard and load it with software to run everything, then to install actual physical controls.

When a friend, who owned a V60 at that time a few years ago, was looking for a replacement, he purchased a Porsche Macan. Its selling points to him at the time were the physical knobs on its dashboard, a spare tire in the trunk and the use of non-run-flat tires with taller sidewalls. Of course, a year or two later, Porsche also moved many of those controls to their infotainment system, as well.

Some of the "change", particularly with the dashboard & infotainment topic, is an "age thing", IMO. For younger people, who've grown up in the iPhone world, a compact computer screen in their hands, where one can swipe and find almost anything, is the norm. For others, who grew up in a time when a pager was "new" technology, swiping a screen to locate normally used functions in a car is annoying and, to many, seems absurd.

IMO, I doubt the manufacturers will return to physical knobs, but it would be nice if some did. Personally, I long for the days of dashboards with physical knobs, gages for critical functions, a spare tire in the trunk, dip sticks for the engine and trans oil, and the return to smaller wheels and tires with taller sidewalls (so the car doesn't feel like its riding on stone wheels).

 

The lack of objective reasoning and proper user research & testing when designing products astounds me, especially within cars. The idea of replacing physical buttons may make sense perhaps on a phone, or another context, but when one is driving a vehicle that weighs several tons at high speeds, does it really make sense to distract the driver who may be losing focus to find a digital button?

It is fundamentally cheaper to remove buttons and embed everything into software. But is that the experience that drivers actually want and need? These decisions to remove buttons, bolt on screens, and embed everything into software is inherently lazy. Age does not matter here - safety does.

There will be manufacturers who understand that the future is one where carefully adding screens to augment the driving experience whist retaining physical buttons will improve the experience for all.

 

@graystroke, don't disagree with your comments, particularly regarding "safety". However, when it comes to in-car driving distractions I feel the "horse-is-out-of-the-barn". Unfortunately, for many drivers the norm is to drive in a distracted manner. They are accustom to driving while using their cell phone for calls and texts. The annoyance and/or concern for distracted driving that you and I may feel is lost on them. I rode a motorcycle for a number of years, but gave it up about 10 years ago. I felt at that time, and even more so now, that there were too many distracted drivers on the road. I grew up at a time before drunk driving became a societal issue. Thankfully, due to public pressure, new laws and enhanced police monitoring, drunk driving incidents are far more under control now than in prior years. Now, I fear that our current era of "distracted" driving, due to cell phones and infotainment systems, has reached epidemic proportions and is the "new" norm.

 

Agreed, albeit sadly.

An eye opening experiment for anyone who does not believe this is a problem, is to simply count the number of distracted drivers on a few trips. Easier to do on a major highway.

Yesterday I was on 95 and visibly distracted driver kept coming up on my shoulder and then stayed there lingering as they were noodling on their phone. A good time to floor it and create some distance.

 

The screen really isn't a safety problem to me, and I will continue to state that as a boomer concern. In fact, it reduces how much people play with their phones, which will occur regardless. I suspect most people playing with their phones are the people who refuse to connect their phones to the car for "reasons" and pretend privacy is a thing, and by not connecting they are making themselves more private. And I look away on my P2 and P3 cars as much as on a SPA car. What I find annoying is that the screens could be great if they were open source. But the assumptions made on what I would use most are infuriatingly bad. I don't want to see a map most days, and I don't want to see what album I'm listing too in huge pictures, what the cover of the book I'm listening to. The mirror controls in a screen I find inexcusably bad. The rear windows requiring a separate action actually I think are a huge improvement as I currently only ever put my rear windows down by mistake. So thats one button reduction I do like. Overall, it's mostly the screens add no value to me, but increase challenges of serviceability. I saw someone is trying to revive the Yugo name... cheap simple cars... Maybe I can get my Elio motors deposit switched over to that! (I did not actually put a deposit for an Elio.. but if Yugo included a Tee Shirt I might be interested).

 

@DFrantz, regarding "suspect most people playing with their phones are the people who refuse to connect their phones to the car" ... I live 2 blocks from a public grammar school. So often I see a parent driving a large "family-size" SUV to/from the school with one hand on their cell phone. The vehicles they are driving are certain to have bluetooth capability, so I'm at a loss as to why it's not in use. Also, whether the drivers are using their hand-held cell phone or bluetooth, often I see them driving in a distracted manner by talking in an animated way. IMO, talking-and-driving is similar to drinking-and-driving, and both can be harmful to others. As for me, I'm retired and often walk in my neighborhood for exercise. During the times when the grammar school in busy with student traffic, I stay at home. Crossing a street corner at these times is like playing Russian roulette.

BTW, you mentioned infotainment system distraction may primarily be a "boomer concern". Perhaps you are correct, but maybe it should be a more widespread concern, just like drunk driving has become a concern over the years. The reality is that people are driving ever more larger vehicles and, due to increased distractions in these vehicles, more opportunity for harm exists. I know people can and do multitask. However, when it come to driving a vehicle, multitasking can lead to bad consequences.

 

Anyone remember the orange valet key? What a disaster that was for customers who were originally told “nothing we can do to change it back to a standard key.” Months later, software update was given to change it back. Tone deaf C Suite members thinking they’re speaking on behalf of customers. They are as disconnected as politicians.

 

I watched something the other day that said the EU was mandating Button return on cars from 2027 or something like that. anyone else heard that?
When you think about it mobile phone use is banned pretty well everywhere yet we have 12 inch plus touchscreens that you need to use for everything. seems a little silly really.

 

There should be a Slap Station. 👏

Found driving down the road tapping your phone instead of driving? Off to the Slap Station. 👏

Found scrolling through emails and cutting people off? Off to the Slap Station. 👏

Driving slow in the left lane cause you're reponding to some ash hat text? Off to the Slap Station. 👏

Before someone responds to this post saying something ludicrous. Remember, sarcasm is a good thing.

YMMV.

 

look regulators want more buttons too

Cars will need fewer screens and more buttons to earn five-star safety rating in Europe

Euro NCAP will release new testing guidelines in 2026.

www.theverge.com

 

The buttons are a safety concern is a poor argument though. It's just because old people don't want to use the technology. The notion that you HAVE to touch anything on your car while driving is a bit silly. You WANT to change the radio or temp (both of which you can do with voice control). I hate the look of screens and the extra technology that comes with them, but the safety argument is for boomers. Things will change as they leave politics (or die off, though it seems most prefer to die in their elected positions).

 

What does voice control do for you if you want to check the odometer on AAOS cars? Especially when you’re using Bluetooth for a phone call 😉. Any chance voice control can change the interior lighting? (It can’t - and your left with way too bright or unable to see anything on the dash when driving through tunnels, for example).

Anyone in a Sensus powered Volvo could not change the temperature without requiring touching multiple buttons. Is it eventually intuitive, sure.

 

@Ultrarunner511 To get the Odometer you press the circle button... so there... you got a button. Why you would ever need that while driving is beyond me, but its there if you want it. You would hang up on someone, but while I know someone who literally did that trying to check the miles, it's generally not an actual need. But I do think not having the ODO on the screen is stupid, but it's not an issue with the touch screen, it's just crappy Volvo software engineering. I also never change my interior lighting, so things like that go over my head.

On a Sensus car you could either touch the main screen or you could use voice command....

 

@Ultrarunner511 To get the Odometer you press the circle button... so there... you got a button. Why you would ever need that while driving is beyond me, but its there if you want it. You would hang up on someone, but while I know someone who literally did that trying to check the miles, it's generally not an actual need. But I do think not having the ODO on the screen is stupid, but it's not an issue with the touch screen, it's just crappy Volvo software engineering. I also never change my interior lighting, so things like that go over my head.

On a Sensus car you could either touch the main screen or you could use voice command....

Well? I tried getting my 2021 to start the AC fans. Had to argue with it. And the only response is that the AC system is off. That was fun going down the list of key words that it might recognize. Eventually it started - but I’m unsure the exact series of words needed. Prompted me to look in the manual. And look at that? The VOC app no longer contains the searchable manual. An update removed it on both of our cars. It redirects you to the Volvo Cars website to select your car. Buried deep in the pdf manual around page 220 - there it is. A list of commands you must use in order to change the climate controls using your voice. Any varying statements will simply notify you the climate system is off.

The amount of effort that took is comical. I’ll stick with the Sensus touch screen after all. It’s much faster than the AAOS system anyways. And at least I can change the interior lighting on the fly. Trusty adjustment wheel has always worked 😂. When I drive thru a tunnel in the 2023, the screen goes so dark that I cannot even see the settings to adjust the interior lighting. Just driving without any information and waiting for your eyes to adjust. Also comical.

 

I could have told them that. Both in airplanes and boats, the pure touch screen equipment that was the "best newest coolest thing" has been relegated to the discount tier and the best equipment has knobs again.
People want to be able to turn the heat up or turn the fan down without taking their eyes off the road, reading a screen, and going through menus.

 

Ya'll kill me with your refusal to use the climate systems as designed. Even on the older Volvos I never really touch the controls... the auto feature works quite nice. On the new ones, I can't imagine needing to change the fan speed. 3 auto and it's done. To be honest... I couldn't tell you where the fan control is on my P2 Volvo... because I never change it... I'd absolutely have to look if I took it off auto.

 

Try using voice control to set the temperature to 71F...

 

Why would your AC be off? Mine stays on year round like it's supposed to.

 

Please don’t crucify me here. But I have a totally non-evidenced based theory that turning the car off when the AC compressor is engaged will prematurely cause the evaporator to fail. Even allowing 20-30 seconds for the system to be off and the refrigerant and the evaporator to better return to a reasonable temperature would be beneficial in my OCD mind. At least in terms of preventing moisture, frost, mold, etc in and on the evaporator.

I have zero reliable evidence to suggest it. Other than my wife’s 2017 that was rarely turned off like most normal people haha. Subsequently the AC compressor failed per the dealer, and the evaporator failed. Both right after the factory warranty of course (almost like it’s planned obsolescence).

My former cars exceeded 200k miles and 100k miles without even needing an AC recharge using my simple but OCD practice. I know, it doesn’t mean anything. But it’s a theory. Anecdotally my wife’s 2023 will be a good test. It’s always left on, and the auto start system fits nicely into testing my theory. Fingers crossed, my 2021 has been rock solid with the AC system. Made it much further than the 2017 by time and mileage 🤷‍♂️

 

The early SPA XC90 ac systems just suck. Cars have had auto systems for years, premature AC failure was far higher back in the day. Most of the 1980s cars I owned had non-functioning air in the 1990s. Today it's rather surprising to find a car from the past 25 years with broken AC other than design faults. Given I believe Volvo is the only brand to have a smut novel named after it's design faults, I'm sorta stuck saying it's a Volvo issue, not an AC always on issue =-D