The Luxury of Simplicity; Infotainment Woes

As screens grow larger, menus deepen, and door handles vanish, simplicity is lost.

Oh, how great it must be to drive the luxury cars of today. As you open the door—hold on, the door handles are extending—you are greeted by an inviting and well-appointed cabin. You sink into plush, heated and cooled—open the climate menu—seats. You put the car in drive—it's the knob there by the cupholder, no that's the volume—and enjoy the supple—open the settings menu, swipe right, select chassis, comfort—and composed ride. It's a bit warm—back to the climate menu, use that slider—that's better. The music is a bit quiet—no, that's the gear selector, remember? Eyes on the road! You're probably beginning to see the issue.

Modern technology in cars is mostly a great thing. It has been vital to automotive advancements in performance, efficiency, and comfort. Infotainment screens, for example, have introduced welcome features such as CarPlay and Android Auto, over-the-air updates, lower production costs, and menus full of options and configurability. Unfortunately, these screens have largely replaced physical controls and buttons that used to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of automotive interiors. Relocating these tangible features to a surface with no texture, shape, or feedback requires drivers to turn their attention away from the road to operate them. Not only that, but these controls are often made even less convenient by poor organization or laggy interfaces. A simple task such as adjusting the temperature can become an ordeal of focusing on the road while trying to click a specific point on a screen. If you hit a bump in the road, your finger gets thrown off target, so you have to start over. This difficulty would be acceptable for a irregular tasks such as adjusting equalizer settings or changing time zones, but not for adjustments that drivers regularly interact with.

Screens are largely responsible for a rise in unnecessary inconvenience in cars, but not the sole contributor. Haptic controls, aggressive safety features, unconventional door handles, and obscure gear selectors are also to blame. These nuisances collectively create experiences that are frustrating enough to make otherwise excellent cars undesirable. Volkswagen's latest Golf, for example, is one of its best hot hatches yet, but is detested for its haptic controls on its steering wheel. This feature is so hated, in fact, that Volkswagen is returning to physical buttons in its refreshed Golf.

The puzzling thing about this inconvenient technology is that it is commonly found in luxury cars. Industry leaders in luxury such as Mercedes have all but abandoned physical buttons in favor of screens. This is odd because this added complexity does not enhance the car, nor does it promote ease of use. Luxury should be effortless, not irritable. Other manufacturers are criticized for being slow to change and innovate, but that may be something to be thankful for. Lexus, for example, has many models that are considered uncompetitive for their use of items such as trackpads, inefficient powertrains, and aging design. Despite these things, Lexus models are attractive options for buyers searching for a tried and true vehicle that just works. Simple operation and peace of mind is a luxury in itself.

I am personally biased towards Lexus as a former 2023 Lexus GX 460 owner, but after 20,000 miles of adventure on and off road through various states, I just love the GX. I understand that the GX is on the lesser side of luxury, but that's subjective. I bring up the GX 460 because it is often overlooked among other SUVs. With a design dating back to 2010 and unimpressive performance, it's a dinosaur of a car. (This article was written prior to the announcement of the GX550.) The GX's fuel economy is truck-like, its six-speed is clunky, it still has a trackpad, and an updated fascia is the greatest factor separating it from its initial 2010 model year. Oh, and it's got a CD player if you're still into that. Thankfully, CarPlay was added in 2022. What the GX 460 lacks in the latest and greatest, it makes up for in quality and simplicity. Every control can be found either on the wheel or on one of three neatly arranged rows of buttons on the center stack. Though some areas are largely plastic, every part of the interior is incredibly solid with no creaks or rattles. The air-conditioning is strong, the seats are comfortable, the standard sound system is nice, and the chunky shifter is refreshingly old-school. No swiping, double-tapping, voice command, or internet inquiry is necessary to use any of these things. One could completely familiarize themself with the GX for the first time in minutes. My point is that the GX 460, if nothing else, offers the luxury of simplicity. For some, that matters the most.

Luckily, car buyers, you have the power of choice. If frustrating new features offered in current luxury cars are too much to bear, great cars that don't suffer from them still exist. You may also find that inconvenience isn't enough to blacklist otherwise great cars—maybe just set the temperature and connect your phone before you swipe, press, or push the car into drive. Time, or more specifically, sales, will tell if these items such as screens are truly dealbreakers. Engineered inconvenience may have to run its course before the luxury of simplicity is restored.