Did Tesla make a weirdmobile? Comparison 3 BMW 3 dash

[sandpiper]

So instead of controlling everything from a single screen, your eyes and hands can dance happily all over the center console and the dash searching for just the right button. The MS seemed pretty minimalist when I was first looking. Now, I never want to go back and see a mess like this. But, everyone's boat is floated by something different. Maybe your golf cart dash is more complicated; but is it better than the Model 3. Really?

Exactly. When I'm forced to drive my wife's Audi, I get annoyed trying to recall what each of the 200 buttons does. I was skeptical at first but never want to go back.

 

[J1mbo]

IMO having dedicated single-purpose (often single use) buttons littered all over the place does not make a car great.

Personally I am a big fan of the high-end minimalist look.

As long as they get the materials right and the fit and finish sorted then I am 100% onboard with what I have seen so far.

 

[Garlan Garner]

And that's the point. The old design ethic, and old technology demanded a LOT of complexity. And so we desired it. The newer tech permits simplicity - which might be a bit jarring to those of us who grew up under the old paradigm.

Yes...especially since humans are so complex.

We have no buttons.

Tesla's cars are becoming more human every day.

 

[electracity]

I do think the dash is borderline weirdmobile. But a successful M3 will normalize this sort of design in cars.

 

[Spidy]

Now, there's no reason for a car dash to be any more or less than a computer.

Yes, there is. I'm need to operate it while driving!

Also last time I checked Apple Laptops still have physical keys.

 

[McMuggets]

Even that "modern" X1 dash photo looks too cluttered for my tastes, now that I am used to seeing the nice clean feel of a Model S. This is exactly like those who loved the complex numerous buttons of the Blackberry, vs. the iPhone.

 

[Garlan Garner]

People have different taste, but my opionion is, Model 3 dash is ugly.

Edit: FML typo in the title

View attachment 228814 View attachment 228815

All things new are weird at first.

Especially the first 5 minutes after a baby is born......Then it becomes beautiful.

The model 3 is still in the womb. It looks a little weird right now. Just wait till 5 min (months) after its born.....compared to everything else. It will be beautiful.

 

[Chopr147]

I control all functions on my S through the touch screen. So far it hasn't gotten old.

Same here. I LOVE the controls all in one place. But the 3 looks too minimalist to me. Like it's missing something or maybe i'm just too old. I notice when I drive my wife's (as little as possible) Lexus it feels cluttered with buttons. The 3 interior will take some getting used to

 

[sandpiper]

Yes, there is. I'm need to operate it while driving!

Also last time I checked Apple Laptops still have physical keys.

And so the 3 still has a steering wheel, accelerator, brakes, steering wheel controls and stalks for common functions - signal lights, autopilot and so-on.

All of the other things that you more rarely need are on the screen. Why clutter the dash & console?

The bb/iphone analogy is dead-on. People were puzzled and confused. No buttons? How can I operate this thing without buttons? But Apple had the guts to upend the "complexity" paradigm, and arguably did pretty well from it.

 

[NerdUno]

Well, you can't say Elon hasn't dumbed it down for his target audience. Nothing says safety like a guy scrolling through dozens of menus on a center console while whizzing down the highway at 70 MPH.

 

[sandpiper]

Well, you can't say Elon hasn't dumbed it down for his target audience. Nothing says safety like a guy scrolling through dozens of menus on a center console while whizzing down the highway at 70 MPH.

Is is better or worse than futzing with 50 cryptically labelled, one purpose buttons and dials scattered across the dash and console? As for safety, my wife's Audi is WAY worse; common functions are buried deep in a set of menus that you get at with magical incantations involving a bunch of buttons, a rotary dial and a touch pad. The Tesla screen is MUCH better.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Yes, there is. I'm need to operate it while driving!

Also last time I checked Apple Laptops still have physical keys.

Only because typing is so mainstream.

 

[Garlan Garner]

I believe that the Model 3's simplicity will cause more people to look out of the window and enjoy the earth that it is saving by being an EV.

Look out at the trees and environment you are saving instead of buttons on the dash.

Look up through that gorgeous Model 3 "all glass roof" at the rain that is turning from acid rain to pure water by our contribution to environment saving transportation.

I don't want traditional. I want transforming.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Well, you can't say Elon hasn't dumbed it down for his target audience. Nothing says safety like a guy scrolling through dozens of menus on a center console while whizzing down the highway at 70 MPH.

Dumed it down? Wrong term. There is nothing dumb about the Model 3 so far.

Has he simplified the complex? Yes.
Has he streamlined car manufacturing? Yes.
Has he removed the middle man in sales to reduce costs ( no dealerships )? Yes
Has he removed the headache of haggling over prices at the dealership? Yes
Compared to ALL other automotive vendors - The Tesla experience is by far the best.

That's smarting it up in my opinion.

 

[svp6]

I don't mind minimalist, but the materials, fit and finish have to be there. Also the interface should go back to the original with main functions visible at all times (instead of the idiotic hidden menu when displaying the map).

The part that concerns me most is the single vent across the dash. I like to set a little stream of air going to my face and chest when I drive - not sure this will be possible (no directional vents). On top of that, my wife hates any direct airflow - I guess we will flip a coin on who gets their preferred setting when we drive together?

 

[N5329K]

You see the same thing in new aircraft. The first image is the console of the new Cirrus baby jet. And the second is what you had in a baby Cessna jet in 2000. Sophistication = simplicity. And I know which of these two I'd dream to own.

View attachment 228818

The older Cessna had a lot of information available but was only semi-integrated. You needed a good "scan" to keep up with things, but, when a screen went dark you had other places to look and other sources of information to work with. Not a bad thing.
The newer Cessna goes a lot further down the road of total information integration. And that can be a fine thing (I remember flying behind my first HSI and thinking, "wow, this is easy!). But if one of those Cosmic Screens goes dark, or wonky, you're in a dicier situation. Pilots used to looking in only a few places for data tend to not do well when coping with system failure, or multiple system failures. Witness Air France's pilots unable to cope with airspeed loss- something every student pilot learns to cope with- , and so they flew their perfectly functional jet into the sea.
What does this mean in a car with just one display? Well, the stakes are far lower than in an airplane for sure. But single point failures are going to put Model 3's onto flatbeds for sure. That might be an annoyance, or something more than an annoyance. It surely is not conservative design, and I think it will prove to be a " tail that wags the dog" mistake where a design directive- just one screen!- ends up causing a lot of collateral damage down the road.
Or alongside the road.
Robin

 

[pkalhan]

I think Leonardo de Vinci said it best...

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"

 

[Ciaopec]

Well, you can't say Elon hasn't dumbed it down for his target audience. Nothing says safety like a guy scrolling through dozens of menus on a center console while whizzing down the highway at 70 MPH.

I think thou dost protest too much. You show a picture of a red MS along side your name so I assume you drive one. When have you ever had to "scroll...through dozens of menus on that center console"? I'll have to go out and count; maybe there are "dozens" of menus. I don't consider myself especially adept but I can locate what I need pretty quickly. Usually, the only things I locate and use while driving are the lights (if I want something less than full auto) and the mi/km switch when crossing the US/Canada border. Your argument seems a bit of hyperbole to me. JMHO

EDIT: OK I reread all of my posts. We all have opinions and we share them. OP is not wrong or right. I am not wrong or right. Our opinions. So, perhaps my arguments are too harsh.

 

[N5329K]

I think Leonardo de Vinci said it best...

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"

I'm a big fan of Leonardo DV but I prefer Einstein's take:
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”
I really think that the Model 3's interior and control layout- bare, uninviting, boring - is a real problem. While the exterior is gorgeous, the interior looks like it was designed by someone who doesn't like cars and thinks you shouldn't either. Maybe this will be as large a problem as the Falcon Wing Doors, maybe not. We'll see.
Robin

 

[techmaven]

People have different taste, but my opionion is, Model 3 dash is ugly.

I'm really not a fan of the BMW interface at all. I rented a 3 series for a week about a year ago. No thanks. It wasn't as bad as the Cadillac ATS though... the CUE system is far worse.

Here's a look at the evolution of cockpits over time in space craft: