Lack of an instrument panel, force 8K upgrades

[Jonny Custom]

So this is my first post so take it easy on me.

I am wanting to get people's opinion on what they think about the lack of instrument panel .

From Elon "You won't care" Well that is true if the car is driving me to my destination but it is not true if I do not purchase the advance autopilot features and then it cannot drive me to and from. Maybe it is something that I will just need to get use to and find out once I am in the car I truly do not care.

Note: I am still very excited to get the Model 3

 

[Az_Rael]

I don't know why you need EAP or FSD to deal with the lack of a center instrument cluster.

I would wait to judge until you get in the car. I am guessing seeing the speedo just above your right hand will become intuitive very quickly. Maybe even less eye travel than down and through the steering wheel.

 

[MSEV]

I have a bit of concern, but only about the speed and all the navigation being to the right (in the Model S, there is a second nav that comes up to the left of the centered speedometer). It is the future, and I don't know how inconvenient it will be to have to look over to the right. As well, I am used to looking to the computer screen on the right in my Model S. So, not too worried here, but wondering about it.

 

[JoaoD]

Welcome to the forum. There is a search button here. Here you have 12 pages of opinions about the lack of instrument panel: Elon tweet re: lack of instrument cluster
And there are many more around here.

What are the force 8k upgrades you are referring too? The optional 5000$ Enchaned Autopilot + 3000$ Full Autonomy? Because if it's autopilot you are not forced to buy it and it will not solve your lack of instrument problem at least for now.

 

[trils0n]

There is an instrument panel on the upper left corner of the center screen near the steering wheel. But that is different than most cars that have a separate area (behind the steering wheel) for the instrument panel.

The Model 3 center screen (especially the upper left corner) looks to be mounted in such a way (up high) that it will be in an easy-to-glance spot, that won't require a significantly different amount of eye movement compared to a behind-the-steering-wheel instrument cluster.

Very similar to the Prius (no instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, instead a high-center mounted one). No one made a big deal about the Prius lacking a instrument panel. Everything around Tesla generates lots of drama. Even (especially?) non-issues.

 

[xmetal]

Here's an experiment for everyone that says "physical buttons mean I can adjust things without taking my eyes off the road."

Get yourself a camera and put it on the dash, facing you. Record yourself driving around all day. Unless you are already a robot, I guarantee that your gaze is all over the place, constantly, while you drive and that the majority of the time you probably steal a glance at buttons when you use them instead of blindly feeling around to locate them.

Personally, I have spent a lot of time, money and effort learning how to drive and have raced cars at an amateur level. I've owned a variety of cars with normal layouts and can confidently say that I expend faaaaaar more effort in concentrating on driving than my friends, family or people I see in traffic and I still constantly "look away" while driving to handle tasks with those "easy to locate" controls.

Common things like volume adjustment can be assigned to the steering wheel button in the Model 3, and many things can be voice controlled in a Tesla. If you use a smartphone or GPS unit for google maps, your music, etc then you already are used to looking elsewhere for information and entertainment while you drive.

The Tesla touchscreen, just like the iPhone, will be very logical and commonplace in the near future and you can see the trend heading that way quite clearly across many manufacturers, Tesla just had the gumption to go all in first.

 

[Jonny Custom]

Welcome to the forum. There is a search button here. Here you have 12 pages of opinions about the lack of instrument panel: Elon tweet re: lack of instrument cluster
And there are many more around here.

What are the force 8k upgrades you are referring too? The optional 5000$ Enchaned Autopilot + 3000$ Full Autonomy? Because if it's autopilot you are not forced to buy it and it will not solve your lack of instrument problem at least for now.

JoaoD - thank you for the response. I know you are not forced into upgrading it is an option but I think the simplicity of the single screen was built around autonomous capabilities and without those optional upgrades then maybe it doesn't fir quite as well.

 

[JeffK]

JoaoD - thank you for the response. I know you are not forced into upgrading it is an option but I think the simplicity of the single screen was built around autonomous capabilities and without those optional upgrades then maybe it doesn't fir quite as well.

Check out the demo test drive videos. Everything is extremely visible and driving with it becomes second nature almost immediately.

People are always afraid of things that are different.

 

[kablammyman]

Welcome to the forum. There is a search button here. Here you have 12 pages of opinions about the lack of instrument panel: Elon tweet re: lack of instrument cluster
And there are many more around here.

What are the force 8k upgrades you are referring too? The optional 5000$ Enchaned Autopilot + 3000$ Full Autonomy? Because if it's autopilot you are not forced to buy it and it will not solve your lack of instrument problem at least for now.

hes referring to the fact that Elon states the lack of the binnacle is because the model 3 is made for FSD. However, to get FSD, you need to pay $8k more.

 

[JeffK]

I'm curious to know what safety information people think is on a typical instrument cluster that's necessary for driving and not easily visible on the center screen.

 

[gregincal]

I have a bit of concern, but only about the speed and all the navigation being to the right (in the Model S, there is a second nav that comes up to the left of the centered speedometer). It is the future, and I don't know how inconvenient it will be to have to look over to the right. As well, I am used to looking to the computer screen on the right in my Model S. So, not too worried here, but wondering about it.

My only concern with the Nav is that I like the isomorphic projection on the left hand nav display and feel it complements the map view on the right. When I'm coming up to a turn my mind finds it easier to correlate to what I'm seeing out the windscreen with the isomorphic view, but the map view is better for seeing what traffic will be coming up. I'll be interested to see how the Nav in the 3 feels (will they have the option of an isomorphic display inset on the map as you approach a turn?). Other than that, I feel I look at the center display more than the behind the wheel display anyway. For some reason even though I have song info displayed in both places I always look at the larger screen to see what song is playing. I'm not really worried.

 

[Runt8]

Here's an experiment for everyone that says "physical buttons mean I can adjust things without taking my eyes off the road."

Get yourself a camera and put it on the dash, facing you. Record yourself driving around all day. Unless you are already a robot, I guarantee that your gaze is all over the place, constantly, while you drive and that the majority of the time you probably steal a glance at buttons when you use them instead of blindly feeling around to locate them.

Personally, I have spent a lot of time, money and effort learning how to drive and have raced cars at an amateur level. I've owned a variety of cars with normal layouts and can confidently say that I expend faaaaaar more effort in concentrating on driving than my friends, family or people I see in traffic and I still constantly "look away" while driving to handle tasks with those "easy to locate" controls.

Common things like volume adjustment can be assigned to the steering wheel button in the Model 3, and many things can be voice controlled in a Tesla. If you use a smartphone or GPS unit for google maps, your music, etc then you already are used to looking elsewhere for information and entertainment while you drive.

The Tesla touchscreen, just like the iPhone, will be very logical and commonplace in the near future and you can see the trend heading that way quite clearly across many manufacturers, Tesla just had the gumption to go all in first.

I agree with this 99%. I do find myself glancing at the physical controls while driving my current vehicle. However, when interacting with the touch screen, I spend slightly more time making sure that I actually pressed what I intended, while with a physical control I can tell I did the intended action from the physical feedback. The crappy screen in my current car probably magnifies this problem (laggy response).

It gets worse when trying to do the same action multiple times, i.e., changing the current temperature more than one degree. Once I've located the button, I can push it several times while looking at the road. On a touch screen, each after each press I would have to look back at the screen to make sure my finger was still in the correct location.

I'm hoping that on the Model 3 this will be mostly mitigated (or even improved) by the scroll wheels on the steering wheel. If I can just push them left or right to select climate controls, and then move them up or down to change the temp, then I would argue this is safer than having to remove my hands from the wheel to push a button (whether physical or virtual). Yes, I would have to glance slightly right to see what the scroll wheel is controlling, but that will hopefully be something I can see in my peripheral vision.

 

[McRat]

Here's an experiment for everyone that says "physical buttons mean I can adjust things without taking my eyes off the road."

...

Try this experiment:

Shift your manual trans up and down, through the gears. Use your pedals. Turn on your wipers and turn signal. Turn the volume off a knob-design radio, roll your windows up when it starts to rain while driving.

When you qualify for a competition license for many race organizations, you need to prove you can operate important controls blindfolded, the fire system, kill switch, parachute, harness release, door release, etc.

Some things you should be able to do blindfolded or with your eyes intensely focused outside the car when a tenth second could be very important to you.

The real goal is to be able to drive and never take your eyes off traffic and the road. I can't even run with the HUD on (when equipped) when I'm on a closed course. Too distracting.

 

[strykeroz]

I borrowed a Toyota Echo for a trip once. It didn't take long at all (IIRC) to be glancing to the middle of the dash for the speedo etc. My lasting memory isn't of that being an issue in any case.

 

[3mp_kwh]

I don't know why you need EAP or FSD to deal with the lack of a center instrument cluster.

I would wait to judge until you get in the car. I am guessing seeing the speedo just above your right hand will become intuitive very quickly. Maybe even less eye travel than down and through the steering wheel.

Maybe OP doesn't have a Tesla, or sees how its CEO uses Twitter:
"“How often do you look at the instrument panel when being driven in a taxi?”

Tesla is more marketing AP, at the expense of a driver's interior. Musk hit the nail on the head. He knows full well how far we are from entering two pin points onto a screen, yet he hopes buyers like the OP might genuinely believe it is weeks, or months, away, or that when something accompanied by the usual "driver is always responsible" language needs interruption, and Tesla looks to spike its version of level 5 in the end zone, that the faithful should just buck-up and join the chorus. Guess what, the point is you'll be doing lots of driving if you are considering the Model 3. I wouldn't warp this any more than NOx being "clean", to a diesel owner. It isn't honest.

The above probably sounds negative, but I think I am being realistic.

I was out tonight, in the "sense" equipped Model S. It didn't respond to a dew point so high, that without rain, condensate was forming on the windows fast enough that wipers needed to be operated via the stalk. I don't have to look through a steering wheel to deal with this. It doesn't appear Model 3 owners will have the same option. Please, Tesla employee if you are somewhere reading, correct me if wrong but if sense wipers fail to work properly and you can't see out your windshield, are you supposed to bring up the non-tactile screen that is off to your right, look away from the windshield as feet go by, and find the correct pixels to clear it?

The above post boggles my mind. There is no need to say "Maybe even less eye travel than down and through the steering wheel". You are using your imagination, and no one needs to sit in a Model 3 to wish otherwise. And, like I'm saying, it isn't enough that eye-stealing touch screens are moving right. Buyers may be faced with dog-tricks, to do what a flick with the left arm did in a split second.

I'd be happy to be proved wrong, but don't see how this interior will improve anything but the relative safety statistics of AP. And that's a scary thought.

 

[Saghost]

Maybe OP doesn't have a Tesla, or sees how its CEO uses Twitter:
"“How often do you look at the instrument panel when being driven in a taxi?”

Tesla is more marketing AP, at the expense of a driver's interior. Musk hit the nail on the head. He knows full well how far we are from entering two pin points onto a screen, yet he hopes buyers like the OP might genuinely believe it is weeks, or months, away, or that when something accompanied by the usual "driver is always responsible" language needs interruption, and Tesla looks to spike its version of level 5 in the end zone, that the faithful should just buck-up and join the chorus. Guess what, the point is you'll be doing lots of driving if you are considering the Model 3. I wouldn't warp this any more than NOx being "clean", to a diesel owner. It isn't honest.

The above probably sounds negative, but I think I am being realistic.

I was out tonight, in the "sense" equipped Model S. It didn't respond to a dew point so high, that without rain, condensate was forming on the windows fast enough that wipers needed to be operated via the stalk. I don't have to look through a steering wheel to deal with this. It doesn't appear Model 3 owners will have the same option. Please, Tesla employee if you are somewhere reading, correct me if wrong but if sense wipers fail to work properly and you can't see out your windshield, are you supposed to bring up the non-tactile screen that is off to your right, look away from the windshield as feet go by, and find the correct pixels to clear it?

The above post boggles my mind. There is no need to say "Maybe even less eye travel than down and through the steering wheel". You are using your imagination, and no one needs to sit in a Model 3 to wish otherwise. And, like I'm saying, it isn't enough that eye-stealing touch screens are moving right. Buyers may be faced with dog-tricks, to do what a flick with the left arm did in a split second.

I'd be happy to be proved wrong, but don't see how this interior will improve anything but the relative safety statistics of AP. And that's a scary thought.

??? The simulators for the center screen I've seen didn't have any wiper controls on them, and the reviews I've read did mention a wiper stalk.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not seeing your concern...

 

[gregincal]

Maybe OP doesn't have a Tesla, or sees how its CEO uses Twitter:
"“How often do you look at the instrument panel when being driven in a taxi?”

Tesla is more marketing AP, at the expense of a driver's interior. Musk hit the nail on the head. He knows full well how far we are from entering two pin points onto a screen, yet he hopes buyers like the OP might genuinely believe it is weeks, or months, away, or that when something accompanied by the usual "driver is always responsible" language needs interruption, and Tesla looks to spike its version of level 5 in the end zone, that the faithful should just buck-up and join the chorus. Guess what, the point is you'll be doing lots of driving if you are considering the Model 3. I wouldn't warp this any more than NOx being "clean", to a diesel owner. It isn't honest.

The above probably sounds negative, but I think I am being realistic.

I was out tonight, in the "sense" equipped Model S. It didn't respond to a dew point so high, that without rain, condensate was forming on the windows fast enough that wipers needed to be operated via the stalk. I don't have to look through a steering wheel to deal with this. It doesn't appear Model 3 owners will have the same option. Please, Tesla employee if you are somewhere reading, correct me if wrong but if sense wipers fail to work properly and you can't see out your windshield, are you supposed to bring up the non-tactile screen that is off to your right, look away from the windshield as feet go by, and find the correct pixels to clear it?

The above post boggles my mind. There is no need to say "Maybe even less eye travel than down and through the steering wheel". You are using your imagination, and no one needs to sit in a Model 3 to wish otherwise. And, like I'm saying, it isn't enough that eye-stealing touch screens are moving right. Buyers may be faced with dog-tricks, to do what a flick with the left arm did in a split second.

I'd be happy to be proved wrong, but don't see how this interior will improve anything but the relative safety statistics of AP. And that's a scary thought.

I have no idea what you are talking about, but best I can figure is that you are under the mistaken impression that there isn't a control for the windshield wipers on the steering wheel. There is.

 

[JeffK]

Now if multiple button presses don't cycle through the speeds then I'm sure you can use the scroll wheels. No need to fiddle with the screen while driving.

 

[BluestarE3]

I was out tonight, in the "sense" equipped Model S. It didn't respond to a dew point so high, that without rain, condensate was forming on the windows fast enough that wipers needed to be operated via the stalk. I don't have to look through a steering wheel to deal with this. It doesn't appear Model 3 owners will have the same option. Please, Tesla employee if you are somewhere reading, correct me if wrong but if sense wipers fail to work properly and you can't see out your windshield, are you supposed to bring up the non-tactile screen that is off to your right, look away from the windshield as feet go by, and find the correct pixels to clear it?

Er, isn't the stalk on the left for the windshield wipers/washers?

 

[oktane]

Here's an experiment for everyone that says "physical buttons mean I can adjust things without taking my eyes off the road."

Get yourself a camera and put it on the dash, facing you. Record yourself driving around all day. Unless you are already a robot, I guarantee that your gaze is all over the place, constantly, while you drive and that the majority of the time you probably steal a glance at buttons when you use them instead of blindly feeling around to locate them.

Personally, I have spent a lot of time, money and effort learning how to drive and have raced cars at an amateur level. I've owned a variety of cars with normal layouts and can confidently say that I expend faaaaaar more effort in concentrating on driving than my friends, family or people I see in traffic and I still constantly "look away" while driving to handle tasks with those "easy to locate" controls.

Common things like volume adjustment can be assigned to the steering wheel button in the Model 3, and many things can be voice controlled in a Tesla. If you use a smartphone or GPS unit for google maps, your music, etc then you already are used to looking elsewhere for information and entertainment while you drive.

The Tesla touchscreen, just like the iPhone, will be very logical and commonplace in the near future and you can see the trend heading that way quite clearly across many manufacturers, Tesla just had the gumption to go all in first.

False. Properly designed physical buttons in high end cars are easily differentiated by location and feel alone.

I find the Tesla touchscreen UI to be dangerous. Basic functions require a glance at the screen. The only viable alternatives are multitouch gesture controls or voice recognition.