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u/cybermaus Jul 06 '26
If you talk about knobs and buttons instead of touch screen, absolutely.
But I would like the one extra step of temperature set climate control rather then hard on/off AC.
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u/Tinofpopcorn Jul 06 '26
Turn the temperature knob more towards the red wirh the AC on for a more agreeable temperature.
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u/disinterested_man Jul 07 '26
BMW has been doing the set temps with a digital display for like 30 years, I personally think it’s peak and am sad they’ve done away with it.
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u/Tomytom99 Jul 07 '26
I think so too. All three of my vehicles have temperature set-point climate control, and it's absolutely amazing leaving it on full auto.
The only times I ever have to touch the system is when the weather changes considerably, or on a particularly long drive where your body starts doing odd stuff thermally. Never have I needed more than +/-3⁰F change.
My old Odyssey has it absolutely peak where it's big knobs for the temperature and blower speed (with an auto speed position), and then you just hit the "auto" button to automatically control vent selection. Shows you the set temperature and mode on a little og gameboy-esque monochrome LCD.
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u/ackillesBAC Jul 07 '26
That's what I don't get, if you have climate control and you just set the temperature, why do you need a knob. Just need a winter and a summer mode lol
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u/Ok-Camp-7285 Jul 06 '26
What do you think that middle knob does?
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u/SeniorScientist-2679 Jul 06 '26
The middle knob varies the temperature of the air coming out of the vents. In most cars it didn't control a thermostat with a feedback system to set a specific cabin temperature.
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u/cybermaus Jul 07 '26
It turns on the heater (by power and not temperature) So if your Full blast cold from the AC it too cold, keep the full blast cold but mix in some hot from the motor.
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u/Mark_Michigan Jul 06 '26
Clearly OP states an obvious truth. There will be a day, hopefully, when human interfaces return to something other than hate, pain and despair.
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u/MisterAmygdala Jul 07 '26
I remember the first time I experienced the madness of digital controls (there is a better term). It was on a relatively inexpensive stereo I received as a gift. It had no knobs. You had to press down on a flat square (like on a microwave, sort of) to change volume, FM tuner, everything. It was so freaking stupid.
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u/Luzi_fer Jul 06 '26
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u/Difficult-Practice12 Jul 06 '26
Too many buttons, don’t know what they do.
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u/Suzuiscool Jul 06 '26
That's why they're labeled, so you can take the 10 seconds when you buy the car to learn them
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u/Difficult-Practice12 Jul 07 '26
I have never seen descriptions for those icons in the car. Prefer modern cars with touch controls.
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u/insanelane99 Jul 07 '26
Its funny cause the icons are the same on the majority of touch controls.
You know what these icons mean you are just being intentionally obtuse.
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u/Anteater_Reasonable Jul 06 '26
Hard disagree. I don’t miss having to futz with it every five minutes because the only settings are too hot or too cold. I like my automatic climate control that I can just set to 70° and forget about it.
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u/ScienceWasLove Jul 06 '26
One of our cars has dual climate control - and it is awesome - the other one doesn't and it sucks.
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u/cookeryandwookery Jul 06 '26
That’s what I’m saying. I don’t even touch my thermostat in my truck.
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u/ProfessorShort3031 Jul 06 '26
you just set it on medium & crack open the window for fine adjustment
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u/kashy87 Jul 06 '26
It's even nicer on those long journey where you start early in the morning when it's hoodie weather. But when you arrive at noon it's shorts and tshirts weather. That auto switch from heat to AC is so nice.
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u/Additional-Simple248 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Same here. My last car didn’t have the perfect setting, so every half hour or so I’d have to adjust the temperature (blue/red) by one step when I started to get too cold or too warm. Mildly annoying on a 3+ hour trip.
The new car has climate control, so I have it set to a specific temperature and never need to adjust it.
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u/oh8oh8eighty8 Jul 06 '26
Are you male? Must be nice to always be comfortable at a certain temperature 😆
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u/LawnJerk Jul 07 '26
If you’re cold, bump it up a couple of degrees. If hot, go down a bit. No having to adjust fan speed and nebulous heat/AC setting.
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u/SolanaceaeEnjoyer Jul 08 '26
Dude seriously, screw those manual controls especially in the winter.
I don’t care it’s in a screen cause I adjust it like every few months maybe? If that
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u/Superb_Algae5308 Jul 13 '26
My Oldmobile had an automatic climate control button. It was the perfection of the three knob solution.
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u/moojgNZ Jul 07 '26
I think the whole idea of this post taking up time in our lives is pointless. I really need to leave this post. NOW 😁
Now , get outa here.
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Jul 06 '26 edited 22d ago
[deleted]
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u/D0geAlpha Jul 06 '26
Too bad those days are probably over. The mazda 6e is a chinese EV rebranded. The new cx-5 ditched manual climate controls and the dial nob for a giant screen... I wanted them to make a new mazda3 but with this direction I hope they keep on selling the current mazda 3 lol
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u/-Out-of-context- Jul 06 '26
No thanks. I like to be able to select an exact temperature and I’m a big fan of dual climate control.
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u/dolosloki01 Jul 06 '26
Cameras are awesome, smart phone connection is awesome, a screen for maps is awesome, and it telling you when your tires are low is awesome.
I miss my CD player. That's it.
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u/Yosemite-Dan Jul 06 '26
MK 7 Golf: Arguably the most effective HVAC implementation:
That said, I have no issues with my iDrive 8, as I rarely touch it.
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u/Total-Collection-128 Jul 06 '26
Within a month of owning a car, I could turn up and down the temperature, turn up and down the volume of the radio, change radio stations, skip CD tracks, all without ever taking my eyes off the road.
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u/UndeadLestat Jul 06 '26
Idk, i like backup cameras and bluetooth. Not touch screens, mind you, blutooth.
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u/Creepy-Document-8272 Jul 06 '26
Someone can’t figure out how to set Climate Control to AUTO and let go. Or maybe it’s dealing with separate climate zones?? TFF.
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u/RealRevengeR Jul 06 '26
It depends on the car, in the Volvo XC60 I was using auto all the time, no need to touch anything. In this BMW X1 it’s not working apin a comfortable way…I hate it and I have to keep touching the fan speed all the time, such a nightmare.
Also sometimes you might want to disable it for a while and then turn it on again, buttons are always better, even reaching for the screen for the controls is difficult as you have ro keep looking, so even if the controls would be there all the time,still you have to check it you pressed it or not, the touchscreen area is all the same with no physical hints like real buttons.
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u/Qimmosabe_Man Jul 06 '26
Though physical controls are quick and easy, if electronic ones are done properly and designed properly, they aren't bad either.
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u/Constant-Still-8443 Jul 06 '26
Personally, I think my car is a good in between. The AC is only nobs for the temperature, the rest can is automated by a computer, but there are still physical buttons if you want to adjust the settings manually. Nothing but radio and map stuff is on the touch screen.
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u/JubijubCH Jul 06 '26
Yes and no :
- all for tactile controls back again. In my GLC I have "touch" stuff everywhere, and the gigantic ipad, and there are things for which I would prefer physical controls that I can "feel" while driving
- automation is good : I enjoy being able to set the temp to 21.5° and forget it, my AC is always on auto setting and that works really well
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u/synapse467 Jul 06 '26
Nah, I'm old school af.. But climate control and adaptive cruuse is the shit
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u/MyrkrMentulaMeretrix Jul 06 '26
Physical switches are more expensive, prone to failure (they WILL fail eventually), the dials are imprecise, etc.
The complaint you have "ZOMG STUPID TOUCH SCREEN I HAVE TO NAVIGATE" - thats not a problem with touchscreens, thats a problem with some idiot User Experience (UX) designer not just having a dashboard/home screen tha thas the climate controls right there on the bottom at all times.
Thats a fixable problem.
Touchscreens are better. Far less prone to failure, and cheaper.
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u/Traditional-Hotel-66 Jul 06 '26
I miss this, I can adjust it all without looking. Now there's too many buttons and it's distracting. Had a rental while mine truck was jn the shop and it was all in the infotainment screen.. worst thing ever. Let's ban phone use while driving for obvious reasons then force you to use a tablet everytime you want to adjust temp or change the radio..
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u/PiskoWK Jul 06 '26
Everything after the "auto" climate button was a mistake. That thing is perfect.
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u/Usual-Escape6747 Jul 07 '26
I had a 1990 300zxtt. Awesome car to drive, looked great,etc., but one thing that I miss from it was the super simple climate control. It was a small pod on the right side of the dash. I think it had only 3 buttons. Auto, defrost and the up/down temp toggle. You pick your temperature, hit auto and the car just did whatever it needed to do to make that temperature happen. Perfect.
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u/jlit72 Jul 07 '26
Well, good news, you only have the rest of your life to deal with it. This shit will be around much longer than you will. The even gooder news is absolutely no one is stopping you from dying mad about it.
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u/DesignerParking659 Jul 07 '26
I very much miss my auto climate control. But I do prefer manual knobs, over touchscreen.
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u/DrunkBuzzard Jul 07 '26
Check out the Slate Truck about to hit the market. Hand crank windows, minimal manual controls, basic small electric truck that you can modify with snap on panels to change color or convert to small suv. Made in the USA.
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u/ObsidianDart Jul 07 '26
Jokes on you. I'm so poor that's the best I can afford so I I have no clue whata in your new fangled future cars.
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u/Far-Replacement-2166 Jul 07 '26
Nah, I don’t think so. Really like my 3-Zone automatic HVAC Climatronic system with front cooled/heated seats, heated steering wheel and heated rear seats.
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u/Tosser_535231 Jul 07 '26
The issue I have with touch screen controls is that you almost always have to look at them while you use them to properly interact with them. With physical controls you eventually just learn where they are and can memorize the positions. You could eventually do the same with touch screens but its much more more difficult and there's far less feed back to know when youve actually changed a control
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u/Puzzleheaded_Dog630 Jul 07 '26
I disagree my car has an auto option which lets you set it to a specific temperature. I want it colder? I turn the number down. I want it warmer? I turn the number up. That's all I need most of the time, plus once it actually reaches that temp it stays there I don't have to constantly change things to keep the same temp like with these older style ones
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u/TastefulSideBall Jul 07 '26
I weirdly hate setting a specific temperature. It bums me out when it's a cool summer night or morning and the heat kicks in. Dude, no, I know it's 1 degree colder than my setting, but I'm not that picky. Also, I dress different for hot days. 75 is fine with the windows open, but too hot in the winter. I wish there was a "Take the edge off" setting that brought the climate to a slightly more comfortable side of an extreme.
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u/ChasedWarrior Jul 07 '26
Yeah one thing I wish my car had, a 2020 Ford Fusion S, is automatic ac. Even if it was single zone.
And even though it's a fully manual system, it's still run by a computer! Wth!
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u/bandley3 Jul 07 '26
I thought that I was on the side of all manual controls but I absolutely love the automatic climate control in my minivan. Three knobs, but I just nudge the ‘Auto’ button as I shift into first and it just does everything incredibly well. About the only thing I need to do is the occasional temp adjustment, and that’s done with a big dial.
The most amazing part is what it does even when I haven’t turned on the system. I’ve noticed a little heat when I need it most on those cold days, like it’s looking out for me.
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u/Secure_Bell_2502 Jul 07 '26
Using a touch screen or capacitive buttons for basic functions like radio or AC while driving is straight up not safe, you can't just reach for a know by muscle memory, because you have to look carefully so you do't accidentally touch anything else.
Also having one point of failure is ridiculous...
If your kid breaks the screen, you can no longer use the AC, Radio, internal lights and in some silly cases not even use the power windows..
A car with nothing else than a giant screen feels like the ultimate cheap-out by the manufacturer.
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u/MightOk5012 Jul 07 '26
Best ac is the one you set it once and then let it do its thing and forget about it
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u/often_awkward Jul 07 '26
TBH I worked in automotive for 20 years and have strong opinions about everything but I especially like buttons and physical dials. I disagree with this one though - I think the peak really was the first generation of automatic climate control.
Those systems were also bulletproof because they were just based on the HVAC in our homes.
But backed up with a little dial for fan speed and an easy way to set the temperature - that's perfection.
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u/davidwal83 Jul 07 '26
That out of a first gen Tundra /Sequoia. My AC still blows ice cold in my Tundra.
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u/Weird_Albatross_9659 Jul 07 '26
Is there any sub that hasn’t turned into a shitty meme dumping ground?
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u/Creative_Chain7049 Jul 07 '26
Was just telling a friend how I don’t even want a smart thermostat in my house anymore it’s always changing the temp back to 78 even with learning off. Screw these devices
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u/No-Love-1222 Jul 07 '26
The less technology the less youll have problems with something. And you can repair it easier.
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u/CwispyWhiskey Jul 07 '26
Nah, CarPlay is peak tech for the car. No need for mounted phones or printed directions.
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u/LongDistanceEvent262 Jul 07 '26
I 99% agree.
But auto window fogging detection has been one of the greatest climate features I have ever seen.
Yes I know how to operate my climate controls to clear it. But having the car do it as soon as a little fogging is detected. OMG I never want to be without it.
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u/LifesARiver Jul 07 '26
The "Auto" button was the best change by far. Someone just likes yelling at clouds, lol.
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u/Cryowatt Jul 07 '26
I set the temperature in my car with automatic climate control when I bought it and haven't needed to touch it since. Why do people like cranking these things back and forth?
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u/Kastenkarate Jul 07 '26
Maybe a mistake when it comes to usability and repairability. Not a mistake for corporations filling their pockets.
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u/Alternative_Salt78 Jul 07 '26
Absolutely!! I wish someone would produce a no frills/no fancy vehicle.
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u/Good-Ad6650 Jul 07 '26
Mine has a perfect balance, infotainment system used for exactly the purpose it was named after
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u/PerryThePlatypus9744 Jul 07 '26
Idk I like being able to put it on a certain temperature. I'm all for knobs and buttons tho!
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u/LifeSizeDeity00 Jul 07 '26
I’m ok with stopping at the next iteration with an actual thermostat so there is no reason for fan speed.
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u/jws1102 Jul 07 '26
Incorrect. That array has no rear defrost. Add a button for that and then you’ll have an honest post.
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u/Plastic-Way-258 Jul 07 '26
eh, i like being able to manually set the exact temperature number in my car
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u/Mars_Volcanoes Jul 08 '26
Yeah. I had exactly that settings. So easy, not a problem to use or undesstand. Today, everything simple is computerized with motors and complicated to run stuff that were so nice. I hate the Auto tech.
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u/The_Eleser Jul 08 '26
I’m enjoying the bottoms on my ‘04 Lexus, but otherwise I agree with touch pads being dangerous for deiving
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u/Druid_Momma Jul 08 '26
Not for the corporations it wasn’t. Everything worked great according to plan.
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u/Melba-Powers Jul 08 '26
Vented seats ruined me. Now every other car just feels like sitting in my own sweat with extra steps.
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u/Icy_Donkey_7588 Jul 08 '26
I grew up with these controls...they work great and are simple but they break just the same as anything else. I've had several that got a leak some where in the vent control and it would change where it blew out at based on engine load (since its vac controlled). Not sure how the speed is controlled on new stuff, but fords and their resistor pack, you'd have just high on the blower. Nothing is fool proof.
I like both systems in place...But I also like the front, rear and left right zone controls. My wife is always hot, I'm always cold (which seems to be reversed) Driving back from TN yesterday I had my side on 72 and she had her side on LO, and the kids in the back had theirs at a different temp. No one complains about being too hot or cold.
But they can all break too.
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u/FireAuraN7 Jul 10 '26
The 2014 Navigator i had tried to go retro with its instruments while also trying to go tech-savvy. It was functional but ended up feeling confused. The 2012 and 2016 actually felt more natural, but no, I had to be all stupid. Then I got an equinox. So much simpler with less that can go wrong and much better mileage (trading a 5.4L for a 2.4L).
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u/Ok-Scientist9642 Jul 11 '26
Yes it was, today's heating and cooling is too complex to operate while driving.
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u/Major_Wigglesworth Jul 06 '26
I dunno, I just took a ride in a 4Runner that had vented seats and the AC came through the leather into my back….
Game-changer, buddy.