Golf R Steering Wheel Haptic Controls

[The Fed]

Do the haptic controls on the 2022 Golf R steering really suck bad?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/ent...cvid=307eddf43b6948fd97c4fe4376910d08#image=5

 

[Cuzoe]

They work fine. You still have to press but the whole panel moves, and gives a haptic "click" like a cell phone. The capacitive part is that the button senses where your finger is so you get the function for wherever your finger is placed when press. None of the buttons activate just by placing a finger/palm/hand on them, which would be terrible. Volume and track select are a bit different, you can swipe across them or press. Physical buttons are easier to locate without looking, although I don't look at my touch buttons anymore.

The volume and track select only took a few days to get used to. One swipe of the volume is equivalent to several button presses (like 5+) so I prefer it. Of course you can still press multiple times if you want

The other buttons maybe 2-3 weeks. I was also coming from an Mk7 steering wheel (retrofitted the Mk8 wheel) so some of that was un-learning the wheel I had for 5 years.

 

[KevinC]

They work fine.

Yeah, the haptic controls are SO great that enough customers have screamed at VW and caused them to reverse course. They're going away. GOOD RIDDANCE.

 

[kevinkar]

Yeah, the haptic controls are SO great that enough customers have screamed at VW and caused them to reverse course. They're going away. GOOD RIDDANCE.

Really? I had not heard that yet. If so, that's good news.

I still don't understand how the NTSB has allowed all these touchscreen interfaces to become commonplace due to the necessity to LOOK where you're touching to activate whatever it is you're going for. Even in the Mk 7.5 R I find I have to look at the entertainment unit to touch the right left/right hand "buttons" rather than just place my finger on the row and slide to the button I want. Nope, have to look.

All it takes is a second for bad things to happen and it usually is that one second when you think it's OK to look at what button you need to push instead of just keeping your eyes on the road and feeling for the right button. Annoying.

 

[Cuzoe]

Yeah, the haptic controls are SO great that enough customers have screamed at VW and caused them to reverse course. They're going away. GOOD RIDDANCE.

I didn't say they were great. Or even that they were better than real buttons. Just that they work fine, because they do.

All the initial outrage, reviewers claiming that anytime their hands touch a button it activated something... a lot of exaggeration. It's not like the GTI was the first VW to get those buttons. It's just the VW that's going to get the most press and reviews, and rightfully so, it's the GTI.

And why not reverse course? Based on MSRP, traditional buttons are less than half the price of capacitive. They were already manufacturing both, and they're not going to lower the price of the car. Let's assume the $175 MSRP difference is $35 difference their cost. Let's say they sell 50,000 GTIs this generation... that's $1.75 million they get to keep. All they have to do is put the less expensive trim and less expensive buttons on the exact same steering wheel so this is pure savings for VW.

It makes more (if not most) of their customers happy. It will make the reviewers happy which might mean there are customers... especially people who have never used the capacitive buttons, but just know in their hearts how bad they are .

Other cars you only get capacitive buttons on the higher trim levels. Higher trim levels having higher profit margins so they were already doing that "properly," when it comes to their bottom line.

 

[aloha_from_bradley]

Pretty sure that @KevinC actually quote this article verbatim.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41754493/volkswagen-car-controls-changed/ - Goodbye, Good Riddance!

The haptic controls suck, any way you put it. This will be a conversation we have with our children about the MK8 Golf R later in life. "The MK8 was a great car son, just don't buy a '22-'23"

The only people I've seen defend the touch buttons are those that have a current gen MK8 and have to deal with them. Otherwise, I've sat in, driven, and done plenty of playing around with the haptic offering. Complete trash. Yes, they work... but not well. I sometimes have to touch my infotainment screen 2-3 times in my MK7.5 to hit the button I'm aiming for, extrapolate that out to every button in the cabin. Tactile feel just can't be replaced, that and the physical switch. Sorry. They tried to turn the interior space into a cell phone. The display is too small for this, and the processor is far too slow. It takes FOREVER for the interface to load, and then it lags for a bit.

I'm just not sold. There is a reason VW is brining back the buttons, which is the same reason every single auto manufacturer that's gone down this road has done the same. The car game is learning from the mistakes of your competition. Seems the world's second largest auto maker didn't get the memo. Very, very odd. Worst part, Thomas Schafer is making it seem as this is a revolution in design, simplifying the offering by bringing buttons back. This isn't new... lol. All of your cars before this had buttons. Just admit that you fucked up.

 

[Cuzoe]

The touchscreen in my car takes one press to do what I want. Not to say I want to use it for everything. But it's also not similar to the steering wheel buttons. Wheel buttons do move (a little bit), have haptic feedback, and the functions don't move.

So much anger from people without Mk8s . And VW is admitting they goofed. That's why they're going back to the traditional buttons. Going back being used loosely, lower trim cars already have the traditional buttons, so they'll just install them on every car instead. The cost savings don't hurt either, win-win.

If you like the Mk8 but the steering wheel buttons are such a problem buy the non-touch buttons (with trim) and install them on your wheel .

 

[VAG Parts Bin]

IF they continue to go back to buttons and dials, I may have an MK8 R in my future otherwise, I'll run my Mk7 R into the ground. I absolutely hate those haptic controls.

 

[Cuzoe]

I can't imagine they're going to redesign the dash to bring back physical HVAC controls. Although not having those things illuminated is ridiculous. I'm just going to assume that little button cluster below the main screen is illuminated 🫣.

Certainly seems like they're getting rid of the capacitive buttons on the steering wheel though. And if at some point an early Mk8 gets your attention... replace the steering wheel trim and buttons, under $200 at my local dealer.

For any of you that have removed Mk7 steering wheel trim, Mk8 trim comes off without breaking any tabs or posts, it's kind of nice .

 

[Urlik]

Yeah, the haptic controls are SO great that enough customers have screamed at VW and caused them to reverse course. They're going away. GOOD RIDDANCE.

Tehy still need to add other physical controls but I suspect that won't happen until the 8.5. They couldn't learn the lesson that Honda and Cadillac already learned. The new Lexus RX has them now and to make it worse, their function is assignable for some reason.

 

[bobloblawGTI]

For any of you that have removed Mk7 steering wheel trim, Mk8 trim comes off without breaking any tabs or posts, it's kind of nice .

I'm convinced the crowning achievement of my retrofit career is going to be taking the Mk7 wheel trim off without breaking anything. Did it take the better part of an hour? Yes lol

 

[RudyH]

the good news is you will be able to retrofit the new steering wheel too

IMO, looking at the spy pictures I would rather the MK8, with a steering wheel swap. I hope the new center console tablet is more of a test, vs whats in the MK8

https://www.motorauthority.com/news...y-shots-new-dash-coming-with-mid-cycle-update

 

[Cuzoe]

the good news is you will be able to retrofit the new steering wheel too

Same steering wheel whether capacitive or traditional buttons. Swap out trim and the buttons.
Anyone with an Mk8 can swap to traditional buttons right now if they want.

Edit: And for what it's worth the Golf (not a GTI/R) shown in the spy shots, which isn't sold in North America anymore, wouldn't have come with capacitive buttons on most trim levels. I believe only the R-Line trim gets (got) the capacitive buttons.

 

[golfdave]

From another post I did:-

"Having had a MK8 1.5lt EVO, SE spec as a courtesy car for a day.....not a fan...

• More wind noise around windscreen & generally noisier than my car, even though my car is on wider summer rubber!!
• Heating controls buried in the touchsceen...like a stupid slide control for the fan speed...virtually impossible to do whilst driving...actual dial in MK7 easy.
• No idea what the feck the heating system is doing unless you press the "clim/air con" haptic button to bring up the heating menu on the touchscreen....
• Dash heater vents are way too low & overall its a crap design..dosn't wrap around the driver like the MK7.
• Front door to dash area, looks like they just gave up.
• Lane assist, can't turn it off as it resets to on with every ignition cycle....& Lane Assist is crap anyway!
• Auto headlights, again can't turn it off as it resets to "auto" at every ignition cycle..& Auto is crap anyway!
• Haptic buttons for headlights...fecking useless, wildly stabbing at them to get them to do anything, even after reading the manual...what the feck is wrong with the existing turn knob on my MK7??..
• No bonnet lift..old fashion stick...like WTF??
• Seriously over assisted power steering...actually no driving modes!

Basically, TOO MUCH "AUTO".....& I wonder "if" VCDS would be able to turn off most of the auto on stuff!!

Agree that some adjustment might be possible in say a GT/GTI/GTD/R.."

 

[kevinkar]

• More wind noise around windscreen & generally noisier than my car, even though my car is on wider summer rubber!!
• Lane assist, can't turn it off as it resets to on with every ignition cycle....& Lane Assist is crap anyway!
• Auto headlights, again can't turn it off as it resets to "auto" at every ignition cycle..& Auto is crap anyway!

My 2018 R does have more wind noise at the A-pillar than I'd like. Excessive buffeting with the 2 front windows down too. Better with 4 down but the "fix" was to add unsightly wind deflectors (Weather Tech) which don't really help with only the front 2 down but allow me to drive with all 4 down reasonably. I seriously want the VAG CEO to drive around in a Golf with just the front 2 windows down and tell me to my face it's perfectly fine. It's not.

Yeah, lane assist is one of my pet peeves on this car. It's not that good and I've had it turned off for years now. However, I can turn it off and it stays off. There must be a way to turn it off or fake it out in other models.

As for auto headlights, I have my R's in auto all the time. It works great. Why was your experience with auto headlights in this car so bad?