Mk8 GTI to be revealed in March

[chillax]

Yes and yes. I wonder how long it will take to roll out the fixes to the horrendous infotainment/HVAC/steering wheel controls? I'll bet they're already redesigning it, consumer pushback has already been loud.

That is what I was hoping, I think I am starting to like it more but most people say it's a bad idea to buy the first model year of a new generation.

 

[Acadia18]

Yes and yes. I wonder how long it will take to roll out the fixes to the horrendous infotainment/HVAC/steering wheel controls? I'll bet they're already redesigning it, consumer pushback has already been loud.

Has it though? More and more manufacturers are going that direction for a reason. I'd be willing to bet you're just hearing the loud vocal minority.

 

[JC_451]

Has it though? More and more manufacturers are going that direction for a reason. I'd be willing to bet you're just hearing the loud vocal minority.

This is almost certainly true.

The vast majority of car buyers are just sheep. Opinions from enthusiasts are in the extreme minority. If the sheep start crashing because of the controls we'll see a roll back, otherwise we'll get used to them too, eventually.

 

[norsairius]

Yeah, I think big touchscreens and capacitive buttons are in these days. Traditional buttons unfortunately seem to be on their way out. Tesla has probably some of the earliest examples of this, but larger manufacturers like Volvo and Subaru have more recent examples of this:
2020 Subaru Outback interior (higher trim):

2020 Volvo XC60:

There's still some buttons, but more and more is being moved to the touchscreen or buttons that don't actually move when pressed. I'm not fully convinced this will work in the longer term, but I haven't lived with a car that's had its controls migrated to such interfaces for any appreciable amount of time either so I don't know what it's like. It would definitely be quite the adjustment for me but I'm also of the opinion that tactile feel is better for minimizing distraction when adjusting things like temperature, fan speed, etc.

Heck, going from a vehicle that had automatic climate control to my GTI now, which doesn't, has even been an adjustment where I find myself fiddling with the HVAC controls more. I'm glad I have physical dials/buttons to work with at least.

These newer control schemes are bad enough though that it made the German reviewer in the Autogefühl review that's been linked in this thread briefly turn British and call them "bollocks" (right around the 9 minute mark for anyone interested).

 

[KevinC]

Yeah, I think big touchscreens and capacitive buttons are in these days. Traditional buttons unfortunately seem to be on their way out.

Honda and Ford already tried this, with disastrous results - both have brought back knobs & buttons which had previously been replaced with touchscreen & capacitive controls, which their customers HATED. I've checked out some of the latest Golf 8 reviews from Europe, and reviewers are continuing to slam the awful infotainment software, and the capacitive controls on the highest spec steering wheel. Ironically lower trims get conventional steering wheel controls. VW will scramble to fix this stuff at the mid-cycle refresh, which is probably already being fast-tracked to market.

 

[mopar22]

Yes and yes. I wonder how long it will take to roll out the fixes to the horrendous infotainment/HVAC/steering wheel controls? I'll bet they're already redesigning it, consumer pushback has already been loud.

If it's gonna be "redesigned" it would already be redesigned for the mk8.5 so they could just speed up the refresh even if it's just interior related. Refresh models are normally designed alongside all-new models at the same time

 

[KevinC]

Has it though? More and more manufacturers are going that direction for a reason. I'd be willing to bet you're just hearing the loud vocal minority.

Time will tell. I've been reading these complaints ever since Honda and Ford drastically reduced their knobs/buttons and tried to move everything to the infotainment screen(s) - and were LOUDLY rebuked by customers, to the point that they relented and returned many of the original controls. This has all happened over the last 3-4 years. Now I've read/watched many of the Golf 8 reviews, and the same complaints are being echoed. VW screwed up here. They will have to fix it. Maybe I'm wrong - but I seriously doubt it.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Time will tell. I've been reading these complaints ever since Honda and Ford drastically reduced their knobs/buttons and tried to move everything to the infotainment screen(s) - and were LOUDLY rebuked by customers, to the point that they relented and returned many of the original controls. This has all happened over the last 3-4 years. Now I've read/watched many of the Golf 8 reviews, and the same complaints are being echoed. VW screwed up here. They will have to fix it. Maybe I'm wrong - but I seriously doubt it.

I think that you are 100 % correct. The average driver is bad enough without having to take their eyes off the road to make any changes while driving.

 

[GTIfan99]

Yeah, I think big touchscreens and capacitive buttons are in these days. Traditional buttons unfortunately seem to be on their way out. Tesla has probably some of the earliest examples of this, but larger manufacturers like Volvo and Subaru have more recent examples of this:
2020 Subaru Outback interior (higher trim):
View attachment 184457

2020 Volvo XC60:
View attachment 184458

There's still some buttons, but more and more is being moved to the touchscreen or buttons that don't actually move when pressed. I'm not fully convinced this will work in the longer term, but I haven't lived with a car that's had its controls migrated to such interfaces for any appreciable amount of time either so I don't know what it's like. It would definitely be quite the adjustment for me but I'm also of the opinion that tactile feel is better for minimizing distraction when adjusting things like temperature, fan speed, etc.

Heck, going from a vehicle that had automatic climate control to my GTI now, which doesn't, has even been an adjustment where I find myself fiddling with the HVAC controls more. I'm glad I have physical dials/buttons to work with at least.

These newer control schemes are bad enough though that it made the German reviewer in the Autogefühl review that's been linked in this thread briefly turn British and call them "bollocks" (right around the 9 minute mark for anyone interested).

My wife just bought a 2020 Outback Limited with that exact system. Works fine, not too distracting. No more so that the base GTI controls in my 19 GTI.

Took a couple days to get used to, then meh. No big deal.

 

[norsairius]

My wife just bought a 2020 Outback Limited with that exact system. Works fine, not too distracting. No more so that the base GTI controls in my 19 GTI.

Took a couple days to get used to, then meh. No big deal.

Good to know! I'm sure some designs are better than others. Generally speaking, I'm fine with some touchscreen elements but I think some manufacturers have gone overboard lately.

That said, it won't be a consideration for me for a little while at least since I just got my GTI about a month ago.

 

[Carlosfandang0]

A great real world review of the Mk8 GTI

 

[IanCH]

What is "GTI wings" exactly?

 

[Carlosfandang0]

What is "GTI wings" exactly?

Fenders.

 

[RennWerks]

Somewhat off topic, but I found CarPervert's spontaneous comment -- "The Germans are so neat with their gardens" -- insightful and amusing. Correct, too.

 

[Carlosfandang0]