Already with the Model S and Model X, Tesla eliminated many of the switches and levers that control various functions in conventional cars, and with the Model 3 and Model Y, much of the rest of that has moved to the large touchscreen as well.
Screen operation is now catching on, but most manufacturers don’t go as far with it as Tesla. It’s also better for the German auto club ADAC: It had six cars tested with different operating concepts and sees the Tesla Model 3 in last place. It shines when it comes to infotainment though.
Tesla Model 3 with the best infotainment
In order to test how intuitive and therefore safe the operation is, the ADAC had 24 test persons each using 2 of the vehicles with which they were previously unfamiliar. At a constant city speed, they should serve “every day, frequently used or safety-related” functions. In the evaluation of school grades, safety received the highest weight at 50 percent, air conditioning received 30 percent and infotainment at 20 percent.
The Mazda 3 landed at the top with an average of 1.9, and the Tesla Model 3 at the bottom with 3.8. Windscreen wipers and hazard warning lights via levers and switches in the usual positions. That brought a 1.5 for the operation of safety functions and a 1.2 for air conditioning. When it came to infotainment, on the other hand, the Mazda 3 with its rotary pushbutton was one of the worst performers.
With the Tesla Model 3, it was exactly the opposite. It was the only car in the test field to receive a 1.0 for its infotainment, with the testers praising the large and fast touchscreen. But the electric car only got a 3.7 for the air conditioning operation and even a smooth 5 in the area of safety, as the ADAC announced on Tuesday.
ADAC for a mix of buttons and touchscreen
The reason for this is, among other things, that in the Model 3 only one test person was able to find the button for the hazard warning lights on the roof lining without help. For Tesla newcomers or occasional drivers, this could pose “a great danger”.
The fact that the Model 3 does not have its own buttons and levers for lights and windshield wipers also leads to “dangerous distraction times” during operation. The ADAC rated the BMW 1 Series in a similarly contradictory way to the Mazda, which received the best mark for safety with 1.1 and a good one for climate with 1.8, but brought up the rear with 5.1 for infotainment.
The right mixture is needed, to summarize the ADAC findings from this test. Dedicated buttons are the right solution for frequently used and safety-relevant functions such as air conditioning and lights, and manufacturers should also stick to the usual conventions for elementary things such as hazard warning lights and windscreen wipers.
In the case of infotainment, on the other hand, a touchscreen has proven to be significantly less distracting. Voice control is now an alternative that works well in some vehicles, but can in no way serve as a substitute for an easy-to-understand operation, explains the Auto Club.
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