Love the User-Friendly Design - 2015 Hyundai Sonata Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Love the User-Friendly Design - 2015 Hyundai Sonata Long-Term Road Test

Our 2015 Hyundai Sonata might not earn many points for originality, but the design of its dashboard controls is as user-friendly as you're going to find in any sedan.

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chol92594

Happy to see that Hyundai kept it simple and didn't clutter up the center stack with complicated touch-based controls or anything like that. It's especially nice to see a simple touch screen without any knob-based control system. Even though MMI, iDrive, COMAND, etc. have come a long way, nothing beats a touch screen when it comes to simplicity and ease-of-use.

mercedesfan

@chol92594,

I feel exactly the opposite. Now that I have used iDrive and COMAND so much I find touch screens maddening to use. They are slow to respond, hugely distracting, and limited in how they can display information. Even my Model S, which has the best automotive touchscreen ever created, can still be frustrating to interface with. The learning curve on knob-based systems is steep (probably too steep), but once mastered it is really hard to go back.

victorminator

I think this interior design is fantastic. I like the angular design they went for personally, and I do think it's attractive.
Bonus that it's also user friendly.

mercedesfan said:

@chol92594,

I feel exactly the opposite. Now that I have used iDrive and COMAND so much I find touch screens maddening to use. They are slow to respond, hugely distracting, and limited in how they can display information. Even my Model S, which has the best automotive touchscreen ever created, can still be frustrating to interface with. The learning curve on knob-based systems is steep (probably too steep), but once mastered it is really hard to go back.

You and chol92594 are kind of forgetting the few cars that are doing it best: using both methods.
My Mazda 3 GT has a touch screen and knob offered. I completely agree with both of you's arguments: touch is fast and easy, especially when you are inputting addresses (voice is still not ideal IMO), and when driving the knob takes over and does a fantastic job allowing you to focus on the driving and your arm rests in one spot comfortably.
I'm gonna miss going to a single mission system after this car. I'm not sure why they can't compromise and have both integrations available.

misterfusion

@mercedesfan, I can't dispute your arguments regarding COMAND, et al, having never used such a system. But I can say that my car's Uconnect system is fast (instantaneous response to touch), intuitive, and has *never* had a freeze or reboot in 1.5 years & counting.

By contrast, I like the graphical crispness of MyFord Touch, but it can indeed be slow and unreliable, and I've heard similar things about the GM systems (MyLink, et al). I don't know why Ford & GM can't seem to make a reliable and intuitive touchscreen interface.