Touchscreen Interface Isn't So Great - 2016 Honda Pilot Long-Term Road Test

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Touchscreen Interface Isn't So Great - 2016 Honda Pilot Long-Term Road Test

The 2016 Honda Pilot's touchscreen interface is not very good. One is inclined to hand Honda a Fiat-Chrysler UConnect system and say buttons or knobs please.

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carguydaryl

its a huge complaint on the forums too. #1 complaint I'd say.

misterfusion

What is the entry-level system like, e.g., does it have knobs & a smaller screen? Or is this system standard across the Pilot line?

bromans

@misterfusion
Good question. Everything above Pilot LX comes with the 8-inch touchscreen. Looking at some dealer inventory pics, it would seem the LX has a smaller screen with knobs, as you speculated. -- Brent

thepuff

So, according to Consumer Reports then, this will make the Honda Pilot an unreliable vehicle. I know my Ford Explorer was black-dotted and deemed "unreliable" and "not recommended" because of the Sync System.

allthingshonda

This is why I preferred when Honda had all the buttons that journalist hated. Touchscreens are great for your phone but not when you're moving at 80 MPH. A modern commercial airliner has a glass cockpit where all the displays are screens, no analog gauges. But everything that requires inputs from the pilots are physical buttons, knobs and levers. The same should be done for cars. When I press a button or turn a knob I can feel that it has engaged. Funny how Ford's answer for complaints about the touchscreen was to add more buttons.

kirkhilles1

I'd still prefer physical buttons whenever possible and Android Auto for the rest.

barich1

This really shouldn't be that hard. Knobs for anything with a wide range (volume, temperature, fan speed, tuning, etc.). Buttons for primary functions. Touch buttons and touch menus for less frequently accessed functions. And yet virtually no automaker gets it right.

ebeaudoin

I have to agree with you on this. I've spent quite a lot of time with Honda's new HondaLink system (currently found in 2015+ Civic EX+, Fit EX+, CR-V EX+ and Pilot EX+; note that "+" indicates "and above") and it really does need some work. The system in the 2016+ Civic EX+ and Accord EX+ is better, but not quite excellent. The LX models have excellent control layouts- big buttons, volume and tuning knobs/dials, etc. It's a shame that every auto manufacturer equates touchscreens and technology overload with luxury and being cutting-edge.

legacygt

Amazing because this is coming several years AFTER the auto world criticized the same sort of touch sensitive volume control in Fords and Lincolns. Similar controls were also criticized in cars like the Volt. In more recent vehicles, those manufacturers (and others) have all started to move away from these types of controls. How out of touch is Honda they are now adding the very controls that everyone else has learned to be frustrating?

To answer my own question a little bit, these systems are very impressive on the showroom floor. People have grown comfortable with touch interfaces and staring at screens and swiping. This all falls apart when you're driving and need to have your eyes on the road. But Honda is hoping you don't realize this until after making your purchase.

misterfusion

In my personal experience, Chrysler/FCA Uconnect has the perfect combination of physical buttons & dials, touchscreen controls, and voice command. And the Sync II system in my mom's Escape also has redundant dials, if I'm not mistaken. I've never had a problem with Sync in rentals, etc., but then I've never owned a Sync-equipped car outright.

Edit: And thank you for the follow-up to my question, Brent.

schen72

The current generation of Honda/Acura all have touch screens. I actually prefer the iDrive style of controller, like the previous generation of Honda/Acura had, which made for no fingerprints on the screen.