Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Three Cheers for Three Knobs - 2015 Audi A3 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited July 2015 in Audi
imageThree Cheers for Three Knobs - 2015 Audi A3 Long-Term Road Test

Three simple knobs to control what should be a simple operation. Simply wonderful.

Read the full story here


Tagged:

Comments

  • miata52miata52 Member Posts: 114
    Knobs, please.
  • john_in_tcjohn_in_tc Member Posts: 28
    I will not buy a car with touch screen controls for HVAC system.
  • markinnaples_markinnaples_ Member Posts: 251
    Sometimes advances in technology aren't actually advances.
  • dldavedldave Member Posts: 46
    I too love the A3 climate control interface, but I admit that I actually had to open the manual to see how to sync up the driver and passenger side temperature with one knob. All it took was holding down the auto button for 2 seconds. Easy! Surprised to see the seat heater on with the air temperature so cool in the picture above.
  • expensivehobbyexpensivehobby Member Posts: 91
    Knobs. Particularly if you have more than one vehicle, screen interfaces are different for each manufacturer, unless you own only one brand and maybe not even then. We just went to one brand, with knobs, so my wife would feel immediately acclimated no matter which car I took.
  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    I love a good automatic climate control system - set and forget.

    Oh, and I don't want any screen in a car, I think it looks tacky. Knobs by default.
  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    legacygt said:

    markinnaples_ said:

    Sometimes advances in technology aren't actually advances.

    A good way to evaluate newer technology is by flipping it around and asking what would we think about the technology if it came first and the older technology arrived later. Imagine we needed to use touchscreens to control all the HVAC functions in a car and then some automaker figured out a way to include a dial for each passenger to control the temperature and another the fan speed. Brilliant!
    Well said, legacygt.

    Brilliant! You reject your own nose because it represents the glitter of commercialism. Why didn't I think of that?

    Cut, print, check the gate, moving on.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,514
    well, I am even more old school. I don't even like auto CC. Go back to the simple 3 dials, with a button to turn AC on when you want it. Our new Jetta Sport has this. Very logical, and always does what you ask for. And not what it feels like doing.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    stickguy said:

    well, I am even more old school. I don't even like auto CC. Go back to the simple 3 dials, with a button to turn AC on when you want it. Our new Jetta Sport has this. Very logical, and always does what you ask for. And not what it feels like doing.

    I used to feel this way until I got behind a good automatic climate control system. I just set it where I'm comfortable, and it'll blow cold air if the cabin is hot, or hot air if the cabin is cold. I don't ever have to adjust it, which is really, really nice. Sometimes fan speed goes up a notch, but that's it.

  • dgcamerodgcamero Member Posts: 148
    quadricycle said:

    stickguy said:

    well, I am even more old school. I don't even like auto CC. Go back to the simple 3 dials, with a button to turn AC on when you want it. Our new Jetta Sport has this. Very logical, and always does what you ask for. And not what it feels like doing.

    I used to feel this way until I got behind a good automatic climate control system. I just set it where I'm comfortable, and it'll blow cold air if the cabin is hot, or hot air if the cabin is cold. I don't ever have to adjust it, which is really, really nice. Sometimes fan speed goes up a notch, but that's it.

    And people who don't understand that you can hit the auto button cause the systems to lose their calibration and make it so people like stickguy hate automatic climate control. OP Matt, do you leave the A/C in your home set at 63?
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,514
    well, I don't actually like AC, and don't want it running all the time. Just when it is absolutely necessary.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    Why is the interface so important in a car with auto climate control? In every car I've had with auto climate control I set the temperature I like and forget about it. The exception being my Nissan Pathfinder that you had to manually control recirculation and fresh air. There are some of us who are control freaks and feel that we must be in absolute control of everything. For manual systems I like Honda's old layout. Knobs for temperature and fan and buttons for air flow direction. I think we have to thank the Europeans for the original knob interface but I think the Taurus in 1986 introduced it to the masses. The first three knob design for all functions I ever saw was in a Ford Taurus.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles