Mike728

I would really hope they don't go backwards. The touch screen is so primitive. Once you get the hang of the mouse, it's second nature. Maybe something like a touch-pad would be a viable option.

They really need to get rid of that glare inducing touch screen in the Avalon. It looks like the 2019 will suffer from the same issue. That was the main reason I dropped the Avalon off of my shopping list in 2013.

Toys4RJill

signdetres

I wonder if it's the equivalent of what we have currently? I have the Enform app on my Apple Watch which allows you to remote start, lock, unlock, etc. from the watch without needing to use the phone app. Only added benefit is that the watch can control it via voice control whereas the phone app cannot. Definitely feels very 007

I too hope to keep the little mouse/joystick of today's system. Not having to reach for a touchscreen and wave my arm around is a much nicer alternative, IMO. Definitely more luxurious to just sit comfortably and be able to control the system in it's entirety with just a few small motions of the hand/fingertip. Feels more Germanic and reminds me of the systems I've known & loved in our previous MBs. Fingerprints are also not luxurious if you ask me.

JDR76

I've used the touch pad extensively and I think it's better than the **** RTI, but recognize not everyone feels this way. As for touch screens, I hate them.

Mike728

My opinion is the opposite, so that's the "End of Story". I know there are several threads on this, so I'm done.

I see that the new Avalon is due in showrooms in a few months. With the prices being estimated to go into the upper $40's, I can't see how anyone would consider it over a current G80. The same goes for the ES.

UDel

Going back to simple intuitive physical buttons and switches for the majority of functions would alleviate all this aggravation and nonsense with these awful touchscreen/mouse setups that improve nothing and just make things needlessly difficult and complicated.

Toys4RJill

Agreed. I don't have an issue with the remote touch as long as they could offer redundant buttons for almost all of the important functions on the dash. I believe BMW and Genesis offer such. The LC is a lesson in what is just absurd, having to go through menus to turn on the heated seats with the remote touch.

mmarshall

I'm with you on the dual button/touch screen feature, but that increases the cost and complexity of the design...and automakers, of course, are always on the lookout to save money. On my Lacrosse, they did a compromise....a dual set-up on the majority of features, but touch-screen only on a few of the others.

Toys4RJill

Sulu

You aren't looking forward to going back to the sea of buttons that Hondas and Acuras were once famous for, are you? If it is the choice of the Honda buttons or a remote touch, I say remote touch.

mmarshall

You talk about a sea of identical buttons.....remember this?



Perhaps slightly off-topic, but it reminds me of the time I got into a verbal argument with the Olds reps at the D.C. Auto Show back then. I pointed out the absurdity of that type of design, in several of their products (that was the case with some Buicks of the period, too, but to a lesser extent). When they repeatedly tried to defend it, I then pointed out that if that design didn't change, the very existence of the Olds division might be at stake. They looked at me like I was some hot-shot, wanna-be critic that didn't know what I was talking about. Well...the rest is history.

JDR76

Not sure what the Avalon situation will be for switches, but there is very little in my GS that I have to do with the RTI.

I can control all of the HVAC commands that I use without the RTI. I can set my seat heat/ventilation, change zone temperatures, change the flow, recirculation, etc. The only switch it doesn't have is the AC switch. I had one of those on my IS and never used it once, so no loss there.

For the radio, I can seek, adjust volume, change sources, select presets, pause, etc. without using the RTI. The only thing I use RTI for with the radio is I page through my Pandora stations.

Most most map/navigation commands, I just use voice control.

UDel

I would love to go back to similar set ups like that with buttons instead of touch screens. If you can't figure that physical button setup out then you should not be operating a automobile. All they had to do was separate the hvac and audio buttons more to improve it, did not need to eliminate most of the buttons for some stupid touch screen.

Sulu

There has to be some happy balance, I believe, and we are not there yet. Putting everything on a touchscreen, like Tesla does on the Model 3, does not work well, but neither does putting everything on look-alike, chiclet-sized buttons.

With the slippery touchscreen, it can be very difficult to aim the finger on an on-screen image of a button, and then there is no mechanical feedback to tell you that you successfully pressed the button.

I too would prefer mechanical buttons and dials, but with the sea of chiclet buttons, it can be very difficult to find the specific button you want. The HVAC controls in my ES, for example, use chiclet buttons and it takes a moment with eyes off the road every time I want to turn on the front or rear defrosters (the buttons are small, look alike and are next to each other). Dials -- even small ones -- would be better for the HVAC controls I believe, but then, I guess it would not look "high tech".

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Remote Touch was revised for MY16. It has 'Enter' buttons on the sides now as well as a dedicated return function. You can go into MENU SETUP GENERAL and scroll down to FEEDBACK FORCE on your parents 2015 and set it all the way to the right '+', which will help give the remote more feedback so it doesn't jump around as much. It is an annoyance there is no AC button, but if they want to turn the AC on all they have to do is press AUTO then knock the fan down. Now if they want to turn it off, then yes they must go into the Menu.

For Remote Touch Interface (RTI) aka touch pad, the new one in the 2018 NX, LC, LS, and RC is 100x better than the 2017 NX and RC first version. Not even close. 2015-2017 ones were garbage.