Anyone else HATE the touch light switches?

Yeah I'm getting used to the location, so I tend to hit the correct spot more often now, but yes annoying.

 

I just tap the back of my finger in the general area until the lights come on. Usually get it on the first try. I find the sensor quite responsive.

 

It took a while to make the adjustment but I can easily find the switches in the dark now.

 

Plutonium would work better, but if you cannot easily source it, glow-in dark stickers from the dollar store will do.

 

Cars used to be designed with controls you could find and adjust by feel alone. No kidding. But we "progress"...

Controls that require dedicated, eyes-off-the-road attention are no different than cell phones.

Speaking of impossible to find in the dark controls: 3rd gen driver's door lock/unlock is thus. I recall when we were picking someone up, needing to unlock all the doors: looking down at the dark arm rest, impossible to see what was what.

 

In my 2021 Prius Prime Limited, they are nicely lighted.

However, the door-lock/unlock buttons aren't lighted, and I had to learn how to find the door-lock button at night.

 

What I miss most is the vent temperature lever. You could change the vent temperature while the air conditioning system was off just by moving a lever, No need to power the air on and start a compressor... so much for progress.

Oh, and a volume knob for the radio. Takes forever to lower the volume holding a button. (The wife likes is loud when the windows are down, and she never turns it off. So when I go start up I get blasted....)

Yes, there should be many more physical buttons, and they should all be lighted.

 

It has that, beside the multimedia screen. Pressing it also mutes or pauses.

Agree about the touch light switches, they aren't the best, and the amount of light they provide is greatly lacking.

 

People in general, inherently do not like change. But the only thing in life that does not change, is change. I find it odd sometimes when people buy something new with updated or new features, and then complain about the change in features or operation afterwards because it's unlike what they are used or had before.

 

On the plus side, the vast majority of the car's functions are controlled by physical buttons, dials. The most commonly used ones all are.

It's not *that* often, that you use the car's domelight while driving, as the driver. So it being capacitive takes some getting used to but its not a deal breaker. Not in the same way that putting the gearshift on a screen might be, or having all the HVAC routed through the touchscreen with no physical controls available, for example.

In terms of practical use, I've found the car is great.

 

Just chiming in that yea, those buttons seem like an "oops". If you need the button it's probably dark and so not being able to see/feel for it wasn't thinking it through. A minor annoyance though for a car that overall got it right even on buttons in general.

Good thread though, thanks all for the suggestions on better ways to mark or feel for the buttons!

will

 

If they had little tactile dots on them, or if they had dim backlights, probably would have made a world of difference. Then again, if they were small physical buttons, would they really have taken up *that* much more room? Maybe it was an attempt to maintain the sleek roofline. Who knows!

 

I'd be a little careful getting Pu to...'glow.'
Plutonium does glow but only when it's 'burning' and after a little while (and some extensive cleanup) the goofy light switches will bother you no more.

Personally, I'd use (and DO use) tritium - but that's me being me.

I would expect Toyota to eschew the ...um 'elemental' and use something bio-based like jellyfish.
They employ bioluminescence that enables them to generate natural light, and you would definitely KNOW when you were touching the light switch.

 

Yes I hate it. But whatever. I got used to it. Physical buttons would be so much better.

 

When auto makers change a tried-and-true design, that’s ergonomic and intuitive, to one that’s cost-cutting, easier to manufacture and stylish at the expense of utility, not to mention safety, yeah I’m going to complain. If there’s an alternative I’ll complain with my check book.

 

Not a problem for me. Mine’s voice activated

 

New is not better. As we have seen from the car manufacturer rush to move away from physical buttons and then the reversal of that.

A light switch which is meant to be used in the dark should have a tactile identifier, especially if the person operating it may be distracted, you know like if they're driving and they need to reach for the light switch.