Volkswagen comes up with a bad idea of ​​steering wheel control

It seems that Volkswagen has come to its senses again. Last year, the brand promised that it would replace the touch-sensitive surfaces on the steering wheel with real buttons. Very pleasant. VW already envisions the next step when it comes to steering wheel controls, but maybe someone should save the brand for themselves. The latest patent promises a little bit of good.

The round steering wheel with indicators on the column is really perfect. It’s worked great for years, it’s self-evident and no one has really asked for a change. Tesla removed the stalks behind the steering wheel for the heavy turn signal buttons, and to top it all off, the steering wheel suddenly no longer turns round. You could say this is a lesson for all manufacturers: leave the steering wheel alone.

No buds or stems

Volkswagen Patent applications were filed in July The steering wheel is without buttons and without stems. The controls for the turn signals, light switches and wipers are located on the steering wheel itself. So you have to press, say, “two o’clock” with your thumb to turn on the right turn signal. The system is so clever that the buttons do nothing if you keep your hands there.

How do you know exactly where to hit the steering wheel? The steering wheel shows which button is there, where, at what time. To make it even more confusing: the buttons change places. Depending on the situation, the steering wheel displays other functions. The steering wheel provides tactile and visual feedback when the driver succeeds in pressing a button.

Nice for study model

The idea behind the buttons on the steering wheel is fine for a concept car, but let’s hope this system never sees the light of day. You already know that the turn signal will be triggered by mistake at unfortunate moments or that you will lose it when driving through a roundabout. And do the pressure-sensitive surfaces continue to work well after 200,000 km of steering?

At the moment, there are no signs that Volkswagen wants to apply the patent to production cars. And that’s a good thing. “This is how we’ve been doing it for years” is usually not a good argument, but in the case of a round handlebar with stems behind it, it clearly is. Fortunately, Volkswagen will be the first to come up with cars with real old buttons on the steering wheel.