Bojan Vrbnjak
Excessive dependence or reliance on in-car screens has become dangerous to safety. We often take our eyes off the road to browse sub-menus to access a frequently used function. This is a real problem that he pointed out recently EuroNCAP. It will be independent from 2026 European Security Organization penalized car manufacturers by lowered the vehicle's safety rating, which will not have physical control for certain functions.
This decision made us think: do they still exist cars without a monitor in the middle? By that we mean they don't have a screen at all. It exists some cars with non-touch screens surrounded by buttons, but we want to focus on car interiors, which are completely without a central screen. The answer must be "yes". Dacia for example, she will sell to you Sandero, Logan, Jogger ali Duster no center screen if you choose the cheapest version. However, you can control music or navigation from the cockpit via Dacia apps. In the new Duster (our cover photo) is in “crocodile valves” stored smartphone, the cable of which (unlike, for example, Sander) leads to a USB port.
Dacia Duster Essential
Sandero, Logan and Jogger are a little older, Duster but it is a brand new car that was on the market only recently. They are in more and more European countries configurators ready and showing beautifully spartan interior basic versions. Renault's low-cost division isn't the only company doing this, as it is Fiat for its cheapest Pando prepared a basic model without a screen. In its third generation since 2011, the life cycle of this lovely city car was recently extended to 2026 with a special model Pandaa. Another brand of Stellantis, Citroën, recently introduced the model ë-C3, which is in the basic version for 19.990 euros also available no screen.
A few months ago, the model was withdrawn from production VW Up, which was also available in a base version without a center screen. However, the owners were able to plug into it smartphone and turned it into a removable infotainment system. Dacia offers the same functionality for vehicles ordered without a touch screen. It's called Average control and serves as “a screen that you pull out of your pocket". And this is how it works:
We can add more to this list Toyota GR86 / Subaru BRZ in Japan and exotic cars such as Bugatti and Ferrari. There are also some commercial vehicles without a screen, such as Peugeot Partner first generation and Citroën Berlingo. Yes, these vans are still sold in some markets, even though they started selling them in 1999. This means that especially quite old new vans do not have screens, as they were not originally designed for them. Since we already mentioned VW: Due to the lack of microchips, the company was forced to sell the crossover in Brazil from 2021 nivus and hatchbacks Fox without a central screen. This was particularly unusual for the Nivus model, as it had completely digital armature plate, however no touch screen. In the recent past, VW sold the cheapest version of the car in Brazil without a screen in the center of the dashboard.
Of course we all agree that it is car interior without screen obsolete in 2024. But if you opt out infotainment system, you will get something better – buttons and buttons. The old ways of managing are more functional, regardless of what the automaker's marketing team says about the awesomeness of touchscreens. Automaker experts won't never officially recognized, that cheaper to use the same screens in the entire range of vehicles than developing separate options for information and entertainment equipment. Although there is no perfect compromise, some car manufacturers such as Hyundai, they try to accommodate both worlds. Recently renovated Tucson it retains two screens, but it has more buttons as before. In addition, the South Korean brand has expressed its long-term commitment to physical controls, making hard buttons easier to use while driving.
Cars without a screen in the middle
V the renewed Golf and new versions Tiguan and Passat was used again by VW the right buttons at the wheel, because she was touch solution received harsh criticism. Unfortunately, the touch control is still used for the air conditioner. BMW he looks at it differently, since he has already eliminated it the iDrive controller in new model versions X1 in X2 and in the series 2 Active Tourers. In the series models 1 and series 2 Gran Coupes the central rotary knob will be phased out this year when the next-generation models hit the market. As if that wasn't enough, next-generation electric vehicles on the platform as well New Class they will no longer have a rotary knob.
