Mazda was the last redoubt in cars with physical buttons. The new CX-5 has taken them ahead

From a few years to this part, the car industry has sought that The user perceives the car as a Gadget further. The huge touch screens have invaded the splashes of almost all brands and, at a very hard speed, to the simplest and most necessary actions (change the air conditioningfor example) have become a few touches on a screen. Mazda was one of the brands that resistance exercised Against this Invasion of screensmaintaining the useful and traditional buttons.

But if we talk in the past it is for a reason: The CX-5 It shows that Mazda 6e It was no exception. And, according to Mazda, it is what we want.

Look, without looking! At a point where practically all the competition was betting on screens, larger and more waiting for technology to be ready to turn the moon on a screenMazda was one of the last bastions in the industry that resisted that present. In the last generations, they continued to bet on the physical buttons and controls in the cabin.

The decision was based on the Safety at the wheel (which, in the end, is the most important thing) and the user’s own experience. With the buttons, our muscle memory allows us to perform actions such as controlling music, GPS or air conditioning without playing a screen and diverting the road view. And, although the last Mazda had a small screen, it was out of reach, you had to press buttons and move dials.

Mazda, you too… However, it seems that market pressure has ended up making a dent. We already saw it A few months ago with Mazda 6ethe 100% electric Berlina of the Japanese company that incorporated an extremely similar interior both to Tesla as a byd and other competitors. This is an diaphanous interior governed by a huge central screen. We could think that, okay, it was 100% electric and wanted to try a different philosophy. The problem is that it was not an experiment.

Presented a few weeks ago, the new CX-5, eliminated the Mazda logo of the steering wheel (this hurts more than the disappearance of the buttons), but also incorporated a 15.6-inch screen in the center of the dashboard, with multimedia and air conditioning controls. Maintain certain buttons on the steering wheel, but to change basic things, the screen will have to be wearing.

Goodbye, Mazda logo. Some buttons are maintained, such as the emergency or the moons. The rest, to the screen and behind the wheel

What customers ask for. But it turns out that it is not only market pressure, but, apparently, what customers want. In an interview granted by Stefan Meisterfeld, vice president of operations to The Drivewith Google as an assistant in the car, many actions can be done through voice commands. In addition, they have designed the system to be “intuitive, easy to use and easy to drive at the same time.”

Meisterfeld says that it has not been a whim of the brand, since “customer opinion has definitely been part of the decision -making process.” In addition, he has talked about the steering wheel: “It is a new design with physical buttons with which most of the critical functions can be controlled quite intuitively while driving, so you can keep your hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road,” he says.

Against. When the launch approaches, we will see what these “critical functions” are, but it seems clear that there is no back and that the new generations of the compact and rest of the range of SUV They will add to this new line of design and philosophy. And they will do it at a time when there is Users who show a ‘fedow’ for this type of tactile controls and most importantly: organisms such as Euro NCAP are against.

It is the most relevant in Europe to evaluate vehicle safety and, after carrying out collision tests, From 2026 there will be a new exam. If you cannot select the flashing, activate the ‘Warning’ button, sound the horn, activate the windshield wiper or the Ecall emergency button From a button, the car will not have the five stars.

Are they late? They are soft measures, but between those and user complaints, there are companies like Volkswagen that have reversed. Interestingly, one of the most enthusiastic with the screens, recently hit a flying with statements by his own design chief confirming that Cars “are not a phone”.

In the end, fashions come and go, although some brands prepare the return of the buttons, seen in events such as the Shanghai Motor Show show us that Lso screens have come to stay, at least for a while. Is Mazda late to this new form of control? Seeing competition, it seems not.

Now we will see what users think because Mazda 6E could be an experiment, but the rest of the majority ranges had buttons that made them models other than those of the competition, and the CX-5 has sought not to uncheck.

Images | Mazda

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