Quote:
Originally Posted by L27
anyone knows why they changed the headlight switch into buttons?
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My guess is that it's a design choice reflecting the inexorable move from analog to digital, where every possible raw mechanical interfacing with the vehicle is gradually and ruthlessly weeded out: from mechanical levers, dials and switches (ignition key, gear lever, headlight switch...) to pressable buttons, from pressable buttons to tactile buttons, from tactile buttons to screens, from screens to voice command, to ultimately telepathic control I guess
This technological progression should aim at ever-increasing pleasure and ease/intuitiveness of interaction with the vehicle, however unfortunately the market seems to show that buyers value and demand cutting-edge design and useless technology over intuitive function and optimal ergonomics
BMW still keeps a few old-school controls wherever these are still tied to its core identity (actual, decently sized, auto gear lever mounted on the center console, not on the steering column like Mercedes, not a set of buttons or a rotary knob like Jaguar Land Rover...) or wherever it still just makes more sense than anything else (rotary iDrive knob, rotary volume knob...), but the headlight switch has already succumbed to the trend, like it has at Audi. Luckily BMW's climate controls aren't yet going full digital like Audi's are, but BMW did swap the rotary knobs with buttons... Which is already one notch less connected and less intuitive than Mercedes's perfect toggle switches. The button headlight controls do provide, I think, a cleaner look, but I agree that rotary was much more intuitive. Mercedes still keeps it rotary but uses fine design and materials so the style doesn't suffer at all:
