- Volkswagen revealed a new generation of cockpit design with the refreshed ID. Polo.
- The new design marks a big departure for VW and features a plethora of physical controls rather than the capacitive buttons on current models.
- While the switchgear is currently only found on the new ID. Polo, which isn’t sold in the United States, it could debut on the soon-to-be-refreshed ID.4.
Volkswagen is making a drastic change to its interiors, or at least the interiors of its electric vehicles. The automaker recently unveiled a new cockpit generation with the refreshed ID. Polo—the diminutive electric hatchback that the brand sells in Europe—that now comes with physical buttons.
VolkswagenWhile VW certainly isn’t the only automaker that pushed the envelope with haptic controls and digital buttons, it was a particularly egregious offender. Now, the company is doing a complete 180-degree shift, adding a full suite of physical buttons and switchgear to the Polo’s interior.
The steering wheel gets new clusters of buttons for cruise control and interacting with music playback, while switches for the temperature and fan speed now live in a row along the dashboard. The move back to buttons doesn’t come out of nowhere. Volkswagen already started the shift with the new versions of the Golf and Tiguan models in the United States. Unfortunately, some climate controls, such as those for the rear defrost and the heated seats, are still accessed through the touchscreen. Thankfully, they look to retain their dedicated spot at the bottom of the display.
VolkswagenVolkswagen hasn’t announced which models will receive the new cockpit design. The redesigned interior also may be limited to the brand’s electric vehicles, which would limit it to the upcoming refresh for the ID.4 SUV (and potentially the ID.Buzz), as the only VW EV models currently sold in America.
Source: VW’s New Year’s Resolution Is to Bring Back Physical Buttons
Also unfortunately, the music control buttons seem to be limited to the steering wheel. Having your passenger reach out to select a radio station on your steering wheel feels suboptimal to me. But it’s a start.
Robin Edgar
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