[cruzer666]

This Layout is my favorite , only problem, I can’t get my extra 50kW of power (Sport Boost) since this layout is only available in Comfort mode.

 

[Phillies8008]

The sad part is that my old VW GLI had a digital instrument cluster that could show you a BMW-esque display or traditional round guages. Imagine that: a choice! C'mon BMW – if VW can do it...

And I agree with Zaptrax – though I want round, traditional gauges, Mercedes goes overboard. Again, I want a car, not a spaceship. Simpler is better.

 

[Zaptrax]

I've had my 2022 i4 almost 2 years now and absolutely LOVE this car. However, in that all of my previous cars (all ICE) have had circular gauges for mph and rpm I have questioned whether or not the i4's "diamond" layout for mph and power (which I have gotten used to now) is as useful as what circular gauges could display. I did a bit of Googling for an EV car with circular gauges in the instrument cluster and found the following used by a Genesis EV:

View attachment 40241

Although the Genesis EV's instrument cluster might display some more info (but useful?) than the BMW's, I found it to be more confusing. I would be interested in getting some feedback from some of the more EV tech oriented members on their pros and cons of the circular gauges.

In college and grad school I had an old Mercedes 220S (1962) that was a truly amazing car. I especially loved the 4 speed manual shifter on the column. The worst thing about it was the speedometer. A vertical band. Even after 5 years I never really got used it it.

 

[kindofblue]

Our '64 T-bird's speed indicator looked like a thermometer

 

[cjbeckmann]

This Layout is my favorite , only problem, I can’t get my extra 50kW of power (Sport Boost) since this layout is only available in Comfort mode.
View attachment 40253

Did this change with a recent update, BTW? I feel like you used to be able to get all the display options in all driving modes, but maybe I'm just remembering wrong...

 

[bognar67]

Not only the shape but graphic also far not ideal. Too many lines forms and colors. The map view style is simply childish DOS looking.
Instrument cluster of the sporty car should be clearly informative not a toy screen. I am driving i4 and Taycan after each other, i4 is confused although have HUD as well. For comparison the Taycan's instrument cluster pics in 2 modes out of 4. Side gouges are also widely configurable.
To be clear the cockpit feel is very nice, dash and interior top notch in full and details "only" the screen behind the steering wheel is the bad (design) part of the i4.

 

[cruzer666]

Did this change with a recent update, BTW? I feel like you used to be able to get all the display options in all driving modes, but maybe I'm just remembering wrong...

No. That layout is only available in Comfort mode on the current software and all the previous software versions I had as well.

 

[Phillies8008]

Yeah, I love almost everything about the i4's interior other than the instrument cluster. To be clear, I don't hate it, but I definitely don't love it, either. I think I'd be much more unhappy with it if I didn't have a HUD (which I unabashedly do love).

 

[Hugh]

Like quite a few others I really don’t like the dash layout. I’m very relieved I’ve got head up display (simply so I don’t have to look at it). Dials for me

 

[SKolja]

Not only the shape but graphic also far not ideal. Too many lines forms and colors. The map view style is simply childish DOS looking.
Instrument cluster of the sporty car should be clearly informative not a toy screen. I am driving i4 and Taycan after each other, i4 is confused although have HUD as well. For comparison the Taycan's instrument cluster pics in 2 modes out of 4. Side gouges are also widely configurable.
To be clear the cockpit feel is very nice, dash and interior top notch in full and details "only" the screen behind the steering wheel is the bad (design) part of the i4.
View attachment 40269
View attachment 40268

Battery temperature in instrument cluster is a must!!!

 

[A_Camera]

I've had my 2022 i4 almost 2 years now and absolutely LOVE this car. However, in that all of my previous cars (all ICE) have had circular gauges for mph and rpm I have questioned whether or not the i4's "diamond" layout for mph and power (which I have gotten used to now) is as useful as what circular gauges could display. I did a bit of Googling for an EV car with circular gauges in the instrument cluster and found the following used by a Genesis EV:

View attachment 40241

Although the Genesis EV's instrument cluster might display some more info (but useful?) than the BMW's, I found it to be more confusing. I would be interested in getting some feedback from some of the more EV tech oriented members on their pros and cons of the circular gauges.

Some ICE abandoned the round displays a long time ago. The instruments are not instruments any more, they are displays showing images, needles are not really rotating so there is no need for any round instruments. My first BMW was the 330e which I bought in 2019 and already that abandoned the round "instruments", as you can see below.

There is also no point in displaying RPM in any car with automatic gear box, even less point in an EV or in electric mode, but BMW chose to keep the RPM display when the ICE engine was running, but switched display to the more interesting one when the electric mode was selected.

I like the i4 display much more than the old round displays. The round displays are so old looking, like in an ancient car. Anyway, not all ICE had round dials and rotating speedometers. There were plenty ICE which tried to simulate horizontal movement, like this old Buick Electra:

There were a lot others also, and even a few which only had digital display for speed. So round instruments are neither necessary, nor better in any way. Some may argue that they are safer because they are easier to read, but I think that's just a habit thing. Even within aviation, the main instruments are no longer round since quite a long time now, so the argument for the round instruments about safety is no longer holding.

 

[A_Camera]

I like the round gauges but the blue "horizon" glow and the inner glowing circle are, to my eyes, distracting and unnecessary. In presenting visual information simpler is almost always better. Just because you can light up a pixel doesn't mean that you should. IMO.

You know that that there is a way to turn the intensity down... To the left of the steering wheel there is a rotating dial which adjusts the intensity. Turn that down until it feels comfortable for your eyes. I don't have any problems with the instruments but I remember that I turned it down.

 

[A_Camera]

Not only the shape but graphic also far not ideal. Too many lines forms and colors. The map view style is simply childish DOS looking.
Instrument cluster of the sporty car should be clearly informative not a toy screen. I am driving i4 and Taycan after each other, i4 is confused although have HUD as well. For comparison the Taycan's instrument cluster pics in 2 modes out of 4. Side gouges are also widely configurable.
To be clear the cockpit feel is very nice, dash and interior top notch in full and details "only" the screen behind the steering wheel is the bad (design) part of the i4.
View attachment 40269
View attachment 40268

If you like the Taycan display better that's fine, but personally I find it horrible. Especially that map display is really like VW felt the need to turn on all the pixels. I mean, what's the point of a terrain picture like that? You are not going to fly, so you need to stick to the roads, regardless of how the terrain looks like all over around you, you are not going to perform an emergency landing, so it doesn't matter if you have some peaks and a mountainous area around or ahead of you. I also find the g-meter something to laugh about. I can't understand the point of that at all. I mean, a 2 g turn in a plane needs a 60° bank angle, and that's enormous in a car. Without the bank you can't really pull any gs except during short moments of acceleration and deceleration, and even that will be much less than 2 g, perhaps 1.3-1.4 g. BTW, 0.0 g is weightless. On the earth we always have 1 g. To get 0.0 g you need to ride the vomit comet, or be in space. Anyway, also the BMW displays this wrong, not just the Taycan, since they also show 0.0 as "normal", which is of course wrong as long as we are on or near the earth, but at least the i4 G-meter is more informative than the Taycan.

Regarding the i4 having a display like "childish DOS looking"... I disagree. with the exception of the map, the Taycan looks really like it was crated for DOS, simple text and circles, mostly in black and white. The map of the Taycan is horrible with all those pointless glowing pixels, very distracting and uninformative. By far I prefer the i4 for it's clarity and simplified display, assisting me with navigation, not lighting up my face. But horses for courses... I am glad you like the Taycan, and perhaps it is configurable to display a better, more informative and less cluttered map also, but I'd still not like the round instruments. They give the impression that the designers didn't dare to think ahead and felt that it is safer to keep the old looks than taking chances. I am glad that BMW is more innovative regarding design elements like these.

 

[A_Camera]

Like quite a few others I really don’t like the dash layout. I’m very relieved I’ve got head up display (simply so I don’t have to look at it). Dials for me

I don't know about "quite a few others", what that is based on, but apparently, the BMW design is more popular among the users than other type of designs, so I dare say that those who dislike the BMW design are a tiny minority. At least if we look at this customer satisfaction survey, it is clear that BMW is a real winner.

Personally I wouldn't buy a car if I disliked the design of the dash. It is in my opinion more important than external design elements because the dash is what I always have to watch and touch and use, and sitting in a car which I dislike from the inside would feel like a torture to me. There are so many cars out there, what's the point of paying one unless I like it.

 

[Phillies8008]

I don't know about "quite a few others", what that is based on, but apparently, the BMW design is more popular among the users than other type of designs, so I dare say that those who dislike the BMW design are a tiny minority. At least if we look at this customer satisfaction survey, it is clear that BMW is a real winner.

Personally I wouldn't buy a car if I disliked the design of the dash. It is in my opinion more important than external design elements because the dash is what I always have to watch and touch and use, and sitting in a car which I dislike from the inside would feel like a torture to me. There are so many cars out there, what's the point of paying one unless I like it.

An overall positive rating doesn't mean that owners are particularly happy with every feature. For instance, I don't particularly care for the BMW's dashboard design, EV nor ICE, and would much rather be able to change it to a more traditional look; I think it's pretty silly that there's so little customization available when a digital display can literally look like anything. I also think that my seats could be more comfortable. But if you're asking me whether I'm satisfied with my i4, it'd be an overwhelming "yes". Ratings like this aren't particularly useful for gauging satisfaction with any one particular feature.

I appreciate that the dash design is a deal-breaker for you, but I'm going to guess that that's not the case for most people. It certainly isn't for me. I'll accept one or two things I dislike to get a dozen that I love.

 

[A_Camera]

An overall positive rating doesn't mean that owners are particularly happy with every feature. For instance, I don't particularly care for the BMW's dashboard design, EV nor ICE, and would much rather be able to change it to a more traditional look; I think it's pretty silly that there's so little customization available when a digital display can literally look like anything. I also think that my seats could be more comfortable. But if you're asking me whether I'm satisfied with my i4, it'd be an overwhelming "yes". Ratings like this aren't particularly useful for gauging satisfaction with any one particular feature.

I appreciate that the dash design is a deal-breaker for you, but I'm going to guess that that's not the case for most people. It certainly isn't for me. I'll accept one or two things I dislike to get a dozen that I love.

...and I guess that you have no idea about how important the interior design is in a car, because what you are saying is that it doesn't matter how your home looks like, you just want a roof over your head and want the exterior to look nice. Of course, I don't know you, and you don't know me, but my guess is that for the wast majority, the interior of our homes and cars is more important, or at least as important, as the exterior.

Anyway, regarding more customization, I agree that it would be a good idea, and I would not mind if it contained a traditional round instruments look as well, but it would not look good unless the whole dash is redesigned, not just the actual display elements.

Yes, I also agree that being satisfied with the car doesn't mean it can't be criticized. I criticise things as well, though not the actual speedo display. I like that design because it breaths a more modern thinking into the future, not into the ancient history. That doesn't necessarily mean that there is nothing I would like different in the car.

 

[Phillies8008]

...and I guess that you have no idea about how important the interior design is in a car, because what you are saying is that it doesn't matter how your home looks like, you just want a roof over your head and want the exterior to look nice. Of course, I don't know you, and you don't know me, but my guess is that for the wast majority, the interior of our homes and cars is more important, or at least as important, as the exterior.

Anyway, regarding more customization, I agree that it would be a good idea, and I would not mind if it contained a traditional round instruments look as well, but it would not look good unless the whole dash is redesigned, not just the actual display elements.

Yes, I also agree that being satisfied with the car doesn't mean it can't be criticized. I criticise things as well, though not the actual speedo display. I like that design because it breaths a more modern thinking into the future, not into the ancient history. That doesn't necessarily mean that there is nothing I would like different in the car.

Spoiler: people can have different priorities and desires. That doesn't mean they have "no idea," which is an incredibly arrogant and condescending statement, it just makes them different than you. It's funny when you say that you "don't know me," which in fact you don't, but in the same paragraph tell me that I have no idea how important industrial design is and don't care about how the interior of my house looks. Are you so self-unaware as to not see the cognitive dissonance at play here?

Listen, if you want to base your car purchases on the speedometer, go nuts. I don't particularly care how you make your decisions. But don't assume your priorities are everyone's priorities, nor that they're wrong because they didn't sprout from your head.

 

[bbgator]

To be clear, I don't hate it, but I definitely don't love it, either.

Same. It's a dash..even the worst dash isn't that big of a deal. I'd prefer it to have battery temp, but I understand why they left it out. Last thing they need is service visits over whether my battery is getting too hot or more questions on battery health. I think the sport mode where it tells RPM is stupid.

There is also no point in displaying RPM in any car with automatic gear box

I've driven manuals without RPM. I like RPM on every car, but it isn't required. Sometimes you accidently put the car in 3rd instead of Drive. With RPM it is obvious. Also some maintenance procedures like programming the crankcase position sensor requires you to hold at a particular RPM. On Manuals you can tell when to shift by engine sound. I rarely look at RPMs on a manual, but still prefer it.

At least if we look at this customer satisfaction survey, it is clear that BMW is a real winner.

Easy win with that group. Tesla and Rivian are new car companies with lots of issues but people like the cars. My sister loves her Rivian R1S but would tell you in a survey all the issues with delivery and the exact opposite of her previous BMW experience. Even with all the problems she likes the Rivian better and planning on getting another one...similar to people who own Teslas. 100's of problems but still would buy again. Majority of EVs are made by companies that didn't have high rankings to begin with. You don't see Honda or Toyota making a good EV and they usually dominate those surveys.

 

[gsbaker]

My career once forayed into Industrial interface and dashboard design, and as an objectively good way to communicate information there is virtually no case for a guage.

A bar chart is better since the brain is better at comparing length of bars rather than degrees angle. And bar charts take up less real estate. (A numerical read out is even worse, because you have to conciously interpret the characters, then mentally convert to something meaningful, whereas a guage or dial or bar you subconciously see the shape or size)

So the geek in me is open to non-traditional displays.

That said, a good industrial interface should be, by deliberate design, excruciatingly dull when everything is ok, and only "light up" when something needs attention.

Whereas, a car is (should be) a visceral, emotional experience, where sound, colour and graphics (and g forces) give you an experience and engagement. As someone whos driven a car with round dials all my life, thats probably what I will most respond to tbh. I was really turned off the Tesla by a lack of "cockpit" and chose an i4.

So head says grey bar graph, heart says guages that go red in sport mode.

Nice thoughts.

I wonder whether a bar chart is really easier or quicker to read than an angular gauge. The length of a bar must be interpreted in the context of a border that sets its scale, while an angle of independent of scale, especially if the median operating value is at 90 degrees. Many or most people who grew up with clocks can read the time accurately even when seen obliquely.

On another thought, I like the word “binnacle”, which refers to the hooded space around the instruments in a ship, car, or aircraft’s “cockpit” which is the entire space where the helmsman, driver, or pilot sits.

 

[Bluehighways]

You guys ain't seen nuthin'
Go over to any Porsche Forum and see how folks feel about the new 2025 911 (992.2) instrument cluster. The tachometer in particular is a source of much pain.