I realize digital instrumentation is the way of the future. But I believe automakers are missing out on IPs that traditionally have been an opportunity for impactful design, intricate detail and wow factor. Especially among sports car and high-end manufacturers.

It is hard for a flat panel to provide the dramatic intricacy of 3-D.

 

As much as I like the Chrysler cluster it can't really compete with that Pagani one. Wowwww. That one is awesome!

I also feel like that chrysler cluster was an afterthought in my 300 lol. Maybe it's my imagination but it seems it was just slapped on the dash in such a way it's not even directly facing me, it's ever so slightly tilted towards the door.

 

Alfa top, Dodge below. I'm not fond of the faux carbon fiber look on the Dodge.

And the elegance of the 300M... personally I prefer the light wood look from my own..

When you look at it in person, it doesn't look crosseyed. Oddly, with the turn by turn instructions and all, this is all the display I've ever needed on that car. Notice that it packs a LOT of info into a single screen, while the trend has been to isolate gas mileage onto its own screen, temperatures onto their own screen, compass onto its own screen...

 

PS> The Porsche interior looks snazzy but I don't see what differentiates it other than style/marketing babble.

 

Yeah. That is one of the key issues with adopting new tech without passing it through your internal brand and design parameters

 

The instrumentation on the outgoing Chrysler 300 was one of the most beautiful to adorn a modern automobile. It had tons of WOW factor.

Yes, it could be hard to read, but that is what the LCD display was for...!

 

Was that what the 300C ended up with? I thought that was the Dodge Charger.
I much prefer my 300C from 2013! It's also faster. (The computer bits, not the car.)

 

The instrument panel on the 2017-2020 Fiat 124 Spider is absolutely gorgeous. It is shared with Mazda MX-5.

Yes, the speedometer (on the right) is nearly impossible to read, especially to my aging eyes. But I use it as an "approximation:" am I above or below the speed limit, and by how much...give or take...?

 

Screens are just so lazy. Probably cheaper to manufacture than physical gauges though.

Also, I thought the trend was moving away from screens and back toward physical buttons. Apparently Porche missed that memo.

 

Also, all these screens and yet the vehicles still won't show you what codes it's throwing or tell you what the fault/sensors are saying.

 

I like the Fiat one, but yes, they could have swapped the tach, which you don't need to know the numbers on, just distance from the red line, and speedo, and not had the speedo go to 160 mph. If you're over 120, you can use the digital speed display...

Not having error codes on ANY screen has bugged me since 1999 when the Grand Cherokee started having preferences in the overhead console.

One more thought: Mazda puts the speed limit (based on signs) into the speedometer as a red line. I think that's a clever and thoughtful way of doing it. Sorry, no photo.

 

If you're over 120, you can use the digital speed display...

My opinion, if you are over 120 you should be looking at the road and not the speedo - just saying

 

The original 300M gauge cluster was copied by at least a couple of other companies, pretty closely... or it copied someone else who others also copied. I've seen almost exact copies on a Volvo and (I think) a Genesis.

 

It's weird when video game sellers offer all kinds of tactile controls for gamers so they can feel like they're driving a real car, while auto manufacturers offer interfaces that look like they were in a 20-year-old video game.

https://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?fq=category:Gaming+Controllers|612,Subcategory:Driving&sortby=rating

 

I see all the potential for customizing and then I look at what they actually have, and it's very disappointing and has been since Day One.
The Dart was more customizable than most cars afterwards.
I get that there's a shortage of the people who do that in automotive, but now that IT is laying off so many people, the excuse is vanishing quickly.
I might add this is not a Stellantis specific criticism. The other cars I've driven tended to have even less customization.
And yes, I realize rule and regs, reliability is #1, but this hasn't been rocket science for decades.

 

Ironically, a set of analog gauges will last 20+ years without issue. An LCD screen...? Unlikely.

 

Good point. Well, we'll see. We have the Dart with its full on digital dash (2013 and now in Florida) and the 300C with its smaller one (2013). Neither is garaged. Both have all the original LCDs. I'm impressed so far.

 

My opinion, if you are over 120 you should be looking at the road and not the speedo - just saying

That's what the heads up displays are for. lol

 

Interesting. We've had one failure in the ProMaster which I'm told is very widespread and due to the Fiat-Microsoft nonsense, and one bluetooth module, not the entire unit, in the 300, from 2013. I'm guessing the vibrations in Wranglers are pretty harsh on the electronics.

 

The 8.4s were good for a few years. There are some delamination issues but they're not universal. The hard drives would be a weak spot, and I think the Daimler units were definitely, like the Fiat ones, built to a low price point.

 

our 2018 GC Overland HA had the delamination. When I took it in to the dealer, the service writer pretty much stopped me mid-sentence, Told me, they did not have a new radio in stock, that I could leave the Jeep or they would call when the new radio came in...as they had quite a few come in with same issue
The new 2025 Buick envisions has a cool display screens that go all the way across

 

I'm hoping it's like those headlights that turned yellow and foggy... something that's been fixed now.