Author archive
Dash Design and Ergonomics
The words ‘interior design’ are two words you’d associate with renovating or building new homes, however they are also linked to a car’s cabin area. The interior of modern cars integrate sensational materials with new styles, new technology and superior comfort. You may have come across the term ‘ergonomics’. Ergonomics looks at how a person’s working environment fits around them. Ergonomics associated with a driver of a vehicle will look at how the car’s switchgear, instruments, features, dash and driving equipment situate themselves comfortably within the driver’s reach. These items also need to be easy to understand and simple to use. Flagship models are where you would expect to find the best materials (usually leather), the best technology, greater levels of luxury features and usually the greatest comfort. I’ve sought to look at a few of the latest flagship models on the market and rate them according to how their dash layout stacks up to being simple to use, nice to look at simple for the driver’s eyes to read. The ratings are from 1 to 3. A score of 3 means that the car’s cockpit and dash layout is excellent; it also means that the car’s cockpit and dash layout is easy to use and looks top notch. A score of 2 means that the car does a fair job of getting it all sorted. A score of 1 means that there is work to be done!
Alfa Romeo’s 159 flagship scores a 2. The car’s dash has a unique appearance with some nice circular air vents. The buttons for various features on the central console are pleasant to look at and use.
Audi’s flagship, the A8, scores a 2. The A8 has a smart looking dash with a very cool computer screen that flips up. A little fiddly.
BMW’s 7 series scores a 3. The layout is smart and very comfortable to use. BMW’s iDrive dial gives the luxurious 7 an uncluttered central console appearance making it simple and functional. The layout is easy on the eye.
Citroen’s C6 scores a 2, with its very stylish dash leading the way. Unfortunately the buttons are a bit fiddlier and require more concentration to use. The C6 interior is lovely, however.
Ford Falcon scores a 3. Smart, simple, clear switchgear and instrumentation look good and the bits and pieces are easy to use.
Holden’s Caprice scores a 2. I found the dash a bit on the dull side. However, the buttons were reasonably straightforward to use. The Caprice leather seats are lovely.
Honda’s Legend scores a 2. The Legend has a very beautiful dash design with excellent quality; however the layout is a bit complicated on the eye. Sumptuous materials and great seats give the Legend loads of comfort. There would be others that would give it a 3.
Hyundai’s Grandeur scores a 2. The dash has a simple and clean layout, but it has an overall bland appearance with the buttons being clustered.
Jaguar’s XJ scores a 3. Unique styling looks superb, and the layout is simple enough when you get used to it.
Range Rover’s Vogue has an opulent interior that feels kingly. The dash is a bit cluttered, while remaining relatively symmetric and sophisticated in most parts.
Slip into the Lexus LS, and the ergonomics are brilliant. With a score of 3, the LS has a lot of buttons – but they were very well laid out and clear. The dash looks good, too.
Mazda’s CX-9 was to score a 3. Here is a nice balanced dash and cockpit that is smart, clear and logical.
Mercedes Benz S-Class is luxurious. A score of 3 also meant that the dash was classy, simple, clear and uncluttered. The car is loaded with kit.
Mitsubishi’s Pajero Exceed scores a 2. Nice tone and design, however the switchgear is a bit fiddly to use.
Nissan’s Maxima Ti scored a 2 – bordering on a 1 – is a bit fiddly to use. Perhaps Nissan was trying too hard to be different, leading to cluttered switchgear – particularly around the computer screen. Others are sure to score it differently.
Peugeot’s 4007 scores a 3. Smart, easy to use, modern facia technology looks the part.
Porsche Panamera scored 2. The reasonably well ordered centre console has way too many buttons. This leads to a very cluttered appearance.
Renault gets it right with the Fluence. The Fluence dash has a nice layout that is easy to use, easy to live with and unique.
The Fluence scores a 3.
Saab’s 9-5 has excellent ergonomics and scores a 3. The driver of a 9-5 should feel very much in control of their surrounding cockpit. It is simple enough to use – though there are a few buttons. This is the car that makes the driver feel like they’re flying. All the bits and pieces are clear, and everything around the driver is organised in a very clear ergonomic fashion.
Skoda’s Superb scores 2. Buttons and switchgear are a bit hard to read. This lets down the car’s, otherwise, top build quality and nice materials.
Subaru’s Tribeca scores 2 – could be a 3 depending on taste. To me, the dash looks a bit like it’s sagging in the middle. Otherwise, the dash looks stylish and is refreshingly different. Switchgear and instrumentation is clear to read.
Toyota’s Aurion scores a 3 with the car’s smart simple layout.
Volkswagen’s Passat scores a 2 with its bland and fiddly interior. Everything else is impeccable.
Volvo’s S80 is very sumptuous and scores a 3. The nice layout is sophisticated but easy enough to use.
Ergonomics: The Science of Being Comfortable
You’re about to head home from work; you’ve had a long day at the office and you’re ready to put your feet up. Sinking back into leather seats is a great feeling, even cloth seats are fine because what you really need is supportive, relaxing seats for the drive home through congested traffic. Great seats and a comfortable driving position are important features for a great drive, but what can really add to the relaxed feel of driving is the car’s layout for the driver.
So what is ergonomics? To some it might sound like a word associated with flying and aeroplanes. Ergonomics does have links to an aeroplane’s cockpit, and so too can you use the word in association with the driver’s space inside a motor car. Ergonomics is all about the study of designing equipment and devices that fit well to the human body, its movements and its cognitive abilities.
Well designed cars consider the ergonomics related to the driver. Features like the steering wheel, indicators, switches for lights, fan and air-conditioning controls, audio unit switches, gear lever, central on-board computer controls, the alignment of the driver’s seat with the pedals, electric window switches and door handles should all be within easy reach of the driver.
The driving experience would be awful in a car that had switchgear and controls beyond the natural reach of the driver. A car that offered bad driving ergonomics might also be considered as being less safe than a car with good driving ergonomics because the driver’s attention could get tied up with correcting the stereo’s volume over avoiding the oncoming car! None of us would want to settle for second rate ergonomics these days.
Modern car designers do put a lot of thought into the area of ergonomics, however some cars are still better than others, and it would be advisable that you consider a car’s ergonomics carefully before purchasing a brand new set of wheels. This would avoid disappointment and dissatisfaction a month or two into your ownership period.
It’s worth being a kid again and spending time inside a car to get familiar with what button does what. Car’s that are too complicated for their own good might have all the bells and whistles but be too complex to use on a day-to-day basis. The new millennia BMW 7 Series was often criticised for having far too many buttons located on the central dash area. You just about required a degree to make the luxury features work the way you wanted them to. BMW listened to the complaints of the car’s ergonomics and have improved the newer 7 Series cars immensely.
Remember, a car doesn’t necessarily need to be flash in order to provide top ergonomics. Even your trusty ten year old Toyota Corolla may have better ergonomics than the latest Mercedes Benz. Sometimes good ergonomics just comes down to owner’s preference, however, more often than not, a car’s good ergonomics reliably satisfies drivers of all shapes and sizes all the time. In the eighties and nineties, Saab was heralded as having the most ergonomically sound cars. Saab knew this and continued to sell new models with similar ergonomics of older models. As the years went by, of course, they were criticised for being unadventurous in the dashboard design. But all it took was for drivers of these Saab cars to be behind the wheel for any lengthy period of time, then they would soon appreciate how relaxing, comfortable and easy to use they actually were.
How to set up a car pool
The Powers That Be in the world of transportation, which includes town planners, city councils, roading authorities and traffic engineers, do not like single-occupant vehicles, which is the technical way to describe all those cars that have just one driver in them and a whole lot of empty seats. Think about it for a moment: if you have 10 cars waiting at the lights, each of which has only one driver, then you have 30 spare seats (or even more). If all those seats were full, you’d only have 3 cars waiting at the lights, which means less of a wait, a faster commute and less pollution, unless every single one of those cars waiting at the lights is a hybrid or electric vehicle. Carpooling makes good sense.
So how do you set up a carpool and do your bit to reduce congestion and pollution – and save yourself a few dollars when it comes to fuel costs? First of all, do a bit of asking around at your workplace (if you work alone as a contractor, this isn’t going to be a goer) to find people who live roughly where you do who might be interested. This can make a good point of conversation in the smoko room, or you can post notices around the workplace (either of the electronic type or of the traditional pen and paper type). If you can’t find too many people in your office/shop that live in your approximate neighbourhood, then ask around the shops and offices near yours to find more people.
How many people do you need to set up a carpool? This really depends on how many seats each of you has in their car. If you all have MPVs (e.g. Honda Odyssey) or seven-seater 4x4s (e.g. Landrover Discovery) or vans (Ford Transit), then you can have seven people in your carpool. However, if you’ve all got different vehicles, then the number of people involved should be equal to or less than the number of seats in the smallest vehicle available – which means four people for a small hatchback such as a Mazda2. You can, of course, have fewer people than you have seats, so you can set up a carpool with only two or three people.
With a carpool, you should take turns at the driving, which means that the petrol costs are shared and you all get a turn at being The Boss (i.e. the driver). However, you could come to an arrangement where one person does all the driving (e.g. the person with the big seven-seater) and everyone else chips in to help out with the fuel costs. Do the maths here: you’ll need to work out how much fuel gets burned on the average commute and divide the weekly costs by the number of people involved.
When it comes to getting in the car and travelling, you can either all agree to meet at a certain point at a certain time (e.g. beside Deepak’s Corner Dairy or Smith Park) or whoever’s doing the driving picks up everybody else. The important thing is to be punctual so you don’t irritate everyone else and make them late.
Make sure you have a contingency plan and can let the others in your carpool know if you can’t make it (if you’re sick or whatever). This is one of the things that cellphones were invented for. The easiest thing to do if the driver for the day is sick is to skip onto the next person in the cycle – the person who was sick can do the driving twice in a row next time round, or you can opt for the “what goes around comes around” principle and not worry about it.
One of the fun bits about a carpool is you get to show of your car to your workmates in a way that isn’t offensive or “swanky” – they’ll really admire the cushy leather seats or the top-notch sound system if they’re passengers. If you’re the person with the not-so-stylish car, you get a chance to ride in something smarter than what you’ve got: you might not own a BMW 7-series, but if you’re carpooling with someone who does, you get a chance to ride in one and enjoy it anyway.
Another good part of carpooling is that it does help you get to know your co-workers better – it’s amazing what you’ll end up talking about during a 20-minute commute. If you’re higher up the corporate ladder, this could be a good reason for swallowing a bit of pride and joining a carpool with your underlings: they’ll probably be more supportive and loyal towards you, and you’ll get to know their strengths and weaknesses a lot better.
And if you’re attracted to an eligible workmate, being in a carpool with them might just do the trick romantically – we all know the effects of enforced proximity!
Trimming the Transport Budget
Mate, I wish I had a little more cash in the bank! To help this happen, you could get yourself a higher paid job but reality says your current job is pretty good, anyway. What are some things we can do when we feel like saving a little more money when it comes to getting from A to B? Once you’ve made the switch to a hybrid car or to an economy model, is there anything else you can do to reduce your fuel bill – and your carbon footprint?
On sunny days, why not bike instead of taking the car? If your work premises are under a half-an-hour bike ride away (or about 5 kms), then this is a great way to keep yourself fit. Using your car less and biking more is going to be good for keeping your body in shape while popping aside more cash in the bank for that holiday away. Of course, if you have to take half a dozen children and/or lots of gear or a trailer, or if it’s pouring with rain, then you’re probably going to stick with your good old car. But if you can take a break from behind the wheel, why not? Shorter distances can be walked.
I love a ride on the pushbike. The wind in the hair, the sun on the back and the blood pumping through the body just feels great. Think about your route to work. Is it a ride that involves a lot of stop start traffic in a built up area? If it does, then try an alternative route because the air pollution is not so good for your respiratory system. Traces of carcinogenic molecules are much higher where car exhaust fumes are belching out carbon monoxide, BTEX, particulate matter etc… in greater quantity (and you’re not going to escape them by taking your car – car drivers breathe in even more than cyclists do, unless you’ve got the windows shut and the air-con on). Obviously, if you can ride your pushbike to work on a route that is through parks and open spaces, then you’re onto a win-win situation. You’ll be sucking in great lots of clean green air and you won’t have to look for those as-scarce-as-hen’s-teeth car parking spaces.
What about the bus or train? Does your public transport system provide a superior alternative to your thirsty Corolla or Holden or whatever? If you can find a route that takes you within half a kilometre of your work, why not use public transport and walk the remainder? You’ll get to stretch your legs before arriving at your office. Buses are usually comfortable enough in Australia, while the train is available in a number of main centres. However, if you’re doing the weekly groceries, the bus might not be a goer – it’s a bit hard to carry all those shopping bags, which is what car boots are for (hint: doing the groceries weekly or even fortnightly rather than less frequently saves you petrol money and also grocery money – it’s a fact).
Of course, a number of you will be smirking as you read this because your office is at home. Now that’s a pretty cool scenario. Roll out of bed in the morning and into your office chair. Still, there are ways, I’m sure, that you could reduce the level of car trips if you needed to save a few extra dollars on the side. There is nothing like a walk or bike ride to your local Post Office or grocery store. A trip to the library could be done via bus or train, and the trip to the gym could be done via public transport (or skip the gym altogether and just go for a walk or run).
Still not convinced that you can give up the car? Then consider starting a carpool with other people at your work. Single-occupant vehicles (i.e. one person in one car) are frowned on by town planners, environmentalists and traffic engineers, so if you can share the ride with someone else, you get to save on fuel (you take turns at driving) and you can feel a bit better about how you’re helping to reduce congestion and pollution – and you also get to check out what different cars are like. If you’re setting up a carpool, think carefully about who’s in your pool – it’s not going to work if one person’s got a massive MPV while someone else has a little hatchback. But that’s another story.
Of course, if you love cars then you are going to want to drive yourself everywhere. But please don’t be one of those prats who takes the car to the letterbox to pick up the mail. If you are over seventy, I might let you off the hook, however. Even if you don’t become a regular cyclist, it’s probably no bad thing if all drivers have a go at a bike commute at least once just so they can see what it’s like and become more considerate drivers.
Level 2, 9 Help Street