Now, I have to start this with an admission, that my clunker of a Mazda 6 estate is replete with buttons, switches and dials. So bias-warning lights activated.

In my lumbering 20th century behemoth, there’s no central screen, touch-activated or otherwise. I don’t have digital radio (I have a ‘conventional’ tuner. And a CD player!) or blueteeth not any of the razzmatazz of New Cars. And yes, of course, it’s manual (ask your grandpa.)

I imagine, though the thing is only (nearly) 15 years old, it likely feels almost pre-internet - at least compared to anything car-based you might have had recent experience travelling in. 

So annoyingly (well, probably not that annoyingly, given I’m one in, what an estimated 1.4 billion people with a license, so car-adjacent) for the modern car-maker, I’m utterly out of step. 

Seems a panoramic black mirror you could swipe, pinch, touch, etc. was all the poor under-stimulated driver needed. Can’t have enough screen in your life, after all.

It’s made the (or rather the threat of) ‘what car next?’ a real cause for anxiety. 

I prefer things mechanical. Things that click not haptically, but actually. Because it’s a switch. It has physical states. And I rather like that. 

So bless, if I suddenly find myself at the vanguard (by accident. Again) of a Popular Science article “Goodbye, annoying touchscreens. Welcome back, buttons?” Subheaded “Why some carmakers are bringing back your beloved knobs.” Ah, the joy. 

Accordingly backed-up with research, motor brand’s are discovering the pitfalls of Big Screen. Aside from the obvious inability to do two things at one (like driving and looking for the de-mister button from the swipe-across sub-menu oh did we just hit something?), seems lots of my people also like the ability to simply switch the fan on. With the button marked ‘fan’ (or icon of your culturally significant option.)

So here’s to rocker switches, toggles, turn-y dials and heating controls that look like they operate an actual power station. 

Mirror, signal, manoeuvre, as we used to say, is time we pressed on.