2020 VW Tiguan w/ID.2all & Infotainment Controls

Analog Volume: Preferable to Touchscreen?

CarBuzz has obtained intel from a Volkswagen informant that the future edition Tiguan hybrid, expecting to be introduced in 2025, will have an activated volume wheel much like what’s established on the recently unveiled ID. 2all Principle. This is VW’s attempt to fix and take refund their annoying and horrifying infotainment operations that some of their newer designs embody like the Golf GTI and the ID.4.

According to a source, the upcoming Tiguan will go back to the classic volume knobs. The ID.2 is a peek into the future of Volkswagen, as the GTI two years ago had a combination of touchscreen and button interfaces for the Golf, Atlas, and Tiguan models. Although the current Tiguan has two small knobs located on either side of the touchscreen, they will be replaced soon. Moreover, Thomas Schäfer, CEO of VW Group, has declared that the next Tiguan will feature a radio button.

“At the Munich Motor Show this September, a brand new Tiguan will be presented with a completely different Human-Machine Interface,” our source went on. “This car is being manufactured in Mexico and is meant for global markets. Although it may be a while before the US market gets to see it, Europeans will be able to get a glimpse of it much earlier.”

Scrutinizing the ID. 2all, you can discern a 12.9 inch diagonal touchscreen that dominates the display, whilst HVAC controls traverse the base of it. However, there is not an old-fashioned volume knob visible. What is the story? Look more narrowly and detect a low-profile thumbwheel wedged between the temperature regulators; that will be employed as opposed to the present knob format to tinker with the volume. Although minor, this is a primary point.

A few years ago, Honda was among the automakers to incorporate a direct volume control into their touchscreen feature – doing away with the traditional knob. Although this may not appear to be important, it resulted in a huge amount of controversial feedback from customers, leading the company to revert back to knobs for most of their 2019 lineup refreshes. It is clear that automakers such as Honda have learned a crucial lesson from this experience.

Previously, Volkswagen had acknowledged the difficulty posed by their European roots, in the form of a touch-only interface which was ill-suited to users in America. They promised software changes, along with a redesigned infotainment system, as soon as 2025.

There’s something else in the ID.2all concept that we’d love to see spread to certain other future VWs: retro-themed digital dials. The “Retro Mode Golf Era” boasts ’80/90s style digital dials with an old-school digital clock in the center that would look great on a future GTI and Golf R. This could be a reality soon, as multiple reports suggest the ID.2all will enter production wearing the Golf nameplate instead of being labeled the ID.2.

It would not seem right to use something as mainstream as the Volkswagen Tiguan. However, provided that the Tiguan and other upcoming VW models keep their analog volume controllers, whether it be a dial or a knob, there ought to be no objections from either customers or media outlets.