View from the driver’s seat of the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus
Sliding into the driver’s seat of the Lexus RZ Prototype, which uses a yoke instead of a traditional steering wheel, you immediately get the feeling that someone has taken off your blindfold.
Then you realize you’ve been driving with limited visibility of the road.
Yokes, or flat-topped, flat-bottomed steering wheels, are starting to make their way into more prototypes and even production cars, but they’re not yet ready for prime time. The yoke, popular among engineers to facilitate electronic steer-by-wire systems coming soon to nearby cars, doesn’t require as many actual turns, but it takes drivers some time to get used to it, so it’s easy to use on the road. in a market that feels slow to move forward.
But the real benefit of the yoke is that it improves visibility. The flat top and bottom reduce the amount of “wheels” visible to the driver.
This idea of improved visibility is the next generation of innovation, aided by a new steering wheel shape, a display mounted lower on the dashboard and, ironically, a wider screen.
The Volvo EX30’s minimalist front seats come with a squircle steering wheel.
Visibility improves when you enter Squackle
Automotive designers took inspiration from the yoke to expand on the idea of the flat-bottomed steering wheel we’re used to in sports cars, giving the driver a little more legroom. However, the flat top of the wheel also improves driver visibility.
Derek Jenkins, Lucid’s chief designer, describes it as a “squircle,” or squared circle. Lucid is one of the early adopters of this design, but it’s not the only one. Squircles are featured in the Lincoln Nautilus, Volvo EX30, Corvette Stingray, Cybertruck, as well as concept cars such as the BMW Neue His Classe and the Jeep His Wagoneer S EV.
Squackle has many benefits. It can be placed close to the driver’s legs, allowing it to be installed low to the dashboard. And the flat top keeps your view of the road open and unobstructed.
Vast screens line the dashboard of the Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV
New screen design improves visibility
That unobstructed view is aided by a screen that spans the entire length of the dashboard, or is mounted low on the dashboard against the windshield or behind it. Some are touchscreen, while others are controlled by a screen on the dashboard within reach of the driver and passengers.
By widening these screens and displaying information in an array rather than a stack of apps, they provide a clearer, less obstructed view of the road.
When Lincoln unveiled its “coast-to-coast” screen on the 2024 Nautilus prototype last year, the idea of a screen that spanned the dashboard from driver door to passenger door was so novel that it flew under the radar. It was bubbling. Critics and experts wondered if it would be distracting. Is it helpful? Without touch functionality, can it really replace a driver display or head-up display?
But test drives this winter and similar prototype screen designs by other automakers confirmed what Lincoln engineers knew. This keeps the driver’s eyes on the road and reduces “gaze time,” or the amount of time a driver looks at a screen while driving.
The Nautilus’ screen functions as a heads-up display and driver display in one, but it’s sharper and simpler. Rather than cramming too many small details into an 8- to 12-inch gauge cluster, drivers can customize their view to see speed, navigation, and fuel level. A touchscreen panel in the center of the dashboard displays detailed information such as climate and radio.
Jenkins calls the combination of Squackle and Lucid Gravity’s low-set, expansive 34-inch screen the “Clear View Cockpit.”
The 34-inch screen spans half of the Lucid Gravity’s front seats.
A big screen that everyone can enjoy
Recognizing that not only the driver needs access to a screen, many automakers are extending it to the front passenger as well. We first saw this a few years ago in the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee and revived Wagoneer, as well as in the “hyperscreen” of the Mercedes-Benz EQ electric car. Cadillac is also demonstrating a similar approach with Porsche’s recently redesigned Cayenne with its upcoming Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV.
These screens are hidden from the driver’s view for safety reasons and allow passengers to set navigation and climate, adjust radio stations, and control rear-seat functions such as the video system and temperature. You can also control it. Oh, and most importantly, front seat passengers can usually stream video from their phones for in-seat entertainment.
BMW Neue Klasse X at night. Notice the projection screen just below the windshield.
The new role of heads-up displays
Head-up displays are increasingly becoming a premium option offered by many automakers in both the luxury and mainstream segments. But it’s more than just luxury and convenience. Similar to the idea of a vast screen, it works to keep the driver’s eyes on the road.
Some automakers, such as Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, are expanding the capabilities of heads-up displays. Newer Lexus model units have a capacitive touchpad feature on the steering wheel that allows users to trace their finger across the pad and see the system’s options light up on the display. Mercedes-Benz continues to innovate, including adding detailed maps and multiple screen options.
BMW’s Neue Klasse concept is a design that BMW sees as its future, applying the head-up display idea to a vast screen. Similar to the screens introduced by Lincoln and Lucid, the Neue Classe’s screen sits between the dash and windshield, spans the width of the cabin, and can be customized using a separate touchscreen on the dash.
The overall effect is actually a bit modest. The display provides the information the driver needs, but it’s not too bright or too shiny. Instead, the screen is quite subtle with white text and images on a black background. Despite its large size, it does not spoil the atmosphere of the cabin, and features such as the center screen tighten the atmosphere.
Prototype Lexus RZ yoke style wheels with steer-by-wire.
“Hey Mercedes, it’s cold.”
Your car’s voice-activated assistant works similarly to the home voice systems we’re used to from Google and Amazon. The system listens for the “wake word” and follows the user’s instructions.
Once the province of luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and BMW, more and more car manufacturers are introducing voice activation. Brands like Jeep, Volkswagen, and Toyota are adding this service when updating their user experience systems.
Voice activation can control a wide range of functions, from basic functions like climate, navigation, and radio settings to more ambitious requests like checking out the state capitol or opening a window. The system in the BMW 7 Series can also close all doors at once with a simple prompt.
Of course, all these new technologies depend on consumers accepting and using them. But those who do will be the first to experience the cutting-edge curves of new technology and be able to best navigate the curves of the road ahead.
