Give me buttons !

[Bad Samaritan]

I owned a 2023 Maverick and I now own a 2025 Hybrid Lariat AWD and I don’t miss the buttons at all.

Exactly! I own a 2025 Lariat (loving it!) and a Tesla Model 3 (loving it!). Compared to the latter, the Maverick has a lot of buttons! IMO, the Lariat has just the right amount of mechanical controls. Having less buttons might take some getting used to, but learning new things protects us from early-onset dementia. Being resistant to new technology is pointless.

Sponsored

 

[Bill Quattlebaum]

It should be about safety, not convenience! Ok, I am 73 so label me old. It is a fact that the more extra features you have, the bigger chance of something going wrong.

 

[710-oil-614]

Exactly! I own a 2025 Lariat (loving it!) and a Tesla Model 3 (loving it!). Compared to the latter, the Maverick has a lot of buttons! IMO, the Lariat has just the right amount of mechanical controls. Having less buttons might take some getting used to, but learning new things protects us from early-onset dementia. Being resistant to new technology is pointless.

Really enjoyed my Model 3 as well! Ford's interface not quite up to snuff but still very impressive over the 22-24 sync lite and sync 3 systems.

 

[Ingluno]

It should be about safety, not convenience! Ok, I am 73 so label me old. It is a fact that the more extra features you have, the bigger chance of something going wrong.

I think having access to using your voice while keeping your hands on the wheel is safer than turning a knob or dial.

 

[Bad Samaritan]

Ford's interface not quite up to snuff

I actually think it is.
One HUGE advantage is integration with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Tesla proprietary navigation system is horrible - it's the only thing I really dislike in that car.

 

[Ingluno]

I actually think it is.
One HUGE advantage is integration with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Tesla proprietary navigation system is horrible - it's the only thing I really dislike in that car.

I have no skin in this game yet but you guys are making me excited to get my truck hopefully next week. Its definitely going to an upgrade from my 13 ford fusion.

 

[commadorebob]

I like buttons. But I'll be honest, since I have the auto A/C I rarely adjust it beyond setting the auto fan speed. I've had it set to 68 degrees ever since I bought the truck. Winter. Summer. Doesn't matter. Even with the heated seats and steering wheel, I have to look down to find the buttons so putting those on the screen would not greatly impact my road watching. I also use the steering wheel radio controls more than the knob. On longer trips, I kick off a playlist on Tidal and barely even touch it again.

All that to say I like buttons, but I can easily see myself adapting to their absence. Especially if AI voice recognition vastly improves.

 

[Bad Samaritan]

I have no skin in this game yet but you guys are making me excited to get my truck hopefully next week. Its definitely going to an upgrade from my 13 ford fusion.

A 12-year technology upgrade... I am sure you will be enjoying it! And anticipation is the best part of the experience.

 

[Ingluno]

A 12-year technology upgrade... I am sure you will be enjoying it! And anticipation is the best part of the experience.

I’m honest just happy it’s close, it had a very long production status of 19 days, and two weeks after it shipped it got a big delay so I called ford customer service and was told it was in Mexico at the factory still which upset me. My dealership cleared it up and it wasn’t far out. I know it’s in my state and the eta is moving in my favor. So yeah the anticipation is great and the overly anxious feeling has faded away lol. Part of that was because a week after I ordered the truck my fusions head gasket started leaking, here my motor warped. It’s been an adventure thru out this process lol

 

[Bad Samaritan]

I’m honest just happy it’s close, it had a very long production status of 19 days, and two weeks after it shipped it got a big delay so I called ford customer service and was told it was in Mexico at the factory still which upset me. My dealership cleared it up and it wasn’t far out.

You know, I went through all these stages (and probably most of other people here).
Checking the status several times a day, "Why is it stuck in In Production?" Texting my sales guy with "Where is it now on your VIN View?" at least twice a week. And then one day it was here.

 

[Ingluno]

You know, I went through all these stages (and probably most of other people here).
Checking the status several times a day, "Why is it stuck in In Production?" Texting my sales guy with "Where is it now on your VIN View?" at least twice a week. And then one day it was here.

Yeah I give my dealer credit he has not once given me any flak about asking him for details lol.

 

[boxster03]

I am currently attaching wheels to my Ipad

 

[Scupking]

Sounds like some of you want to go back to mid 2000s Fords.... No thanks. I will take the screen over lots and lots of buttons.... Sometimes less is more.

k

 

[Houndmav]

Buttons please. Quicker/no guess work/screen goes down at least I can still control my hvac. The 25 screens look cheap. Automakers slapping on cheap tablets onto dashboards has got to go. In 5 years those screens will look outdated. Buttons on the other hand will just look like a button, and it will still work

 

[LibDan]

Honest question -- if Ford offered a "Buttons and Knobs" package for $1,100 or so, would you buy it? Or would you prefer that the Maverick price stays low?

That's actually a bit of a trick question since you didn't say exactly which controls would have buttons/knobs, where they'd be placed, etc. So, my answer is... it depends. If Ford does a good job with it then I just might.

I'm also in the I-use-leather-gloves group and a touchscreen is absolute crap in those cases. I have to distract myself to take off my glove, distract myself to manipulate a touchscreen that I need to look at, and then distract myself again putting my glove back on. Definitely sub-optimal.

Touchscreens are made worse by my aging vision - I need all the button labels nice and big or I find myself squinting at them and maybe fiddling with my glasses trying to get them in focus, especially when I'm trying to quickly look down at a dimmer interior after having bright sun or headlights in my face.

I'm not saying that all controls need to be tactile; they don't. But I would like the climate controls separated from the entertainment controls and done using big knobs that are easy to manipulate with gloves. Anything that requires flipping through options or menus needs to be something that I would never want to do in transit - all set it and forget it kinds of things. Anything I need to toggle (think flipping between two trip displays) needs to be an easy-to-access top-level control, preferably on the steering wheel.

Voice control is not the answer. I've had to many bad experiences with unreliable voice control tech where it dials the wrong person or types the wrong word or does the wrong task (smart speakers). It's worse in cars where you have road noises from the rough pavement in the construction zone to the bass thumping out of the idiot car next door. and Lord help you if you have a speech impediment or a heavy accent. Anything critical cannot be left to voice control.

As for the point about smartphones. Steve Jobs great innovation was removing the number pad allowing for a bigger screen to do things with. And yet, I sometimes still miss my old Nokia where I could fish it out of my pocket and hold down the #2 to speed dial someone all without sparing a glance at it. I cannot do that with my iPhone. If you can speed dial someone other than emergency services on your iPhone without looking at it or using a voice command, tell me how.

The screens are great for cameras, navigation, for all manner of vehicle settings, and for most entertainment functions. They remain subpar for climate control and some entertainment settings. (I want volume and the ability to skip a track on my steering wheel please.) For climate, I want big knobs for fan speed and temp that I can adjust with gloves on and big fat buttons for mode. I don't mind the automatic controls being on the touchscreen though, including that dual zone nonsense. Drive modes are fine as a control on the wheel. Not sure where I want the auto-start-stop control - never had a vehicle with one and my incoming Mav won't be one either. Traction-type controls are probably better as buttons since you might want to use one while driving and without having to look around for it. The shifter I def don't want as touchbuttons; I want a stick or at least a knob. Cruise controls should be on the wheel. Window controls should be tactile switches and are find on the doors. Menu controls that control things in the instrument cluster need to be tactile and on the wheel (and intuitive). That's all I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure I've forgotten some of the controls I use frequently.

Sponsored