Wow..what peculiar oversight.
https://jalopnik.com/theres-no-excuse-for-the-most-infuriating-thing-about-t-1849463027
It's a stupid design choice, no doubt. But it's also not nearly the issue the media make it out to be.
Really? I think you said the same thing about the haptic controls gripes. LOL [emoji38] Do you work for VW or something? LOL [emoji38]
In 2022 I'd be really annoyed if a button i might frequently use was invisible at night.
I think the criticism is justified...especially the part about how much it really would have cost to do correctly.
Not suggesting the criticism isn't justified - we deserve every ounce of it, and I can assure you many of us internally are even more annoyed than the public are.
But by the same token, I've lived with the haptic wheel for ~2 years now, and the Golf's interior for almost a year. I've come to love the haptic wheel, because the volume adjustment is way easier than a button, and with use I've gotten to the point where the Golf's UX foibles don't bother me one iota. I typically use auto HVAC anyway, the slider is always in the same place, and even if you don't want to use it there's adjustments both via a screen shortcut or voice controls.
And even if the buttons were an annoyance? It wouldn't matter. The car is such a weapon, with such a great chassis, all with sublime ride quality and NVH for a sport compact. Even comes with a manual gearbox. There's literally nothing like it out there.
Let's just say there's a reason we have a 2-3 year wait list and used ones are going for nearly $70K.
Maybe it would be easier to swallow if it didn't feel like blatant cost cutting. But that's all it is.
In my Mk7 everything is back lit at night. It really adds up to making it feel more premium than other compacts.
Literally every other control lights up. Again, not an excuse - it's poor design - but IMO at night the interior feels miles more premium than the old one thanks to the better seats, wheel, and ambient lighting.