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Comment by jordanthoms | Hacker News Reader

Mazda is currently updating all their models with the new infotainment which removes the touchscreen. Android auto and Car play still work with a rotary controller. The screen is also closer to the eyeline of the driver so you don't have to look far away from the road

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Had a Mazda 3 with this, although before Android Auto sadly. That input method is by far the best possible; everything is laid out so nicely in terms of using muscle memory, and the rotary knob interface just does the job.

Their approach is far better than the all glass, cost saving Tesla one.

It works super good with Car Play from Apple as well. Definitely worth it

If you still have it, most 2014+ models can have Android Auto added at the dealer, plus there is a open source diy version you can install also

Cheers, it was a 2014 Mazda 3 Astina - got rid of it to ride to work instead. I knew it was coming, but happened after I said goodbye.

As others have mentioned if you have the touchscreen, (2015+) you can get carplay/android auto added on. I did and having google maps with traffic is a huge upgrade to their built-in nav. I can't speak to android auto, but for carplay, the rotary knob, while it works, isn't as intuitive or reliable as the built in-OS. I actually find myself thinking that I have become less safe of a driver when interacting with it, as the finickiness prevents muscle memory from developing.

It's a ballsy move from Mazda. It's a move that definitely goes against the grain for consumer tech. It's better for drivers but I'm sure they lost some potential customers for sticking to their guns.

I don't think there is any way to know but I'd be interested to see some kind of study/data around people buying or passing on a car because of the presence or lack of touch screen.

It seems like a feature that no one would really care about either way that car manufacturers just seem to think people want. It may even be because its cheaper than to R&D a user friendly tactile system with enough features vs just throwing software at it.

Is it this?

https://youtu.be/fd-ZteexmV0

Even in previous generation models (2014-2018 I think) the touchscreen is only enabled when the car isn't moving. For me using the rotary knob became muscle memory so I don't ever use the touchscreen anyway.

That's great to know. I ended up with a 2018 Mazda 3 after I gave up trying to find a car that didn't have a screen and ticked the other boxes I wanted. I seriously considered an Audi A4 just because the screen retracts when you start driving.

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