I’ve recently been driving a Rover 45 and I have to say that on the basis of their design, I can’t really be surprised that Rover went out of business. I feel like the interior has been designed to frustrate its occupants and in some cases it can even prove dangerous, with poor consideration for the user experience and not much evidence of anthropometric research.
The steering wheel itself has several annoyances. When a driver wants to use their horn, they usually slam the centre of the wheel, where they expect to find it. In the case of this car however, they will be confronted by a hard piece of plastic. The only way to use the horn is via one of two small buttons on the sides. Beside the fact that this is very frustrating, it could also prove fatally dangerous. A horn is there to be used when needed, almost like a reflex. If the driver can’t access it quickly, they may be putting those they are trying to warn at risk.
Another problem I’ve encountered with the steering wheel is with the inbuilt radio controls. They work by pushing and pulling two small paddles and adjust volume and radio stations. However, they are positioned so far in and deep on the wheel that I can barely reach them and I can imagine that there are people with thumbs shorter than mine. They are also unresponsive and spongy needing to be pushed all the way down to actually work. Very frustrating.
Behind the steering wheel is the stalk for controlling lights and indicators. The problem with this comes when you want to flash someone to let them by. When you pull the stick back to flash your lights, you often end up pulling it all the way and turning on your fog lights, blinding the oncoming driver instead of helping them (see video).
The window adjustment also seems as though it is there to confuse people. On the driver’s side, it is where expected, by the window. On the passenger side however, there is no such option, the only switch being by the hand brake. While I understand that this is to enable the driver to adjust the passenger side window, it only makes things more annoying. It means that whenever the passenger wants to open their window, the driver has to explain to them where the switch for it is. However, because theirs is by the window, they tell them that their one should also be there. Only after some confusion does the driver realise where it actually is and end up getting to it before the passenger. Also, because there is no switch near the handbrake for the driver’s window, it means that you can’t close both with the use of one hand, as you can in most cars. Surely having a switch for both under the driver’s window and just a single one on the passenger’s side would have been a much easier solution?
The door lock is something that annoys me practically every time I get in to the car. If the driver leans their elbow on the door they press a button almost without realising, locking all the doors. They then drive and when it comes to getting out, everyone becomes confused as to why they can’t get out, including the driver. While I understand the importance of a safety feature for children, this could be very dangerous if everyone needs to get out quickly. As a child lock, it’s devalued by the fact that it’s actually easier to access from the back seats than the front.
Some of these ‘features’ feel like they have been designed in on purpose, but the reasons behind them have not been thought through. The prevention of unnecessary horn use is a good idea, but not at the expense of safety. In a country where most roads are extremely narrow, drivers rely on using lights to signal to others and trying to discourage it by blinding those in front is not a good idea. Users also like to know if they’ve chosen to lock themselves in the car. All of this add up to a very frustrating experience, leaving you with a feeling of the car conspiring against you and passengers thinking you are slightly incompetent.
A very interesting article and without driving the vehicle myself all the points raised seem valid design flaws. I find the first point to be a common feature being developed into ‘most’ modern vehicles, maybe due to the airbag? My Peugeot 307 includes a similar feature regarding the horn arrangement. I personally find this preferable as with my one handed driving, can easily reach this button. Maybe due to better usage of anthropometric data sets they have found a more convient position/angle. The centre of the steering wheel within the 307 is also a hard surface and can not operate the horn when pressed.