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Vios centre-mounted meters... comments?


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#1
Chips

Posted 11 May 2003 - 06:46 PM

Chips

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The Vios has its instrument panel mounted in the middle of the dashboard.
This idea is not new as I remember the old Alfa GTV (1982) having its
speedo in the middle. However, it was with the Toyota Prius that the the
idea was more actively adopted and then we saw other cars having it.

There are valid reasons for it, mainly to do with focussing of the eyes
being easier. It is something new and unusual so there will be people who
like it and those who don't.

Let's hear what you have to say. Maybe those who have the new Kancil can
comment too.

#2
flee

Posted 11 May 2003 - 07:13 PM

flee

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Its probably safer in terms of focussing your eyes. Being in the centre,
it is further away and your eyes do not need to make such a big adjustment
when focussing on the panel before refocussing on the road.

But I think that the real way to go is to have head up displays, like in
jet fighters. These displays are focussed into the distance so that the
readout is sharp, as is the road and its surroundings... Of course, cost
matters and that is the reason why we still don't have HUDs even though
concept cars have demo'ed them before...

#3
Chips

Posted 11 May 2003 - 07:32 PM

Chips

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It may interest you to know that HUDs were offered in some cars back in
the mid-1980s. One of the GM cars had them and so did a Nissan Silvia.
But it was clear that the idea was not all that hot for motorists and one
of the issues was the clarity of the display. I think those who have
played flight sims and used HUDs know that when you are against a bright
background, the contrast of the data displayed is tricky, and this was a
problem which was hard to overcome.

I remember driving a production Silvia with a HUD and all it really
showed was the speed and some directional icons. Very simple, nothing to
shout about. Not worth the extra cost.

Some manufacturers, notably the American ones, thought that it was going
to thrill consumers to bring jetfighter technology to their cars but it
never translated well and so the idea was dropped. If digi-graphic
displays are still not widely appreciated, HUDs will take longer. No
one's complaining about the present method of presenting info and it is
only people like Toyota who are trying out a variation.

#4
EZuser

Posted 11 May 2003 - 07:36 PM

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didn't get to see if the meter had any reflection in direct sunlight, but
I think it may be better than right mounted meters. Chips cud you chk on
this matter too. Veeos shud had the original VFL display like the Echo.

#5
rx330

Posted 11 May 2003 - 09:03 PM

rx330

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Errr.... what is HUD?

Mmm... center meter, well remember seeing the first one in the very old
mini. But the meter is way below and hard to see, dangerous too.

When I saw the first center-mounted meter at the Kancil, it's look good.
And the one at the Vios is also great!

I am not sure whether the big dashboard in the center make the front
interior look small.





#6
Chips

Posted 11 May 2003 - 09:11 PM

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Oh yeah, the Mini had its meters there too. Forgot about that. The reason
why Alec Issigonis put the meters there was to simplify making left and
right-hand drive versions. No need to have separate 'dashboards'.

HUD = Heads Up Display. This is from jetfighters where the info is
displayed on a glass panel in front of the pilot but the pilot can also
see through the display. It is useful because the pilot does not have to
look down and can get vital info at all times. The info is projected onto
the glass plate and the ones in today's fighters are very sophisticated
as they are linked to targetting computers too. So a target which cannot
be seen by the eyes can be indicated on the display as a box and alert
the pilot.

Some carmakers thought this idea would be great for drivers so they put
it into some cars in the 1980s. But it didn't seem to work out as well
and so the idea never continued. Maybe people just can't get used to it
but I remember an engineer saying the contrast of the display was a
problem. In Malaysia where you have bright sunshine, it can be a problem
to display something on the glass and see it clearly.

#7
ViceCity

Posted 11 May 2003 - 09:16 PM

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Emm when I sat on the VIOS, I'm not use the to center mounted meters.
Well, as I say, I'm not use to it and I discuss this with my colleague,
out of 10 non of them likes it. So this is like the new trends again, not
many may like it. Toyota may need to suffer with this abit in Malaysia I
guess. I red their web site, according to them that angle should reduce
fatigue compare with the usual one with have behind the wheels. But the
problem is, we may undergo more fatigue when we start to adapt to it and
after a while get tired. I just hope now accident because of this. Good
luck to those who get a VIOS.
Big Smile

#8
thinkerr

Posted 11 May 2003 - 09:34 PM

thinkerr

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Chips, why did UMW brought in the Vios with analog meters? IMHO the
digital meters are much better and it looks cool, sad to say its only
available in Singapore...

#9
Chips

Posted 11 May 2003 - 09:34 PM

Chips

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There will be many more Kancil owners than Vios owners and they have been
using it for a while and I have not seen anything negative. Maybe I will
put this question in their forum and see.

#10
ChuKang

Posted 11 May 2003 - 09:42 PM

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for me i think i will like the center mounted meters, my cousin on the
other hand just simply hates it.

i think its a safety design. center mounted meters are usually set higher
and therefore u dont have to take your eyes off the road to view them.
BUT i thought it would give u a better view too since there is no dash
board in front of you, for the vios, this is not the case. the front
still seems pretty high and i cannot see the bonnet in front of me. the
seats oso cannot be adjusted to go higher so this may be a problem for
short drivers.