In Sport+ the dash displays a G-meter that the manual says shows fictitious force. I understand what that is from my last physics course 50+ years ago, but I don’t understand why I would want to know. Should it be influencing my driving, or is it just there to look cool?

 

May the fictitious force be with you!

The idea is to move that sucker all the way to one side, whilst watching it, and have your insurance company buy you a new car. When you are allowed to drive again, that is.

 

It’s pretty gimicky, as well as the boost “gauge” next to it. The least they could do is show you the amount of boost being commanded; you can pull that info with an obd2 datalogger so it’s clearly being tracked, which means there’s no reason they couldn’t surface that information in the display.

 

The little G-spot on the RDX's dash is both gimmicky and useless. But if you feel the need to tickle it, go right ahead.

Just be prepared to explain what you were doing if you get pulled over.

 

First Line is 0.6Gs and the next is 1.2Gs

 

Thanks for the responses. The consensus, expressed directly or through snark, seems to be “useless”.

That’s hardly unprecedented. Hundreds of millions of drivers have tachometers on their dashboards, and only one in ten thousand* have either the need or the ability to make use of them. (See also: paddle shifters)

* Source: I made it up.

 

One of the best posts! I think it ranks in the top ten I have ever read online. Thanks for starting my day on the right track!

 

 

You don't have to be in Sport+. There's a setting that will display the tubo boost and G-meter all the time. I don't remember where it is but that's how I have it set. I hardly ever look at the G-meter but I do use the boost indicator with the AWD display a lot.


I can't speak for anyone else but I wouldn't own a car without a tach, even an automatic. It gives me a better sense of how the transmission is shifting, even if I'm not shifting myself. The information is useful and important. At least to me.

 

Never underestimate the power of nostalgia. For instance, Harley Davidson has proposed making electric motorcycles. With a big a$$ loudspeaker under the seat to make them rumble.

 

A lot of people (maybe most) don't like the idea of a push-button transmission. They prefer to cling to the shift lever because it's "sportier". But it takes up more console space and it's really just a big 5-poition switch. I like the transmission controls on the RDX (my first car with push-button transmission). Other than cars with a stick, most of my cars with AT had column shifters. I always thought AT shifters on the floor were just a waste of console space.

 

I agree I would not want a car without a Tach, unless it’s electric maybe, but this is a must for me

i love the push button shifter, the type with the handle seem so outdated and clunky after getting used to this

 

Console AT shift lever is certainly a carry-over from the manual gear shift lever, but it's also a positive engagement physical "switch" that can easily be operated by muscle memory without staring at the thing ( such as when reversing direction in a parking lot, when your attention should be OUTSIDE THE CAR!!!! ).

And the consistent PRNDL shift pattern minimizes operator confusion when switching between vehicles. More than one fatality has been attributed to the needless inconsistency some manufacturers have introduced "just cuz".

Just because the transmission is "shift by wire" doesn't mean the control interface needed to be changed. Consistent controls are generally a good thing in heavy equipment, because inconsistent controls cause bad things to happen.

IMO the only real advantage of the push-button shifter is that it allowed the artist ( cough... Jon Ikeda.... cough ) to fulfill his stylistic vision. Function has very little to do with it.

 

Everyone is right regarding shift controls. The new ones are inconsistent and confusing, and the old ones needlessly take up space. As the OP of this thread (even though it started as something else entirely) I will provide the official solution, which all car designers must henceforth obey:

The control should be a standard console-mounted PRNDL lever, but it should be scaled down to about an inch long. It should have the usual mechanical detents for tactile positioning, backed up by a dashboard and head-up display.

I have spoken.

 

How the HECK is it confusing 😂😂😂 it’s literally 5 buttons with the symbols printed on them, and reverse has a very different way to engage it. It’s the simplest system you could have. Oh I want to drive, push the D button, oh I want to reverse push the R button. Oh I want to park, push the P button. Oh I want to go in neutral hold the N button. It’s crazily simple and as basic as a shifter could get

 

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with the design or ergonomics of the shift controls. Even after just 6 months, I don't think I ever have to look at them. From a usability standpoint, it's just about the best I've had. If I had to find of something to criticize, it would be that it occupies just as much space as a shift lever. In the past, column shifters and console shifters were mostly similar but they were never standardized.

 

Jeep, Audi and others have retained a physical shift lever, or "paddle" for their drive-by-wire transmissions, but the thing is pushed or pulled in different directions depending upon what "function" you want to activate. Sometimes Park is via a button on the side of the thing. Pure chaos.

The Honda/Acura push-buttons retain the familiar PRNDL layout, but the buttons aren't easy to engage accurately without looking at them, and there is no physical feedback that the new "function" has been engaged until you start to accelerate. Even then, there is there is often a delay in engagement.

Between the poor rearward visibility out of this vehicle, and the requirement to stop, stare at the shifter, push the correct button, wait for the transmission to actually respond, then scan the surroundings yet again for stray people, dogs, or freight trains that may have entered the vicinity since the last scan, I estimate that it takes a good 10-15 seconds to reverse course in this thing. That's long enough to be annoying in a parking lot, and actually quite terrifying if you have to back onto a busy street.

 

I would suggest that you flip your dash cam around and prove it, but I don't want to be responsible for the mayhem you might inflict upon innocent bystanders.

 

My RDX and my Honda Clarity from the same manufacturer, have identical controls for the parking brake, a button that can be pushed or pulled by hooking a finger under it. These actions do opposite things in the two cars, so I can never remember what to do to engage or disengage the brake.

Neither is inherently better; it’s the lack of consistency that causes problems. Anyone who has ever used a hotel shower understands this problem. You only have to, in effect, answer two questions: how much water, and at what temperature. But there are endless and pointless variations that can leave you dry and flummoxed, or worse, scalded.

A standardized UI is more important than a good UI. That’s why the ridiculous QWERTY keyboard lives on.

 

I don't have a dash cam and I don't have anything to prove. And I don't understand why mayhem would ensue. Do you feel that the push-buttons create a greater cognitive workload than a shift lever? I don't agree.

With this thread in mind, for the past day or so, I consciously notice that I almost NEVER look at the shift controls. Maybe you don't believe me but that's not my fault.