A good write up Fred.
Think you could live with those steering wheels buttons and the general user interface of the Mk8?
I think I probably could - I just think its going to take more time to get used to than the mechanical buttons of the Mk7 though.
Which seems daft. It was a leap too far and its going to cost them dearly because most people won't see it as progress or something they could get used to.
I've managed to get my hands on a user guide for the Mk8 now - quick google image search for a UK mk8, stick the reg plate into the VW online user manual.
It's interesting. There are even more clever bits of tech buried in it than meets the eye. All sorts of safety systems that work in conjuction with the car. I don't think I've seen any car with as much advanced electronics actually. Much like the Mk7 was technically far more advanced than the competition, the Mk8 still is - its just that a lot of it isn't headline grabbing.
For example, it has a system that can detect oncoming traffic when you overtake and swerve you back into your lane. Seen that before? Nope, nobody has written about that. I tell you why, its because none of the reviewers have bothered to read the manual! It's not the only system either, there are dozens of new clever bits.
No reviews talk about the ACC with roundabout and bend detection either - not a sausage. I've only seen that written about by an article on a "new" Passat maybe 18 months ago. Nothing since.
Car2X? Nobody else apart from VAG has that yet. Where are you BMW?
However, all of this has gone to waste because everything said about the Mk8 is about the sub-optimal user interface that is not familiar enough. They do need a slap for that.
