Touch-sensitive buttons a mistake? VW to bring back physical buttons on steering wheel

Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer announced on Linkedin that the company is bringing back physical buttons on steering wheel. “That’s what customers want from VW,” he posted.

The majority of current Volkswagen models on sale are using capacitive (touch-sensitive) buttons on the steering wheel, which looks cleaner but can be fiddly to use in practice. It is also prone to accidental touches.

Capacitive buttons have also found their way to the rest of the cabin of Volkswagen models, such as the climate control panel and in the Mk8 Golf, the lighting controls as well. These are less likely to be reverted to physical buttons, but users have also complained about not being able to operate the climate control with gloves on.

Also read: Review: 2022 Volkswagen Golf R (Mk8) - It's quantifiably better, but also worse

Whilst at it, some also took the opportunity to ask for the return of the volume knob. This isn’t unprecedented, as Honda brought physical buttons and volume control back in the facelifted Civic FC, replacing the touch-sensitive ones from before.

Let’s hope the trend of listening to customer feedback continues. We’re looking at you now, Mercedes-Benz.

Also read: Specs confirmed: Volkswagen ID.4 EV previewed in Malaysia, full ADAS, 204 PS/310 Nm, 519 km