Technology on the Instrument Panel
As technology continues to get better and better, more gauges and such are wanted/needed on the instrument panels of vehicles. The problem is that there is only so much room available on the instrument panels. An article was written on edmunds.com called “Technology Muscles In on the Instrument Panel.” Many things on vehicles have changed such as styles, power sources, etc, but the instrument panels have stayed the same until recently when more and more manufacturers are trying to find different ways to set up the instrument panels with more technological advances.
The new Subaru Tribeca is moving the fuel-level and engine-temperature levels to the far lower right and left of the instrument cluster. This will take some getting used to by the owners, because it’s so different than what anyone is used to. The new BMW 3 Series has done away with the coolant temperature gauge. Something that has become standard equipment on vehicles 2008 and later is the tire-pressure gauge, that monitors your tire pressure. Now, there needs to be room for this gauge, so something must go or move to another spot most likely.
It’s kind of neat to see how different instrument clusters are. Some are becoming quite technological and fancy, while others are just staying traditional and the same as they have been for many years. It will be interesting to watch the instrument clusters continue to improve and show more technology and gauge more in your car. Who knows what kind of technology will be available in the years to come for instrument panels.