Why the center mounted gauge hate?

Ooh that is nasty. A huge gearstick to top it off. But it raises questions, did GM try to copy Toyota? Cause a Saturn is not made in RHD configuration! Weird.

I'm not sure. That model is now out of production (thank god) and they have moved on to the vauxhall/opel designs which are very similar to what you get in Europe.
 
o rly? The Cooper S I drove had it under the wheel.

The 2002-2006 MINI did it this way.
The new MINI increased the diameter of the central speedo to incorporate the speedo, even with Nav.

For the 2002-2007 MINI, you could also get what is known as the Chrono pack, which places a nearly useless set of dials in the central position and moves the speedo beside the tach. Not pretty.


And I agree - Toyota definitely did it on the Yaris/Echo as a cost-saving measure. I don't mind that, but then they tried to explain it away as being better for sightlines. I still don't buy it.
 
Wow, lots of hate and misinformation in this thread. Believe it or not, your eyes take less time to refocus on the road with a center-mounted gauge cluster. By looking slightly to the right (or left for RHD) and a bit down you keep your peripheral vision on the road. With a traditional gauge cluster you have to take your eyes off the road almost completely to see it. Trust me, I've driven both types and the center-mounted style is the way to go for safety.

I don't see how putting that gauge lower down and in front of me will help me keep my eyes on the road. Science people, science!

Drive a car with a proper seating position and the steering wheel will never block the gauges and they will be in the bottom of your vision at all times.
 
The 2002-2006 MINI did it this way.
The new MINI increased the diameter of the central speedo to incorporate the speedo, even with Nav.
I did post that earlier, but then I saw that Blind had already posted that (overlooking that he didn't mention that this is for the latest new Mini only), so I deleted my post. So yeah, only the 1st generation had the option to put the speedo on the steering column.
 
Drive a car with a proper seating position and the steering wheel will never block the gauges and they will be in the bottom of your vision at all times.

Hmm..... Thats fine if your a short ass. Not when your six foot three!!

I have to laugh at all the heated debate about where the speedo should go, does it really matter that much!!!

To be honest with you with working in the trade for over six years I have never seen either setup offer an advantage over the other. Yes makers use center mounts to aid costs which benefit buyers, and the old argument of other seeing the speedo when in the center is rubbish. Yes people in the car can and as the driver with passengers YOU have the responsibility for their safety so why not let them see that your not a dick and drive within the law? Other then that you would need to have a epic tailgater with 10x zoom bionic eyes to be able to read the speedo from behind!!!

There thats my two pence! :)
 
Hmm..... Thats fine if your a short ass. Not when your six foot three!!

I have to laugh at all the heated debate about where the speedo should go, does it really matter that much!!!

To be honest with you with working in the trade for over six years I have never seen either setup offer an advantage over the other. Yes makers use center mounts to aid costs which benefit buyers, and the old argument of other seeing the speedo when in the center is rubbish. Yes people in the car can and as the driver with passengers YOU have the responsibility for their safety so why not let them see that your not a dick and drive within the law? Other then that you would need to have a epic tailgater with 10x zoom bionic eyes to be able to read the speedo from behind!!!

There thats my two pence! :)

I care more about seeing my oil pressure and temperature gauges than anything else. The Rev counter is useless to me for 2 reason, 1) I can feel it/hear when I need to change 2) it don't work anyway :lol: The speedo I like to keep in my vision as I can gauge my mileage off of how much my speed varies, plus I'm not always in that much of a hurry.
 
Drive a car with a proper seating position and the steering wheel will never block the gauges and they will be in the bottom of your vision at all times.

Tall white man says this not possible. This why he drive xB.
 
Tall white man says this not possible. This why he drive xB.

I used to wish I was taller, then I started to notice taller people complain that they can't drive a lot of really awesome cars because they are too damn big. More importantly they are stuck with depressing things like Buicks and boxy toyota's :p
 
I'm 6'6" in a four foot car, and I can see everything fine, except the turn signals. The placement of those were a mistake on GM's part in my eyes.
 
Top