Digital gauge cluster as screens - dealbreaker?

I keep noticing that car manufacturers doing odd things with digital gauge clusters, like inToyota C-HR. To me, something like that is an instant deal breaker. I want traditional setup, ideally with physical dials. Am I being unreasonable? I do notice that on my 4Runner I watch digital speed number over actual dial. What do you think?

 

I guess it's too easy their own. I personally like the analog Guages but that's what i was brought up with. If it's a digital picture of an analog guage i guess that's fine with me.
But like the new taco sr with it being a tach with a digital speedo in the middle..nah I'm good. I won't pay for that with no way of changing it out.

I had a digital speedo only on my 88 thunderchicken. Hated it immensely. Kinda not diggin the half digital half physical dash of our new crv also. But i don't drive that daily.

 

Hmm. It’s not like the old days when the tach and speedo were cable driven and totally mechanical. The speedometer is electronic and driven by a signal from an ECU (the skid control ECU if I’m not mistaken). So it’s software driven. Whether there’s a physical needle moving or a picture of a needle moving is a matter of aesthetics.

 

I wouldn’t say a deal breaker but I would want an option to display traditional gauges. If the manufacturer does half then I would want a real tach over a real speedo.

 

This is the Digital Dash from a 1987 Nissan 300z. It ain't mine, but the first time I saw one of these in person as a kid, I was blown away.

 

Love!

 

Forreal that looks so cool

 

The 80s vettes had it too.

 

I had this dash in my 88 thunderchicken ( google photo not mine). I hated it every time i looked at it.

 

Liked my 79 dash much better….

 

It's not the digital cluster that Turns me off, it's all the other "nanny state" Bs that comes with them. Everything from "radar assist braking, lane change assist, proximity warnings, data and location trackers, paid subscriptions and all the " modern conveniences " that new cars have.

 

That reminds me when BMW tried to charge customers for a heated seat "Subscription".

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/7/23863258/bmw-cancel-heated-seat-subscription-microtransaction


The blowback was so strong and so swift that buried that idea as fast as they could. BUT, it shows you how greedy manufacturers are, and if they can get away with it, they'll try to do it.

 

I dont mind a digital cluster as look as I can make it look like a traditional round tach/speedo.

 

This might be off-topic, but I have been toying with the idea of adding extra gauges to my unit. I would love to know current boost on the supercharger, oil temperature, and why not, how the PCV valve is doing just in case (j/k). In any event, this outfit https://www.ozgaugepods.com/ makes custom gauges and they can go in different locations of your vehicle. I am however a bit tire though of screwing with this vehicle even more, so I think I will just stick with the scangauge and be done with it. But, these pods look cool IMO.

 

Might want to start a thread, very few people add gauges to 4runners, considering a guy can turn his head and see five of the trucks with every glance. I went with Speedhut A/F and Boost/Vacuum to watch the maggie and tune. Did a more custom install due to the lack of options for mounting locations.

 

I love that retro-futuristic look too, but I wouldn't want to live with THAT daily back then or now.

 

Yes, we might need a special thread for this. Was this installation of yours complicated to do? Running wires inside into the engine bay and all that? I suppose....

On options, the guys on tacomas are putting these gauges on the left side by the airbag panel, I don't see why we couldn't do the same on our 4R. Seems like doable. I just hate the idea of running more wires and more stuff in/out of the unit.

 

I'm not a fan of having things with lights on them in the windshield, it's way to distracting for me. Routing the cables through the fire wall is no different than running wires for lights and such. I used the rubber grommet above the brake pedal.

 

Most common is this abortion of a set up.

 

Trans Am too. In the late 90s I had an 88GTA with this digital dash. As a kid who grew up watching Knight Rider, I loved it. If I were to get another, I'd prefer the analog gauges. Even at ten years old, parts of the display was going in and out. Though I did find out that pulling a certain fuse also stopped the odometer.

There were even Buicks and Oldsmobiles of this era that had touch screens along with digital dashes. Riviera and Tornado were loaded up with tech for the day.

 

I'll take the Cravenspeed setup over the ricer pillar pod any day. As a matter of fact, I did on my Tacoma.

 

They are well built for sure, even shipped with the wrong length screws to attach the pods. The gauges just covered to much of the stock cluster for my liking. Would have liked the gauges mounted left/right of the tach/speedo (like some of the older fox body mustang set ups), but got tired of playing with them and mounted them in the useless dash cubby instead.

 

I wish we had the FJ pod setup on the dash. I’d remove the clock and useless inclometer.

 

I was toying with this idea, but was tired of spending money on the perfect location. Think i have three or for different pod options... X2.

 

My biggest gripe with having acres of LCD screens on the dash, is that they are still too damn bright on the lowest settings when you’re driving on pitch black roads.

If they were to make cars with fancy OLED screens that are capable of displaying black blacks, with zero bleed through backlighting on panel space that isn’t projecting anything, I think I’d be ok with that.