Tata Altroz And Nexon’s Infotainment Systems Drop Physical Knobs And Buttons

Until now, the top-spec variants of the Tata Altroz and Nexon came with a Harman touchscreen infotainment system with physical knobs. While it wasn’t the most intuitive, it did win our hearts with its sound quality. Now, Tata has done away with the infotainment system’s physical buttons, replacing them with the model names. 

Is it a good move?

While it certainly lends the dash a clean, minimal look, we think it is a bit of a compromise in usability. That’s because you would have to take your eyes off the road to control certain functions, which isn’t the most recommended thing to do while driving. However, a redeeming point for the Altroz and Nexon is that the system has been positioned at the driver’s eye level. Therefore, accessibility shouldn’t be a bother. 

That said, physical knobs make it even easier, considering you know exactly where the buttons are. Also, tactile controls are helpful should the infotainment system ever hang and abruptly give up on you. However, now that the knobs have been done away with, you might need to restart the vehicle should the infotainment unit misbehave. 

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The Hyundai i20, the Altroz’s closest rival, comes with touch-based shortcut controls, while the Kushaq/Taigun, Jazz, and the fourth-gen City utilise touch-based climate controls. That said, these are indeed the latest trends, which you probably will have to get used to. But this author still has his priorities straight -- knobs over touch-based controls. Any day.

Click on the links below to read our first-drive reviews of the Tata Altroz and Nexon, :

• Tata Altroz 2019 Petrol & Diesel: First Drive

• Tata Altroz iTurbo: First Drive Review

• 2020 Tata Nexon Facelift: First Drive Review