Remember when the future of car interiors was supposed to be all swipe this, tap that, and pray your fingerprint works while doing 130 km/h on the Autobahn? Yeah, that didn’t age well. Somewhere along the way, carmakers got drunk on minimalism and decided that the best way to control climate, radio, and seat heating was through menus buried inside menus, buried inside a 15-inch touchscreen. Because, apparently, nobody actually drives anymore.

But—hallelujah—sanity is making a comeback. And it’s Porsche leading the charge.

When the electric Taycan debuted, Stuttgart’s finest decided to go full Silicon Valley, stripping away the physical world in favor of glossy digital surfaces. The cabin looked spectacular, yes—but adjusting the fan speed required the kind of concentration usually reserved for neurosurgery. Now, however, Porsche seems to have remembered that its drivers actually move. Fast.

Speaking to The Drive, Cayenne electronics manager Dirk Assfalg admitted that people—shock horror—still like buttons. The upcoming Cayenne EV, despite its tech-forward cockpit and massive 14.3-inch OLED display, will proudly feature physical controls for key functions like temperature and fan speed. “We know from our customers… that there’s always a strong wish of having these buttons still in the car,” says Assfalg. Translation: our customers are tired of jabbing at touchscreens like they’re trying to order takeaway.

Porsche’s not alone in this rebellion. BMW—never one to miss a chance to say “we told you so”—has done its homework. The new iX3 comes with a gigantic 17.9-inch iDrive display, but there, nestled beneath it like a badge of honor, sits a real, tactile volume knob. Why? Because after analyzing data from ten million drivers, BMW discovered that people love twisting things. The humble volume control remains one of the most-used features across the entire fleet.

And honestly, who can blame them? There’s something beautifully human about the click of a well-machined button, or the snick of a metal rotary dial. Touchscreens may look futuristic, but they can’t replace that feeling of precision—of mechanical certainty—that defines a great driving experience.

So yes, Porsche’s rediscovered the magic of the button. BMW’s keeping the faith. And hopefully, this marks the beginning of the end for the Great Touchscreen Overload.

Because sometimes, progress isn’t about reinventing the wheel—it’s about putting the knob back on it.

Source: The Drive