The Genesis GV80's Infotainment Control Knob May Be Too Quirky to Be Effective
Ru Chen
· 3 min read
Infotainment systems
are getting so many upgrades these days. Genesis thought, why not upgrade the control knob too? The luxury car
2021 Genesis GV80 has come out with an innovative control knob. Its quirkiness might make it too complicated to be effective, though. 
Innovative knob design from Genesis: yay or nay
The new knob that has been installed in both the Genesis GV80 and the G80 looks like a circular knob in the middle of the two front seats.
In terms of function, you can:
- Rotate or spin the outer dial
- Tilt the outer dial up/down/left/right
- Use the inner touchpad as a directional mouse/writing pad
- Click the inner touchpad to select choices
Edmunds
reviewed the dial and called it "somewhat clunky to operate". There are so many different ways to use it that it can take a while to learn. It’s also way too sensitive. If you accidentally graze the controller, it might make the wrong inputs.
The part that feels the worst is that the on-screen pages have different sizes and layouts. This lack of streamlining makes the unique dial even harder to get used to. Even though the infotainment controller design is meant to feel intuitive, it seems to have missed that mark.
Redeeming qualities: deal or no deal
It’s not that you can’t gain an acquired taste for the controller. After all, even if it’s not super practical, it has its redeeming qualities:
- The controller does look classy and fits in with the rest of the luxury car
- The knob is pretty fun to spin. The car basically comes with a built-in fidget spinner
- It’s got a back button, so at least you can undo any mistakes
Plus, if you don’t plan on using your infotainment system much, you have nothing to worry about.
Conclusion: if it ain’t broke...
Don’t fix it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the Genesis GV80 isn’t a spectacular midsize SUV just because of the dial. It has good handling, is very comfortable, and brings about a sense of modern luxury.
We don’t like to unnecessarily knock on innovations because that’s how the industry makes good advances, but the knob’s quirkiness is a little too much.
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