RichardJensen Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 In ergonomic terms, there's no comparison. What control is obstructed by another control in the '08 Escape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSFan00 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 So, just to be clear, you're saying it's the center stack that has controls that are obstructed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Newer model (lower trim I think); From that angle (and with a manual trans) it looks like the shifter is well out of the way of the HVAC controls as it would be reached via the driver or passenger. Yeah, it might be in the way for that occasional center passenger...oh wait. :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Don't forget we have another display down by the climate controls, VERY outdated ergonomics. Ford had finally moved away from this and put the information at the top of the dashboard for better visibility, now we have to scan for three displays at very wide distances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Don't forget we have another display down by the climate controls, VERY outdated ergonomics. Ford had finally moved away from this and put the information at the top of the dashboard for better visibility, now we have to scan for three displays at very wide distances. Well, at least on those models fitted with MFT, the climate data should all be redundantly displayed on the upper LCD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 So, just to be clear, you're saying it's the center stack that has controls that are obstructed? In the previous generation the shift lever obstructed the climate controls and the grab handle obstructed the window controls. Other than that it was fine. In this iteration the climate controls are still obstructed by the shifter, while the grab handle no longer obstructs the window controls. In a step backwards (possibly from the requirement of fitting MyFord Touch to a vehicle that wasn't designed for it), the previously neat and clean radio/nav unit is now laid out in a way that puts the screen farther from the driver and puts many of the controls at an extreme oblique angle to the driver's line of sight. Also the previously superior hazard marker location (between the vents, well separated from other controls) has been changed. The hazard button is now just down and left of the knob apparently used to interact with the MFT screen. It's a dog's breakfast no matter how nicely you try to photograph it. The previous Escape while hardly a beauty contest winner was far more coherently arranged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8-X Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 From that angle (and with a manual trans) it looks like the shifter is well out of the way of the HVAC controls as it would be reached via the driver or passenger. Yeah, it might be in the way for that occasional center passenger...oh wait. :unsure: Well, could depend. Is that in neutral, or in gear? And yes, it doesn't appear to be as bad as the auto, but a little more separation would have been nice between those items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSFan00 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Ok, I can agree with all of that. I just didn't think the Escape won in a fair beauty contest. The MFT/Sony stuff creates a lot of issues in the smaller cars (that weren't originally designed for it, anyway) I think. I just didn't think you wanted to join MT's Explorer critique line of thinking in such criticisms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 (edited) And this isn't really a FOE vs. FNA thing, as the new Mondeo has better ergonomics than the Fusion. Aside from the needlessly complicated central locking system (that seems to be a point of pride with European manufacturers--I can imagine the annual meeting of the German Society For Fiddly Engineering, or as it's known in German: Deutschergrupefurubercomplicatingbuttonsundsuch: VW Engineer: "Our locking system now requires five pages in the owner's manual, and fewer than 20% of all university graduates are able to use anything besidest the fob to lock or unlock the car." Mercedes Engineer: "Ah. Our system is so complicated that it comes with a separate manual on a DVD, and has twenty five settings. Twenty four of which are designed to cause the alarm to go off at an incredibly inappropriate moment." VW Engineer: "I am impressed, but we must go. We don't want to miss the afternoon symposium on delicate spring-loaded gear driven and tiny cupholders." Edited May 24, 2011 by RichardJensen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 And this isn't really a FOE vs. FNA thing, as the new Mondeo has better ergonomics than the Fusion. Aside from the needlessly complicated central locking system (that seems to be a point of pride with European manufacturers--I can imagine the annual meeting of the German Society For Fiddly Engineering, or as it's known in German: Deutschergrupefurubercomplicatingbuttonsundsuch: VW Engineer: "Our locking system now requires five pages in the owner's manual, and fewer than 20% of all university graduates are able to use anything besidest the fob to lock or unlock the car." Mercedes Engineer: "Ah. Our system is so complicated that it comes with a separate manual on a DVD, and has twenty five settings. Twenty four of which are designed to cause the alarm to go off at an incredibly inappropriate moment." VW Engineer: "I am impressed, but we must go. We don't want to miss the afternoon symposium on delicate spring-loaded gear driven and tiny cupholders." This is why I love this place, ha! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 One would hope that the use of ergonomically inferior interior layouts on these vehicles is a result of budget constraints. With C2 being more of a C1.5 than a true second generation platform, I HOPE that the ergonomic infelicities are due to constraints imposed by the underlying architecture which was not fully redeveloped (compare the 2010 Fusion which retains the 2006 Fusion's awkward climate control placement). The photo above, which shows the previous C-Max, makes it clear that the various awkwardnesses (shift lever placement, HVAC immediately above, limited space for touch screen + auxiliary controls) seem baked into the architecture. Interestingly, the Fusion has worse ergonomics than the Mondeo, while the Escape has better (if blander) ergonomics than the Kuga. One hopes that the eventual full reworking of the C platform will include more pragmatic ergonomics. I have used both the C-max's and the focus's HVAC controls and it looks worse than it really is. there is 3-4 inches between the Shifter and the HVAC controls. it is a non issue. look at the picture above and the ample space between the knobs and the shifter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 So here we have... 1. A completely undisguised "production" 2013 Escape interior 2. A wide opened drivers door, unobstructed by the driver, who isn't visible in the frame 3. Despite the open door and lack of driver, the vehicle has been freshly started, evidenced by the SYNC startup screen on the NAV display. Anyone else smell something fishy? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stpatrick90 Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 More spy shots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 More spy shots Hmm I'm really interested about how "open" the front end of the car is...all that is there is the mount for the bumper...I guess the rest of the area will be taken up by foam behind the front facia. Makes it really easy to do a MCE on it I guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Hmm I'm really interested about how "open" the front end of the car is...all that is there is the mount for the bumper...I guess the rest of the area will be taken up by foam behind the front facia. Makes it really easy to do a MCE on it I guess... Also potentially makes small changes to suit safety standards in different market easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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