Does the panel approve?

SteveH isn't crazy, he just doesn't get it; but that's okay because SteveH doesn't get Saabs either.

It isn't as though modern instruments tell you anything the car doesn't want you to know anyway. Like coolant gauges - they used to show you the coolant temperature. Now they show you information between "stone cold" and "overheat" in a gradient scale.

I was undecided about Night Panel because most machines I've had have a dimmer for the dashboard lights, but the Saab's execution works well. It dims all of the interior lights apart from the necessary, which most of the time, simply means the lower two thirds of the speedometer. As in, the other lighting is also dimmed (in car entertainment, climate control, light switches). Other instruments illuminate when you need to know - high revs, low fuel, high coolant temperature. Extend the TiD in fourth gear and the tacho and top third of the speedometer illuminate together, too.

Makes a truck load more sense than lids on cupholders.

To be fair, I've NEVER been driving along and thought "Christ I wish these pointless lights weren't on so I could see..." I have however once in the

405 been driving along and thought "I wish the buttons and heater controls were lit up to save me running my hands over it all to find it" - a swift slap on the panel cured that though. I always have a quick glance to see what I'm pressing - and I bet many others do too - if they weren't lit up that would just be annoying. A cup holder on the other hand is quite useful. The Arosa has 2 - they're damped and they slide out of the centre of the dash. Jealous? So you should be.

The dashboard lights are lit up - but they're dimmer than normal...

Go check out the Saab's cup holder first.

I have 2 :-)

If you need to see the controls on the dash in the dark to operate them, you don't really know your car all that well. If you do know your car well and you still need lights to be able to operate them , the ergonomics are poor. I'm thinking standard VAG climatronic which is usually somewhere slightly above the centre console down there where you can't see it.

My Golf being older, has fan, temp and where 'would you like it' knobs. On the top of the dash. Which familiarity enables you to operate, in the dark.

Progress isn't always a wonderfull thing don't you think.

Don't start me on radios.....

Accompanied by the sound of a chisel on slate Iridium, managed to produce the following words of wisdom

I have none. Two cars, no cupholders, not even the little scooped out recesses.

Saab cupholders are brilliant. Up there with the Mercedes E class one.

Cupholders always seem to be the first things to break in cars. VW Golf / Passat B5 ones always seem to stick behind the little flappy thing, Vectra ones fall apart, E39 ones just don't work and are normally broken in the back, Mk3 Transit ones are either knackered or the cover at the front always falls off, Mondeo Mk3 ones seem to need lubricating with something, and Mk1 Focus ones are exactly the wrong size and shape for anything other than a can.

Citroen ones never break though.

It's not so much the ergonomics, it's the natural tendency to look at when you're tweaking. If, when you do look, you can't see the stuff properly, then clever design becomes bloody irritating.

The ones in the Vee can't! They're just little recesses in the dash board door :-)

The cupholders in the B6 are excellent - at least they are in SE and above spec. S spec holders are just moulded holes, with nothing to stabilise your cup.

Cars without them irritate me in a big way these days.

In the Vee it's both. Because of the higher mounted gearstick centre bit and altered driving position the controls aren't obscured, but are slightly hampered by the stick and the like 'ridged edge' of the centre console - as it's just a standard Ph1 172 console heh.

The only car I've driven with sensible controls on the wheel is the Marea, 'cos they kept it simple.

Other cars I've driven with controls on the wheel I've found irritating, over complicated and confusing, meaning I end up looking at the wheel for the stuff I want to do, or just used the controls on the stereo - which are generally clearly labelled.

You're all amatuers.

I drive strictly by feel. Blindfold.

Maybe not......

The only way to drink coffee in the Scorpio is to hold the cup in your hand. There is absolutely nowhere to put a coffee cup [1]. Door bins are too narrow, centre console is too narrow, armrest only comes up to 90 degrees and there are cd / tape holders under that so it's unstable, and the gap between the seat / seatbelt and centre console is minute so you can't even wedge a can / bottle inbetween them like you can in almost everything else.

Luckily it's auto and designed for incredibly lazy drivers, driving it with two hands on the wheel feels spectacularly wrong.

Ford Scorpio : Possibly the laziest mode of transport available to man, even waftmatic spec Jags feel too much like hard work after it.

The Scorp stereo remote is brilliant. Push up for more volume, push down for less, pull toward for next track / station, push away for last, press button on the end for next cd or radio preset. One thing I do love about the recentish Fords is the huge button stereos. I don't like the ones in the new Focus / Mondeo / Fiesta though, they seem to be a backward step - as if someone has said "That works perfectly, now lets f*ck it up so it looks expensive".

I have a VW Beta - the one with the two speakers. I press the volume control to turn it on and turn it to increase or decrease the volume. I have no need to concern myself with radio tuning as other than knowing that Radio Scotland is on the button nearest me. I occasionaly listen to a CD which I believe may be housed in a compartment in the rear of the car somewhere.

I'm more likely to plug in the laptop and play with the ECU settings on the LPG or VAG COM than play with the wireless :-)

Pikey shit ;-) Sir wants my Arosa -

Frankly, after all you've said, they're disappointing.

That the Passat SE has nice cup holders says something about the quality of the machine.

And don't get me started on the soggy understeery Arosa... :p

Optional, with the 'sports' steering wheel.

Which is both expensive and ugly.

So, you reckon that it's a much better idea to have no illumination on your dash controls?

I'd prefer to concentrate on the road, rather than groping around in the dark looking for buttons.

The Passat even has nice red downlighters in the roof, to keep the interior illuminated without ruining your night vision. Which is a very nice touch when you can't find your ciggies or lighter.