Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

[mrericlee]

I love the exterior design of the 3 series and managed to convince my wife it's a great car. We went to PML and sat inside a 323i Highline and went for a test drive and guess what failed my wife's report card?

The instrument cluster!

I have to say she is right. Many new cars today have Optitron gauges. We tested the IS250 earlier and the gauges were just beautiful. The needles makes a full sweep to max before the rest of the numbers glowed in the dark. Plus, there is an orange ring that glows at a preset RPM or speed to help you watch your right foot. Legacy GT's gauges are nice too.

We also went to see the C Class and the gauges were again beautifully designed.

Don't flame me but the Beemers really have old fashioned gauges and I think it really needs an upgrade. Isn't that what drivers will interact with all the time and deserves more attention?

I love Beemers... but it looks like I won't get approval to buy one until the gauges are upgraded. Women just have different priorities...... :screwedu:

Any mods?

 

[sszone]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

buy a car bcos of the guage?? hehe
well...i got a good suggestion, get ready an aftermarket instrument cluster display and buy the car....haha
just kidding, dun get the missus pissed off or life will be very miserable.

 

[ACS6]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

Hmmm.....yeah....fuss over gauges? Well, don't seem to have that problem since I only look at the road ahead of me as well as the HUD.

IMHO, the gauges in Bimmers are pure functional, no fuss and nothing fancy. Besides, you're supposed to keep your eyes on the road, right?

 

[fooman700]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

agreed totally with the bros. i personally find that BMW guages are clear, simple & functional and beautifully understated. if u need a x'mas tree got to consider something else, hee hee:sneaky:

 

[Mockngbrd]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

eeew..no way....
BMW gauges look pretty good to me.. orange lighting,it's unique to BMW...

 

[totoseow]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

optitron means what? the thing in my golf GTI? eeks. i find it very BENG with a capital B.E.N.G. miss the orange in my ex-BMW.

 

[acupunch]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

optirion gauge normal looks dark with its off, nothing can be seen clearly. when the car is switch on, it gives u some very high tech feel. is a plus point if it had one. but if is just a gauge to determine your purchase. is such shame hear that. BTW I remember seeing this type of gauge on a 7er.

 

[centurion]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

Optitron is actually using cold cathode flourescent light (CCFL) tubes to light up the gauges using optic fiber - where the markings themselves are optic fiber lights. It was originally designed by Denso for the Lexus LS400, and proved such a hit that most Toyotas and Lexus today use it.

Recent trends have also included halo lights and gradient lighting as seen on the new Honda Civic (and to a lesser extent, the Odyssey).

Mercedes Benz has moved over to pure LCD active matrix display for their higher end cars, the S and CL- class.

Because there are many reasons why people buy cars, and the work put into this field is tremendous, market research probably shows a great payoff with fancy gauges. For me, what I really need is oil temp, tach, (small) speed, and fuel to be readable in all circumstances. I find it hard to read the orange in a tunnel with sunglasses on, and also my own car's display, and the optitron and S-Class LCD is much much better.

And if I drive for really long distances, say Penang to KL one shot, the orange lulls me to sleep as it's such a warm, pleasant glow. Even if not sleep, it becomes very blurry with extremely tired eyes. The S-Class LCD and optitron never get blurry and fuzzy at the treshold above dangerous tiredness.

 

[sszone]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

centurion, your signature very distracting leh.....hehehe.....our star (kena hit by "call 911" auntie n chao ang moh) blogger....oops...sorry for OT....but i like it very muchie...haha

 

[centurion]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

centurion, your signature very distracting leh.....hehehe.....our star (kena hit by "call 911" auntie n chao ang moh) blogger....oops...sorry for OT....but i like it very muchie...haha

The reason why I put it there was because I was distracted myself.

 

[PerverTT]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

Seems that most people here prefer functionality to showmanship. I share the same view. Instruments should inform rather than perform. I find nothing wrong with BMW's trademark orange glow. Easier on the eye than say the reddish colour used in Audi cockpits.

I find it interesting that car instruments have not followed the lead taken by avionics in aircraft. In a modern aircraft cockpit, analogue instruments have been largely superseded by electronic displays, including head up displays. Despite the proliferation of LCD screens in newer cars, car makers have persisted with analogue for their main instruments.

Anybody care to speculate why? Is it cost? Complexity? Fear of being sued if electronic instruments go on the blink? Or is it fear of upsetting old fashioned consumers like me?

 

[gadgets]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

i love the no-fuss simple design of our gauge over those optitron ones anytime...besides, the optitron ones are likely to be the reason why many of these cars do not switch on headlights after dark

 

[centurion]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

Seems that most people here prefer functionality to showmanship. I share the same view. Instruments should inform rather than perform. I find nothing wrong with BMW's trademark orange glow. Easier on the eye than say the reddish colour used in Audi cockpits.

I find it interesting that car instruments have not followed the lead taken by avionics in aircraft. In a modern aircraft cockpit, analogue instruments have been largely superseded by electronic displays, including head up displays. Despite the proliferation of LCD screens in newer cars, car makers have persisted with analogue for their main instruments.

Anybody care to speculate why? Is it cost? Complexity? Fear of being sued if electronic instruments go on the blink? Or is it fear of upsetting old fashioned consumers like me?

Mercedes S- and CL- now has LCD for main instrumentation.

It is the MOST expensive LCD available I guess. The quality is astounding.

Now, this is also quite simple, though I wished they had OIL temp in addition to water temp. But fiddling with the trip computer controls on this car can actually be accident risk, unlike most Mercs and Lexuses I've driven. I can't say for BMW because the idrive is not really to my liking.

 

[PerverTT]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

centurion - you nearly tricked me. I was about to say that the picture of the instrument cluster was most un-Benz looking (with a big tacho where the speedo should be). Then I realised that instrument cluster was from a P.... Por.... Am I allowed to say it here?

 

[avatar]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

Hmmmm....funny that most bros here prefer the original BMW orange glow. I personally prefer the optitron gauges as it looks more modern. However, I think the best is still to have a HUD. It is definitely easier to read the speed on the windscreen than to continually glance down at the instrument cluster.

 

[mrericlee]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

It looks like there are some people who still likes the orange glow.....

I personnally think Optitron gauges are the future of all car gauges (of course HUD too). Hope BMW's makes this change. Optitron gauges are really visually attractive and gives the car a real modern look.

 

[Mockngbrd]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

optitron gauges is probably just another trend...

 

[mrericlee]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

IMHO... Optitron is here to stay.... unless or until a more attractive sharper looking gauge shows up...

 

[henry2703]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

Optitrons are nice... but not essential....

What i would prefer is one that gives me the essential information without having to turn too many knobs or press too many buttons! Something simple would be nice, so that i can keep my eyes on the road more and less on the gauges.

I find that in the Civic I used to own! hahahah

 

[centurion]

Re: Will BMW's ever introduce Optitron Gauges?

centurion - you nearly tricked me. I was about to say that the picture of the instrument cluster was most un-Benz looking (with a big tacho where the speedo should be). Then I realised that instrument cluster was from a P.... Por.... Am I allowed to say it here?

On the P panel, the left side speedo gauge is utterly useless, because the digital display on the tach bottom panel is so much better.

The only use I have for the left panel is .... seeing whether the number cross 3000km already or not, then VRRRRROOOOMMMM!! Now is 4000+ I really bochup the left panel liaoz.