whats your favorite dash layout?

[huffmuds9320]

Don't know how to word the title better. As the title states which vehicle have you driven has a nice dash layout in your opinion?

1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88
Dash layout is kind of high tech at the time I guess. Digital displays. Indicators (fasten belts, e-brake, check engine, etc...) in the center were kind of neat.

VW Jetta dash is blue and red when turned on at night. Its nice since many cars are green back lit so something different.

I like the Saab dash layout everything is withing easy reach for the driver. They also have that night panel mode which I thought was cool.

 

[bdai]

I'd like a Honda dash layout with some Chevy thrown in - digital speedometer above an analog tach, and enough little gauges to let me know what's going on with the rest of the car.

 

[Johnny]

1970 VW Bug.

 

[windnsea00]

I thought the E36 3-series was very well done for the driver as the controls for the radio/hvac were super close and high. Also the huge central fan really cools you down on a hot day. However the materials weren't fantastic and the E46 was a nice improvement minus for some painted plastic, here's an example (our wagon):

Yes, I know autotragic in a BMW...my mother is lazy

I've seen some beautiful color combos on the E46 interior (say silver outside and imola red seats or carbon black exterior on cinammon interior).

The current Audi A8 interior is another pretty design IMO.

 

[obbop]

Horizontal

 

[Master ACiD]

i like the old porsches. big old tacho in the middle and a small speedo off to the side somewhere.
the focus is on the tach, as a car should be.

 

[TallPaul]

Any dash layout is fine so long as there is a tachometer and real oil pressure gauge. Real water temp gauge is nice too. Ideally put the tach in the center with the speedo to one side.

 

[RacerE7773]

Ones where the idiot lights are not on.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I like cool green or blue-green backlighting. My Benz has a yellowish-tan color that's not bad, though.

Right now, while my car is at the body shop, I'm driving a Mazda 3. Reddish-orange lighting everywhere, even around the radio and a/c controls. I feel like the Springfield nuclear plant is about to blow.

Most important, if this comes under the heading of layout, I like a two- or three-tone interior, like the BMW above. Black wheel and dash top, tan or light grey leather, dark or light wood strips. Maybe a little chrome, too. The one-color interiors -- usually a dark, depressing grey -- that a lot of car companies put in are very boring.

 

[Virtuoso]

I like my Saturns. Big tach and speedo, small everything else. I drove my MIL's hybrid Civic a few months back and could hardly tell how fast I was going.

Sure did drive smoother than my older Saturn though!

 

[97tbird]

I like my 97 tbird's pretty well...the control area is angled towards the driver: everything's easy to see/read/reach, and doesn't look too flashy...I can rest my arm on the arm rest and/or the gear shift grip, and very easily press the buttons of the stereo, and auto climate control, too

 

[01rangerxl]

I think my favorite dash is the one in 1997-2003 (2004 Heritage) F-150s. Everything is easy to reach and use, and it looks nice. My only gripe would be how the 4WD models with electric shift 4WD have A/C controls identical to 4WD controls and fairly close together.

 

[williar]

The RX-7 had a great layout. Tach in the center and the speedo & gauges off to either side, IIRC.

 

[brianl703]

Quote:

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VW Jetta dash is blue and red when turned on at night. Its nice since many cars are green back lit so something different.

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I've come to the conclusion that blue is a terrible color to use for backlighting an LCD display, especially since I now actually own something that uses a blue backlit LCD (a Dell DJ20 mp3 player).

The contrast between the black digits and the blue backlight is pretty bad. There's a reason that green is used where functionality, and not the "cool factor", is the primary objective.

 

[Papa Bear]

"horizontal"...

 

[CBDFrontier06]

NSX

 

[obbop]

Quote:

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Ones where the idiot lights are not on.

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Awesome!!!! And oh so true!!!!!

 

[rpn453]

I like the tach to be the centerpiece, so I'm going with some of Porsche's designs. A non-flashy tach and speedo design that are the same size and centered, like that BMW in windnsea00's pics, is also good. My Pathfinder is like that. My Mazda3 should have a bigger tach. Not putting the gauges right in front of the driver and digital gauges on anything other than the odometer are deal-breakers for me!

 

[andyd]

70 something to 85 Jeep Wagoneers. Full instrumentation,except for tach. Early models were surrounded with engine turned AL trim. In 86, they updated to a real ***** and cheesey layout.

 

[Laminar Lou]

Thought it was cute...