At least thus far, GM has continued to eschew vertically-oriented infotainment screens for both its ICE-powered vehicles and its growing cache of EV models. The vertical implementation of center stack infotainment screens of the Ram 1500 and F-150 Lightning give us an opportunity to address the very design direction that started with Tesla cars.
When the current-gen Ram 1500 – a chief competitor to GM’s Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra – launched for the 2019 model year, it offered a large vertical 12-inch infotainment screen dominating the center stack and lighting up the automotive world.
Large, vertically-oriented screen in 2019-present Ram 1500
At that time, various folks reviewed the truck and opined on the screen, with some liking it, while also taking issue with its vertical orientation. MacRumors writer Eric Slivka perhaps said it most eloquently: “I do also still have some concerns about the shift toward increasingly large touchscreens in vehicles, which can make it harder to make changes by feel and end up taking your eyes off the road for longer. A portrait display magnifies these issues by bringing significant portions of the display lower on the center stack and away from the driver’s line of sight. I would have appreciated it if the display could have been moved all the way to the top of the stack to minimize this issue as much as possible.”
Our thoughts exactly. By comparison, General Motors has elected to use a horizontal orientation of its screens, enabling drivers to quickly gather information via an “eye sweep” across the dash, reducing distractions by minimizing time away from watching the road. This horizontally-oriented approach makes even more sense when we consider that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto both display information in a horizontal rectangle format, and Tesla – known for its large, vertically-oriented screens, doesn’t support either of the two technologies.
Large, vertically-oriented screen in 2022 Ram 1500 running Apple CarPlay
Interestingly, Ram has announced that its Uconnect 5 infotainment system will allow Apple CarPlay to “occupy the entire space” of the pickup truck’s 12-inch vertical screen for the 2022 model year. That’s seems puzzling, as it brings a driver’s eyes down and away from the road, especially the recently-used app icons, which are small and near the bottom of the screen, making them difficult to find and tap. This new, one-off iteration seems like more of a concession for Ram to fill its (not ideally-oriented) vertical screen that it’s so proud of rather than honoring Apple’s stringent design ethos and declaration that “CarPlay is a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone while you drive.” But wait, there’s more.
Large, vertically-oriented screen in 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
The all-electric 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning – a rival to GM’s GMC Hummer EV Pickup and upcoming Silverado E – has followed Ram’s suit with a large, vertical center stack screen. Meanwhile, Tesla – the company that pioneered vertical screens with the debut of the Model S back in 2012 – has shifted to horizontal screens for all of its models. GM seems to agree with that direction, as it has continued to go horizontal, and in a big way – literally.
For example, the all-new 2021 Cadillac Escalade features an impressive, industry-first 38-inch curved screen that includes infotainment, a driver control panel, and the instrument cluster, all in a horizontally-oriented configuration.
2021 Cadillac Escalade features an industry-first 38-inch curved screen, including digital gauge cluster and infotainment screen
The upcoming GMC Hummer EV Pickup and SUV will feature a 13.4-inch infotainment display and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as standard. The horizontally-oriented infotainment screen is identical in both vehicles.
13.4-inch center infotainment display in GMC Hummer EV Pickup and SUV
Similarly, the upcoming all-electric 2023 Cadillac Lyriq features an enormous 33-inch display, which – similar to the unit in the aforementioned 2021 Escalade – provides readouts for the instrumentation and infotainment, as well as various onboard controls, all in a – you guessed it – horizontally-oriented fashion.
2023 Cadillac Lyriq features a 33-inch display comprised of the digital gauge cluster and center infotainment screen
The refreshed 2022 Silverado continues the horizontal trend, offering the same screens sizes of the GMC Hummer EV modes on mid- to high-end trim levels. That gives the refreshed 2022 Silverado 1500 one of the biggest infotainment touchscreens in its class at 13.4 inches. the center infotainment screen is complemented by a 12.3-inch, all-digital instrument cluster.
Refreshed 2022 Silverado 1500 offers a horizontally-oriented 13.4-inch display
It even appears that the upcoming, all-electric Silverado E will have a huge, curved, horizontal screen similar to the units used in the Lyriq and Escalade. The new electric truck will be unveiled during the opening ceremony of the 2022 CES show via a keynote delivered by General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Wednesday, January 5th, 2022.
A teaser of the upcoming all-electric Silverado E seems to feature a huge, horizontally-oriented display
And, last but not least, there’s the refreshed 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. Like the 2022 Silverado 1500, it also gets a new, 13.4-inch center infotainment screen that is very much horizontally-oriented. Chalk one up for the wide screen camp.
Refreshed 2022 Sierra 1500 offers a horizontally-oriented 13.4-inch display
GM’s approach also speaks to its desire to go way beyond screen size as a critical measure, and instead focus on how well the complete package of screen design works to fulfill the goal of quickly providing critical and important information and controls to drivers. The solution involves a large, fully configurable digital information cluster (digital gauge cluster) plus a large infotainment screen with a logical orientation, along with an intuitive user interface.
Available 13.4-inch center display in the refreshed 2022 Silverado 1500
As GM puts it regarding the refreshed 2022 Silverado, “Silverado’s new infotainment screen is the centerpiece of the more intuitive technology and is paired with a new digital, configurable instrument cluster. Together, they provide customers with a bold, panoramic, and at-a-glance view of the important vehicle feature readouts and infotainment settings.
“The configurable cluster and infotainment display are designed to engage customers with new levels of personalization and intuitive interaction. It starts the moment the driver slides behind the wheel and the driver information center comes to life. The available Rear Camera Mirror and Head-Up Display take the total to four technologically advanced screens, each helping provide an engaging and comprehensive driving experience.”
Refreshed 2022 Silverado 1500 offers this 12.3-inch, all-digital instrument cluster
So while the Ram and F-150 Lightning both offer large vertical screens, Chevy’s refreshed 2022 Silverado 1500 and 2022 Sierra 1500 deliver large screens that are elegantly integrated into the cockpit, delivering effortless scanning and control to the ever-increasing amounts of data and information available in a modern motorized vehicle.
Comments
I still think these huge infotainment screens are quite silly in general! But I don’t mind them so much if they’re well integrated into the dash layout and design, and it looks like GM has figured out how to do this best!
My favorite setup was in the Cadillac sedans where the screen popped up for navigation and backup camera and then slid down to only show the time and station when not needed. Course it was coupled with the aweful Cue software so it was essentially useless.
Yup second gen CTS had it figured out!
Just Intentionally Advance’ and Go ‘T’ Style’
Solve’s Everything’ and We’re Gonna Go There Anyway’😶/’🇺🇸👍
Never been a fan of the vertical (Tesla style) screens. They dominate the interior and break up the natural flow. I know some feel the new Silverado/Sierra screens should’ve been even larger, but I personally think they look perfect. To me the screen in the Lightning looks like they took a billboard, flipped it on it’s side, and hung it with command strips.
Just like at home watching tv, the tv is horizontal and not vertical
The Mustang Mach-E was the first Ford with a vertical screen. The F-150 Lightning just adopted it as the second . I wonder if the Bronco and the Maverick have vertical screens, too.
having owned both vertical and horizontal screens, horizontal are more useful when driving, and better layout for playing video content, movies when stopped for a charge.
I hate large screens.
But horizontal is best as you want to keep your eyes as high as possible on the dash as possible.
It is not like you can feel for the right knob so you want vision up.
You don’t know what you have never owned… I like my Tesla screen, there is a bit of a learning curve, but once used to it, its quite intuitive. Audi E-Tron has multiple smaller screens and still some buttons, also a good solution.
15 years about nobody thought we would all be using touch screen smart phones and I-Pads either. Remember Steve Ballmer laughing at Apple’s introduction of the iPhone 14 years ago, how did that work out? Apple has since caught and surpassed Microsoft, and added 2.5 trillion dollars of market cap since then.
Verticals look horrendous. Even the horizontals look stupid if designed like an iPad leaning on the dash. Integrated horizontal looks the best.
The UX of a vertical screen is way less scannable. Might be somewhat more readable, but you shouldn’t be reading in the car anyway.
I believe Benz also uses horizontal. At least the one I saw at an auto show precovid had them. When I saw photos of the new slade dash I thought well done. Someone actually put some thought into it instead of slapping an ipad on the dash.
The benefit of horizontal is it’s patterned off of our eyes since we see in widescreen.
The benefit of vertical is you don’t have to stretch to ridiculous proportions to reach the far side of the screen. A shorter occupant can sometimes struggle to reach the opposite corner.
If you have to interact with it, I would say a 3:4 or 16:10 screen is probably a good mix. If it’s just for viewing, then 21:9 works.
GM seems to be doing the best job overall on this screen war. Although I’m not a huge fan of bigger screens, and although I prefer any screen to be well integrated, I feel when it comes to the larger ones Cadillac is doing the best. In just the past 4 years I’ve had the Buick Encore (best screen overall to me), the Chevy Spark (good one too), the Cadillac CT4 (ok if you like the screen sticking out some) and the Volvo S60 (nice, but not as good as the Encore’s). So yes, of those 4 vehicles, my preference would be Encore, then Spark, then Volvo and then Cadillac’s. The only reason the Caddy’s comes in last is because I wasn’t a fan of it sticking out some, but I like the horizontal better than Volvo’s vertical.
On another note, I was just at the LA Auto show. Pathetic. Worst show ever. But if you want to see the trend on screens, just go there. When my Volvo lease is up, I think I’m going back to either an Encore or Spark and will plan to keep it for quite some time in hopes the screen thing will get better.
BTW, of all the brands that were at the LA show, Toyota certainly took the prize for worst interiors and ugliest screen layout.
There really isn’t a need for these huge screens. Yes, I do like the digital instrument clusters or at least clusters that have some digital space, but these massive screens in the middle of the dash are more of a distraction and will be very costly to replace, especially if multiple important car functions are kept in them without physical buttons. I love technology, but I think the sweet spot is around 8 inches with physical climate and radio buttons.
Tim: You are correct about having too much or everything on that screen. Take Mazda now. Everything is through the screen and their’s tend to have issues with blacking out and not coming back on. When this happens, you have zero way of knowing what radio station, etc. In some cases, I’ve seen where you can’t do anything with it but turn the volume up/down/mute. At least Volvo has the radio info in the instrument cluster as well as more remote buttons.
Ironically, probably not. Touch screens are cheap cheap cheap now to make. Physical buttons are more expensive. Even the dash digital clusters are probably cheaper(at least the LCD, OLED is still pricey) than a dash with actual gauges. Of course there is always a disconnect between price and cost, so what you pay for that iPad center stack vs what it costs is profit. The only thing I’ve not figured out is why no manufacturer has fully programmable dashes with the digital displays. I have a C7 and there are several base configurations, but I am not taken with any of them. With digital displays there is an opportunity to allow the customer to set their preferred gauge style/colors/size. And while I am not color blind, I know many who are. A display that is customizable would allow color blind to optimize to their sight limitations.
That Ford screen looks out of place. What were they thinking?.
GM interiors have had issues and have been butt of jokes on the net but Ford always got a pass on their cheap plasticky interiors and now with their ipad glued on look.
One thing not noted is GM is not only using LG for many of 5beir screens but in a number of models LG is doing the development work.
This is very key as they are the leaders in OLED.
Why the automakers want to move to larger screens is it makes for a less expensive and easier to build unit.
No need for individual switches and units just one screen to plug in and mount.
They have been creeping up on this carefully as customers like a screen but still like knobs. The new GM trucks are hitting a balance here with knobs and buttons where it is most wanted by customers but they move less used things to the screens.
The F150 12″ screen is horizontal, only the Lightning and Expo are vertical.
A big problem I see with the vertical screen is that it leaves no room for physical buttons, and GM as well as Ford utilize the space below for easy to reach buttons. The vertical screen crowd has to rely on virtual buttons, or find other places to scatter them around on the dash.
The pics of the new bowtie dash are horrible ! Ugliest dash ever ! Battlestar Galactica called they want their set back.
How about a couple of analog sliding mechanical toggles for heat and such like ?
Nothing to break or fail and very retro too !
As far as screens go, Cadillac is by far the best. Its just beautiful the way it flows. So, it used to be bragging rights on horse power ratings, wheel base length, V8 cu. in, AC, power windows and EPA MPG. It’s changing to miles per charge, screen size with self driving and parking features. It just doesn’t seem as exciting as in the past. It must be show ping my age.
Being an owner of a RAM 1500 with the large 12″ UConnect 4 screen, there are “climate” physical buttons on both sides of the screen. When using one of them, for example the temperature up or down buttons, the screen flips to climate controls. There is a climate button on the touch screen but it is on the bottom and it can be sometimes a little tough to tap it while driving.
The screen allows you to move icons in different orders to suit your preferred layout. There is a touch icon on the top of the screen that flips the screen from split to single display. It allows to a split screen with map and radio to all map. It reacts slightly different with CarPlay. As written UConnect 5 for 2022 models will give a larger CarPlay screen. What I noticed is the icons are larger making it easy for a quick tap.
The center dash screen does allow some personal choices of what you want to display. Some are numbers only such as MPG, time, and temperatures of oil, trans and cool and with a gauge look. It also has a snap shot screen of most temperatures of all fluids, battery voltage, etc.
Behind the steering wheel are volume buttons and between them is a button to change the music source. On the other side of the steering wheel are two buttons to scan the radio stations or channels with a third one that steps through the favorite programmed stations.
RAM has done a relatively good job with the large screen and not having to use the screen for everything. Once you get used to where you laid out your icons you spend less time looking around at the screen.
I love the layout of the dash and screen in my 2021 Yukon Denali and the control knobs. Everything is just right for me. My only problem is the shuttering of the transmission which has been replaced. Anyone else having this problem?
It’s all about visual ergonomics and sight ease. Eyeball glance movement on a horizontal screen is much quicker, comfortable and easier.
I prefer horizontal. Easier to read left to right on a longer screen, easier on the eyes and better for map reading and street directions, especially when you zoom in…
My big issue is where the screen is located in the dash. Closer to the horizontal line of the top of the dash is easier to read horizontally and maintaining a view of the road versus reading left to right on a smaller screen because it’s vertical and reading downward away from the top horizontal dash line and view of the road. IMO, vertical takes away a percentage of defensive driving. LOL, all screens do but horizontally is better.
As we discuss horizontal versus vertical and size of the screen, people are texting and watching videos on their small screen mobile phone while driving… I see it everywhere and I see close encounters for a wreck or an actual wreck or an accident waiting to happen…
All dashboards are wider than they are tall, so landscape orientation for touchscreens makes logical sense. You never see a speedo and tach vertically stacked.
GM does better interiors than Ford or Stellantis, even in pickups. One reason why GM (Chev/GMC) sold more full size pickups in 2020 than Ford or Stellantis, and will do so again in 2021. What buyers want collectively is what matters.
The 12″ screen in the Ram is crap. It’s eye catching, ergo must be good. Not. If you truly want a Ram with the best functionality its the 8.4″ screen with hard controls. GM nailed it with the Silverado update.
Slapping a giant flat slab on the dash is a design red flag, but because it’s a screen [and Tesla did it] it gets a pass and that trend needs to end. Its like when Audi started putting infotainment in their cars and it looked like a tablet jammed into the top of the dash. Manufacturers need to take the time to incorporate them properly like GM has done. And on top of that GM killed it with the toggle switch row in the trucks.
Considering all anyone knows about GM screen is a picture of it I would reserve the high praise. Software is the key to success not size or orientation
What do the auto and truck insurance industry loss control units and risk analysis ( safety depatments ) think of vertical vs. horizontal dash screen layout? Insurers look at and analyze dash / instrumentation layout design and safety, along with seating and cabin design and safety.
The most important occupant in the vehicle is the driver. The automaker’s major goal is to make the driver the safest, most comfortable, and make it the easiest for them to operate and control the vehicle. This is a huge design and engineering goal. This is also a mega factor in marketing and selling a vehicle.
I have directly seen and reviewed GM’s ergonomic engineering manuals when I worked in the loss control department of the Nevada State Industrial Insurance System. The GM ergonomic manuals are the finest and most comprehensive in the automotive industry, beyond stellar. A+
This makes sense on GM’s part to have this huge and detailed manual to both preclude, counter and defend frivolous and meritless accident lawsuits by billboard, busbench and television advertising accident and worker’s compensation lawyers. This accident litigation has now become a huge industry onto itself.
Insurance company lawyers and GM’s lawyers have to face these billboard, busbench and TV commercial lawyers when these billboard guys misframe a lawsuit. If the billboard guys prevail in a misframed and suspect lawsuits we all directly pay in increased vehicle insurance premiums based on both national and regional insurance pool premium calculations that the actuaries produce.
As an example, when you go to Las Vegas you see forests of billboards advertising lawyers promoting their services since Sin City is a 24x7x365 high risk city.
Vegas is in it’s own auto and theft premium calculation pool.
My advice to GM is to research what the insurers and NTSB analysis is, and see what their call is in the vertical vs. horizontal dash screen layout.
Kudos and accolades to GM for their ergonomic work and keeping the billboard/busbench/television advertising accident lawyers at bay.
The GMC Sierra has the most “built-in” design. Chevrolet looks a little added on, with the cubby hole behind it, but still looks nice. The vertical screen vehicles all look as if they were added as an afterthought. GMC by far the best!
Not a fan of the Ford screen, but I have to say, gluing a dial with a capacitive stylus to it for volume control is a great hack.
When is the 2022-2023 chevy avalanche going to come to 2022-2023
Phoenix Automotive has a 12.1 vertical as a replacement (Andriod 9) .. if 3rd party can accomplish this, why cant GM??.. someone change the CEO’s password.. make some noise