Heads up display

[EJM22]

@steen
Just looked at Mercedes new augmented reality HUD, that's pretty sweet!

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[EJM22]

I am torn between speccing this or not. I am less concerned with the heads up display itself as with the change in appearance of the dashboard. i think that the heads up display makes the dash display look more substantial as without it the screen is backed by only a very thin support. On the other hand it does make the dash quite a lot higher.Any comments very wecome.

I'm struggling with this HUD option as well. I want everything in the technology package but willing to pay an extra $500 just to not get the HUD and spec the technology options separate w/o HUD. I feel like it changes the look of the dash as well. I definitely need to go take a look in person at both at the same time.

 

[tutis]

My 2c; when I sat in the demo Taycan before I ordered, I noticed that I was sat quite low and that I was looking just over the dashboard. Given that I can configure the map to be in the center of the existing dashboard with all the info there that I need (driving directions, speed limit, etc.) and that I literally just need to adjust my eyesight angle by approx 10 degrees (maybe even less) without even looking to the side that for me makes a HUD at EUR 2k completely unnecessary.

Now if this were like in a Model 3, with the information in the center of the car, and requiring a head turn etc then I would probably spec it, but in the Taycan it is IMHO completely unnecessary given the physical arrangement of it all. I have had a HUD in a previous car, and I also hated that it was a refuge for all sorts of car dust and an absolute pain to clean, as I was always fearful that I would scratch the glass or somehow push too hard and misalign the unit. Hard pass for me

 

[Boycie]

I am torn between speccing this or not. I am less concerned with the heads up display itself as with the change in appearance of the dashboard. i think that the heads up display makes the dash display look more substantial as without it the screen is backed by only a very thin support. On the other hand it does make the dash quite a lot higher.Any comments very wecome.

I have the HUD and I recommend it. My main decision was driven purely by the amount of speed cameras in the U.K. and it’s easier to keep an eye on your speed with the HUD. Also very useful for directions from the sat nav. I honestly hadn’t even noticed in a difference with the dash.

 

[DrT]

The layout of the dash seems excellent in Taycan, so not sure how necessary HUD really is, but had to check all the gadgets for my car so HUD it is.

 

[Alemany]

I am torn between speccing this or not. I am less concerned with the heads up display itself as with the change in appearance of the dashboard. i think that the heads up display makes the dash display look more substantial as without it the screen is backed by only a very thin support. On the other hand it does make the dash quite a lot higher.Any comments very wecome.

My Taycan is the first car I own with HUD. I LOVE IT. Will spec HUD on any future car if it is available. Incredibly useful.

 

[schad]

Love the HUD on my car. It's just fantastic and I can't see myself ever again owning a car without that feature.

If you go straight from a normal car into a HUD-equipped Taycan, you won't notice a difference in the dash because there's no difference to notice. As the meme goes, "They're the same picture."

Now, if you spent the last 2 years in a no-HUD Taycan and are looking to order a new one with a HUD, that's where I'd worry. You might find the HUD dash awfully chunky by comparison.

Other concerns and pros/cons:

• The HUD display is dimmer, though still legible, with polarized sunglasses on. The blue text in particular is really hard to make out against asphalt.
• You can't get anything except the car's built-in navigation on the HUD, which is pretty lame since that's one of the best use cases for a HUD and lots of other cars can do it.
• If the wheel blocks the top half of the instrument cluster, as it does for me, the HUD lets you access that information without having to lean around the steering wheel or position the seat/wheel improperly.
• Because my "driving" information is on the HUD, I leave the "instrument cluster" in extended map mode. That in turn frees the center display for CarPlay. That works very well for the way I drive and means I almost never need to change displays.

 

[Roppe]

It´s interesting how different opinions are on this one. I have never had a car with HUD, and when I test drove the Taycan (as well as the Audi GT) I was desperately trying to turn it off, as I felt it was really distracting. It may have been an intensity setting but in both cars I found it to be way too bright. The sales guy stated that it really is a love or hate thing - and that people that have used it for some time wouldn’t buy a car without it, which probably makes sense. I never even considered it.

 

[schad]

when I test drove the Taycan (as well as the Audi GT) I was desperately trying to turn it off, as I felt it was really distracting

I can believe that. I tried the power meter on the HUD once and found it incredibly distracting. It's easier for me to tune out the numbers than the speedometer-like graphic.

How many of us HUD fans play first-person shooters, I wonder?

 

[faroutinNM]

It may have been an intensity setting but in both cars I found it to be way too bright...

The Taycan HUD has a very effective Brightness setting that sticks quite well, so you don't have to repeatedly set it. Rarely, after an OTA update I need to go back in and set it again.

It would be interesting to know where the dealer had it set when you tested it.

PS- For those who feel that the display is disruptive, there is also a "Height" setting, which allows you to move the display up/down to a position you prefer. An extra low setting might help you. You can also depopulate some of the display contents, and that might help, too. I have mine set on Power Meter, with fully populated content, and I absolutely love it. Never distracting, often providing key info in front of me as I attend to the road and traffic. It shows me my ACC status and target speed, lane keeping status, any warnings I need, and the current nav instruction if I'm using the PMC nav.

 

[Roppe]

The Taycan HUD has a very effective Brightness setting that sticks quite well, so you don't have to repeatedly set it. Rarely, after an OTA update I need to go back in and set it again.

It would be interesting to know where the dealer had it set when you tested it.

PS- For those who feel that the display is disruptive, there is also a "Height" setting, which allows you to move the display up/down to a position you prefer. An extra low setting might help you. You can also depopulate some of the display contents, and that might help, too. I have mine set on Power Meter, with fully populated content, and I absolutely love it. Never distracting, often providing key info in front of me as I attend to the road and traffic. It shows me my ACC status and target speed, lane keeping status, any warnings I need, and the current nav instruction if I'm using the PMC nav.

Great input. I wish I would have known, and shown how to adjust it, which might have lead to me including the option. ?

 

[faroutinNM]

I didn't find it immediately, but after a little playing around:

You just click the selected tube control (rightmost steering wheel button) until the HUD is selected (next click after the rightmost tube is selected), click the right scroll wheel to bring up the HUD control menu on the HUD display itself, scroll down to "Settings", click again, scroll to Brightness and click. Now scroll up/down and click to set anywhere between -9 to +9. At -9, the display quite dim and is barely visible, just a ghostly image, definitely not too bright. On +9, you would actually need polarized glasses to look at it for very long. I keep mine set at about +2.

 

[Needsdecaf]

My 2c; when I sat in the demo Taycan before I ordered, I noticed that I was sat quite low and that I was looking just over the dashboard. Given that I can configure the map to be in the center of the existing dashboard with all the info there that I need (driving directions, speed limit, etc.) and that I literally just need to adjust my eyesight angle by approx 10 degrees (maybe even less) without even looking to the side that for me makes a HUD at EUR 2k completely unnecessary.

Now if this were like in a Model 3, with the information in the center of the car, and requiring a head turn etc then I would probably spec it, but in the Taycan it is IMHO completely unnecessary given the physical arrangement of it all. I have had a HUD in a previous car, and I also hated that it was a refuge for all sorts of car dust and an absolute pain to clean, as I was always fearful that I would scratch the glass or somehow push too hard and misalign the unit. Hard pass for me

Interesting thoughts.

My reason for wanting a HUD is simple - every time I've driven a Taycan, I've noted how much of the dash that the steering wheel blocks! This is not a problem specific to the Taycan - I'm tall in the torso and often have the problem of the top of the gauges being blocked. However I find that in the current Porsche lineup, in particular the Cayenne / Panamera, the wheel completely blocks the outer portion of the gauges. The Taycan is a little better, however it's still blocked. So I would want HUD so that I can have the speed up there, and not worry about it being blocked on themain gauge.

Your comparison with the Model 3 is actually one of the things I find to NOT be an issue. People make a big deal about the display not being directly below their line of sight. However, in a regular display, it's just that....below your line of sight. You still need to take eyes off the road to look down at the dash. Looking slightly over instead of slightly down becomes second nature and if anything, the Model 3 is easier to read speed because the display is higher and not blocked by a wheel at all. The bonus is I can put the wheel exactly where I want without worrying about the gauges being blocked in any manner.

 

[sakkaro]

Coming from BMW HUD (which I think is the best in the industry), I skipped it on the Porsche. I felt like having a worse HUD would make me more annoyed than not having it at all. Plus Porsche's Nav system is pretty bad where I live, so I rely heavily on Apple Carplay for Navigation, so there is even less reason to get HUD for me.

 

[whitex]

I'm struggling with this HUD option as well. I want everything in the technology package but willing to pay an extra $500 just to not get the HUD and spec the technology options separate w/o HUD. I feel like it changes the look of the dash as well. I definitely need to go take a look in person at both at the same time.

If you really want it without the HUD, check with you dealer. I do remember a while back (a long while back, 2001 IIRC) I was ordering a custom build 911, they let me add a package which included a moonroof, but delete the moonroof back to solid roof for an extra $500. This was not in the official order catalog/codes (paper version of today's configurator), but the dealer figured it out and I did receive the car with a solid roof as expected. Maybe Porsche still allows customizations not in the configurator.

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