# Anyone own a car with the speedometer in center of the dashboard? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 9, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097 "2009-02-09T17:48:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/1 "2009-02-09T17:48:16Z")
I want to know who here owns one and is it a issue that the dashboard is in the center? When I first hear that they don’t like a car they rented because the speedometer is in the center of the dashboard I was confused wondering if they would perhaps prefer it in the glove box. Then I found out it’s really in the center. I can understand why this is, due to right and left hand drive cars but it also seems to be a major turnoff, to the point that many if not most would not buy it. It seems a deal breaker for me, unless I really wanted that car, as if I owned one before and I wanted the latest model of it. Something that would dramatically lower sales for that model. It also doesn’t seem like it would save that much money, as the dash panel is no longer cables but a electric circuit board, which should be able to be moved in different dash board molds. It seems like most of the cost would be moving the steering wheel, not a electric panel. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/2 "2009-02-09T17:54:39Z")
Um. I have no idea what car you’re talking about that has it there for financial reasons. I have a [MINI Cooper](http://www.MINIUSA.com), which has it in the center for admitted asthetic reasons. I don’t have any problem using it - it’s not like you’re staring at it while you’re driving even if it’s behind the wheel, you’re glancing at it. There’s also an electronic speed readout that you can turn on behind the wheel if you want to. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/3 "2009-02-09T17:56:33Z")
My PT Cruiser has it in the center. Fuel on the left, speedometer in the middle, and that little RPM thing which I don’t know what it’s called, on the right. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/4 "2009-02-09T18:04:45Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > My PT Cruiser has it in the center. Fuel on the left, speedometer in the middle, and that little RPM thing which I don’t know what it’s called, on the right. He means the center of the dashboard, not the center of the instrument cluster. Like, literally in the middle of the car. The rev counter is called a tachometer. The original Mini had the speedo in the middle of the dash, but it was moved in front of the driver in later models (1975 on, I think). My brother had a '66 with the mid-mounted speedometer and it wasn’t a problem, especially since it didn’t work anyway. Not having a tachometer at all- _that_ was a big problem. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/5 "2009-02-09T18:16:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He means the center of the dashboard, not the center of the instrument cluster. Like, literally in the middle of the car. The rev counter is called a tachometer. > > The original Mini had the speedo in the middle of the dash, but it was moved in front of the driver in later models (1975 on, I think). > > My brother had a '66 with the mid-mounted speedometer and it wasn’t a problem, especially since it didn’t work anyway. Not having a tachometer at all- _that_ was a big problem. Woo I win in the reading comprehension olympics. I thought he meant the middle of the dashboard but then I was like, no way, why would they put it there? That’s stupid! :smack: Hence the point of the thread. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/6 "2009-02-09T18:16:57Z")
The Toyota Yaris is what I think the OP speaks of. It’s not just the Speedo, it’s the whole console, and it’s annoying as hell. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/7 "2009-02-09T18:32:32Z")
My sister has a Saturn Ion. The instrument cluster is in the center. She swears by it. She did say it took a little getting used to, but now she hates it when she has to look through the steering wheel to see instruments. I’ve driven her car - and it doesn’t take too long to get used to it. I really don’t think it’s a money saving issue so much as a convience thing - even if some people find it less convient. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/8 "2009-02-09T18:43:52Z")
> [@brewha](#): > > I’ve driven her car - and it doesn’t take too long to get used to it. I really don’t think it’s a money saving issue so much as a convience thing - even if some people find it less convient. It’s not a money saving issue in the Ion, because it isn’t sold in RHD countries. However, it’s definitely a money saver for vehicles that are. You have to have a whole new set of moulds for the dashboard. This wasn’t that big a deal back when dashboards were kind of modular but is a very big deal now, since most new car dashboards are one or two pieces, with the instrument binnacle as part of the molding. It’s still much more expensive to move the steering wheel and pedals over- you need to move a whole buncha stuff like the underhood ancillaries and throttle linkage and so on- but having two sets of dash moulds is not a trivial expense. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/9 "2009-02-09T18:48:49Z")
My Saturn ION has the speedometer in the center, and I LOVE it. I can’t stand borrowing someone’s car and having to look through the steering wheel, or constantly adjusting my hands to see something that I need to see on the dash. It’s the next best thing to a HUD. Edit: Here’s a picture: [http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/E/A/ion\_dash.jpg](http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/E/A/ion_dash.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/10 "2009-02-09T18:54:48Z")
I think it would bother me at first I’d probably get used to it. You look to the middle and up to check the rearview mirror anyway, so it can’t be much different to look to the middle and down. I know some economy cars don’t let you adjust the tilt of the steering wheel and have fewer ways to adjust the driver seat, so I wonder if they put the gauges in the middle to avoid the top of the steering wheel blocking the view of the speedo for some people. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/11 "2009-02-09T19:14:06Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > My Saturn ION has the speedometer in the center, and I LOVE it. I can’t stand borrowing someone’s car and having to look through the steering wheel, or constantly adjusting my hands to see something that I need to see on the dash. It’s the next best thing to a HUD. > > Edit: Here’s a picture: [http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/E/A/ion\_dash.jpg](http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/E/A/ion_dash.jpg) Is it just the angle of the picture, or is that instrument section skewed toward the driver? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/12 "2009-02-09T19:20:35Z")
I have a Yaris and all the instruments are clustered in the center of the dash. I actually prefer it that way. In other cars when I tilt the steering wheel to where it is most comfortable for me, it is perfectly positioned to obscure the speedometer. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/13 "2009-02-09T19:28:10Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Is it just the angle of the picture, or is that instrument section skewed toward the driver? Yep. The [Yaris](http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/ToyotaYaris/ImagesLiftback/Dash-md.jpg) is the same way and they are angled toward the driver. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/14 "2009-02-09T19:30:12Z")
My Scion xB has the [speedometer](http://image.motortrend.com/f/8496049/369_0507_roadtests_z+2006_scion_xb_suv+interior_dash.jpg) set off towards the middle and high enough for everyone in the car to see it. When I was driving home from the dealership, I glanced down and about lost my mind. “OH MY GOD, THEY FORGOT TO INSTALL A–Oh, nevermind.” Now I like it just fine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/15 "2009-02-09T19:31:18Z")
My mom has a Saturn Ion, and she bought it almost specifically because the readout console was center dash mounted. She is pretty short and most of the new cars with the readout console in the “standard” location made it difficult for her to have a comfortable/clear view out of the car. When I drive her car, it feels weird to have to look to the center (to the right) to see the gauges, but I suppose once you get used to it it wouldn’t be that big of an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/16 "2009-02-09T19:36:41Z")
I have a Citroen C4. Here are some interior pics: [Interior of Citroen C4 on http://citroen.C4.free.fr - pictures and comments](http://citroen.c4.free.fr/inside_en.html) And this is a video I took with my cellphone: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW5h5hUpKfk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW5h5hUpKfk) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/17 "2009-02-09T19:46:02Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Is it just the angle of the picture, or is that instrument section skewed toward the driver? Yup. It’s not such a huge angle that the passenger can’t see it, though. (Though I think my favorite part of the dash is the little slot I can put my iPhone or iPod in - in that pic, the area above the stereo with the two knobs is hollowed out, and wide enough to fit an iPhone with room to spare. The stereo also has an AUX jack, so I don’t have to deal with those terrible FM transmitters.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/18 "2009-02-09T19:51:18Z")
My last car was a Citroen Xsara Picasso - the instruments were in the middle of the dash - the speedo was in fact a great big illuminated negative LCD display (i.e. a digital readout of the speed) It took the tiniest bit of getting used to, but it was fine. It would have been useful if I’d taken the car over the channel to France - switching between MPH and Km/H was just a menu option. It looked like this: [![](https://www.ukcar.com/road_tests/citroen/picasso/small/citroen-picasso-dash-clocks.jpg) ](https://www.ukcar.com/road_tests/citroen/picasso/small/citroen-picasso-dash-clocks.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/19 "2009-02-09T20:02:43Z")
How long does it take to get used to the center instrument cluster? I drove a rented Ion for a week and couldn’t stand it the entire time. ---
**Author:** ![akira5822](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@akira5822](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akira5822)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097/20 "2009-02-09T20:08:45Z")
I drive a Scion xb the instrument cluster is in the center of the dash, It was odd for the first 10 minutes, After that it never bothered me again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-a-car-with-the-speedometer-in-center-of-the-dashboard/485097.md?page=2)