Mine are not and it seems they should be?

 

This has come up a few times...you can search for ealier threads, but...

that is why they are oddly shaped and differing heights from each other...so you can feel to use them and not need lights.

 

Ditto.

personally i don't mind, once i start driving i prefer to have both eyes on the road than on the steering wheel. at first it'll be weird but once you get the hang of it it's no biggie.

it's like driving a manual. at first you always look at the shifter to see if you went to the right slot. after a while you just do it through force of habit.

 

The're not lit on the 5th gens.

 

Think of the cruise control switches, no lights either, all by feel.

 

No. Just my $.02, but I believe the points of steering wheel controls are 1) not having to take your hands off the wheel, and 2) not having to take your eyes off your driving. Backlit buttons would just distract your eyes.

 

That bugged me for awhile, too, because I was having a hard time finding the proper controls by feel. I kept changing stations when all I wanted was a volume change, or switch stereo modes when I was trying to cycle through the trip functions.

I didn't start feeling comfortable with them until about a week ago, now my fingers seem to be trained properly and I don't press the wrong ones anymore.

 

As I only have 1K miles at this point maybe I am not qualifed to complain yet BUT there are 10 mutifuntion buttons that you have to learn to find and identify by feel and then remember the functions. I have to turn on the map light which is a much greater distraction than the similiar steering wheel funtions on my Lincoln which are backlit and no distraction.

Guess it does not matter as the Max buttons are not going to be lighting up any time soon.

 

Lincoln's have been for a very long time directed at a part of the market who enjoys comfort, convenience, and quite frankly being removed from the driving experience to a fairly high degree. They are also not known for going much more than the speed limit, often below it, so looking at the wheel is no biggie, apparently Lincoln thinks its customers have all the time in the world to look around the cabin.

Max's on the other hand, particularly manuals (5 & 6 speeds) are FAR more a drivers car which means you drive the car, pay attention to what is on the road, and not fart around looking at buttons.

Just an opinion...

 

I know if my Corvette had blacked out controls I would be much happier.
That way I could spend more time on my performance driving?

http://home.new.rr.com/meltn/see5%20sig.jpg

 

Funny thing, I was just thinking that when I was driving home just now. I have the radio controls mesmerized, but not the cruise function, which I use less often.

I think subtly & softly backlit would be nice and not too distracting, you can still do it by feel, with the reassurance of backlit controls.

 

I don't really see what the problem is... the controls are extremely easy to get used to. you just have to bear with accidently changing the trip computer settings instead of changing the radio stations etc... until you get used to the buttons...

 

very true