Cool? Or just clumsy? The Fight Over dashboard touch screens.

As luxury cars become rolling supercomputers, designers wonder how big it is.

From handheld smartphones that stretch to TVs that take up walls, Americans have often asked: How much screen is too much?

The question posed to gadget-packed cars colossal screens is dividing opinion between designers, car buyers and industry critics. These do-it-all touchscreens, the nerve centers of many new cars, have drawn backlash due to their size, as well as clunky interfaces that can take your eyes off the road.

"I think we've reached Peak Screen," said Klaus Busse, Head of Design at Maserati, who previously led design for Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia. "Screens have their right to exist - they do a lot of things better than physical switches. It's just taken a bit too far."

Beyond ergonomics and safety concerns, some luxury designers object for aesthetic reasons. To them, screens just aren't sexy or luxurious.

"When flat screens came along, the bigger the better," said Kai Langer, head of design for BMW i, the automaker's electrical division. "But 'the biggest' isn't always the richest."

Displays are now an integral part of most modern cars, which are more or less rolling supercomputers, running up to 14 times more code than a Boeing 787. And designers need to keep in mind the demands of car owners who expect their Apple or Android smartphones to connect flawlessly.

“Steve Jobs changed the world, and now humanity is touching a screen,” said Gorden Wagener, chief designer of Mercedes-Benz. also basically the car. The car needs a good interface, not just a wiper switch and turn signal. The Model S helped usher in the trend of large touchscreens integrated into dashboards.Credit...Liz Hafalia/San Francisco Chronicle, via Associated Press

When Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Model S in 2009, the command center, with its 17-inch LCD touchscreen, looked almost as revolutionary as the car itself. And by giving drivers digital control of automotive functions, Tesla was able to avoid the expense of engineering, wiring and building a cab full of expensive analog switches, knobs and gauges – or having to buy them. from another automaker or supplier.

In Tesla's Model 3 and Y, in particular, one would suspect that the interior designers worked hours additional on their ingenious screens and then shut it down. A number of Tesla's competitors emulated the austere, vaguely sci-fi vibe of the cabins. BMW and the Kia EV6, came with warmer car interiors better suited to drivers who may not want to feel like they're spending hours inside the central computer of "Tron." Some designers are ditching even the most played E.V. tropes, the Mac-like monochromes of grey-silver-white.

With its expansive touchscreen, Tesla has also spurred an arms race measured in inches. Ford stuffed a 15.5-inch screen in its