Is There a Future for the Tachometer?

By Ali Oswald

With more and more new-car buyers choosing automatic transmissions over manuals, why do tachometers still have such a large presence on dashboards? The tachometer displays engine speed in revolutions per minute, and it can be useful in cars where there’s a provision to control automatic-transmission gear changes. “Being aware of engine rpm can help you maximize not only power, but also get good gas mileage,” Volkswagen spokeswoman Leigh Anne Sessions said. But if people always chose what was good for them there would be no such thing as Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Related: Do Families Shun Manual Transmissions?

Some cars, mostly fuel-efficient models like the Toyota Prius family, Nissan Leaf and Ford Fusion Hybrid (pictured below), have done away with a tachometer altogether, but automakers are also incorporating new technology into the gauge. Through an Auto Stop position, GM is using the tachometer to communicate whether the engine is on or off in cars with fuel-saving stop-start technology, said Kurt Tesnow, technical lead engineer for instrument clusters.

For many pickup truck drivers, the tachometer isn’t just useful, it’s essential. “When it comes to towing, drivers who use diesel depend on their tachometer way more than the speedometer,” PickupTrucks.com Editor Mark Williams said. Both the engine and fuel efficiency are often strongest in the 2,000 rpm range, he added.

Neither Volkswagen nor GM predicts tachometers will follow front bench seats and tape decks into the automotive graveyard, but that doesn’t necessarily mean drivers will pay more attention to the gauge. Let us know in the comment section below whether you appreciate your car’s tachometer or whether you’d like to see something take its place on the dashboard.