NG900: instrument panel has incandescent bulbs, pleasing colour, can be dimmed WAY down. There's a short delay and then gradually-raised illumination when Black Panel is switched off. Gauges have time to move to their active positions so when light fades in, they're in position already. In Black Panel mode, almost nothing is lit up beyond the speedometer.
(2003) 9-5: Instrument panel has LEDs, which don't dim very far and they flicker when they are dimmed (the dimming uses PWM, so they're turned on and off). Flickering is obvious any time you move your head or hit a bump, which is pretty often. When Night Panel is switched off, the illumination comes up before the gauges are in position, so you see the needles frantically move. Much less elegant. At least there's almost nothing lit up beyond the speedometer. The business about only the lower half of the speedometer being lit is an interesting idea, but not wholly successful in my opinion. Certainly gives the temptation to light up the other half.
2004 9-3: so many lit buttons and gew gaws, Night Panel is hardly worth it. And the button is hard to find too. (The instrument panel is an ergonomic mess in my opinion.)
I'm sure Gibbon would have a much more elegant way to phrase the above, probably in a six-line paragraph that contains only one sentence, with that one sentence containing at least four or five distinct clauses.
(2003) 9-5: Instrument panel has LEDs, which don't dim very far and they flicker when they are dimmed (the dimming uses PWM, so they're turned on and off). Flickering is obvious any time you move your head or hit a bump, which is pretty often. When Night Panel is switched off, the illumination comes up before the gauges are in position, so you see the needles frantically move. Much less elegant. At least there's almost nothing lit up beyond the speedometer. The business about only the lower half of the speedometer being lit is an interesting idea, but not wholly successful in my opinion. Certainly gives the temptation to light up the other half.
2004 9-3: so many lit buttons and gew gaws, Night Panel is hardly worth it. And the button is hard to find too. (The instrument panel is an ergonomic mess in my opinion.)
I'm sure Gibbon would have a much more elegant way to phrase the above, probably in a six-line paragraph that contains only one sentence, with that one sentence containing at least four or five distinct clauses.