dashboard illumination

[barryWest]

I noticed on our 2008 GS that the brightness control on the instrument cluster is a little odd. There does not appear to be any fine control of the brightness between the highest setting (when you turn it all the way and it beeps) and the one just below it. I find the brightess setting too bright at night and the other settings are too dim. Its weird that the brightness jumps so dramatically between the 2nd brightest and the brightest setting. Every other car I've owned (including our 89 volvo) allows you to
gradually increase the brightness across the entire range.

Is this a new 'feature' of the 08 cluster or do previous models have this behaviour as well?

 

[blacktalon13]

i notice the same thing... it's okie when i'm driving in the city since there's so much light around.. but when i drive out of town.. it's TOO bright.. it hurts the eyes...

 

[coolmazda5]

Yup, I noted that, but possibly I'm weird because I do not entirely like the 2006-2007 one as is not bright enough (boom06). Both are always set to the max (day, night, dark...)

 

[rweatherford]

Hmm.... I turn mine way down. Just before the controls go dark.

 

[Blue Swede]

If you have the "Auto" mode on the headligt switch activated the illumination has two settings as you have noticed. When it's sunny and bright outside the illumination gets bright and when it gets cloudy and darker the illumination gets less intense. On my 2008 Mazda 5 the illumination can be adjusted freely if you switch from "Auto" headlight mode to manual mode. This is a function on the european Mazda 5 and I'm not sure if the NA Mazda 5 has this function.

 

[coolmazda5]

Reviving this thread. I recently rented a car and I was given a Toyota Matrix. The gauges setting were all the way down when rented so I set them to the max. It is exactly the same as the 2008 Mazda5 ones, the setting can be tuned linearly from 0 to just before the max, but the last step really sets it brightly non-linearly. After all it is not a Mazda5 dashboard specific issue it seems.

BTW, as we know, the Matrix has the same electroluminescent gauges as the Pontiac Vibe