Also, bring back gauges, instead of idiot-lights. It's nice to know when a problem is beginning (overheating, etc) before it becomes a crisis when you have no choice but to pull over.
I recently learned that the same light is used to indicate that the parking brake is on and that the brake fluid is low. Nothing bad happened, and it's getting worked on, but my first thought was that the sensor on the brake must be broken. It's poor design, seemingly without reason.
Yeah I hate it when information is hidden in the name of minimalism. I'd rather have a plane cockpit UI than a bicycle UI, even if it means I feel like an idiot at various points when I discover new things I could have been doing the whole time.
My hybrid dash is anything but minimal. I have a zillion selections to show me a slew of random things. None of them are an engine temperature reading. So frustrating.
If it hasn't happened already, it wouldn't surprise me if useful instrumentation space is reallocated to advertisement space at some point. Though hopefully the consumer rage in response would end whatever company tries that first.