If you feel this positively about the touchscreen, then having only a day's worth of driving experience might be a point in favor of Tesla's implementation. My reflexive skepticism re: a touchscreen interface would be how unintuitive and unfamiliar (and likely obfuscated) the controls would feel in comparison to the physical interface I've used my entire life.
On the other hand I grew up with technology and I'm a total geek, so computerized interfaces are in general more "intuitive" (i.e. I grokk them faster because of extensive experience) for me than for most (especially older) people... Also my vision is 20/20 so I might be less impacted by the low resolution/contrast issues highlighted in the article.
The problem with touchscreens in the car isn't understanding them, it's the fact you have to take your attention away from the road in order to use them.
