It's not just about how far the train can take you; it's also about how far you have to walk to your destination once you exit. For example, the squashed height of the new map makes it look like if you exit at Central Park South, you can walk to Central Park North in a relatively short amount of time, when in fact it's about 2.5 miles.

Being able to determine relative distances also helps you decide whether it's worth waiting for the next train, or whether to switch from an express to a local or vice-versa.