its abit extreme and ocd to use turn signals in the middle of night when there is noone around to notice u are even using them.. i dont use them regularly. i just prefer driving feeling of not using indicators. call me crazy it makes it feel less fun
Turn signals should always be used when people are around. But when you are alone on the road, there is really no need for that. And when in such a moment your car does funny shit because it takes your intentional actions for unintentional, this is where I'll rather pass on modern cars. I ride a 2017 bike, and I am very glad it's got nothing more than the really important safety elements, ABS and traction control. It won't go up and down my ass for using or not using the indicators.
Touch screens... that's the stupidest design. Considering (in the UK at least) you can't use your phone, why is a touchscreen any better just because it's part of the car. You'd still have to look away from the road to know what you're doing. With buttons, you usually can tell by the feel of them without looking away. There is tech coming out with screens that change shapes, but until they are implemented, I feel it's a step backwards. Aesthetically, it's pleasing, but logically, it's a dangerous tool to have.
so fucking true,.. just look at stupid tesla.. put everything in their big screen.. and most of ppl worships them like they are some sort of genious manufacturer.. audi, merc, or even toyota can and capable to do what tesla did, but they wont.. simply there are logical reason there.. *)which stupid person wont understand.
All car makers, especially the luxury ones, PLEASE don't remove the physical buttons for things that drivers use very often, such as AC. I really hate having to go through menu on infotainment to adjust AC. I recently bought latest S-class. They remove physical buttons to adjust lumbar support. Now I have to go through bunch of menu on the screen to adjust lumbar while driving.
More needless shit to make rich assholes feel ahead of the curve. Really they're pompous pricks who will never have to work on a car themselves. Fuck them I hope they crash into a tree when jerking off their infotainment system. A car is for driving not a fucking computer.
The problem with not having physical a/c dials is you have to take your eyes off the road to adjust it because you cant feel a touch screen I can adjust my climate knobs my volume knob (all physical) in my car without taking my eyes off the road just by feeling. Theres a reason distracted driving has surpassed drunk driving as leading auto fatality cause just in the late 2010s when cars started getting all these screens etc
I don't get it, what's wrong with keyless? I like it just the way it is now, I don't want it to work with my phone. That's the whole idea, not having to take it out of the pocket, just act is if there is no key. Plus, phones run out of battery way too often.
i'm with you. to have the radio transmitter in the key takes up space. and if you throw in things like trunk opening, alarm/horn alert, auto start, you need more ways to bring that signal to the radio. and that takes up more space. and don't forget the battery to power it all. couple that with the 3 house keys i have, 2 work keys among other keys, my key ring is rather heavy. i really don't want that hanging off my steering column. it's so nice to just keep my keys in my pocket. and "set it and forget it!"
I have nothing on my key fob for the car, which is my 'keyring.' No need for a car key of course. I keep a house key in the console of the car, but don't need it because I use the car's garage door opener to get in the house. I don't even take my work key with me out of the car, because it's all badge-access now. Yes, they're too expensive. I never use any of the buttons on the key fob, I have it in a leather cover.
Well, first of all the discussion was about "half baked tech" and whether or not the current keyless systems are ok or not. Your preference is kindof irrelevant in that respect. But I'm curious, why do you prefer the metal key? I really don't see any advantage to ti.
I agree. This simply don't dig whole this 'all in your phone' thing. I don't want to fucking swipe through my apps to open the car, it's stupid. I like the separate devices, not one which when breaks down, is out of juice or got stolen then I'm screwed, at least for a while.
+K_Q_ J_H Yes it is, and its all that some marques plan on supporting. BMW has already said that they have zero intention of ever supporting Android Auto (they currently charge an extra $350 to add CarPlay), and it looks like Mercedes and Audi will follow suit. Android is just too unsecure to be implemented into cars where a hacking can mean your life, and its too unintuitive as well according to BMW.
The old way of shifting an auto was the column shifter, and it did not waste space. My Buick is not sexy, it's not a sports car. Give me a column shifter and a split bench seat.
Oh yes. As on the bmw e65 7 series then some knobhead moved it back to the middle with a toy plastic stick. Not even a real nice wood one like in the e38s. Now you have lost all the nice centre storage space again!
brett knoss why did the old steering column shifter ever die off anyway? It seems like such a good idea to me seeing as how in an automatic, you barely have to use it anyway
Did he really just say when I didn't feel like using the turn signal to change lanes? So the car wants you to drive properly? Poor you. I use my turn signal to pull in my driveway and I live at the end of a dead end road.
Yeah, if you ever "don't feel like using the turn signals" you should just stop driving a car. It means that you don't feel like having it become second nature, meaning you're an inconsiderate driver who can't be bothered about the safety of those around you.
Yeah, now, imagine a scenario where you have to change lanes to avoid something ahead or to the left of you. You see and know the lane to your right is clear, so you swerve, but due to adrenaline you don't have the time or thought to put on a turn signal that is unnecessary. Then lane dep just turns you back at the obstacle. The simple truth is, unless the car is *fully* autonomous, these features that are able to control it can do as much harm as good.
No, what he means is he wants a car where you dont need to press 10 things to change temperature or station. Where not everything is electronic. Where you use an actual key to start the car etc. Most of this features are more likely to get you in a crash
Which is a lot of people. These kind of technology is there because incompetent people needing things to compensate for their lack of skill while piloting a dangerous machine that require full focus on what you're doing.
There are situations where using the turn signal when changing lanes is not ideal. For example, my daily route consists of several right turns, but before you can make the right turn there are openings for cars to come in and out of parking lots. In order to make these turns, I need to cross the bike lane to get ready for the turn and to ensure that the car behind won't pass me. But I also can't signal prematurely because the cars in front that are coming out of the parking lot will think that I'm turning into the parking lot instead of turning on the intersection. This is a situation where my lane departure warning will go crazy and try to steer me back into the lane I don't want to be in. There are bike lanes all over my town so lane departure does nothing but annoy me. This tells you how much lane departure needs to be improved.
I have lane keep assist and departure warning. Honestly it isn't THAT hard to override the lane keep assist, as the car will give up trying to override you by holding the wheel firmly. As for departure warning... it's a mixed bag, sometimes it doesn't catch that I signaled, others I cross a line to give a bicyclist space, or am being blown out of my lane like every other person on a bridge. As for not using a signal... I don't see a point of using it to go from one lane onto a dedicated exit ramp from the immediately adjacent lane. As for signaling to merge into traffic from an onramp... well sometimes it's more important to pay attention to surroundings than to signaling.
I have to say I disagree with #6. It would be nice to be able to use your phone as your key, but I have a feeling that at this point it will be a hit or miss and not that reliable (I have a horrible experience with a home lock that used a phone). Nissan's fobs are tiny and still have a key (Which you would need anyway as you say in case the battery on the car dies etc). Most women just keep it in their purse, I just leave it in my wallet since it's that small.
Mindboggling this stupid IOT hype, "*ZOMFG, do errything with your smartphone!1111"* Yeah, like I definetly need, for dear life, to rather conveniently start a kettle by pulling out my phone after filling it, unlock the bloody phone, find some stupid app, open that app, wait for the app to connect with the device, tapping on a switch inside that stupid app, rather than the dreary and endless exercise of flipping a switch on the kettle after filling it. And ideally I really, really want that device to depend on manufacturer servers for that, so that, aside from opening security vulnerabilities into my home, sitting on expensive junk and needing to buy new if the manufacturer servers ever get switched off. Yeah, totally.
Why do we need this? Out of all the things that could really be changed on cars we need to replace the key of all things? Keys have never been an inconvenience at all
With some Volvo's and Jaguar's you can spec an activity key that you can wear that will allow you to enter and use your car without the need for an actual key using the keyless features. Plus you can use the Volvo On Call app to lock, unlock, turn on the lights or the alarm.
Tesla found a very good solution with the Model 3. Phone as a primary method for detecting the owner approaches the car and a key card which nicely fits into a wallet as a backup.
I sure hope so. I live in Eastern Pennsylvania, and between Potholes and animals, I'd bet I cross the center line a half dozen times or more a week on a split seconds notice.
I drove a new Chrysler 200 that had the dial shifter, and it was the most annoying and stupid change they could have done. I had to constantly look down to see what gear Im in and correct my over shift since the dial has little resistance. It was like using a joystick on a controler. I think the regular shifter alows more control than the dial ever will.
Yup, it will save unnoticeable amount of fuel at the cost of making starter motor replacement a regular service. All they care about is to write as low fuel consumption on paper as possible.
Simon Coles I'm a engine engineer and i can tell you that start/stop starter motors are structually built more rugged than normal ones, they are build more like electric motors that you would find in blenders etc. where they use bearings and longer lasting conduction materials, they are also use bigger coils to evenly spread out the heat generated.
my average milage goes from 54mpg to 63mpg with start stop on (about 16%) which is hardly an unnoticeable amount. It saves me about £175 a year in fuel and considering a starter motor for my car is about £25, I'm happy to wear a starter motor out slightly faster. Although, I've had my car 4 years now and had no issues with the starter motor.
IIGrayfoxII That's true, but most modern cars have got start stop preinstalled. Because of that all parts are designed to work that way and last long whilst using start stop. BR
I hate new cars. I went to the store in my daughters subaru not long ago, its a 07'. I got a 12 pack and put it on the passenger seat. I literaly had to pull over and belt in my beer so the damn beeper would let me hear the radio!!! putting it on the floor wasnt good enough.... I seriously do not need a car to help me drive!! my first vehicle was older than I was by 20 years, and I was born in 1966!!! I am not kidding when I say I dont understand putting a kid in a child seat. none of my classmates rode in one. none of my parents knew anyone who had a child injured or killed in a wreck. where does this bike helmet crap come from?? you bump your head your scalp bleeds, its not a brain injury fer christs sake, why the drama??!!
Automatic brake wouldn't be a necessity but an improvement on the current system (computers have better reaction time that you would ever think to achieve), the rest I agree. Even more the HUD, which seems more like a distraction than anything else.
for people who actually need to look at their navigation to figure out when to turn, HUD is incredibly helpful. The less a driver's eyes have to move away from the road ahead the better. Even for speed, it's higher up than a speedometer, and in some cases (with good font selection) you can see it in your peripheral vision enough to not ever look down. As far as lane departure warnings, people will always drift into other lanes etc. if they're not focusing. until fully autonomous cars exist, I'm happy to have their cars beep at them and/or steer them back into their lane if it makes them less of a danger to others. Your point that people who NEED this things shouldn't drive is fair. But they do drive. So why not make them less of a hazard?
Disagreed -- while the reaction time of the machine is theoretically faster, it encourages the driver to rely upon it; what happens when someone conditioned to rely upon a backup drives a car with a bad or mud-covered sensor, or an older car without it, or when his car suddenly fails.
You could make the same argument about failure for any safety technology. What if we become too reliant on anti lock brakes and your abs suddenly fails? The point of safety innovations is that when they work they can reduce accidents. Saying "but what about when they don't work?" is a silly argument, and one that is made about just about every technological change. Yes, some people will become too reliant on those systems, and with many of them in their infancy that can be an issue. But as those technologies improve, those issues will decrease.
These technologies don't reduce accidents. All they do is make driving the car without an accident easier, opening floodgates to a horde of complete morons who cannot be trusted with their own dick in their hands, much less a motor vehicle. I swear all those bells and whistles need to require a special license, the same way you're required a license to own a firearm. Basic driver license should only allow cars without power-braking and power-steering and with a manual 4-speed crashbox. This is so people who can't commit to learning to drive a car properly just drop out of it and use public transit. And those who prove that they're determined, responsible drivers can get better vehicles that's easier to drive.
Infotainment systems aren't bad. I recently borrowed my dads 2016 Jeep Wrangler with the Uconnect radio, and it worked well. It has good Bluetooth that makes sense, a hard drive for music, a Nav system that is really nice, and everything is competent. And people always diss Jeep (more so the Wrangler) for being behind but really, it works and it has good systems
I use turn signal for safety of course but if there are no cars near you or 300+ feet away there is no need for the signal. Plus I hate drivers that go on the left lane on highways and go below 80mph...there's enough traffic ahead for you doing more traffic.
I'm a Auto tech for rental car company and see a lot of manufacturers. Ford's sync system has really improved over the years vs a lot of others. Agreed on the key thing. Keys and reprogramming keys is just ridiculously complicated and expensive. I also think the more safety you put into the car the worse the drivers become because they don't understand the tech. Stop start is dumb and we get so many unnecessary complaints on it for lack of communication with customers.
All I need is a basic metal key, an ordinary steering system that sends exactly what I do with the steering wheel to the front tires, a gas pedal that has a direct and linear relation to how much power the engine is putting out, brakes that do exactly what I do with the pedal, and a clutch and manual transmission that won't give me any bullcrap. I want any given input to always have precisely the same output, whether the manufacturer or law agrees with it or not. I can actually drive, thank you very much. Excellent video, a lot of this new fangled baloney is quite underdeveloped.
One thing ive never understood with cars, manufacturers says dont text and drive. Yet they put those massive screens in your car. Give me a engine (v8), a 5 or 6 speed. 3 pedals. And a basic radio. And im good to go to focus on the road. No distractions
theres another video on youtube about this. the creator claims that the car makers distract you on purpose to have reason to use and sell expensive safety features.
Its because text and drive is illegal but this isnt Im pretty sure were going to see these screens be banned from new cars and banned from use while driving soon
Normally Top 5 Complaint lists are stupid, but I agree with 5 out of the 6 items in this list. The only one I disagree with is #2: Automatic Stop/Start. Granted, I own a Camry Hybrid, so I have the best possible implementation of this technology, but the point is it _can_ be done well _right now_ -- it doesn't need further advancement, it just needs the best implementation to be more widely applied to cars. As a bonus, you get extra torque from the electric motor on takeoff, so you get good acceleration from a stop without needing a huge engine that's way overpowered at higher speeds.
The biggest pain in the ass for me is push button start and remote starts integration with it. We start our minivan to warm it up in winter but can't unlock the it to let the kids in before we are ready to get in. The fob has to be within range or the van shuts off when you press the unlock button. Ut took a while to figure out why the van wasn't warmed up when we went out because our previous van didn't do this. The dealer says it's to avoid theft as anyone could push the button and steal the vehicle if it's unlocked but the act of pressing the brake peddle to shift has always shut remote start vehicles off before. You have to go to the van, unlock it with the door handle button, get in, press start/stop button twice and then get out. Even the act of turning on the seat heaters will shut the van off. I can remote start my truck, unlock it to let the kids in and after I'm finished clearing snow I can hop in, insert the key and leave. When me and my wife go out together, I drop her off at the door and park the van. Sometimes, if she just needs to grab a few quick items, I'll wait for her in the van only to realize that the van can't be restarted because she has the fob. I don't carry the second fob because I have a lots of keys and that fob is big and expensive. It's like having a joint bank account with only one card. The system is flawed and our next new vehicle will not have push button start.
Cars that have start-stop not only come with a beefier starter motor but they (usually) also allow you to disable it. Thus, I get the bonus of having an improved starter motor while rarely using the start-stop thing.
That's the fault of the guy that tailgate you... and the chance of it randomly activating is probably 0. Now there are chances that it would break when it needs to, but randomly breaking is not it's thing! Chill.
Auto start/stop, depending on the driving conditions (better in the city, not so much in the countryside) can increase up to 15% in additional fuel savings.
My personal no.1: Automatic incline hold. The Mk.6 Golf doesn't even show when it actually engages (Mk.7 does), can't be turned off and stalled my car more than once even though it's only supposed to lock when things are running smoothly. Glad there is still a manual Handbrake lever that overrides it.
There are some few exceptions. For example I would argue that the latest versions of Tesla's infotainment system, Volvo Sensus, BMW iDrive, Hyundai Blue Link and Chrysler Uconnect are all very responsive and well rounded systems.
no those people shouldn't be driving. you miss your exit drive to the next one. you cant fix stupid people that do that are fuckwits and should be eliminated.
Hired a car in the US last year; it was a Chrysler 200. It was a really nice car, and it's a shame it was discontinued. It had one of the turn-knob type drive selectors. For me, automatics are weird anyway as I drive manual, but the turn-knob was so much weirder than the lever selector; when I wanted to go from drive to reverse, I kept reaching for a non-existent lever. Also, the start stop is pretty good, but I was driving a manual Skoda Octavia, and when you stop on a steep hill at traffic lights, the engine would cut and that hill start thing would activate. For some reason after trying to go, the engine would start but the hill start wouldn't release.
What this boils down to is "we are suckers for useless technology, to the point that it is a hindrance, and we are happily swimming upstream, mouth agap in shit river looking for more. whatever happened to a key that opens and starts your car that doesn't cost 100 bucks to replace? Are we really so lazy that we openly accept such nonsense to save us literally 2 seconds? Absurd tech in cars HAS to stop.
I have a 03 cavalier that I fix myself, its old but still going and I don't mind driving it but the way things are going im keeping it as long as I can. I love a real key that opens a door. Its all for lazy snobbish cocksuckers who think they're cool because the car will do everything. If you cant park your own car you shouldn't be driving.
Adam When are you ever carrying items where the car is not unlocked first or the items are not in some kind of cart etc? Also cars have had these remotes to unlock it forever The ultimate best solution to keys in cars is to eliminate car thievery but too many people are too soft for that
My car has 6 very positive stops for the shifter. They are arranged in an H pattern. Five forward, one reverse. People should try it. It also rids the need of a lot of the other gimmics shown here.
I don't get the issue with keyless entry. You walk up to the car. It knows it's you since the key is nearby, turns on the interior lights. and unlocks when I put my hand on the handle... and I lock it with a button on the door. Rest of the list is great and spot on..
I can't be the only one that does NOT want any more computer controlled crap in my vehicle. One of the reasons I bought a 2015 Tacoma was because it came with a manual transmission, no power seats, none of that driver warning stuff, the no seatbelt chime actually stops beeping after a minute, I can turn off traction control and the side curtain airbags with a button, and it still requires a key to turn the ignition.
B T side airbags don't need to be turned off. And power seats ain't bad. And driver warning and ACC AEB are good to have. And getting a base model is boring
TRD Off Road is about as far from a base package as Toyota offers and side curtain airbags have a rare habit unnecessarily deploying when they sense you're at a dangerous angle, which tends to happen a lot when you're crawling rocks, hence the factory button to turn them off. That other computerized bullshit tends to get in the way more often than not for my needs (ever try to speed down miles of sandy desert with traction control on?), which can be easily rectified by looking over my shoulder before I change lanes and generally paying attention like I thought we were supposed to do.
+daft mell Don't know why your comment got marked as spam, but it looks like RU-vid hates you for some reason. Seat belt chimes suck when you're trying to find the right line to take off road and need to keep getting out to check your ground clearance or in any other situation where you're driving slow and need to get out often (farms, ranches, etc.) They're also real awesome when you put your heavy backpack on the passenger seat and the sensors think it's a person without their seatbelt on. See above for why traction control sucks. That and it prevents you from purposely throwing the ass end out when you're just trying to have some fun. Doesn't mean I'm against it. I just like being able to turn it off when it becomes a burden. For that matter, it kept me on the road a couple months ago when I hit some ice and was thoroughly impressed. Regarding power seats. I only need to adjust my seat after I use valet on occasion and the driver dicks with the setting, it's slow as shit, and an expensive and inevitable repair for when some piece of shit Chinese solenoid decides to burn out one day.
I agree. I won't buy a car unless I can get a manual transmission, a real one with a clutch peal and a stick shift. I can also roll up and down my own damn windows. Unlock and lock my own damn doors. Since I always put on the seat belt the first thing when I get in, I can do without automatic gimmicks. They never work right. Put all the money you put into this crap making the car handle and brake the absolute best it can.
I've been saying pretty much the same thing for the past five years. Auto manufacturers should partner with Google to do their audio systems so it levels the playing field and they'll be forced to concentrate on just building good cars. I upgraded my old Audi A4 sound system with a full Android system and never looked back - it now has Nav, Dashcam, SD card slots, Bluetooth, Screen mirror to display my Android phone on the screen, USB inputs, Google voice command, Google maps/drive and any app I wish to install from play store. In comparison, my Jaguar XF's sound system looks and feels archaic!
How does electronic shifter and push-button start save life? That damn shifter actually got people killed and injured. How does touch control for volume and temperature save life? How does drilling down the touch screen for simple controls save life? It causes distraction and prevents the driver from focusing on driving.
Gray S that's true, but alot of these things aren't exactly necessary, like the auto stop start thing. sure it'll save you a little gas, but it's a pain in the ass to work on and it takes up space in the engine bay, and if you work on your own vehicles at home, you'd know cramped engine bays are hell
Until the automatic braking sensors malfunction and the car slams on the brake for no reason. One accident with fatalities and people will change their minds like the wind changes direction. Same with driver less cars.
honestly, we're putting alot of faith in the technology put into these vehicles, when these skills (like looking behind you to check when reversing) should have been learned when they had their permit
There's plenty tech that's not necessarily half baked, but stupidly redundant all the same. Push button handbrake, push button start, full replacement of buttons with a big pretty screen, sport modes that simply change the steering weight feel, replacement of mechanical rev counters and speedometers with screens, these are all gimmicks that you not only have no use for, but add unnecessary complexity that impacts on the overall reliability and financial longevity of your car. If these things break, and they are far more likely to, you'll pay a fortune to replace/repair it.
Nothing wrong with an automatic transmission. Drives like a cloud and easy in traffic jams. Just consumes more fuel and more expensive to fix when it breaks.
Richard van Pukkem actually automatics are more efficient at fuel consumption. Logically it makes sense because the car will pick the gears to go into at the optimal time.
newer autos are more fuel efficient than traditional manual transmissions and theyre faster too. but yeah i prefer manual transmission over everything. we need more manuals here in the US. manuals need to become the norm like they are in the rest of the world.
He is right on the money with number one. Its contradictive to say don't text and drive but then have sat nav, radio (music) plus air conditioning controls that require you to look at the screen. Its just as distracting as using the phone. (not suggesting its right to use the phone)
The fobs still have a key, you just have to push a button, and the key will slide out of the fob, allowing you to open the door in case of a power outtage
In the car maker's defense, have you ever tried to change the volume of the prompts in Google maps? I like to listen to podcasts and they don't always have great production value so the volume can change dramatically from one podcast to another. Sometimes the navigation prompts are barely audible compared to the podcast, other times I check to make sure my ears aren't bleeding. Doesn't this computer that I carry around with me all the time have a microphone?
3: lane departure doesn’t need to get better, people just need to get better about using their turn signals and actually looking before changing lanes.
I wish "Daytime Running Lights" made your list. They are useless, cause unnecessary glare in the eyes of oncoming drivers, and obscure the turning signal lights. If they are for safety then why do so many drivers who have them ignore the speed limit and other traffic rules? National Highway Traffic Safety Administration studies show the lights are likely the cause of more accidents rather than less. Even automobile manufacturers have developed systems that cancel the "Daytime Running Lights" when the turn signals are active.
The pairing of my Windows phone to the UVO unit in my 2012 Kia Optima EX premium works so well. Of course the head unit was designed with Microsoft! Wirelessly steams Pandora or the tunes from the phone, reads to me and allows voice responses to texts and nearly always get it right!! No navigation on the head unit...but the voice guidance from an app on the phone is easy! Thanks for the tech update....
Lane departure warning system on my current car is crap, all it does is beeps at you when you cross the white lines over 40mph without signaling, that would be ok but the nearest motorway M3, there was a lot of roadworks, resurfacing extra, it when berserk, the faded lines that were in the temporary lane kept on setting it off, so glad I found out how to disable it. I am a fan of stop/start cause it does help a little with fuel economy.
At last, somebody that makes sense.. Cars aren't supposed to be smart: they should just be comfortable, fast, easy to maintain and fuel efficient while leaving being smart to the owner/driver
My biggest dislike is the touch screen display. You need to look at it before you press it, then glance again a few times to make sure you are pressing the right buttons. To turn the fan up I need to take my eyes off the road 2-3 times. With my old car I could just feel for the knob and turn it how far I needed.
I can't stand touch buttons, even if they are haptic. You inevitably have to take your eyes off the road whereas a manual button or knob just takes muscle memory which every human being comes fitted with as standard! I'm looking at you, Porsche!
And don't forget the Drive by wire and electronic steering, I have an NB Miata, the radio although it doesn't have AUX input, works just fine with 5 buttons and a knob, the response of the car feel and reacts as expected and so does the steering, the power windows work up and down as they should, the head lights have 3 setting and they work, the gas cap and trunk work with a 50 year old technology called "Metal Wire", if the battery dies just jump start it without the risk of frying one of the "389 computers on board", if something breaks just replace it and go, the new ND Miata feels newer and more powerful but thats about where the improvements stop, and since everything is connected if somethings fails it starts a chain reaction, the radio is way to difficult to operate, the steering feels artificial and at times slow to react, and even a sudden acceleration feels like it takes years to respond... I think that cars finally hit the sweet spot on interior design and electronics around 2005-2010 and now car manufactures without more room for improvement are trying to Wi-Fi everything! but car manufactures are mechanical engineers that should be focusing on engine efficiency and future energy sources not GPS and Music interfaces... But if the buyers are impress by a flashy blue neon light under the dash then they got what they deserve. To make my NB Miata the perfect car would be more passive safety that's it, if it works why replace it with an electronic device that will bring problems once it's outdated.
The completely keyless entry and start in my Suzuki uses a tiny key fob! It's one of the best keyless systems I've used. Although the older Renault system of just walking up and tugging the door with no delay and then walking away to lock was best on the cars I owned.
Even if there is no traffic around you, always use your turn signal. You never know if someone is in your blind spot, or whatever the case may be. Turn signals exist for a reason. Use them. Always.
Keyless entry on my car ('13 BMW 7-series) is great. With the fob in my pocket, I merely insert my hand between the door handle and the door and it unlocks. I can dig through the menus to decide whether to only unlock the driver side door and/or the door I'm grasping, or all the doors. It also unlocks the trunk, so all I have to do is press the release above the rear license plate light. And as for locking the doors, there's a little pressure-sensitive patch on all the door handles that locks the car up. Nice. (I can't get the foot-activated trunk to work reliably, though. Hopefully that's improved.) I guess I agree on start-stop, but I think the assumed path to hybridization is the wrong one. Instead of building a fully mechanical drivetrain and also electric motors, go all-electric motor and run a constant-speed generator instead of slow-charging batteries. The generator can be much smaller than current engines, because it doesn't need to supply torque-it just needs to provide electricity.
rather than "didn't feel like using my signal", "i was avoiding a collision" is the bigger issue. systems that interfere are very dangerous, steering or braking to keep us into a path that's about to become very dangerous.
In Regards to Keyless entry, you're not quite right. The key for my new car is the same size as my 12 year old Vauxhall key. and "Keyless" keys do have a physical key built into them, so if your battery dies you've still got a physical key to unlock it. My only issue with it is it doesn't lock the car automatically when you walk away (at least mine doesn't).
If you get into the habit of using the signal even when you don't think anyone is looking (BTW, the definition of integrity: Doing the right thing when no one is watching), you won't have issue with the lane guidance.
Once again - good job Brian. Please, please, please go on a thoughtful rant about the need to outlaw all touch controls in cars. Mechanical knobs and buttons need to be made the only legal method for use in an autos interior. When voice controls are perfected, these can be considered.
Man I just feel more and more old fashioned. I just want a simple car. An MP3 player with bluetooth is good enough for me. Funny how now THAT'S old fashioned! LOL
Do you have any idea how easy it would be to get into someone's car if you could open them with your phone? I mean it's already pretty easy with the keyfobs, but that's nothing to how bad it would be if you could use your phone.
Honestly I would never buy a car that required me to use my cellphone as a key. After 7 years of owning a car with a fob, I would rather just have a key.
I work in technology so no phone isn't an option for me unfortunately. Either way though I absolutely despise the push to make cellphones more and more central to our lives by tying things that have no business being on them (wallets, keys etc). I'm sorry but cellphones are Far FAR too easily stolen/broken and far too easy to compromise for me to ever consider putting any financial information on one or access to my car and house. I mean just put your entire financial life on a silver platter and hand it to a thief while you are at it..Same thing. There is almost no phone on the market that if I get it in my hands, I can't get access into it in a matter of minutes. And people are morons so they auto save passwords to everything so once I have your phone I have access to EVERYTHING you have on it. It is just insane to me that people are so blindly trusting of tech they understand nothing about.
Truck driver here. Everyone wants you to have a cell. Call the customer when you are 5 minutes away. They want you to use your private cell for company business. Sorry I make good money but not enough to cover the phone bill for a multi million dollar business. So I took the simple solution just got rid of it. Now I don't have to lie, and just tell the truth. Sorry don't own one.
the interface that Chrysler use is very easy to use but the one in my bmw is so hard to use when im driving as you have to scroll through loads of things!
1. Keyless Entry. My fob is smaller than my phone. You complained that going from the old fashioned key to a keyless fob is "bulky", but your answer is something more bulky? Yes, I get it, you have your phone anyway, but it's bulky. I have to take it out of my pocket to open my vehicle. I already have an app for my car that I can do all of what you claim... and it's not user friendly. It takes too much time. My fob has proximity sensors, so when I stand at the door, I can open it, and can press the button to start... all without doing anything. I don't have to take anything out of my pocket or anything. 2. The center console. Car manufacturers aren't in the user interface business. They have to put a car together, so the budget for the interface for their hardware is smaller compared to actual companies that do it. The car maker has to create the hardware and software. The likes of Apple or Google only have to do the software and have much bigger budgets to make the UI work as best as it can. A lot of car makers nowadays have Carplay and Android Auto in their vehicles. They have to pay licensing fees for this, which adds to vehicle cost.
The Auto start/stop feature on Honda's IMA hybrid is almost seamless. This is the platform used in the Insight, CRZ, and Civic Hybrids. If my non-hybrid car did this, I'd drop it like a bad habit.
Thank you! A car (preferably manual, but I'm willing to make a sacrifice for a CVT) should be able to accelerate from stop to fast enough to fire up the ignition on electrics without basically shaking/waking up everyone in your car.
#1 He forgot to mention that none of the car manufacturers offer an update on these things. So 5 or 10 years later when an update to the software is desperately needed, there's no way to update it. Would you want to buy a smartphone or a home computer that can't be updated?
