I’m getting to that age when for some reason or another, the mind starts to focus on the negative versus the positive – I’d call it “curmudgeon-itis.” I’ve tried to fight it off – when I was younger I always thought those senior gents that did nothing but complain were just “grumpy old dudes.” The only curmudgeon I could stand was Andy Rooney – because he was funny. But I’m losing the battle, so indulge me for a few paragraphs so I can vent on some of the newer auto technology that really bugs me – and maybe balance things off with a few of those I like.
The Bad.
Haptic Controls. I hate them. You’re hot, cold, or your windshield is fogged up, and all you want is some immediate HVAC intervention – and you don’t get it. They’re especially egregious since simple knobs work so well. It’s a good example of the old adage that “tech for tech’s sake” is usually a bad idea.
Auto-Start/Stop. We had auto-start/stop during my early driving years – except it wasn’t “auto” – and it was called “stalling.” It was an anomaly that routinely plagued the first three beaters I owned. Roll up to a stop light, hope and pray the engine keeps running, and let out a string of four-letter expletives when it doesn’t. I get it’s a fuel and emissions saver, but it’s so ingrained in me that to this day, if I forget to disable the stop/start before pulling off and it engages, I’ll startle the wife by blurting out “@#$%!”.
CVT Transmissions. I don’t hate CVTs, I just don’t like driving a car with one. Again, I get they save fuel and are more efficient, but the old guy in me expects an engine to increase in RPMs when I press down on the accelerator – not jump up to a certain level and stay there. To me they sap the fun out of driving. I hear the newer ones are more tuned to function like a planetary transmission, so maybe I need to try one – though I am still a manual guy at heart.
The Good.
Fuel Injection. I started driving in 1972 when carburetors were still pretty simple. Adjust the idle and mixture screws and you were all set. Then emission-controls happened – and suddenly you needed a PhD to tune one. It got even worse as regulations increased to the point that even a factory-tuned carb still stumbled and stalled. My 1978 Nissan Fairlady Z was my first car with fuel injection and it was a revelation. No more stabbing the accelerator and cranking three times before it coughs and starts, and no more stumbling or surging. Just smooth, linear power.
Modern Cooling Systems. I can’t remember the last time I saw a car pulled off to the side, with the hood up and the radiator boiling over. That used to be a pretty frequent sight in the 1960s and 70s – and in my section of Ohio most of them seemed to be Sixties Ford’s with FE-series V8s. Maybe it was just a coincidence. But thank goodness for modern cooling systems, which are flawless, as long as you maintain them.
Seats and Seat Adjustments. All of my early cars had one seat adjustment – forward or back. Some of the military vehicles I drove didn’t even have that. Modern seats, with their ergonomic design and multitude of adjustments are so much more comfortable. As I’ve said in several posts, the seats in my Volvo are more comfortable than the Lazy-Boy I have in the front room.
OK, I think that’s satiated my curmudgeon attack. Hopefully that will last a while – if not I’ll be back soon with a rant on smart phones and Netflix.
I’d add electric A/C that no longer requires a belt driven from an engine pulley to turn the A/C compressor. It’s one of those behind-the-scenes things that no one really thinks about. All they know is they get better fuel mileage while still being cooled.
I added a rear view camera to my 2017 frontier. After driving another car with it i had to have it. I don’t depend on it solely, but it is a lifesaver for pedestrians in parking lots and a timesaver hooking up trailers.
Adaptive cruise is frustratingly efficient at getting me stuck behind slowpoke on the interstate so I don’t use it at all.
As the ultimate OLD Curmudgeon, I don’t like ANYTHING after the last GREAT AMERICAN LAND YACHTS rolled into oblivion. My current 2007 Town Car is the last gasp of traditional American Luxury sedans and I thoroughly enjoy it, but it has controls I find difficult to use. Well, that’s my sob(definitely NOT Saab) story. From a Vintage 47 Rolls Canardly, Roll down one hill and Can ardly get up the next. 😲
Touch screens and touch sensitive buttons.
I would add the following: I like regular old cruise control, not the one that slows you down or speeds you up and whatever else it does. Don’t like the thing that shakes the steering wheel if you touch the painted line in the road. There are times I want go over that line.
Add backup cameras to the plus column.
Good – auto on headlights. I think this is an available setting on most modern cars but I see so many drivers cruising the city after dark with their lights out.
I’m sure there are many people who agree with you and probably overall this is a net benefit for driving safety, but I HATE that every new(ish) car lights up and beeps incessantly with every interaction. I have passed on purchasing cars where this is permament, although my choices are seemingly getting narrower with each passing model year.
I do admit that the electrical automatic starter is pretty nice though…don’t see many chauffeur’s fractures these days.
When they work!! Every day I witness 2-3 late model, high end cars/SUVs barreling down the road well after dark without their headlights or tail lights lit. Drivers fooled by instrument panel and daytime running lamps that light when the vehicle is started are running invisible as they cruise at highway speed. Many of these auto on headlight systems must be defective or not calibrated. The Autolamp on my 2004 TC pops right on at dusk and indicates such on the dash.
Point is I see more folks blacked out now then before auto on systems were widespread..
I agree with the complaint about seeing too many cars running around after dark with instrument panels ablaze but no exterior lighting. However I doubt it’s malfunction or mis-calibration. All of the cars we’ve had with automatic lights also have always on, always off, and “parking light” positions just like cars have had since forever, as well as a fourth “automatic” position. Blame the driver.
The bad: touch screens and control systems that force you to take your eyes off the road while you search for the right control you want to change. I miss using muscle memory while reaching for the HVAC control.
The good: Bluetooth audio systems. Back in my grad school days I drove back and forth across the country five times with nothing but a lousy AM radio in my 1973 Pinto. I was stuck with whatever station you could get. Which during my trip meant either farm reports or Country music (which I dislike – no offense to C&W fans!). Now I just stick my phone on the charging stand and say “Hey Siri: Play one of a couple thousands songs on my phone”
The good: Rear view cams. It’s so much nicer to use them to back up than trying to scrunch my aging body around to look behind me.
Flawless cooling systems??? I guess you haven’t driven a 20+ year old Suburban, or Silverado Pickup. The heater hoses connect to the heater core, and Suburban rear heat pipes with plastic quick connects that disintegrate at the most in opportune times. Luckily the cracked plastic can be removed and bypassed on the side of the road with a pocket knife and vice grips. Ask me how I know, twice.
And similarly aged Ford V8 intake manifold/thermostat outlets. And for both of these models, Dorman seems to be your only solution. Dorman’s quality is 2nd rate, at best
And what about power window mechanism assemblys? They fail with window down, and it’s such a common problem, that Rock Auto list many options from $25 to $75. And the power switches are practically unavailable in junkyards, as they’re another failure prone item
What about door handles? Inside and out…. Yup, plastic and snap, choose Doorman or junkyard. Be prepared to grind or drill rivets
And impossible to replace headlamp/tailamp bulbs? And maybe the bulb costs $100? Or headlamps that turn yellow? LED tailamps that cost hundreds of $$$? And Ford pickup teeruk LED tailamps that are commonly stolen???
Heard enuff??? I own/owned these vehicles, they have their good points, but the plastic parts are their downfall
I love all the high tech conveniences you don’t have to think about – blind spot monitors, back up cameras, automatic headlamps and wipers. Adaptive cruise control is also a nice feature that is a definite improvement. Hands free phone is great as well. The wife’s new Lexus has automatic cornering lamps that light automatically in turns as needed. A cool feature.
The bad are so called “improvements” that add work and complexity. I used to be able to push just one button to get a favorite radio station. Now I have to get the right screen and/or cycle through the stations. I know voice controls supposed to eliminate this, but they work maybe half the time. Modern HVAC can also be frustrating. In the old days I got immediate ice cold air or toasty heat on demand. Too hot or cold? Just turn it down. Now, the system uses ambient temperature, sunshine, satellites and whatever to determine the temp of the air it deems you deserve. I used to manually fine tune the HVAC system, but now I’ve given up and just press full auto and hope for the best.
I agree 100% on the engine auto stop/start “feature”. I’ve never met anyone who liked it. Luckily I had the option of disabling it on the Volvo that I have now.
I also agree with the climate control. While it is nice to set a cabin temperature and let the computer do the work most of the time, sometimes you want/need to override the automated system. I have to pull over and go through multiple touch screen menus to do that. It was much more efficient (and safer) to reach down to the dash and adjust manually by feel. I knew the setting options by touch without even having to take my eyes off the road.
On the plus side: If the outside temperature is over 78 degrees (F), my car will automatically close the sunshade on the sunroof after the car has been parked for 15 minutes to keep the cabin a little cooler. I live in a tropical environment, so I have found this useful if I forget to close it.
I love the start-stop on my 2020 Ford. The instantaneous fuel consumption readout switched from miles per gallon to zero gallons per hour when it shuts down, and the inner tightwad in me is grateful. And it’s very easy to modulate the shutdown or startup with brake pedal pressure. I can live without it – and do just fine with our other two cars without it – but it’s not a bad feature.
When I replaced my ’15 RAM 2500 farm truck in 2021, I eschewed the 5th-generation DT RAM 1500 for its predecessor DS RAM Classic. Cost was one reason, but the other was that it still had fairly basic technology – no nagging, no MDS, no auto-stop, lane minder, adaptive cruise, etc.
I ordered a Tradesman and the only tech upgrade I ticked was the 8.4″ radio with CarPlay. All the other options I chose were purely functional in nature.
Our ’18 TourX has all of the nags. I’ve turned off or disabled as many as I can.
Lane assist = hate. Always in the OFF mode (per small steering wheel button), immediately after driving away.
See below, very common here. Utterly annoying when the car pulls to the left while you want to give way to oncoming vehicles (especially the big and heavy ones).
My favorite recent auto technology isn’t necessarily auto-specific, but I’d say Google Maps. The ability to get on-the-fly directions and traffic status have made driving much more enjoyable.
I agree with all of your “Good” technologies too… maybe with the exception of Seat Adjustments. Sometimes we’re given too much of a good thing, and power seats do fail periodically, which in my opinion is an unnecessary hassle and expense.
As for my least favorite, I’ll echo what CPJ wrote above about technologies that simply add work and complexity. And cost. I’m not a tech person, so these things don’t impress me… I just want stuff to work reliably and with. I’ll add things like Auto-Start/Stop and zillion-gear transmissions to that list as well. They supposedly address a concern (i.e., fuel economy) but end up costing customers more money frustration than anything they save.
I have now accepted I cannot in any significant way repair my (twenty first century) cars. A Haynes manual and half decent tool kit no longer cut the mustard. With this in mind my 2003 T230 Celica hits the sweet spot. It has the fuel injected computer managed engine, excellent brakes & suspension and eats the miles with an insatiable appetite. It allows me to decide what lane I’m in, when I want to speed up or slow down or turn the engine off. I decide which maneuver is safe. No touch screen, no sat nav ( I can plan a journey!), no blue tooth( I can put a CD in all by my self) and I don’t want to be on the phone when I’m driving.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the disappearance of the manual transmission. It’s not that I hate automatics but for those of us who like manuals the shopping list gets shorter and shorter. On this one I can blame Government regulation and maybe if a particular engine is certified with an automatic we can just assume that same engine is unlikely to be a polluting gas guzzler with a manual. End of rant.
Also, maybe my Dad just crammed “What happens when that thing breaks?” too well into my head but the big do-everything screen with all one’s digital gauges. The manufacturers have created a situation where not only are new cars pricey, but as they age they’re likely to need pricey fixes to keep running. As for gauges, 90s Mitsubishi was peak gauge – big speedo and tach high and up front, sized like pie plates. Perfection. Not so much the rest of the car…
I have yet to actually use automatic climate control as intended. Just not a fan of the the fan running full blast after start up – knowing full well the system does need to get some heat into it before actual heat blows into the cabin. The flip side of this – heated seats. Love love love my heated seats because they warm you up right away and all over your backside.
As others have mentioned though, being able to bring my own tunes– ALL of them with current technology– far surpasses even what one could have available with a CD changer. And with actual music on terrestrial radio becoming a problem, the need is there.
Just last week I took my lady’s ride in for service and the loaner was a brand new RX. First time they’ve ever loaned me one that I was thrilled to give back.
My latest vehicle acquisition has an automatic brake hold feature that can be enabled (default is “off”). After coming to a stop, I can give the brake pedal an extra shove towards the floor and the brakes will remain engaged with my foot off the pedal, until the accelerator pedal is depressed. I find it very handy for long traffic lights, especially when my feet are sore after a long day of pounding the concrete at work.
My new Subaru has that. I absolutely love it.
The good include several items that are usually specific to EVs though some are finding their way onto combustion-engined cars too:
– Remote-fired A/C or heat you can turn on from your smartphone, so your car will be cool a few minutes later by the time you get there, despite being parked for hours in an open lot on a 95°F day – or the windows defrosted in winter. Related: Dog Mode
– Proximity entry systems that allow you to open the door or hatch with a wave or touch, keys in pocket
– Apple Carplay/Android Auto, especially newer wireless systems that can beam navigation data to the driver’s binnacle or head-up display, not the central screen
– LED matrix headlamps that use cameras, sensors, GPS map data, etc. that can change the shape of the headlamp beam pattern as needed by selectively brightening or dimming LED elements, shining bright and even normally but not blinding oncoming drivers – and knowing in advance from GPS data when the road is about to curve.
– Any safety nannies that work when needed but are unobtrusive the rest of the time. The lane-keeping assist and rear traffic/pedestrian alert with auto-braking on my car work very well.
– Choices regarding dashboard display format and color. I like monochrome red lighting myself.
– Heated and cooled beverage holders. And seats.
– Over-the-air software diagnosis and updates, no dealer visit necessary
– Surround cameras, both for parking/backing up and to record people hanging out near your car who may be suspicious
– It’s been around awhile now, but TPMS was an important advance, especially if individual sensors are used
– Glass sunroofs and side windows that can be changed from translucent to opaque
Dislikes:
– Common audio or HVAC adjustments relegated to several levels of carefully-aimed touchscreen pokes
– Who decided it would be a good idea to make the dash light up even when the exterior lights are off? Between this and DRLs mistakingly convincing these driver their lights are on, I don’t go a week anymore without driving behind someone with their lights off at nighttime. Flashing my high beams almost never alerts these drivers. Aargh.
– The sound system in my car, whether internal FM or playback through phone USB or bluetooth, has volume that adjusts in too-large increments. The music is invariably either a bit too soft or a bit too loud.
Blind Spot Warning should be mandatory on all vehicles inn the USA.
Agree. Yet my 2022 sedan doesn’t have it, because I bought a base model. Couldn’t get it as a stand alone option.
My car has blind spot warning, but the amber indicators at the corner of the rear-view mirrors can be hard to see, especially in bright sunlight. At least it’s backed up with vibration in the steering wheel if you ignore the warning.
My biggest like is that most of the nanny features on our cars, such as lane departure assist and adaptive cruise control, can be shut off and stay off… unlike the annoying auto stop/start.
My biggest dislike is the plethora of silly rearrangements of automatic transmission control methods. The tried and true PRNDL pattern is intuitive, and when combined with a shifter that slides into manual or sport mode lets the driver downshift/upshift without thinking about or looking at the shift controller.
My wife’s car has one of these silly shifters where park is a button atop the shifter. Reverse is selected by holding a button on the side of the shifter while pushing the lever forward. Manual mode is via paddles: left side of a downshift, right for upshift. To get back into automatic one pulls the shifter rearward without pressing a button. When someone borrows the car we have to give them a lesson on all this. Her prior car was the same model but an earlier generation. All this could be operated with one hand on one control without a thought or peek.
It seems makers are in competition to make transmission operation increasingly obtuse. Besides levers operating in “innovative” fashion there are also buttons and dials, some placed in ridiculous places and messed-up order.
My biggest like is that most of the nanny features on our cars, such as lane departure assist and adaptive cruise control, can be shut off and stay off… unlike the annoying auto stop/start.
Your complaint about adaptive cruise control mystifies me. Regular cruise control requires you to frequently tap the brakes when you approach a slower car and later reengage as you pass. Whenever I approach a slower car and my car starts to automatically decelerate, I move over to pass and my speed returns. I guess many people don’t mind regular cruise with the engage/disengage requirements.
On the plus side, power and fuel economy are up on most newer cars. The same plus goes to passenger safety and things like ABS and traction control. These are built in improvements that operate without the driver thinking about them. I like built in navigation and back up cameras, though the one in my Flex has been replaced a couple of times already. Don’t like touch screens for radio and HVAC functions, though my Flex also has some redundant buttons and touch controls independent of the screen. Keyless entry and push button start are great until you have a malfunctioning “fob” that the car doesn’t want to recognize and won’t let you in or start the car w/o some shenanigans. I also can’t hang my house keys off the fob as that messes with it’;s function. I disable the auto stop/start function. Luckily I don’t have anything new enough to have lane assist, self driving modes, or self parking.
I find that my ’06 Mustang hits the sweet spot for function, it”s got every power assist that I want and need, along with added navigation and back up camera. I like the manual HVAC controls, though the nav/ stereo combo uses a touch screen, a step backwards! I prefer the old fashioned power unlocking key fobs.
I am a grumpy old man and I still enjoy driving my ’07 truck that has everything manual except the transmission, not even cruise control. But it’s got a/c and a single disc CD player. Good enough for me.
I owned a 2017 Jetta and a 2022 Tiguan with steering wheel controls like that of the lead picture. I really never learned the how and why of them. Very confusing.
I hear the newer ones are more tuned to function like a planetary transmission, so maybe I need to try one – though I am still a manual guy at heart.
You heard right. The CVT in my 2025 Subaru Forester is a perfect dream compared to the hunt and miss, always in the wrong gear of my Chrysler with the 9 speed automatic.
What I love ：electric drive
immense horsepower, maximum torque at any RPM, instant response, the utmost smoothness, and minimal NVH. These have always been the highest aspirations of engines.
What I dislike: BEVs, as they alter the way cars are used.
They’ve ruined all the newer vehicles, I can’t say much good about any of them.
Your number one (haptic controls) is 100% my biggest hate. For modern cars, I now have both a 2023 Chevy Bolt EV and a 2024 VW ID.4 EV. I absolutely love the Bolt. It may be the best car I’ve ever owned. Everything works so well, is easy to understand, it’s efficient and just a great car. And then there’s the VW. Although I do like it, the gripes tarnish the good by too much. My number one dislike? The haptic (capacitive touch) buttons on the steering wheel and the stupid screen. Unlike the Bolt that has actual buttons on both the wheel and under the screen, the VW uses the worst ones on the wheel and then you have to go into the screen or use these terrible haptic controls under the screen. The difference between the two cars is night and day.
My next dislike? These sunroofs that they force on everyone. Especially the huge glass roofs that you can’t even close a shade on. I have an eye condition called photophobia (very sensitive to light). The regular sunroofs I can at least close the shade. It sucks that I have to pay for something I don’t want though. However, the huge glass roofs you can’t close any shade.
My last? Over-sized rims with low profile tires. They may look good, but diminish the ride substantially and rim damage is a problem.
“Haptic” doesn’t quite refer to controls that respond to touch, tho’ they’re related concepts.
Haptics—derived from the Greek word for tactile, pertaining to touch as a sensory experience rather than the act of touching—refers to control feedback you can feel, such as when your phone touchscreen responds to touch with a slight “bump” or “buzz” sensation confirming your touch input was received, or when the phone vibrates on its own as a notification alert.
But haptics can also apply to non-touch-responsive controls, such as an aircraft cockpit “shaker stick” that simulates the feel of aerodynamic buffeting during an imminent stall, which would be felt without such simulation using direct controls but are otherwise absent with servo-based remote controls. Robotic hands may use haptics in their remote controllers, simulating a sense of touch for the human operator. Haptics are also used in video game controllers equipped with a “rumble pack” that bumps or vibrates in response to events in the game, and in driving simulators that turn the steering wheel control or alter its resistance to input, simulating what would be felt in a real car—a practice now also used in real cars for a lane-assist feature.
Ah, ok.
That was a great explanation, but does little to offset the offensiveness of whatever these things are actually called.
On the VW, the “buttons” on the wheel can change (ex: volume) by barely touching it and sliding left (more quiet) or right (louder). However, you can also “push” them where they act more like a regular button, but they give some type of strange feedback. Not sure if it’s one of the explanations you gave or not. Either way, they are some of the worst things I’ve ever had to deal with. There’s times where I can be making a turn and my hand or arm graze over the thing and it will change something.
The touch sensitive things below the screen don’t have a “push” to them, but you just slide your finger on them just like those awful things on the Cadillac CUE systems back in 2013. No matter what you call them, they are terrible. But thanks for the detailed explanation.
Good point on Fuel injection. My first car was a 60k mile 1972 Saab 99 , I am slowly writing a COAL on it. It too, had fuel injection. It started immediately and ran without fuss from below 0 to 95° days. other than the induction moan on a big four barrel, I shed no tears over carburetors being gone. Reverse camera with nearly 180 degree field of view are also pretty damn awesome
Drove a 2024 Elantra —most annoying tech feature- When activating the left turn signal, the tach becomes a round left side “blind side” camera display. Right signal – speedo flips to another small round right side display. Great, now I’m looking forward, at a mirror, and down at a tiny display…
I had the same Elantra rental, and thought the side mirror screen was super cool when it first came on. Took less than a day to realize it’s totally useless and doesn’t make lane changes any easier than the old fashioned way.
I’m not personally a fan of advanced safety features (much like some of the others here) mostly due to that they often act up in snowy cold winter weather (having to keep sensors clean can be a pain in messy seasons) and they cost an arm and a leg to fix when they don’t work right.
That’s why when I bought my current vehicle last year, I went for the base model to avoid all this stuff. I simply like to drive rather than be startled by something suddenly going off when driving.
I have had very positive experiences with “Rear Cross Traffic Alert” (RCTA) and really like it. So often, I find myself parked in a parking lot surrounded by ginormous pickup trucks or SUVs and I can’t see around them. I usually start backing out very slowly, even though I can’t see if there is traffic coming behind me, and hope for the best, that if there’s someone coming they’ll slow down or stop to let me out. With RCTA it will beep and let me know if there’s a car coming. I like it.
Computerized EFI for emisions and driveabilty, everything else is pricy BS mostly to replace drivers lack of attention.
I drive a 2018 model, which is just before the disappearance of physical knobs and switches. I had a 2024 Ford Edge rental last year and I just hated the big screen that controls everything. I like having physical knobs because with them I don’t have to take my eyes off the road to change a setting.
There are many modern features that I like. I love heated seats, automatic lights and wipers.
The entire range of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) should be outright illegal, along with anything resembling “self-driving”.
“Adaptive” cruise control is nothing more than lowest-denominator speed control. You and everyone else with “adaptive” cruise will be the slowest vehicles on the highway, blocking the progress of everyone with a brain. Which, I think, is the entire point. Speed limit signs don’t work because they’ve been posted so low for so long that NOBODY considers them to represent the maximum safe speed…which is the supposed purpose of speed limits. The REAL purpose of speed limits is to generate revenue for the inJustice System and Insurance companies from folks driving a reasonable yet illegal speed.
Lane-change warnings, backup cameras, automated braking–by removing the need to pay attention, driving skills RAPIDLY deteriorate, and they’re not that great to begin with in most folks.
Don’t get me started on the stupidity of turning on lights when it’s not dark. Damned Daytime Running Lights (DDRLs) are as silly as it gets. The ones that use actual headlights as the “running lights” are, of course, the worst of the bunch. Bright blue-ish headlights should similarly be illegal. Supposedly they ARE illegal, and yet the streets are full of overly-bright, blue-ish headlights.
Failure to include engine oil dipsticks, or transmission dipsticks, lack of removable (automatic) transmission pans ‘n’ filters, and–of course–Ford’s momentous decision to use non-standard spark plugs that either seize in place so they break off and need “extractors” to remove; or which are so lightly held in place that they blow-out of the cylinder head and dent the hood. But at least Ford put the first spark-plug service interval AFTER the warranty has run out, so Ford doesn’t have to pay for their failure to properly design the plugs/cylinder head. I wouldn’t want Ford to suffer for their mistakes…
Fog lights that don’t get disabled when the vehicle is shut off. Folks drive around ALL DAMNED YEAR with the fog lights lit. I’ve actually had people tell me that they turn on the fog lights as a STYLING STATEMENT, their car “looks better” with the lights turned on. I’m not opposed to real fog lights, used properly. I’m opposed to morons who use them every day, clear weather and bright sunshine.
The thing I like most is Tesla’s FSD, that will be the real gamechanger the next decade.
It is brilliant already, and will only get better.
Start/stop systems I hate, it’s the 1st thing I turn off when I start my car.
I have that exact set of haptic controls on my steering wheel and I don’t like them either.
Backup cameras are AMAZING. Especially since I drive a low sedan and often find that it attracts long, tall SUVs in the parking lot.
Laptop for a dashboard, no Elon its awful and dangerous you idiot.
CVT hate them but drove a friends Toyota Wish and couldnt tell it had one 7 steps, the rev counter tells the story.
Auto lights that actually work yes got em like em mine steer too but thats old tech its just been digitised,
Auto wipers that also wind the double glazed windows up, like em used to em
Automatic self leveling ride height adjustment, love it, ancient tech but computerized,
Automatic transmission with smart shift it will hold gears on downhills like it getting used to having a decent self shifting transmission, first time I ever actually looked for an aitomatic car.
Stability control? didnt like it but tested mine and it works just as Im about to apply opposite lock the system takes over straightens the car out drops power and hands it back, or it can be switched off and I can slide the car around on low traction surfaces like an overweight rally car
My car is just old enough to have actual switches and buttons for controls easy to use for the things the car doesn’t do itself without being asked and intuitive in night mode with only the speedo lit,
I have an old car as well with zero modern tech, and driving that daily reveals how much I like central locking with a remote that folds the mirrors and closes the glass, so sign me up as a fan of some modern stuff.
Miss having a bench seat, vehicles nowadays all have a console, need it or not.
My Gripes —
1) Headrests for the past 20 years or have gotten away from being comfortable. They position your head too forward and cause neck pain.
2) Power seat controls used to make sense; if you wanted, for example, to slightly raise the front part of the seat, the part where your knees bend, you’d activate the button and it was done. Simple. Today, and for the past several years, doing that same one little adjustment changes the entire seat position, so you have to make a bunch of different adjustments to get it where you want it.
3) Keyless ignition fobs are a freakin’ headache. No one knows how to re-program them except the dealerships, and it’s expensive, not to mention if you lose one. Fobs seem to have minds of their own from time to time, even with fresh batteries. I wish manufacturers would go back to the real keys with chips.
4) There are too many electronic gizmos on cars today. And one tiny little problem with, say, a touchscreen, will result in so many other problems occurring. And they ain’t cheap to fix. Cars have become Rube Goldbergs, I prefer the older ones that were simpler to use and repair.
Thank you for mentioning headrests. I know the theory is that they’re supposed to be head “restraints” and aren’t meant to be comfortable, but modern headrests are often downright UNcomfortable, which itself is a distraction.
I know a number of people who now drive with their backrests reclined more than usual in order to get the headrest out of the way of their head. It’s really dumb… why can’t headrests be adjustable so drivers can determine for themselves what’s best for themselves?
I’ve always had problems with Japanese cars’ head restraints hitting me in the neck or back or skull, but now they all do.
I find myself pretty much in complete agreement with the author. The only thing I’d add to my 1992 daily driver would be… an airbag. At least one airbag. Definitely would be a good thing. To my admittedly luddite-adjacent self, all that other fancy stuff ain’t necessary. Fuel injection + airbag = modern enough for Mike.
Undoubtedly Good: auto headlights, heated seats, ventilated seats (wish they were better), auto up/down windows, Apple CarPlay, auto dimming rear view and side mirrors, blind spot monitoring, redundant controls on steering wheel (though some of the buttons are truly awful), seats w tons of adjustments especially if not done through a screen, rear view cameras and most camera systems
Mixed bag: auto wipers, keyless entry and push button start, automatic climate control (setting a temp instead of just hotter/colder is great, but full auto usually sucks), side mirrors that tip down in reverse and fold in are great but add complexity/expense to an easily damaged item, automatic breaking for collision avoidance is good peace of mind but often sucks in execution and again adds huge repair costs to common damage areas, collision beeps cause they’re almost always too sensitive and annoying and again add complexity
Mostly bad: lane keep assist (both the vibrations and actually steering in lane), almost every car companies native touchscreen software, auto high beams, tire pressure monitoring
All bad: auto start/stop, climate control or other frequently used things through touchscreen, warnings that pop up Everytime you start a car
…probably forgetting a ton. Basically a car that beeps at you or jiggles non stop is effing annoying.
Let’s put it this way and that is I don’t like anything about new cars. I do not like a screen in my dash with a passion. The only control on my steering wheel should be cruise control as in my 2004 Focus. The only push buttons I like are for rear window defroster and hazard lights. Only rotary or sliders for HVAC. Always a manual and if automatic then conventional. I won’t even get started on the exterior except for mentioning the ridiculous shapes for front and rear lamps which mean damage to them is going to usually cost you a fortune.
Almost forgot the dumb push button start. If I want to jump into my wife’s car to push it back one foot I can’t drop it into neutral and push. I have to start the car in order to move it into neutral, or now drive at that point, and then move it. That aspect drives me up the wall.
It seems that all of the likely suspects have been mentioned here, and I’ve not applied my qualitative analysis skills yet to figuring out trends.
Just to register my votes for “bad”:
1) Screens versus actual instruments. Extra negative votes for screens that actually control things vs. just displaying info. (which I guess is the deal with most screens nowadays)
2) Lane Assist systems. These I think are a half-assed – and therefore crappy – step toward totally autonomous driving. Not that I would like totally autonomous driving, but geeze, if all you’re going to do is to annoy me when you (the computer) THINK I ought to be doing something versus actually just taking over control, then you’re pestering and not actually helping. I don’t need pestering. (Fact is, autonomous driving is not ready for prime time, and may never be…so just frickin’ give it up, ok?)
3) Auto Start. I agree with Jim. I’m old enough that I too equate it to stalling and I can’t get over that. Yes…”Old Man Yells at Clouds”. But ok, there should be cars that work for Old Men too. Fortunately we can usually turn the damn thing off. (That will eventually not be the case, but my kid will have taken my keys away by then.).
Those are my bad biggies. I can live with CVTs (I have one on a nearly 20 year old vehicle and I think it works fine). Fuel injection is a wonderful thing (I have that on a 50 year old vehicle and it’s great…even if I can no long source parts for it). And as for good things not mentioned… Heated Seats and Airbags.
I’ve never really needed any passive safety features like seatbelts or airbags, but I like knowing they’re there. Ditto ABS; I’ve had it kick in once or twice due to sloppy driving, but I’ve never really needed it. But I guess I’m lucky, or wise in my choice of vehicles. Despite owning 2020, 2016, and 2015 vehicles, none of them have really obnoxious safety aids or touch screens for essential functions, and none has a CVT. Only the 2020 Ford has lane assist or auto stop-start; the former is off by default and stays that way, and I like the latter (though it can be switched off). The other safety features I like on the two newer cars are the rear view camera and pedestrian alert integrated into the blind spot systems. The latter is very handy in the big van, especially as people seem to have no hesitation walking right behind it as I’m slowly backing out of a parking spot. Usually they’re staring at their phones.
The 2020 Ford does have adaptive cruise control, not something I thought about, as I rarely use cruise. But it’s transformed my habits and I use it constantly. To the point where I’ve started using the non-adaptive cruise in the other cars more often, and then wonder why I’m creeping up on the car in front of me.
Two more gadgets that I’ve come to like are the tire pressure displays on the 2020 and 2016, and the CarPlay in the Ford. Whether it’s music, podcasts, or navigation it’s a handy convenience and I think the big screen and good nav features do enhance safety.
The 2015 Golf has a small screen, and Bluetooth, but no rear view camera or even USB plug. It even has a third pedal next to the gas and brake. But it still feels pretty modern.
Apologies if the undermentioned items have already been touched on:
Likes:
Heated seats and steering wheel.
Reversing cameras
Dislikes:
Minimalist interiors where everything needs to be done via a touchscreen,
Intelligent cruise control that is an oxymoron, causing dangerous emergency stops to be made when the sensors think you’re following the vehicle in front too closely
Auto lane placement
Fake noises being pumped into the cabin to simulate performance
Poor all round visibility resulting from thick roof pillars, low seating positions and shrunken or masked off glass areas
I like fuel injection, especially with OBDII to tell you what’s going on. I dislike all the manufacturer specific stuff that forced me to spend $100 to talk to the BCM on my Fiat. I’ve come to like reverse cameras and I’m OK with infotainment systems as long as they haver physical knobs and buttons.
I absolutely loathe touchscreen everything, with Tesla’s touchscreen gearshift being the worst of the worst. I’m also salty about fake engine noises and terrible transmissions like the Ford Powershift and various self destructing CVTs.
I think it is long past time to mandate headlights that come on when the car is in gear. Too many Americans are oblivious, distracted or just plain dumb to leave the choice to use them up to them.
I like the fact that modern cars, when they’re 8 years old, aren’t rotten with rust with worn out engines like they always were back in the early 70’s.
I hate the stupid push button nonsense to start like my BMW has – what was wrong with just turning the key?
My 2023 Maverick has a touch screen that is mostly for map and entertainment functions. HVAC and basic audio controls are on physical buttons. Android Auto / Car Play functions can be done with steering wheel buttons or through touch screen.
Auto start- stop can be disabled by a big button on the console. The Brake Hold feature (normally off) also has a big console button. Great feature when you’re stuck in the drive-through. Also can choose on or off for the Lane Keeping Assist- it doesn’t automatically come on.
Heated seats that you could fry an egg on.
Finally, I want to personally thank the person who invented the heated steering wheel.
I cannot disagree with the author!
I recently drove a Civic Hybrid and I must say, it is a simply wonderful car.
It has reverted to heater knobs on a relatively simple dash design and the absence of a gearbox endows it with a refinement and regulator-pedal response woefully absent in most turbo whang-dangs. I think cars were worse five-ten years ago!
The caveats:
There is too much information on the IP from the nanny-systems, which I find tiring due to the constant distraction.
Have a small prang and replacing/realigning the radar system could total the car.
All these additional systems increase the probability of failure, especially since they are bought-in from OEMs. Possibly why Hondas are no longer bullet-proof for decades like they used to be.
I prefer driving my old Hondas, from the early 2000s; the poorer NVH and mechanicalness of them is more engaging, less distracting and well, fun. Yes, they still 1000% better than the rust-prone, temperamental, uncomfortable stuff that we thought was the car of the future long in the past. An Alfasud/GS/128 now? No thanks…
I regard the 1990s-era cars as being some sort of zenith, before the legislators ruined them. YMMV.
Yes, I do feel like an ingrate regarding modern stuff – the manufacturers have put in a lot of effort, but the modern stuff just does not excite me the same. That probably is as much about enthusiasm declining with age, to be fair.
To the younger audience: it was a golden era conceived in liberty, but it’s now past. We might’ve lived in a rolled-up newspaper, but we were happy. Enjoy what you still have now and ignore us oldtimers. What you never have, you never miss.