The State of The Car

[f6fhellcat13]

This is certainly not the level of flash to which you're referring, but I was pleasantly-surprised with the digital speedo on the Civic. I thought that it would be horrible, but it is nice to look up and instantaneously know your speed.

As for all the other stuff, perhaps the car industry will eventually go down the Apple route: offer a minimum of user-controlability, algorithms to figure out the user's preferences and change settings accordingly, and an intuitive and simple interface that minimizes time invested.

That being said, ECUs, sparkplugs, lights, the clock, and the radio are about enough electronics for me. Sure, adding a few doodads can make driving more pleasant, but the grosses of mostly-useless thingimawhatsits added these days find no favor from me.

[jcp123]

This is certainly not the level of flash to which you're referring, but I was pleasantly-surprised with the digital speedo on the Civic. I thought that it would be horrible, but it is nice to look up and instantaneously know your speed.

As for all the other stuff, perhaps the car industry will eventually go down the Apple route: offer a minimum of user-controlability, algorithms to figure out the user's preferences and change settings accordingly, and an intuitive and simple interface that minimizes time invested.

That being said, ECUs, sparkplugs, lights, the clock, and the radio are about enough electronics for me. Sure, adding a few doodads can make driving more pleasant, but the grosses of mostly-useless thingimawhatsits added these days find no favor from me.

Again I agree. Most of this stuff seems like a marketing ploy rather than something useful. Most people don't realize it, but it's just more crap to break.

I do find it amazing that Cadillac had digital speedos, they were downed as "old people stuff", and as soon as Honda has one, it's not that bad.

[NSXType-R]

This is certainly not the level of flash to which you're referring, but I was pleasantly-surprised with the digital speedo on the Civic. I thought that it would be horrible, but it is nice to look up and instantaneously know your speed.

As for all the other stuff, perhaps the car industry will eventually go down the Apple route: offer a minimum of user-controlability, algorithms to figure out the user's preferences and change settings accordingly, and an intuitive and simple interface that minimizes time invested.

That being said, ECUs, sparkplugs, lights, the clock, and the radio are about enough electronics for me. Sure, adding a few doodads can make driving more pleasant, but the grosses of mostly-useless thingimawhatsits added these days find no favor from me.

I'm not sure if I'd like a digital speedometer. I haven't driven a new Civic before, but I do like the cleaner look of just two dials.

I'm not sure how they work, but I hear some car companies are offering "apps" for cars. I'm not sure how that'd be useful other than for entertainment purposes.

Also, the new Cadillacs have touchscreens that replace a lot of buttons. I don't like that either- a lot of features I get used to in a car and I can adjust by feel. Change for the sake of change is not always good.

[Ferrer]

This is certainly not the level of flash to which you're referring, but I was pleasantly-surprised with the digital speedo on the Civic. I thought that it would be horrible, but it is nice to look up and instantaneously know your speed.

Curious you mention it. The DS4 had the option of a digital speedometer (inside the analog one) and I rarely used it. In fact only to see the precise top speed of the car and to prove the cruise control wrong (doing 102km/h when I had set it to 100km/h, WTF? I even have photographic proof...)

Worse was the digital tachometer, and there was no option on it. The thing is, it isn't as precise as a needle and neither at particular engine speed (it has blocks for indication, so you had at some rpb between a certain range) and neither is it good at showing you the increasing/decrasing rate of you engine speed.

I want my needles back!

(Or something)

[f6fhellcat13]

Curious you mention it. The DS4 had the option of a digital speedometer (inside the analog one) and I rarely used it. In fact only to see the precise top speed of the car and to prove the cruise control wrong (doing 102km/h when I had set it to 100km/h, WTF? I even have photographic proof...)

So I saw. I was actually going to ask you what was going on. The Camry's and the Civic's cruise controls get you within a range of the desired speed. A two-klick disparity is definitely within that range; I would say 2-3 mph is necessary before the car lets off the gas or violently accelerates (neither system is/was particularly refined).

Worse was the digital tachometer, and there was no option on it. The thing is, it isn't as precise as a needle and neither at particular engine speed (it has blocks for indication, so you had at some rpb between a certain range) and neither is it good at showing you the increasing/decreasing rate of you engine speed.

I want my needles back!

(Or something)

The Civic retains an analog tach, which is nice.
It's like the digital vs. analog clock debate people complain that kids raised on digital clocks have less of a concept of time; they are less likely to realize that 15 or 30 minutes are a quarter of or half of an hour because they don't often see time visualized on a clock face. The same is true of a tach; seeing the relative position of your current engine speed to idle and redline is nice. Whereas with a speedometer only your current speed matter unless you have one of the horrendous 85 mph speedos from the '80s and then you can see your speed relative to the limit.

[Ferrer]

So I saw. I was actually going to ask you what was going on. The Camry's and the Civic's cruise controls get you within a range of the desired speed. A two-klick disparity is definitely within that range; I would say 2-3 mph is necessary before the car lets off the gas or violently accelerates (neither system is/was particularly refined).

I even managed to get it up to 84km/h, from a 80km/h preset speed. Then the screen inside the speedo flashes, you get distracted, crash and die.

Again.

Anyway I think they should be more precise because if you set a determinate speed because you don't want to get caught by speed cameras but then tge car accelerates itself... what's the point?

The Civic retains an analog tach, which is nice.
It's like the digital vs. analog clock debate people complain that kids raised on digital clocks have less of a concept of time; they are less likely to realize that 15 or 30 minutes are a quarter of or half of an hour because they don't often see time visualized on a clock face. The same is true of a tach; seeing the relative position of your current engine speed to idle and redline is nice. Whereas with a speedometer only your current speed matter unless you have one of the horrendous 85 mph speedos from the '80s and then you can see your speed relative to the limit.

You see, I prefer analog speedos as well. They give me a greater sense of control, of accelerating and decelarating. It's possibly a psycological thing, but in these days of speed cameras every 100 metres I want to be as safe as possible.

Other than speed and revs, though, everything else can go digital, as far as I am concerned.

[Kitdy]

You see, I prefer analog speedos as well. They give me a greater sense of control, of accelerating and decelarating. It's possibly a psycological thing, but in these days of speed cameras every 100 metres I want to be as safe as possible.

Speed cameras are the work of Satan. Thank Jesus that they ain't no thing in Ontario.

I have not received a single ticket in my entire driving career.

The tech shit in cars now drives me absolutely batty. My friend's Mk. 3 Focus has been a nightmare. My Ford Touch makes everything more complicated. The Insignia in Scotland made things such as changing the radio far more complex than it needed to be. I do not want a screen in the middle of my car. I want an analogue tach, speedo, temperature, and fuel gauge. I quite like late 90s early 00s BMW instrumentation. Hell, I like my Golf instrumentation. I want a real handbrake. The only buttons on my steering wheel that are acceptable would be volume up and down, station change, and maybe accept phone call. I never use cruise.

The only new techy feature I am at all interested in would be Bluetooth, and I am not that sure that I want to call when driving. Oh, and mp3 player integration where you can change tracks thought your stereo system.

I could understand all of this if the digital shit made things easier but in almost every case it makes driving harder and more distracting!!! This makes me crazy!

I am becoming a neo-neo-luddite. Embrace some technology, not all, but question your use of every tech in your life.

[Kitdy]

Screw GPS/sat-nav directions too. I might only want a GPS for tracking speed more accurately.

[f6fhellcat13]

I even managed to get it up to 84km/h, from a 80km/h preset speed. Then the screen inside the speedo flashes, you get distracted, crash and die.

Again.

Anyway I think they should be more precise because if you set a determinate speed because you don't want to get caught by speed cameras but then the car accelerates itself... what's the point?

You see, I prefer analog speedos as well. They give me a greater sense of control, of accelerating and decelerating. It's possibly a psychological thing, but in these days of speed cameras every 100 metres I want to be as safe as possible.

I had forgotten about them. I understand now why you were peeved. Perhaps with the DS4 it is a laissez-faire French thing and the car doesn't care as long as its in the ballpark of your set speed.

There is so little acceleration going on in the Civic that it doesn't matter, I guess. You make a good point though; perhaps the reason I like analog tachs is because engine speed is dynamic. The tach tends to change quickly, whereas in a slow car, the speedo does not. I would agree that in a car with sporting pretensions whose speed isn't quasi-static, I prefer an analog speedometer as well.

Speed cameras are the work of Satan. Thank Jesus that they ain't no thing in Ontario.

Fortunately, California has a nice little clause that says your speed must fit your conditions. This obviously means when it's raining drive slower (L.A. driving in the rain is hilarious) and other common-sense things like that, but conversely, if everyone (including you) is doing 85 in a 70, you'll mostly be left alone by CHP because driving significantly slower than the speed of traffic can be as dangerous as speeding. Either that clause or the fact that we're dead broke has prevented the use of speed cameras in California and I hope it stays that way.
We do have red-light cameras, which are misused in their own special way, but I have less of a problem with those.

I want an analogue tach, speedo, temperature, and fuel gauge. I quite like late 90s early 00s BMW instrumentation. Hell, I like my Golf instrumentation. I want a real handbrake.

I feel like the disappearance of handbrakes is down to Yurps (and Japanese with their CVTs) finally embracing alternative transmissions so they have started marginalizing the handbrake like American companies did back in the day. Even when I drive automatics I engage it when I park out of habit.
This is also one of the greatest flaws of right-hand drive cars: the handbrake is on the other side of the shifter.

I am becoming a neo-neo-luddite. Embrace some technology, not all, but question your use of every tech in your life.

Surely you mean neo-post luddite... Or post-neoluddite...

[Ferrer]

Screw GPS/sat-nav directions too. I might only want a GPS for tracking speed more accurately.

I don't mind Satnav, as long as it is intuitive to use. I can definitely do without it though. Been to many places without it and always arrived to destination. And if you follow the signs, have a map and have studied the route before it's not that easy to get really lost.

I think that Satnav is really useful inside big, dense urban areas. There they can greatly help, especially if it's no familiar territory.

Another thing that puzzles me is automatic wipers. Some systems are more complicated than others but I pretty much always struggle to find out how they work.

Either they are on when they shouldn't be or the auto system isn't set properly so it starts raining torrentially and you can't see anything (and you crash and die bla bla bla...) and then it stops raining and they start working, or a couple of drops fall from the sky and the wipers move in and out frantically as if it was the flood myth all over again and you look like a bit of an idiot...

I had forgotten about them. I understand now why you were peeved. Perhaps with the DS4 it is a laissez-faire French thing and the car doesn't care as long as its in the ballpark of your set speed.

There is so little acceleration going on in the Civic that it doesn't matter, I guess. You make a good point though; perhaps the reason I like analog tachs is because engine speed is dynamic. The tach tends to change quickly, whereas in a slow car, the speedo does not. I would agree that in a car with sporting pretensions whose speed isn't quasi-static, I prefer an analog speedometer as well.

The car that actually taught me that cruise control isn't really infallible was the Lancia Delta.

It was more or less the same situation as the Citroën. I had set the speed at 80km/h, which was the speed limit. The error margin for speed cameras here is 10% or 10km/h (whichever is higher) so the danger zone starts at 90km/h.

We then got to a descending slope. And all of a sudden the car decides it's ok to ignore the cruise controls and suddenyl gets up to 90km/h. I braked immediately but that gave quite a scare (I prefer to be caught doing a million rather than just straying over the limit... ).

Since then I've never really trusted cruise controls anymore, especially in speed camera-infested areas and always keep an eye on the speedometer, just in case.

I feel like the disappearance of handbrakes is down to Yurps (and Japanese with their CVTs) finally embracing alternative transmissions so they have started marginalizing the handbrake like American companies did back in the day. Even when I drive automatics I engage it when I park out of habit.
This is also one of the greatest flaws of right-hand drive cars: the handbrake is on the other side of the shifter.

Hill holder systems in manual-equipped cars have also made handbrakes for hill starts pretty much redundant.

[Kitdy]

Hill holder systems in manual-equipped cars have also made handbrakes for hill starts pretty much redundant.

They useful for 180s and donuts in the snow, also as an emergency backup!

[Ferrer]

More problems with the modern horseless carriage.

On the new Audi A3 several functions, including the radio, are controlled and seen through a screen that can be raised and lowered in the middle of the dashboard. The problem is that when it is up, it is distracting and it block the view somewhat.

You can lower it and still change the radio station or whatever, but there's no place to be seen what you are changing. So maybe you are setting the cruise control at a million and you don't know. And then you crash and die. Or you tell the car to beep if you go over 20km/h and you don't know how to turn it off. And the only way to stop it is to have an accident on purpose to end it.

And die. Again.

Probably.

You get the sense, these days, that the modern car manufacturer does not appreciate the health of its customers very much...

Or something.

[jcp123]

I always sucked using the e-brake for hill starts...

[henk4]

More problems with the modern horseless carriage.

On the new Audi A3 several functions, including the radio, are controlled and seen through a screen that can be raised and lowered in the middle of the dashboard. The problem is that when it is up, it is distracting and it block the view somewhat.

These days things go terribly wrong when the word :"menu" comes into play. A car is not a restaurant.

[Ferrer]

These days things go terribly wrong when the word :"menu" comes into play. A car is not a restaurant.

Neither is a mobile phone or a computer...

Amyway.

I have now another target.

Flat bottomed steering wheels.

They are so hateful and uncomfortable. You turn and all of sudden there's an apex in the steering wheel. It is not continous, which makes it very unpleasant to operate. And making something you'll spend most of your time with your hands on it annyoing is not a good idea.

A family hatchback is not a racing car. Entrance isn't difficult or cramped. So there's no need for flat bottmed steering wheels at all. Just because it sport and racy and F1 cars have it doesn't mean it belong on your 20grand front wheel drive automatic dishwasher.