Dumbing up of Automobiles

[antiqueshell]

People have lost their comprehension of where things belong in context. Perhaps because they have been "dumbed" down by the society, culture, and educational systems? I think so.

When one is driving a car your attention should be focused on the road. PERIOD.

Years ago the engineers were correctly thinking about how to allow drivers to utilize the various controls in the car with the least amount of time thinking about them and also the least amount of time with their eyes off the road.

It seems today this is all but forgotten.

Not to mention that simple controls mean more durability, and if something DOES break you can fix it fairly easily for a reasonable price. Try that with the stupid digital garbage in most cars today. When that warranty goes, it will cost you dearly to fix that car, and you'll probably end up getting rid of it and buying new...oh that is what the companies intended. LOL

Give me simple ANY day... five speed manual transmission, three knob climate controls, basic AM/FM DIN Stereo, manual windows and door locks. Yeah the A/C is a necessity down where I live now...but I wouldn't have one if I lived up north again.

 

[JamesBond]

Knobs and levers connected to cables, replaced with knobs and buttons connected to wires, replaced by pictures of buttons on a touch screen connected to wires.

I wonder if the Duralast and Dorman versions of these replacement screens will be a bunch of buttons.

 

[Hermann]

this thread is why I take real good care of the Tacoma. It is about as simple that is made. Knobs for HVAC, manual transmission, easy access for all service work. No power seats, just the basic power stuff. I hope to drive it at least till I retire in about 8 years. And the nice thing is I will be able to sell it for 1/3 of what I paid for it. I was in my sisters newer Hyundai Tuscon the other day and it is a gadget factory. Hated the technology in the late GF's Mazda CX-5, and half of it hardly worked. A base version might be OK except for the seat fabric, very cheesy.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
The automatic AC bugs me more than most stuff. MPG and performance drag. Most other gadgets don't do that.


Negligible to no MPG penalty with a modern demand based AC system. No performance penalty as all within the last, say 20 years disengage at WOT or close to it.

I love the tech. In the SHO the lights come on when it's dark, the wipers come on when it rains, it will back off the speed if someone cuts me off with cruise on. I can press a button on the steering wheel and tell it Sirius 9 and it will tune to the station. I can tell it temp 70 and it will do it. I can have it dial the wife, friend, etc. I can tell it to program a destination in the nav while going down the road. That's even better than knobs as I have to memorize 1 button on the steering wheel.

I always get all the do-dads and have not had an issue with them yet on any of my cars.

 

[expat]

We have 3 vehicles, 74 Triumph Spitfire, 85 Toyota Pick up (both with two slider + fan climate control)
And a 09 Toyota Matrix.

The Matrix is the only one where the driver often asks the passenger to adjust the climate controls.

I HATE touch screens and menus in cars!
Some things are better left as they are.

 

[Lyman]

I too drive a Ranger and love it's simple design. One of the best vehicles I ever owned was a 57 Chevy P/U. I can't stand new cars. I drive them from time to time and have had to pull over just to figure out how to turn the head lights on. Im a truck driver and even the new trucks coming out have gone this route. I'll take an old one any day of the week.

 

[ClutchDisc]

Don't get me going on what I hate about new cars........ I could fill an entire book about it.

Give me a simple car with a manual transmission, hand crank windows, manual door locks, lever or three nob climate controls, etc.
THE SIMPLER THE BETTER!!!!!

I HATE TOUCH SCREENS!!!

Who needs power windows or power door locks? You don't have them on your house do you?

 

[Kiwi_ME]

My Suzuki has auto climate control but thankfully has a manual mode.
Unfortunately the status display is LCD and with polarized sunglasses it goes mostly invisible and I can't tell at a glance if I've left the recirc on.

 

[97tbird]

Actually the BMW climate control in my E46 is pretty straight forward to operate, and AC doesn't run unless you want it to.
'Auto' Setting works well too, and you can control AC on or off with whatever setting...

btw, I love the little wheel between the 2 middle vents on BMWs where you can adjust the 'face area' temp independantly from whatever temp you have set for rest of the car...
So if you want, although you have the heater running, if you think it's a bit too hot for the face but perfect for the feet, you can just adjust with that wheel and make just the 2 middle vents blow some less hot air (or whatever temp you want) just for the face...

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I prefer climate control. I never have to touch anything on the Expedition or BMW, they are both just on Auto and function just fine

Me too. My new Toyota Avalon has the best climate controls. Set the temp and forget about it. Front & rear defrost..one button each on or off easy after a while the timer shuts them off if you are busy behind the wheel. A little more blower speed hit the arrow up. Very simple and comfortable. Nice seat heaters on the 8 way leather trimmed power seats.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: ClutchDisc

Who needs power windows or power door locks? You don't have them on your house do you?


Yes, getting a power schlage deadbolt I can close by computer remote control from my office in case I have to let a cleaner or repair man in then auto lock the door and delete his 5 digit combination. Cost: $168. If my family locks themselves out they can call me at the office and I can let them in.

Kind of funny that all of the people who hate new technology live in Detroit. Maybe that is a sign of why the US auto industry needed bailing out.

 

[antiqueshell]

I don't think most of the people here preferring simple controls in automobiles hate " new technology" it is more about whether or not it is appropriate in an automobile where complications and distractions can end up killing someone.

Do you get that?

I personally love to use new tech where it is reasonable and logical.

 

[ClutchDisc]

It's not that I hate all new technology, it's just it has no place in a car.

 

[morepwr]

+1 on keeping cars simple. All the modern technology to make cars last longer as far as drivetrain goes, but I really doubt these cars at 10+ years old will still have all these interior gadgets in working order.

 

[JamesBond]

Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: ClutchDisc

Who needs power windows or power door locks? You don't have them on your house do you?


Yes, getting a power schlage deadbolt I can close by computer remote control from my office in case I have to let a cleaner or repair man in then auto lock the door and delete his 5 digit combination. Cost: $168. If my family locks themselves out they can call me at the office and I can let them in.

Kind of funny that all of the people who hate new technology live in Detroit. Maybe that is a sign of why the US auto industry needed bailing out.


Can you also lock them in? If so, this is some interesting technology. This, coupled with an automated home surveillance system has blockbuster horror movie franchise written all over it.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: morepwr
+1 on keeping cars simple. All the modern technology to make cars last longer as far as drivetrain goes, but I really doubt these cars at 10+ years old will still have all these interior gadgets in working order.


When I traded my 2004 G35, bought in January 2004 in at the end of December, 2009 (almost 6 years), all the electronics, including the DVD navigation system worked 100%. It had a hair under 100k. I have no doubt the stuff would make it to 2014.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
I don't think most of the people here preferring simple controls in automobiles hate " new technology" it is more about whether or not it is appropriate in an automobile where complications and distractions can end up killing someone.

Do you get that?

I personally love to use new tech where it is reasonable and logical.


The fact I can hit a button and talk to my car and have it do most things makes it not a distraction. It is a good use of technology. Does it work 100%? Nope. But I can retry at my leisure as nothing I'm doing with voice commands is immediate.

I can even get Siri to work through the Sync system and send text messages by dictating to her via the Bluetooth for the phone. It works well.

 

[Spazdog]

Ahh, how quickly we forget!

Remember '70s Fords? The headlight switch, wiper switch, and cigarette lighter were all the same size, often very close to each other.

One had a 33% chance of success when reaching for the wipers in the dark

Ford later made a small improvement by making the wiper knob six sided.



The whole touch Screen thing...might be an opportunity for investment. Just find out how to interface a flip up touchscreen with the vehicle controls. Kenwood, Pioneer, Audiovox...etc...are you in?

 

[Win]

I've had four Jaguars with automatic climate control, starting in 1989, and have dual zone climate on my G8 and wife's Xj8, and not one of the cars has ever had a control system failure, so it seems reliable enough to me, and it's certainly convenient - set a temp and go. On the G8, it even works when the car is remote started. This seems like a vast improvement nover the old setups.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul
In my 2001 Ranger XLT and many other vehicles in that era and earlier you can reach over and find the third knob, turn it all the way to the right for defrost, find the middle knob and turn it to right for more heat, and the left knob and turn up the fan, all without taking your eyes off the road. In my wife's 2005 Mountaineer, forget it! I can hardly adjust that thing sitting at a red light.


I can't speak for all brands, but I think the late 1990s was sort of a high point for ergonomic controls in Fords. They actually made an effort to place controls properly and make them easier to use. For me personally, using controls in 95-11 Rangers, 99-07 Super Duties, and 97-03 F-150s is second nature. Surely some of that is due to the fact I have driven those vehicles more other makes/models, but they also had logical, straightforward dashboards and interiors.

I remember when the 1997 F-150 came out, Ford touted that all the controls could be operated while wearing work gloves. Obviously that consideration has been thrown out the window.