How do you like the driving aids in today's cars?

[vavavroom]

I think most nanny systems encourage drivers to pay less attention and to be more negligent. I have no problem with ABS, EDL, ESP, etc on a street-driven car. I like to be able to turn off ASR. Blind spot monitoring seems useful but I suspect some drivers rely on it rather than turning their heads. Automatic emergency braking could be hit or miss. My friend tried showing off this feature when we were in his Touareg. He almost rear-ended his involuntary test subject. So I guess it worked? Automatic parking, lane departure warning, radar-guided cruise control, and self-driving nonsense are not for me. Might as well stay at home if I don't want to operate a vehicle in the first place.

 

[totegoat]

Our Highlander has several fun driving aids and the ugly white paint failure. Glad to hear Toyota provides a no-cost loaner.

 

[4WD]

Likes: braking systems that sense pending impacts - reverse warning - blind spot indicators - cameras - auto lights/wipers etc …
Dislike: can’t move five feet in my driveway without seatbelt - a real joy if backing up to a trailer and getting out to look …

 

[CarbonToast]

I really like Lane Keep Assist for long highway drives. On low spec KiA rental cars it works great.

 

[Dave P.]

My car doesn't have them but I have driven cars that do. I don't mind them, but I prefer to not have them. On the other hand, they are in my daughter's car and I feel better about that. She's a good driver but it's almost like another pair of eyes keeping an eye on things. Gives me a little bit extra peace of mind.

 

[RooflessVW]

I like them and leave them on

 

[joekingcorvette]

The Rav 4 Hybrid has lots of new enhancements and I like every one of them especially the lane assist and adaptive cruise control. The only thing that is really bothersome is when you go through an automatic car wash and all the sensors make the car buzz, beep, and blink which is very annoying.

 

[himemsys]

Assisted cruise control is amazing. But if people didn't randomly speed up and slow down for no reason, that feature wouldn't be so necessary.

 

[4WD]

Assisted cruise control is amazing. But if people didn't randomly speed up and slow down for no reason, that feature wouldn't be so necessary.

Devil their due - have found the system in Ford rental’s to be very well tuned …

 

[John105]

I’m a late bloomer/adopter.

I went to a presentation by Verizon Wireless and they were talking about the connected car, maybe 20 years ago. I could not envision where that was going nor why.

Go further back and in that movie “Being John Malkovich,” they were talking about a portal. No idea what that was.

So our 3 cars have none of the modern features. I’d like to have them on the next family car such as a 2025 Tahoe. But it is actually possible to do without, my wife and I are doing it now.

 

[supton]

I think most nanny systems encourage drivers to pay less attention and to be more negligent.

That is my sentiment. They can be good, but until they are foolproof and “perfect” there will be cases where they fail. Braking for imaginary people, failing to keep the car under control (because of bad tires and driving too aggressively for the conditions), etc. Who is at fault when that happens? and do they realize that these systems do not remove the blame from them?

Most of mine are off. I think it still beeps if someone slams on the brakes. And I do love the backup camera.

 

[nicholas]

Could care less- hasn’t stopped the increase in accidents…..

When they invent tech to block texting.......that will really change driving for the better.

 

[demarpaint]

Given a choice I'd opt out of the driving aids, especially when you factor in the cost of replacing a windshield in some of these cars, or the cost of glass coverage. I learned how to drive and park using mirrors and turning my head, thank God I can still do that.

 

[PF52]

My newest car is a 2021, and the only "safety" thing it has is a backup camera. Oh, it has ABS, but I'm sure it has never activated. I pretty much only see the "nanny" stuff in rentals.

 

[skyactiv]

I had a Corolla Hybrid that was equipped with Toyota
Safety Sense. The lane assist feature was real annoying. It had adjustments for sensitivity and it would be temporary disabled when using the turn signal for a lane change. I kept it disabled. I did like the radar cruise a lot and the auto emergency braking. My VW has it but I haven’t played with it yet. But the radar cruise control is much better than traditional cruise control.

 

[Gus_Mahn]

Passive ones like front and rear cameras and blind spot sensors yes. Passive ones like lane keep alert, collision warning no. Active ones like lane keep, active cruise control, and automatic braking no way. We rented a Volvo XC60 for a trip from Tampa to Keywest. It was a lousy self driver: bumper bowling line to line, running up on cars it was following too quickly, and riding the brakes once it got too close. Maybe settings could make it better, but I’ll drive myself as long as I’m able.

 

[billt460]

i like that they are available, but i deactivate most of these driving aids in my 2024 cx-90. i find them to be a nuisance to my driving style......

I have pretty much the same opinion. I have turned most of them off the day we bought our new Camry. And I've never turned them on since.

I found "Lane Departure" to be a total nuisance. (I thought there was something wrong with the front end when we drove it home). I do like the cruise control that automatically slows down when you approach a slower vehicle. But I must admit I rarely use it.

On my Jeep I also turned most everything off. Headlights that would stay on for a minute or more after you shut it off. I deactivated that stupid app, (or whatever they call it), that automatically locks all the doors as you drive away.

I have the collision avoidance. But I've never come close to colliding with anything. So I don't even know if it works or not. Most of this stuff is nothing but a lot of electronic fluff, that serves no real purpose, except to attract gadget freaks.

 

[Hall]

I don't want any screens or other distractions in my driving space.

What screens ? These aids don't need or use any screens or displays.

 

[Hall]

i absolutly cant stand the mirrors that point to the ground in reverse. stupidest thing ive seen in a while.

Is it to force you to use the backup camera screen?

They don't "point to the ground", they tilt down a bit to help with parallel parking and to help avoid hitting the curb and so on. It's almost always an option that can be turned off and usually only tilts on the passenger mirror.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I've never even heard of this. Is it to force you to use the backup camera screen?

Backup cameras are required by law. Anyways you're not really being forced to use the screen. I mean you should only be using your mirrors when backing up right?