Cars have become too complicated, but change may be coming

I really dislike the direction of infotainment systems in cars. They are way too complex, most people do not know how nor understand the interface, and when the cars get old, all this complexity will break.

We are paying for complexity that we do not need. Car companies want to progress to self-driving cars, but want us to foot the bill? I'm not wanting to play.

Distracted driving is not only present in today's traffic here in Toronto, but all over he world. We certainly do not need further distractions while operating a heavy piece of machinery. in the end this is to our detriment. It is all nice to tweak the user interface of some feature, but when the feature actually makes your daily drive more dangerous, what is the use? Do we really need FB in our cars?

 

My guess is that it doesn't reverse.

People WANT the infotainment and technology tie in's with their vehicles, they expect it. Whether it is good for them or not.

And for manufacturers it becomes a competition.
Who's the first to step backwards?
You start selling vehicles with "less" and you are going to lose a lot of sales to your competitor that is offering "more".

I agree that we live in an age with too much distraction. I love to drive, so I'm no into so much infotainment stuff.

Even when I was a little kid, I loved to go ride in the car, and looking out the window is what I liked to do.
Today? Kids want movies playing in the headrests, and interaction with the internet.

So I'm definitely NOT a big infotainment person.

But I just don't expect the trend to reverse.

 

The simple solution is to make it work by voice command.

I test drove a 2018 Honda Accord Touring with the Honda's newest system. It has not made it's way to other models yet. The Accord got it first. Much faster and looks better, but...

I tested some simple commands that my 5 year old Ford vehicle does and it could not recognize any of the commands. Sales manager said that Honda removed most voice commands because the old system was so poor at voice recognition that it made more sense to remove the commands.

Another check box for Honda not keeping up with other automakers. Even a Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler/Fiat product is more capable. Sad!

 

I'm not a fan of the way many things have gone with modern cars, especially touch screen stuff. No way it will ever change back, the genie is out of the bottle.

When I bought my GTI in 2015 I shopped for a base model that did not have any of that touch screen stuff to operate the radio. It has blue-tooth that I thought I'd never use since I don't do phone & drive. Although it has come in handy a couple of times, but 99% of the time my calls will go to voicemail when I'm driving.

 

i luv the infotainment on my GTI and R. its got plenty of it and carplay. wouldnt have it any other way. wat the industry needs to do is STANDARDIZE the button and dial locations, menus, menu pages, etc. they are all random and that makes it for a confusing experience.

i know cause i drive all sorts of different rental cars every week and its a mess trying to figure out the basic features sometimes.
and i only have a few min to figure it out before im out driving on the expressway sometimes in areas ive never been to. lol

 

kinda like having General MIDI-like standardized menus on cars.. for you music folks if you know wat i mean. there should be a general standard menu mode and an all-out mode.

 

I refuse to get the premium, entertainment, information package. I buy a car to be driven. It is not my office away from home. My Fit? LX! It has a knob for volume control.

 

Would be hard to get that to happen, but I totally agree it would be a huge step towards simplifying users experience. I'd almost consider it a safety issue.

 

Agreed on all points.

 

 

I agree. With real button ones muscle memory comes into play & after a while there is no need to look, just reach out & you are touching the appropriate button. That ain't never going to happen with a touch screen. As a guy who enjoys driving paying attention to driving is more important than checking my email while I drive.

 

You all are still crying about the volume knob? They all come with steering wheel volume controls. Still muscle memory and don't have to take your hand off the steering wheel...

 

Agreed 2Rismo2. I used to think I needed a volume knob, but started using the steering wheel controls and haven't looked back.

Not to say that I wouldn't accept a volume knob. Just saying that, if total driving concentration is the goal, the steering wheel controls are even better at that job.

If the system is half way decent, you only need the steering wheel controls and voice commands to access 90% of features. Of the cars I've been in, VW, Ford, GM, and FCA (Dodge, Jeep....), were all pretty good once you get to know them. Others...not so much.

 

just switch to all touch panel already and get with the times.
with software you can have a basic standardized interface. and ability to switch to the custom oem interface all while using the same touch screen.

and use the steering controls.

 

I use my steering wheel to turn left & right. Yes volume & channel changing on the wheels is good. I'll never grow to like touch screen screen stuff in cars. Yes I'm old.

 

Let's not forget that these cars usually won't get software updates. Besides, they are made to last the warranty period and then that's it -> to the wreckers it goes, and in comes a new one.

I am already [literally] smelling a clutch replacement on my 6MT. I only have 80k miles, so within 1 year I will probably get that done; somewhere beyond 100k miles; already have my eyes on the exedy 1010. I checked my flywheel visually and it's already rusted out beyond what I would expect. So in comes new flywheel as well. Just my 2 cents.

 

Honda - no
Ford - yes, they have actually added features at no charge and improved performance

 

I got sucked in by the EX's infotainment potential but the reality proved to be a great disappointment. Turns out the trusty iPod Classic consistently crashes after 50-60 songs into the playlist. At least a fully loaded USB drive works well; that's a small consolation, but still ... Had I known then what I know now (or knew about three months after purchase) I'd have opted for the LX with the aux input.

 

from the read, fit drivers do not deserve nice things.. lol

 

Or they feel they do and will not choose Honda in the future.

I really like Honda, so I hope they get their act together.