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Safety improvements are one thing. Electronics for the sake of justifying an engineer's job are something else entirely. I have a 16 y.o. Japanese car with 2 large knobs and a single large defroster button that are intuitive, functional, and provide excellent interior climate control. I have a 4 y.o. German car with a dozen small buttons, a slider, and several toggle switches, all inscribed with tiny hieroglyphics, which in combination can do a bazillion things, but which require several seconds of eye contact and several attempts to get them to do anything actually useful to change the interior temperature. I'm sure repairs will be a lot more expensive than replacing a 49 cent knob. Fewer electronics for me, please.
Modern cars are brilliant, got rid of all that vacuum-reliant garbage, ditto for most of those big, clunky
control-modules. Sure, I do not have a need for all the excessive bells and whistles that many cars have....but the driveability/reliability of modern vehicles is very good.
Safety improvements are one thing. Electronics for the sake of justifying an engineer's job are something else entirely. I have a 16 y.o. Japanese car with 2 large knobs and a single large defroster button that are intuitive, functional, and provide excellent interior climate control. I have a 4 y.o. German car with a dozen small buttons, a slider, and several toggle switches, all inscribed with tiny hieroglyphics, which in combination can do a bazillion things, but which require several seconds of eye contact and several attempts to get them to do anything actually useful to change the interior temperature. I'm sure repairs will be a lot more expensive than replacing a 49 cent knob. Fewer electronics for me, please.
My Hyundai Sonata is an excellent example of a good balance between technology and driver friendly controls. The automatic climate control requires no input other than setting the desired temperature. The radio still has a volume dial and a tuning dial, but I do my volume and station changes via the steering wheel controls. On the technology side, I have adaptive cruise control with full stop/start, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. I've had it almost four years now and no problems whatsoever with any of the technology.
Somewhat related question. How much weight does this add? How much does 4 door window motors, four power door lock switches, & power seat motors weigh? Does a modern touch screen head unit weigh more or less than more traditional head units? Does modern factory installed speakers weigh more than factory speakers of a decade or two ago? How much added weight does the sound proofing add today compared to decades past? Last question, how much cheaper could a car be without these features?
Somewhat related question. How much weight does this add? How much does 4 door window motors, four power door lock switches, & power seat motors weigh? Does a modern touch screen head unit weigh more or less than more traditional head units? Does modern factory installed speakers weigh more than factory speakers of a decade or two ago? How much added weight does the sound proofing add today compared to decades past? Last question, how much cheaper could a car be without these features?
Does it matter?
If you buy a vehicle today you buy it the way they package it, period.
Most for example want power windows, brakes and steering.
That alone will lead you into upper packages as the manufacturer sees fit.
I was surprised to find out that our Pacifica, as equipped middle of the line, weighed in at almost 4400#.
Somewhat related question. How much weight does this add? How much does 4 door window motors, four power door lock switches, & power seat motors weigh? Does a modern touch screen head unit weigh more or less than more traditional head units? Does modern factory installed speakers weigh more than factory speakers of a decade or two ago? How much added weight does the sound proofing add today compared to decades past? Last question, how much cheaper could a car be without these features?
Everything is made lighter today electric motors have plastic resins housing and aluminum gears, takes the place of the steel case electric motors with the steel gears, speakers are different also they are slimmer the whole vehicle is lighter. If you ever get a chance to see a car or pickup assembly plant and how they are made you would be impressed. When I worked at the Chrysler Warren Truck assembly plant in the late 70’s there were not that many robots but know the plants are filled with them from robot welders to robot pain booths. And it won’t be much cheaper if these were not on the vehicle because power windows and a radio don’t add that much to the cost of the car.
I like to keep it simple myself. My first car was a very bare 1989 Mazda 323 DX with a 4-speed manual, no tachometer, no power steering, no A/C, no power brakes, and now right side mirror. I've current got an old 4cyl TDI, an 8-cyl Duramax, a gas/electric hybrid, and a BEV. The EV is a 2013 Fiat 500e which sort of has a retro interior with minimal features. Sure it has heated seats and a dash computer, but it's not littered with LCD/touch screens or redundant buttons & knobs. My one gripe is that the inidivual push-button(s) transmission selector is pretty dumb.
The bigger issue with these cars is going to be down the road when they are 10 to 20 years old and all that crap starts breaking.
Exactly. My wife’s adaptive cruise unit isn’t working. You can still use regular cruise control as long as you remember to turn it n before you put the car in gear.
It’s about $2600 bucks to fix it. Truthfully the car may be worth 6000 bucks. Maybe. I’m not spending 2600 bucks to fix that because it doesn’t impede the car from driving. It’s not a long distance car and with all the traffic you aren’t really going to use cruise control.
My trucks are pretty simple. Very few electronics. Other than power windows locks and in one truck it has a driver power seat none have adaptive anything, automatic braking or any electronic gizmos. Not that I really give a f about having them. When I drive I actually drive. About the only upgrade is a Bluetooth stereo and that’s because I have to be hands free when on my cell while driving.
Safety improvements are one thing. Electronics for the sake of justifying an engineer's job are something else entirely. I have a 16 y.o. Japanese car with 2 large knobs and a single large defroster button that are intuitive, functional, and provide excellent interior climate control. I have a 4 y.o. German car with a dozen small buttons, a slider, and several toggle switches, all inscribed with tiny hieroglyphics, which in combination can do a bazillion things, but which require several seconds of eye contact and several attempts to get them to do anything actually useful to change the interior temperature. I'm sure repairs will be a lot more expensive than replacing a 49 cent knob. Fewer electronics for me, please.
I refuse to buy a car that doesn't have more gizmos than the last one. If it's pretty much the same as my old one, I'll just keep my old one.
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