Getting rid of keys for cars and other automotive innovations. Okay, it's been 15 years since I owned a car. Since 2009 I've probably driven less than a dozen times and nearly all those times it's been my nephew's car. I guess most people are okay with fobs, or whatever they are called, but I'm never sure how to get the car going, confus…
Getting rid of keys for cars and other automotive innovations. Okay, it's been 15 years since I owned a car. Since 2009 I've probably driven less than a dozen times and nearly all those times it's been my nephew's car. I guess most people are okay with fobs, or whatever they are called, but I'm never sure how to get the car going, confused by the various touches to get a car into reverse or drive or low, and am totally perplexed by using some guided missile system to back up rather than a rear view mirror. I don't need a car to talk to me and I'm perfectly okay with finding my way around when I get lost. I was also perfectly content with pushing buttons and/or twisting a knob to get the radio stations I wanted to listen to. I don't need a scanner which cycles through the universe of sound. Finally, I'll decide when to turn the windshield wipers on or off and how fast they should be wiping. Finally, I think my nephew's car is 7 or 8 years old and it's been a couple of years since I drove it but, it seems like there were a bunch of superfluous things on it, and nothing about its operation that was remotely intuitive. I'm pretty sure the more modern cars would be even more aggravating.
I basically agree with you, especially when it comes to watching (and worse, WAITING) for someone to back out of a parking spot. You know, the ones you can tell aren't you watching the backup camera but are relying on the first beep from the rear sensor. As soon as it beeps, leaving 6 feet of room behind them, they stop and pull forward about two feet. Stop back up to the first beep, pull forward two feet and do this two or three more times.
But I have to admit, heated seats and steering wheel are a godsend!
Then there is the matter of the misnamed "auto park" or automatic parallel parking. Nothing "auto" about it, in my experience trying to pass someone absolutely determined to fit into a space at the curb maybe just big enough by a couple of millimeters, but unable to coordinate the required accelerator and brake action.
I read recently that cars are returning to more analog displays, having realized that trying to make out a digital display while driving is dangerous. My car is a 2005 Saturn Vue, with which I am still quite satisfied, though I do rather wish it had a backup camera, as I am rubbish at backing.
One of the things I love about my 2020 Nissan Rogue is that I also have a front-view camera, which helps greatly when I'm pulling forward into a parking space.
Getting rid of keys for cars and other automotive innovations. Okay, it's been 15 years since I owned a car. Since 2009 I've probably driven less than a dozen times and nearly all those times it's been my nephew's car. I guess most people are okay with fobs, or whatever they are called, but I'm never sure how to get the car going, confused by the various touches to get a car into reverse or drive or low, and am totally perplexed by using some guided missile system to back up rather than a rear view mirror. I don't need a car to talk to me and I'm perfectly okay with finding my way around when I get lost. I was also perfectly content with pushing buttons and/or twisting a knob to get the radio stations I wanted to listen to. I don't need a scanner which cycles through the universe of sound. Finally, I'll decide when to turn the windshield wipers on or off and how fast they should be wiping. Finally, I think my nephew's car is 7 or 8 years old and it's been a couple of years since I drove it but, it seems like there were a bunch of superfluous things on it, and nothing about its operation that was remotely intuitive. I'm pretty sure the more modern cars would be even more aggravating.
I prefer driving cars with a manual transmission. You feel at one with the road, and it’s fun.
And I have to say it, “Hey you kids, get off my lawn.”
I basically agree with you, especially when it comes to watching (and worse, WAITING) for someone to back out of a parking spot. You know, the ones you can tell aren't you watching the backup camera but are relying on the first beep from the rear sensor. As soon as it beeps, leaving 6 feet of room behind them, they stop and pull forward about two feet. Stop back up to the first beep, pull forward two feet and do this two or three more times.
But I have to admit, heated seats and steering wheel are a godsend!
Then there is the matter of the misnamed "auto park" or automatic parallel parking. Nothing "auto" about it, in my experience trying to pass someone absolutely determined to fit into a space at the curb maybe just big enough by a couple of millimeters, but unable to coordinate the required accelerator and brake action.
I read recently that cars are returning to more analog displays, having realized that trying to make out a digital display while driving is dangerous. My car is a 2005 Saturn Vue, with which I am still quite satisfied, though I do rather wish it had a backup camera, as I am rubbish at backing.
One of the things I love about my 2020 Nissan Rogue is that I also have a front-view camera, which helps greatly when I'm pulling forward into a parking space.