Modern cars are safer, quicker, and more technologically advanced than ever, but progress hasn't improved every part of the driving experience.In the rush to add bigger screens, more connectivity, and futuristic features, automakers have introduced plenty of trends that are more frustrating than useful.From touchscreens replacing simple buttons to subscription fees for features already built into your car, some modern innovations feel more like cost-cutting or revenue-generating exercises than genuine improvements.
Here are 10 automotive trends that, in my opinion, are making new cars worse rather than better.In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources.Related Cars are starting to fix their own recalls overnight—here's how it works No phone call to the dealership, no appointment to schedule, and no waiting room involved.
Posts By Carl Anthony 1 The overreliance on touchscreens instead of physical controls Certain things shouldn't be digitized Massive touchscreens are slowly but surely starting to become the standard.Where screens the size of your TV used to be reserved for luxury cars, more and more mainstream options are coming standard with huge infotainment units slapped onto the dashboard.Where simple functions used to be easy to find, you now have to sort through tons of menus or risk fighting with the voice assistant to get anything done.
I'm not against screens entirely This isn't to say that I think all cars should get rid of touchscreens entirely.It's just that a lot of modern automakers have taken things too far.Instead of asking whether a larger screen, and the deletion of physical controls, is better for the user, they're more concerned with being innovative or the most technologically advanced.
The truth about it, really, is that screens are simply cheaper than buttons, and this has made brands a little lazy.2 Subscriptions for features that your car already comes with If I bought it I shouldn't have to pay more I am a strong believer that if you buy a product outright, there should be no ongoing subscription fee attached to it.This applies to everything from video games to doorbell cameras.
Unfortunately, this model of offering features as a service has snuck its way into the automotive industry, and now there are far too many examples of cars that charge you an extra monthly fee for things that are already in your car.Features shouldn't be locked behind a paywall This thought process doesn't necessarily apply to every subscription.Sometimes, having software that you can pay for when you want it and cancel when you don't isn't a bad thing.
Where it becomes absurd is when physical features that are built into your car are locked behind a subscription.Certain automakers are known to make you pay a monthly fee for things like heated seats or extra performance, which is just silly.It is just another way of attempting to take ownership of the vehicle out of the hands of the buyer.
3 Infotainment systems with excessive pop-ups These systems are becoming outright distracting Another gripe that I have with the push towards making vehicles more connected is that touchscreens have become riddled with pop-ups.This ranges from the small but slightly annoying pop-up to remind you to keep your eyes on the road when you start your car to things that are far more sinister.As our vehicles become more connected, we are seeing brands push new ways to profit off of you after you've already bought the car.
Car screens are becoming advertising platforms Any pop-ups that you have to deal with while driving are irritating.I, personally, want to get in my car and go, without having to interact with menus every time.The worst of all is that some brands have begun using this digital real estate as advertising space.
In a pretty recent stunt, BMW turned the infotainment screens in their high-end luxury cars into billboards for the new Spider-Man movie.Related Acura’s NEXERA Concept ditches power seats for a car that adjusts around you Unique detail almost no other car, be it a concept or production model, can claim.Posts By Carl Anthony 4 Oversensitive driver assists that constantly shout at you Some can be more dangerous than they're worth The number of driver assists that now have to be standard in new cars is ludicrous.
While I agree that certain features definitely make the roads safer, when systems are intrusive they can do the opposite.While these systems are getting better and better, there are still far too many stories out there where drivers have had these systems react to imaginary obstacles or fought them on the highway.This spans from mildly annoying to a more existential issue As it stands, driver assist systems can be annoying.
With alerts and chimes set to go off when you don't do exactly what the car wants, the driving experience has become tainted in a lot of ways.If you stop fighting the car, and let it do what it wants, things become smoother.The autonomy of the driver is becoming less important to automakers as time marches forward.
While some see this as a positive thing, I think it's just another step towards becoming the pod people from Wall-E.5 Wireless smartphone charging pads that superheat your phone They're slow, unreliable, and not great for your phone Wireless charging has become a big trend in the automotive world, with almost every new car on the market at least offering it as an option.In my experience, they never work as well as they should.
In every car that I have driven that comes equipped with a wireless charger, I have always ended up reverting to a cable.It just isn't as good as traditional charging The first downside to wireless chargers is that they take up space on your center console.When using them, they don't charge your phone nearly as quickly as it would charge with a cable, at least in most modern cars.
If you have a case on your phone, getting it to charge isn't always as simple as putting it down on the pad either.Leave your phone charging on the pad on long journeys and it's likely to overheat.The best method is often skipping the charging pad and plugging your phone in.
6 Door handles that sit flush against the car They're just less functional When something is well-designed, it should look good and its form should fit its function.If you're going to redesign something that is as widely accepted as the door handle, then you also have to be sure that your new design is better in most ways than the old design.In most cases, I think that door handles that sit flush against your car completely miss the mark.
Progress for the sake of progress Flush door handles feel like one of those things that were built just because it could be done, and they have somehow become pretty widely accepted.Some people think that they look a lot better than door handles that stick out, and while I don't agree, I can accept that looks are subjective.While they're not exactly hard to figure out, they're not exactly intuitive, and they're just less functional than traditional door handles.
Related I spent $10,000 remodeling my garage to save on car repairs—but the real payoff surprised me Remodeling your garage pays you back in ways that you may not realize.Posts 1 By Joe Kucinski 7 New cars don't often come with a spare tire anymore Cost savings trump safety Automakers like to tell us that safety is one of their top concerns, which is their justification for a lot of the annoying things on this list.If you sell a new car without a spare tire, though, I think that you're being hypocritical.
The fact that so many new vehicles roll off dealership floors with a puncture repair kit instead of a spare tire is just crazy to me.Being stranded without a spare is dangerous While some have the privilege of living somewhere where you can sit on the side of the road and wait for a tow truck, a lot of people live in a different reality.For a lot of people, not having a spare tire is quite simply dangerous.
Either way, it is another way for automakers to quietly push costs on to you.If you can't simply repair the puncture, you don't have the option of coasting home or to a repair shop on a spare.8 Car interiors with surfaces covered in Piano Black Especially luxury cars There are plenty of instances where design choices become standard across a range of automakers, sometimes seemingly without explanation.
One such design choice is the inclusion of copious amounts of Piano Black surfaces.From budget-oriented family haulers to high-end luxury cruisers, there are far too many cars on the market that have adopted this trend.It doesn't look good for long This is another instance where I will accept that aesthetics are subjective, and that while I think Piano Black makes a car look cheap, other people will think the opposite.
However, once you've lived with it for some time, you'll realize it doesn't stay nice for long.When touchpoints use Piano Black, every speck of dust and every fingerprint becomes visible.Unless you constantly wipe your interior down with a microfiber towel, you're going to get smudges.
9 Synthetic engine sounds that are piped into the cabin It detracts from the driving experience rather than adding to it When you get behind the wheel of a performance car, one of the most exciting parts is the roar of the engine.Even the staunchest of EV evangelists can appreciate a good exhaust note.Some performance cars aren't exceptionally loud from inside the cabin, though.
The solution to this problem, in the eyes of some automakers, is to pipe synthetic engine sounds into the cabin.It's just disingenuous Electrification is slowly but surely becoming the ruling force in the automotive world.This isn't a bad thing, but it means that mainstream cars have become a little less fun.
This puts the pressure on performance cars, especially those with gas-powered engines, to be more fun than ever before.While fake engine sounds don't affect performance, they are just completely unnecessary.People that buy sporty cars aren't looking for synthetic experiences, and when these fake sounds are too aggressive they end up taking you out of the driving experience.
Related Automakers are obsessed with bigger screens and more apps—I just want better phone integration Cars last for years, but their technology ages quickly.Automakers should focus less on built-in apps and more on better phone integration.Posts By Rich Hein 10 Aggressively styled fake exhaust ports Bad design is bad design Going back to something I've already mentioned, a good design should improve aesthetics and its form should fit its function.
While this might sound like a silly gripe, my issue with fake exhausts is that they're indicative of a much larger issue.Yes, they can look nice, and they don't always cause any apparent issues, but they are yet another way automakers are becoming disingenuous.Authenticity should be valued more Fake exhaust tips are the automotive equivalent of wearing a knock-off Rolex.
This is especially true for luxury or performance cars.Most of the time, it is pretty easy to tell that they're made of cheaper materials, and that behind them sits a simple turndown pipe.Their inclusion cheapens a car rather than making it more attractive through the simple means of their existence.
Sometimes innovation isn't a positive thing Passion used to be one of the biggest driving forces in the automotive world.Where a car didn't feel particularly exciting, it at least felt like decisions were made to make it more practical or more user-friendly.Unfortunately, there are more and more trends in the automotive world that feel like flashy money-making gimmicks, or worse, they feel downright arbitrary.
While there is a lot to get excited about in terms of advanced tech and engineering, certain trends, like the ones listed above, make me uneasy about the future of cars.
Read More
