Features you do NOT like on new vehicles?

[CharlesInCharge]

New vehicles often come with 'upgraded' features and benefits such as safety or design layout, reliability issues fixed from prior models, etc. At this point you'd think the auto should be near perfected. But it seems for every 5 steps forward we take about 3 back. Here are some of the gripes as to why I don't buy new vehicles, other than outrageous costs and depreciation.

* Too many recalls. I'm not interested in being a beta tester. Recalls on things we should have long ago perfected like steering, brakes, airbags, etc. really ward me away.
* Making maintenance harder for the consumer or DIYer. The removal of dipsticks and sealed systems is a big one I detest.
* The looks - too many modern cars look the same, and are ugly. I also do not like the large bass-mouth grills, and the large obnoxious lights found on some like the trucks with the huge [ grill ] lighting. Ugh.
* Speaking of lights, why do headlights turn off when the turn signal is engaged? Who thinks losing a headlight is a good feature?
* Cars turning off when stopped at intersections. This must be really bad on the starter, fuel economy, and engine wear.
* Much cheaper materials, like paper thin leather seats and upholstery that wears out in 10k miles.

I'm sure there's more.

 

[Nick1994]

Stop-Start. I will NOT buy a car that this can't be easily disabled.

All other features, I'll take it.

 

[GMBoy]

Start-Stop system
automatic collision avoidance systems than apply brakes for you
not able to move vehicle while in gear such as parking on a lift. You open the door and the vehicle goes into park.

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

KEYBOARD CLIMATE CONTROLS. They are not better or safer. With the knobs and slides in my old 2004 Impala I could completely control the HVAC without looking down.....in total darkness .....wearing gloves.

 

[daves87rs]

Stop Start, hands down. Only thing I hate about my Equinox…..

 

[Creekside]

Seat belt dingers that stay on. I use my trucks in the fields a lot and it’s annoying. Also my new John Deere 5100e has “Front Brake Assist” where it pulls in 4x4 on a brake application when in forward motion. It’s very jerky when it engages and drops out. No way to disable it either. Absolutely brilliant safety feature but needs refined more.

 

[Falcon_LS]

The start/stop system tops the list; particularly in a place like this, where air conditioning is vital to your survival. I could care less about the gas it burns at a stop light, and then there's the extra wear and tear on the starter.

Push button and dial operated transmission shifters come a close second. The knob failed to come all the way up on a buddy's Land Rover last month, and he couldn't shift out of park. Then, there's the ordeal with jack mode, because the moment you touch that door handle, the transmission is in park and you can roll it forward unless you go through some sort of "dance" to put it in jack mode.

Another one would be the whole auto brake thing, particularly when parking. Trying to back up a vehicle against a wall, and it won't let you move any closer than a foot. I don't need nanny controls on a vehicle.

Last, but not least, is the infotainment system that won't allow a front seat passenger to select a destination on the GPS system or select a tune, because it thinks the driver is focusing on something other than driving. If the front passenger seat sensor "senses" a passenger, maybe that's something it can override. The whole stop-the-vehicle-and-shift-to-park ritual gets old pretty fast.

 

[OilMagnate]

Let's see, where do I begin?

*Let's start with the absolute deal-breakers:
Turbos
Direct injection
CVTs
Cylinder deactivation
Collision avoidance with automatic brakes
Less than 4 cylinders
No cylinders at all (electric)
Large touch screens that control EVERYTHING (looking at you RAM)
Any touch screen that controls A/C. Knobs or physical buttons, no exceptions.
Start-stop (even if it can be disabled)
Lane keep assist/lane centering (that can't be shut off)
Any kind of assisted steering
Adaptive cruise control (that can't be shut off)
Push button start
Automatic high beams
Push button/dial gear selector
Driver drowsiness detector
What GMBoy said about opening you door and it goes into park (didn't know this was a thing)

*The non-deal-breakers but a large roll of the eyes:
Back-up warnings
Adaptive cruise (which can be disabled - because I still paid for it)
Lane keep assist (which can be disabled - because I still paid for it)
Daytime running lights/auto lights
Seat belt warning chimes that go off when you're going under 10mph in a parking lot but continue to be obnoxious *even in park* (looking at you Hyundai)
Capless gas tanks
"Sealed" transmissions
"ECO/ECON" modes (I've used on several cars with worse off results than non-eco)
Non-serviceable fuel filters (almost every car within the last 20 years)
Heads-up displays
Cars that play engine revving audio through the speakers because they're too anemic

Indifferent opinion:
Electric steering
Blind spot detection

And the things I used to dislike that have won me over:
A display larger than two inches (but smaller than 7")
Backup cameras (goes hand in hand with the display)
Steering wheel control buttons (A/C, radio, menus, cruise)
*Customizable* maintenance minder settings (Hyundai, probably others)
Oil life monitor (I don't rely on it, but it's reassurance)
TPMS sensors that read individual tires with semi real-time pressures
Auto-manual control when done properly (Hyundai)

...just to name a few.

 

[skyactiv]

Low profile tires like 225/40/18… which you will bend wheels living in the snow belt.

 

[CharBaby]

Yeah, there are features that I don't like however for me, it's more about what I don't want or need.

* Low profile tire/wheel pkg. They look great but as mentioned above, they will get damaged and the everyday ride will suffer.
*Turbo charging makes nice power in a smaller package but could be a costly repair should it fail. Whereas a NA engine will/should last the lifetime of the vehicle.
*Convoluted infotainment systems...I want the most used features easy to use. I don't want to going into menus to adjust simple things.
*Safety features that can't be easily(EASILY) turned off
*I want dipsticks for engine & tranny and I want these fluids easy to change

 

[Lubener]

Power windows, nothing but problems down the road. Also, the LCD screen in many vehicles, who needs it.

 

[Tjbouwhu]

Stop/Start
For Acura, they took the remote start off the key fob on the top trim level...forces you to subscribe to Acculink and start it from your phone.

 

[Andrew1972]

The only feature I dislike is touch screen only for HVAC and volume. I love everything else and don’t mind start-stop in wife’s VW. VW thankfully has knobs for HVAC and volume.

 

[alcyon]

New vehicles often come with 'upgraded' features and benefits such as safety or design layout, reliability issues fixed from prior models, etc. At this point you'd think the auto should be near perfected. But it seems for every 5 steps forward we take about 3 back. Here are some of the gripes as to why I don't buy new vehicles, other than outrageous costs and depreciation.

* Too many recalls. I'm not interested in being a beta tester. Recalls on things we should have long ago perfected like steering, brakes, airbags, etc. really ward me away.
* Making maintenance harder for the consumer or DIYer. The removal of dipsticks and sealed systems is a big one I detest.
* The looks - too many modern cars look the same, and are ugly. I also do not like the large bass-mouth grills, and the large obnoxious lights found on some like the trucks with the huge [ grill ] lighting. Ugh.
* Speaking of lights, why do headlights turn off when the turn signal is engaged? Who thinks losing a headlight is a good feature?
* Cars turning off when stopped at intersections. This must be really bad on the starter, fuel economy, and engine wear.
* Much cheaper materials, like paper thin leather seats and upholstery that wears out in 10k miles.

I'm sure there's more.

The solution is simple. I dont buy new or newer cars after a certain time period.

 

[MParr]

Stop/Start
Sunroofs

 

[mightymousetech]

LOL

I will say though, radar guided cruise control is really annoying.

 

[Leo99]

The start/stop system tops the list; particularly in a place like this, where air conditioning is vital to your survival. I could care less about the gas it burns at a stop light, and then there's the extra wear and tear on the starter.

Push button and dial operated transmission shifters come a close second. The knob failed to come all the way up on a buddy's Land Rover last month, and he couldn't shift out of park. Then, there's the ordeal with jack mode, because the moment you touch that door handle, the transmission is in park and you can roll it forward unless you go through some sort of "dance" to put it in jack mode.

Another one would be the whole auto brake thing, particularly when parking. Trying to back up a vehicle against a wall, and it won't let you move any closer than a foot. I don't need nanny controls on a vehicle.

Last, but not least, is the infotainment system that won't allow a front seat passenger to select a destination on the GPS system or select a tune, because it thinks the driver is focusing on something other than driving. If the front passenger seat sensor "senses" a passenger, maybe that's something it can override. The whole stop-the-vehicle-and-shift-to-park ritual gets old pretty fast.

The AC stays on when there is a high delta between setting and actual temperature with start/stop. At least in my experience. What cars trigger the stop function when the hvac is working hard?

 

[ka9mnx]

All the things OilMagnate said...

 

[Thomas Campbell]

Cylinder deactivation, Automatic Start/Stop (A.S.S) system and lane assist

 

[Little_Lebowski]

No dipstick to check oil.