Manufacturer's Take Note

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Stuff that really grinds my gears that manufacturers need to take note on.

1) Vehicles that don't take into account tall people, especially torso tall folks or people with long legs. We aren't getting shorter as society. Can you not allow the seats to go lower down and further back?

2) Uncomfortable seats. So common today. Bad for the lower back, weird positions it puts your hips in.

3) Severely sloped roofs that make it difficult to get in/out of the vehicle without whacking your head or contorting in some way.

4) All steering wheels should tilt/telescope. No exceptions.


What are your pet peeves?
 
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Uncomfortable seats are right up there.

The other thing is driving dynamics. If a car has poor throttle response or is otherwise down on power, numb steering, poor turn-in, leans too much, or is otherwise sub standard in the dynamics department, I dislike it.

Not everything needs to be a Honda S2000. However manufacturers do need to work on getting suspension geometry, feel and response correct. The Kia Sorento I recently rented drove quite well. The Hyundai santafe 4 cyl, not so much. They are both in the same class, only one drove like it should.
 
Yes definitely agree with driving dynamic. My Journey is loud, uncomfortable, doesn't corner well, and you feel everything on the road. Plus there are times I will mash the pedal into the floor and it's like it just won't go. It just groans.
 
#3 mainly for me. have fun with ingress/egress of a 2013+ Ford Fusion if you're taller than, say, 5'10. At 6'2" it's butt in 1st while gripping roof/A-pillar with left hand, head titled left & chin on chest then rotate hips and torso to the right and into seating position once head is inside without knocking it against the roof line.

Ironically, although a compact suv, my Forester is good ergo's and easy ingress/egress for me.
 
Yes, there is a vehicle for everyone. I have a criteria for my driving style & needs, which is why I have chosen the vehicles. I don't expect others to agree with me.

I too hate uncomfortable seats. Seats that have too much bolstering as if we were going to drive the car at full tilt on our favorite twisting road all the time.

Infotainment systems with waaaaay tooooo many menus that take your attention away from the road. People want all this stuff when they should be frikken driving and paying attention to their surroundings.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Stuff that really grinds my gears that manufacturers need to take note on.

1) Vehicles that don't take into account tall people, especially torso tall folks or people with long legs. We aren't getting shorter as society. Can you not allow the seats to go lower down and further back?

2) Uncomfortable seats. So common today. Bad for the lower back, weird positions it puts your hips in.

3) Severely sloped roofs that make it difficult to get in/out of the vehicle without whacking your head or contorting in some way.

4) All steering wheels should tilt/telescope. No exceptions.


Numbers 1, 2, and 4 for sure!

There is a reason I drive the vehicle I do. While I can get in and out of my wife's Passat, I just can't get the seat into a good enough position for the "long haul" trips, and after sitting in a less than optimal position for the duration of that trip, getting out of the thing just doesn't work well.
 
When I go to get a vehicle the sales people always look at me weird when I'm like yeah this seat just doesn't feel right with my bad back or when I have to contort to get into a vehicle without whacking my head and they say. "Oh you are are tall" Yeah no ________ kidding.

I'm usually restricted to SUV's and Vans.
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
When I go to get a vehicle the sales people always look at me weird when I'm like yeah this seat just doesn't feel right with my bad back or when I have to contort to get into a vehicle without whacking my head and they say. "Oh you are are tall" Yeah no ________ kidding.

I'm usually restricted to SUV's and Vans.
frown.gif



I'm 6'-5" and I've always said, "my first option is fit".

Another pet peeve: pedal placement in auto trans cars. Some brake pedals are so far to the right, it becomes very difficult to left foot brake. I just helped my daughter buy a Mazda CX-3 and it is like this.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
When I go to get a vehicle the sales people always look at me weird when I'm like yeah this seat just doesn't feel right with my bad back or when I have to contort to get into a vehicle without whacking my head and they say. "Oh you are are tall" Yeah no ________ kidding.

I'm usually restricted to SUV's and Vans.
frown.gif



That's why I drive a Crown Vic--I fit in it. I have a long torso and like to sit upright, so that has me in the headliner of lots of cars.
 
I know but some of us have high gas expenses due to high fuel prices or long distance travel and can't afford to run a V8. I don't understand why they can't make mid size cars fit tall people by allowing the seats to go a little lower and a little further back.

Perfect example: I can't fit in my MIL's 2009 CRV but I could fit in her 1999 CRV. ?!?
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Plastic headlights. PLEASE go back to glass!!


YES!
 
My main issues are throttle response and no manual transmissions. The ones that do have manuals are beyond my price range or so stripped down I wouldn’t buy it. Would it kill mazdato offer a 6 speed and a sunroof in the mid level car?
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
seats where the bottom cushion is too short- camrys are like that.
we bought our 90s Infiniti partly cause the seats support your butt AND your legs.


YES! And bring back the couch style comfortable seats like the old buicks or the Chrysler New Yorkers!
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
seats where the bottom cushion is too short- camrys are like that.
we bought our 90s Infiniti partly cause the seats support your butt AND your legs.


My mom has an Audi A3 in which the bottom seat cushions are short while my wife's Audi A4 seems like it was designed for tall Germans.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
That's why I drive a Crown Vic--I fit in it. I have a long torso and like to sit upright, so that has me in the headliner of lots of cars.


If I already didn't have 4 cars, (three of which are paid for) I would so buy a Crown Vic/Town Car/Grand Marquis. I love those big cars with a trunk bigger than my truck bed. Like driving your couch down the interstate. Yeah, yeah... I drive a Civic, but it fit my need at the time, it's too good of a car to sell, and I wouldn't get anything out of it anyway (talking about the '01, my wife would divorce me if I got rid of her '00 Civic).

I'd like to add to the list usable side mirrors and less blind spots. A car from the 90's or older has so much more visibility than anything today. I guess they make up for it with all these accident avoidance features today.
 
I would like not having to add a voltmeter and an oil pressure gauge. I don't see a lot of use for a tach in an auto transmission sedan, especially when its as large as the speedo.
 
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