We love cars. Don’t you? It is safe to say most Americans do love cars for the freedom they give. Still, between car payments, upkeep, fuel prices, traffic, and parking, they also seem like a necessary evil. Those are known reasons to dislike cars.
But there are other elements of cars that make the experience downright painful. Add them together and pure hatred may ensue. To this end, there are 10 things we hate about cars.
Pure Hate
1. Wonky interfaces.
Technology is great…when it works. One area where manufacturers have caused much pain is the interface for infotainment systems. Some work quite well, others are more difficult to grasp, while still others are awful. There is much room for improvement with most systems. Until then, our rage boils beneath the surface.
2. Stop-start technology.
Our hatred for start-stop technology is legendary. If you can deactivate the system by a press of the button, then fine…But not all systems can be deactivated without a trip to the dealership to disconnect the wiring. With such systems in place, manufacturers can claim a 1 mpg boost in fuel economy. Meanwhile, owners and drivers are peeved.
3. Crowded consoles.
To add tech, comfort features, and modern touches, some manufacturers overcrowd consoles to the point of confusion. Too many switches, knobs, and buttons crowd the area out, making it difficult to operate and dangerously distracting at times. Our hate is real!
4. Failing voice commands.
Somewhere, somehow Artificial Intelligence will figure out voice-activated everything. Until then we will continue to articulate our commands slowly and clearly, enunciating to ensure everything we utter is understood. Even so, count on the system not understanding something you said. If you are asked to repeat, that is one matter. But if the system misunderstands and renders something completely different, then…hate!
5. Electric gear shifters.
Placing all the transmission controls on top of the gear shifter is confusing. Especially if you hit the wrong button or move the switch incorrectly. Why reinvent what has worked so well? Okay, if you must remove that transmission shifter, then a clearly understood push-button PRNDL pattern on the dashboard is doable.
6. Sensitive safety tech.
We love driver-assist technology. Lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control has helped drivers avoid an accident. But some systems are too sensitive, especially lane control. Deviate a few inches outside of a certain middle space and some systems squawk or flash again and again. A bit of latitude goes a long way. Without it, drivers can become quickly frustrated and tune out warnings by turning up the volume.
7. No place for the cell phone.
We get it if a car is four or five years old, but by the 2020s the designs should include someplace to hold a smartphone, besides in a cupholder. Ideally, a compartment sized to hold the phone is available. Wireless charging is a bonus. If manufacturers want to help consumers avoid road distractions, then connecting phones wirelessly with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is smart.
8. Fake carbon fiber trim.
We get that not every manufacturer can put carbon-fiber trim in every vehicle. What we don’t understand is when the trim is a poor imitation of the authentic material. If you are going to pretend, at least make it look nice and likely to stand the test of time.
9. Fixed rear seats.
Manufacturers may think they understand why consumers are fleeing cars for crossovers. But it isn’t always clear until you try to drop down the rear seat in a sedan and find out it doesn’t have that capability. Perhaps worse is the skinny pass-through that is mostly useless. Consumers want versatility – dropping the rear seat to access the trunk space isn’t a difficult concept.
10. No spare whatsoever.
We “get” donut spares even if they are a poor substitute for a regular-size tire. What we do not understand are cars that come with an inflation kit, but no spare. Excuse us, these kits are useful if the tire is destroyed, such as in a blowout. Relying on road service is terrible, especially in remote areas where the service is spotty and waiting long intervals for assistance is simply unsafe. Pure hate!
All the Things We Hate
Of course, we love more features in cars than we hate. Still, combine several of the features on this list in one vehicle and our admiration quickly turns into detestation. Know what you hate about a vehicle when shopping for one to ensure that your list is a small one.
See Also — Quit The Moaning About The Roads!
Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay
