Newer Vehicles and Technology

Beth Gallagher

Beth Gallagher

Well-known member
I'm sure many of you recall my whining after buying a 2024 vehicle a couple of years ago. I was actually overwhelmed by the sheer amount of technology in that car, and I consider myself fairly technologically competent. Not to mention the time it spent at the dealership trying to get all the bells and whistles to ring and tweet. :ROFLMAO: (I can laugh about it now.) I guess I would like to know who exactly thinks all the tablet-based technology in a vehicle traveling 70 MPH on the freeway is a good idea? Do I need to be scrolling Netflix, talking to Siri, and answering phone messages??

Yes, it is nice to have the heated seat, heated steering wheel, satellite radio, heads-up windshield display, lane departure assist, blind spot monitoring, crash avoidance, google navigation, etc, etc... but REALLY??? I'm not sure when all this became a necessity, and why it is difficult to find a new vehicle without this ridiculous stuff. (I do like the heated seat, not gonna lie.) I also wonder what the used car market is going to be like in 5-10 years when all this technology is obsolete... will these just be littering the landfill?

I traded that vehicle for a 2026 Honda CRV hybrid a couple of months ago. The Honda has technology but still has a few knobs to turn on the dashboard. I'm still getting used to the hybrid thing but so far, so good. It hasn't had to go back to the dealer yet... knock on imitation woodgrain trim.
 
I don't know if I could handle the level of technology in today's cars. I worry with heated seats that my wife would get drowsy or fall asleep while driving as that is what she does at home with heated stuff. I tend to fall asleep when the pain goes away, so it could happen to me too. It would be nice on cold days though. I would think that you would need COOLED seats most of the time in Houston @Beth Gallagher. Having lived in the south, I remember what it felt when I got into a car that had been in the sun for a bit.
 
I have owned 4 vehicles including the new Honda with "ventilated" seats (cooled) and they are pretty nice. They don't seem to work as well as the heated feature, which is very comforting on a cold morning. I read somewhere that hybrid vehicles don't produce as much engine heat as an ICE vehicle, so the cabin heaters often perform poorly. It does seem to take a long time for the cabin of the Honda to get warm.
 
I have a Nissan Rogue with all the bells and whistles you can imagine.... and then some...
What I do like is when it is dark and raining, I use steering assist which steers the car by itself.. Naturally I keep my hand on the steering wheel, but the car actually does a fabulous job by itself when on cruise control and steering assist...
 
Steve North said:
I have a Nissan Rogue with all the bells and whistles you can imagine.... and then some...
What I do like is when it is dark and raining, I use steering assist which steers the car by itself.. Naturally I keep my hand on the steering wheel, but the car actually does a fabulous job by itself when on cruise control and steering assist...
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My Honda also has that; I am old school and prefer to do my own steering. The only time it has been turned on was during the test drive when the salesman wanted to show me the feature. I don't like it when the car steers or brakes on its own.

I do like the adaptive cruise control, though. Having the vehicle automatically slow down when approaching a slower vehicle is nice.
 
When driving at night in the rain when visibility is limited, I use the steering assist and it works perfectly...
I keep my hands on the wheel as well, but they are never needed as the car does a great job of steering itself..
The cruise control must be activated which I do at a lower speed...
 
One other very annoying thing about new vehicle technology is that many times a monthly subscription is required to use the "features." My Cadillac required an OnStar monthly subscription (about $50) to continue some of the features after the initial complimentary period. I didn't own the car long enough for those complimentary periods to expire, but I was not happy about eventually having to pay for that stuff.
 
Another feature I like and use is remote start... I can start the car in the driveway from inside the house and it will warm up the inside of the car so we can get into a fairly warm car.. It only lasts for 10 minutes, but that is enough to warm up the car.....
 
Steve North said:
Another feature I like and use is remote start... I can start the car in the driveway from inside the house and it will warm up the inside of the car so we can get into a fairly warm car.. It only lasts for 10 minutes, but that is enough to warm up the car.....
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Does Nissan have an app for your phone? I can start my car from across the country using my iPhone. (Not sure when I would ever need this 'feature,' but apparently it's handy for when you are out of keyfob range.) I can also lock/unlock the car from anywhere with the app, which could be helpful in certain situations.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
Does Nissan have an app for your phone? I can start my car from across the country using my iPhone. (Not sure when I would ever need this 'feature,' but apparently it's handy for when you are out of keyfob range.) I can also lock/unlock the car from anywhere with the app, which could be helpful in certain situations.
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The only application I can really see for that is on the vehicles that have so much parasitic stuff that it runs the battery down over a period of several weeks. You could start your car and charge the battery every week or two to prevent the battery from running dead and freezing in cold places. I can see no other use.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I also wonder what the used car market is going to be like in 5-10 years when all this technology is obsolete... will these just be littering the landfill?

It hasn't had to go back to the dealer yet... knock on imitation woodgrain trim.
Click to expand...

Good question! I never gave that a thought. All those whistles and bells is one reason I haven't gotten a new car. My SUV is 13 years old and it was pretty loaded when I bought it. I don't put hardly any miles on it so I am hoping to hang on to it until these car manufacturers come to their senses, or until I expire.

Beth Gallagher said:
... knock on imitation woodgrain trim.
Click to expand...
:ROFLMAO:
 
They are starting to come out with smaller, cheaper vehicles that cost less to run, and will be manufactured here in the United States. President Trump has been working with the car manufacturers to help get some of the laws changed so that we can have these basic vehicles allowed, even though the regulations have prevented them before.

There is a small Toyota truck, and some small hybrid cars that should be coming out, and even some electric and hybrid pickups that should be cheaper , and lack all (or most) of the tech equipment.
Some of them would pretty much just be for basic town driving, and not safe on a freeway because they are small and lightweight, but would be fine for going to work or going shopping at the grocery store.

www.caranddriver.com

2027 Slate Truck EV Will Be Very Customizable, Priced Under $28,000

It's the Burger King of trucks: It's affordable, and the nascent brand lets customers 'have it their way' with a lengthy accessory list, including one that turns this pickup into an SUV.
www.caranddriver.com www.caranddriver.com
 
Don Alaska said:
The only application I can really see for that is on the vehicles that have so much parasitic stuff that it runs the battery down over a period of several weeks. You could start your car and charge the battery every week or two to prevent the battery from running dead and freezing in cold places. I can see no other use.
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I think some people who commute to work and park a distance from their workplace use the app to warm up/cool off their vehicle. Most keyfobs have a limited effective distance. Also, if someone borrowed my car and somehow lost the key or locked it inside the car, they could call me and I could unlock/start the car from here.
 
Don Alaska said:
I don't know if I could handle the level of technology in today's cars. I worry with heated seats that my wife would get drowsy or fall asleep while driving as that is what she does at home with heated stuff. I tend to fall asleep when the pain goes away, so it could happen to me too. It would be nice on cold days though. I would think that you would need COOLED seats most of the time in Houston @Beth Gallagher. Having lived in the south, I remember what it felt when I got into a car that had been in the sun for a bit.
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I really like hubby's heated seats. I use his 2013 Volvo in the winter because of the AWD. And the seats warm up before the heater inI the dash. But daughter just said now you can get a heated steering wheel.
Come on, It's winter, you have gloves on...
I'll just rough it.;)
 
Yvonne Smith said:
They are starting to come out with smaller, cheaper vehicles that cost less to run, and will be manufactured here in the United States. President Trump has been working with the car manufacturers to help get some of the laws changed so that we can have these basic vehicles allowed, even though the regulations have prevented them before.

There is a small Toyota truck, and some small hybrid cars that should be coming out, and even some electric and hybrid pickups that should be cheaper , and lack all (or most) of the tech equipment.
Some of them would pretty much just be for basic town driving, and not safe on a freeway because they are small and lightweight, but would be fine for going to work or going shopping at the grocery store.

www.caranddriver.com

2027 Slate Truck EV Will Be Very Customizable, Priced Under $28,000

It's the Burger King of trucks: It's affordable, and the nascent brand lets customers 'have it their way' with a lengthy accessory list, including one that turns this pickup into an SUV.
www.caranddriver.com www.caranddriver.com
Click to expand...
I would march for basic vehicles like the Geo and all non smart appliances.
 
Krystal Shay said:
Good question! I never gave that a thought. All those whistles and bells is one reason I haven't gotten a new car. My SUV is 13 years old and it was pretty loaded when I bought it. I don't put hardly any miles on it so I am hoping to hang on to it until these car manufacturers come to their senses, or until I expire.


:ROFLMAO:
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You are smart to hang onto your SUV!!
 
Krystal Shay said:
Good question! I never gave that a thought. All those whistles and bells is one reason I haven't gotten a new car. My SUV is 13 years old and it was pretty loaded when I bought it. I don't put hardly any miles on it so I am hoping to hang on to it until these car manufacturers come to their senses, or until I expire.


:ROFLMAO:
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When I first read this I thought you said that YOU were pretty loaded when you bought it. I thought that was unwise to admit on a public forum.:whistle:
 
Mary Stetler said:
I really like hubby's heated seats. I use his 2013 Volvo in the winter because of the AWD. And the seats warm up before the heater inI the dash. But daughter just said now you can get a heated steering wheel.
Come on, It's winter, you have gloves on...
I'll just rough it.;)
Click to expand...
My Honda has AWD; my first car with that and of course it's pointless in Houston. The trim level that I wanted came with AWD and a moonroof that I also didn't want but there you are. 🤡 I hate the way vehicles are sold now with "packages" instead of individual options.

I read that if one tire is replaced on an AWD vehicle, ALL FOUR TIRES have to be replaced!! Is that true? Seems absurd but what do I know.
 
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