It turns out that more technology in cars isn’t necessarily something customers want, and it’s not really improving their driving experience. We know my thoughts on the matter, but I’ll do my best to stay impartial on this latest survey from JD Power that shows most customers don’t appreciate technology in cars unless they can see a clear benefit to them.
JD Power’s 2024 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study evaluated over 81,000 drivers’ experience with “advanced vehicle technologies” in 2024 model year vehicles after 90 days of ownership, It turned out to be a pretty mixed bag when it came to what people liked using. There are a number of tech features that customers like using because they feels that it answers their needs, but at the same time there is a whole lot that don’t get used very often or are continually annoying, according to the survey.
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Visited my parents while they were in Florida recently. Drove their rental car to the store, it was a newer model with “Lane Assist Technology.” It was terrible. Tried to swerve around a pothole, and the steering wheel vibrated and steered me back into it. Same thing happened as I angled the car to enter a roundabout, the damn thing just steered against me! It felt like at any time the car might just “decide” to swerve me into oncoming traffic! I’ll never buy a car with that trash masquerading as tech. Absolute garbage feature.
I have to back into a parking spot in a shitty, shared driveway. If I don’t throw my (automatic transmission) car into neutral and coast into place, my car will decide I’m too close to the curb and just slam the fuck out of the brakes while still several feet away from where I intend to be. It sounds awful and it scared the absolute shit out of me several times before I internalized the workaround.
Good thing I’m not a fan of the backup camera in general, or this problem would be even more irritating, since the camera turns off when I go from reverse to neutral.
My parents’ cars (which I drive often) both have backup cameras but my own car doesn’t. I often find myself backing up in my own car while staring down at my screen-less dashboard instead of looking behind me or in the rearview mirror.
Should have a setting to disable that.
Conversely, I’m a big fan of backup cameras. They’re a mandated safety feature on new cars for a reason.
A fisheye lens on the very back of the car gives much better situational awareness while backing out of a parking spot while flanked by two huge pickups/SUVs/vans.
I got a loaner last time I had my car worked on at the dealership and had the same experience. Also the option to turn it off was buried in the touch screen menu and didn’t stay turned off next time you drove. When I brought it back the dude was like “So, thinking about trading up?” Fuck no, I hate this thing. I’m keeping my old Civic until the wheels fall off.
Sounds like you used it on poorly marked surface roads.
Most lane systems do pretty well on well marked highways. Very useful for doing long drives.
It was actually a well marked/maintained road, the pothole I refer to was more like a sewer manhole with a deep depression. Didn’t drive it on the highway, but my mother did, and said she was equally alarmed by how often the steering would “right itself” when she was trying to merge or change lanes.
Merge lanes are definitely not the best. I disable then.
As for changing lanes, your mother doesn’t use her blinker. That temporarily disables lane keep.
Yeah. I wished Lemmy was different then Reddit but nope, bitchin gets the upvotes.
First thing I turned off in my new car when I got it. I hate the feeling that the car is no longer responding to my inputs.