NEW car features: What do you like, what do you HATE ?

[68gtxman]

The last new car that I bought was a 2005 Acura TL and I got it in January 2019. All these cars look alike to me anyway, so to me, it looks new! It only had 50,000 miles on it and was owned by a little old lady. It handles like new. Everything in the suspension is still tight and no rattles. Plus I avoided major depreciation by buying used.

After I got it home, I heard a buzzing in the stereo and after doing an Internet search, found that most Acura’s of this vintage suffered from the bad capacitors from Taiwan. YouTube videos showed how to replace them for about $20! Another common failure was the “Handsfree Link” - Acura’s Bluetooth system. I added a freestanding Bluetooth to the stereo for $130 and Bob’s your uncle!

What I love the most is the performance. The V6 engine has 270 Hp and it has tons of torque. This is more than the 245 Hp that my previous Grand National had and is close to the 300 or so Hp that my GTX puts to the ground. I never knew anything about TLs before and never knew that they are basically a family man’s muscle car that most wives wouldn’t disapprove of (not that mine cares). Averages 25 MPG too!

What I like the least is getting used to getting in and out of a low car. I’ve driven my 08 Denali and the wife’s 14 Escape for years, and both of them require a step up to get in. I prefer cars over trucks and SUVs though, so i’ll Get used to this change.

 

[ACME A12]

I travel a lot for work and am constantly in and out of new rental cars of every conceivable make and model. Many of my gripes have already been captured here - with that idiotic GM safety alert seat chief among them. Just changing lanes sometimes sets off that stupid system.

One thing not mentioned here thus far are the "START" buttons. Hate 'em. I'm old school. Give me a key. If I wanted to drive a ef'n laptop I'd drive a ef'n laptop. Many of them won't let you pop the trunk once you start the car. Can't warm up the car and load your luggage into the trunk at the same time unless you outthink the car and pop the trunk first. Otherwise you get to hit that handy little start button to kill the engine, then pop the trunk, and then hit that annoying start button again. Give me a freakin' break.

As for the auto stop/start feature - I usually just power-brake them at the traffic light so the engine stays running. It's a rental. Screw 'em. And, oh yeah, don't ever but a used rental car. People like me drive and abuse those POS cars...

 

[the mississippi madman]

The blind corner sensors bug me sometimes and so does the constant switching back and forth from 8 to 4cyl while doing city driving is annoying. I wish you could turn the mds off without activating sport mode

 

[odcics2]

I don't like how heat & a/c along with other features I never use, goes through the touch screens on the radio. Add to that, all the buttons on the steering wheel that change all sorts of dashboard set-ups. I understand why they are giving you all this crap.....because of youngsters who love computer screens and all of the functions they have, but for me, I'm more old school.....as I suspect many others here are.

Lastly, why do all cars have two trip meters; Trip A & Trip B? One is enough.

For Day Trippers...

 

[JimKueneman]

To be honest I like virtually everything about a new car better than my Coronet or Duster. The best thing about the old Mopars is all the waves and walk up conversations you get into!

 

[66383]

I'll be driving along in my Lincoln MKX and out of the blue whatever I'm listening to on the radio is interrupted by: "WOULD YOU LIKE TO RUN A VEHICLE SAFETY CHECK?" HELL NO I Wouldn't!

 

[eldubb440]

I cant stand all the ******* bells and buzzers! WTF is with all that ****?

 

[DeltaV]

No matter the dealer, 99.9% of your paint color choices are black, white, silver, or gray.

 

[Bad Sport]

Lack of CD players.

Strange you say that, admittedly I haven't looked at some of the vehicles you are referring to, but my 2014 Jeep has a factory CD player, but you would never know it as it is hidden inside the center console, lol.

 

[RTSE470]

I believe that you can buy one of those tuners (Diablo) and you can disable that annoying start/stop nonsense, cylinder deactivation - engine destroying controls. You can also change the speedo in case you change the tire size in case you go bigger/smaller. That's pretty cool that you can do a speedo adjustment electronically.

 

[dadsbee]

On a recent road trip I drove my brothers Durango with adaptive cruise control. That thing kicks ***!

Until you forget you have it activated and follow some guy off an exit ramp and he suddenly picks a different lane!! ZRRRoooMMMM Bin Der.. Done Dat with the wife's '17 Challenger..

 

[wldgtx]

I have to admit I love adaptive cruise control as well. But the biggest gripe I have with new cars is the lack of creativity or individuality in new cars. They are all starting to look like one another, the options are all pretty much the same, they are all bundled, there is not as much anymore that stands out anymore. I will get my flame suit on...

 

[Basket case]

In Laws are in town and we went to diner in there Ford rental SUV. Has the dial shifter, I would not want that. And the idle kill, no need, as bas as the V8-6-4 Cadillac engine. And the keyless start, our Journey has that, I'll take a key. And throw the damn key fobs away, I'm sick of people being to lazy to hit the door lock button before they close the door.

 

[Richard Cranium]

But the biggest gripe I have with new cars is the lack of creativity or individuality in new cars. They are all starting to look like one another

Sedans have all been looking like one another for the past 20+ years, where ya been?

 

[ACME A12]

Sedans have all been looking like one another for the past 20+ years, where ya been?

Beat me too it. I was thinking the EXACT same thing...

 

[funknut]

I HATE all the BS lawyer warning signs. My 2017 Yukon XL has a warning that comes up every once in a while on the infotainment system and won't shut off until you acknowledge it. REALLY????

Super hate this crap too! EVERY time I start the car. Just put some damn sticker on the door jamb that I can ignore/remove and stop wasting my time.

 

[wldgtx]

Apparently hiding. I agree it has been going on for a while now.

 

[cr8crshr]

What I particularly don't like is all this new electronic monitoring and sub-system horns whistles and bells things that manufacturers are now putting into these vehicles. To me it is just way too much add on's for something to go wrong. When the sub-system acts up, then on down line another acts up until the original issue has compounded itself into a very costly repair. And the manufacturers are basically the only ones capable to fixing it through their dealer networks. I like the KISS principle when operating a motor vehicle. I don't need to not have my eyes, ears, and senses monitored by a damn computer because I know how to drive a vehicle and observe safe operations at all times. Situational awareness. Not many even here have that ability to do so and say well the computer must be right because it said so. Just like the Internet...If the Internet says so then it must be true. Give me an old school vehicle and I will drive the pants off of any of these newer vehicles and be in complete control at all times. No distractions...cr8crshr/Bill

 

[Kern Dog]

The Wife and I were in Ohio recently and the rental Nissan did NOT have those automatic closing doors like some Hondas and Toyotas do. It DID have a feature where the door would not unlock and open if the car was running.
The multi-function center screen is NOT good! Our 2015 Challenger radio crapped out and with almost everything controlled through that, when it fails, you can drive the car but stuff like the backup camera, the HVAC, radio display, Navigation (If you have that) and all sorts of features just go away.

 

[HawkRod]

I cant stand all the ******* bells and buzzers! WTF is with all that ****?

Totally agree. It becomes a boy crying wolf anyway.

My freakin' Yukon has gobs of computing power, but the engineers were too dumb to program the seat belt warning chime when I PUT IT IN GEAR. Instead it goes off every time I start it. So what if I want to scrape off frost on my windows??? Do I need to wear my seat belt for that? Stupid.