Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

There is a simpler way to control the wheels on the car, it's called the accelerator pedal. :troutslap

Gilgamesh

I'll second that. I had to sell my S2000 to make a down payment on a house. I still miss that car.

invisiblewar

i honestly dont even care for power windows too much either. just because when they break thats another ~100 out of your pocket. and i need a cup holder thats a definite.

v6cord2k5

iTrader: (1)

I was waiting for it to say "Banned" under his name so I could take a snapshot and put it in that thread but it never happened

Costco

Meh. I drove a new LS460L and played around with it for a while (my auto professor gave me and a couple classmates the go ahead, so why not) and the thing is silky smooth and has all sorts of damn gadgets. There's a power trunk release and closer, there's a full reclining massage chair, and rear seat DVD entertainment system with 17(?) speakers (now THAT is cool). There's even a button that allows you to electronically adjust the seat belt shoulder height. You can even control the front passenger's power seat from the rear. And there's power rear sunshades for the passenger windows - unlike on some cars that you have to pull up.

Then again my car has almost nothing besides the basics.... I don't even have traction control. Power steering, windows, door locks, ABS, A/C, heater, rear window defroster - that's really all I need and I've been happy without anything else for over a year now. I don't use cruise control either. I've driven a car without power steering and it sucks when you park in tight spots but aside from that, its great.

subinf

I don't mind most of the new features, but I think the lane assist is fucking annoying.

Gilgamesh

That's good, hope you can lock the controls out for when there are 8 year olds in the back...

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I believe you are right about the lane departure... but I also could have sworn I read about a blind spot detection type of system.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

There is. Volvo and Mazda both have it and I believe Ford is beginning to introduce it on its models. Basically there is a warning that sounds and a lighted signal in the mirrors if you attempt to make a lane change when a vehicle is in the blind spot covered by the sensor.

TS_eXpeed

Generally speaking, I enjoy the 'advanced features' in todays cars. I use cruise all the time as ~70% of my driving is highway, so I definitely wouldn't mind dynamic cruise control. I wouldn't mind keyless entry/start. And I swear I'll never go back to halogen headlights (if anyone considers Xenon as an advanced feature). Some of the other things like lane departure and whatnot....eh. It's hard to say.

TS_eXpeed

Audi has the blind spot protection as well now.

dom

I wasn't suggesting they don't exist. Just saying the point of it is to warn you, not do the looking for you.

I was responding to this part of your post. That kind of sounds like auto makers are saying don't worry about looking, we'll make sure there's nothing there. Either way all those features make for lazier drivers but we may as well embrace them all because there's no stopping any of them.

Shoofin

Hmm....some features that I have or have not had...

See, i'm not really so spoiled. I like the car more for it's function, not as much for it's features.

Let's say my GTI: Leather is nice, do I need it? no. Heated seats are great, I use them all the time, mostly because It's annoying to be warm all over except your ass, and I also use it for the heat it radiates to sooth a sore back. Sunroof, I probably opened a handful of times, I can live without that. CD Changer, now with all the options you have in music listening, I barely listen to cd's anymore. Never used cruise control before in it either. If there was one thing I'd love to have, it would be memory seats. I drive my car 99.9999% of them time, but there are always those times where my brother needs to borrow it or something, and whether they actually adjusted the seats or not, it always feels like it was adjusted by someone else, but it's all in my head!

My RDX, I share with my wife (but she drives it most of the time unless we are in it together, than I drive), memory seats is key. I used cruise control in it for the first time this month in my NY to FL and FL back to NY road trip. Sunroof, again, I don't really use it, but my wife loves it. She likes that airy feeling that comes with having a sunroof. We had an X3 before the RDX, and she loved the panoramic sunroof.

Keyless ignition, Had it on my G35x and FX, definately a convenience but something I can live without. Laser guided cruise control, FX had it, nice novelty, but it was very sensitive and sometimes intrusive. It actually annoys the hell out of me now, as I drive with my V1 Radar and the FX's with the laser cruise control makes my V1 light up. Anytime it goes off and I don't see a cop, I look for an FX, and there's usually one behind me or on the other side of the road in opposite traffic. t's annoying... Night vision, another cool feature but I think it's a waste. Heated and cooled seats, I don't have, could probably live without, but use it a lot of times i'm in a car that has it.

I read in a magazine a little while back that the average "typical" car has anywhere up to 50 computer/control modules in a car to make various things work. The 2003-2008 BMW 750 had something like 70-80 computers, but the new 7 series due out has over 100 computers to make stuff work.

I feel bad for the technicians when something goes wrong in that car!

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

That's nothing new. I remember that being available on BMW E34's

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

That was my point... I guess I wasn't clear. I wasn't saying manufacturers are saying don't worry about looking... I was saying people are going to get way too lazy and start relying on the sensors instead of looking for themselves...

Dr. Colorado

When i had my 05 rl, i certainly appreciated the bluetooth/phone synchronization, navigation, voice controls, automated A/C, adjusting xenons, etc. However, not having them in my 911 doesn't make me miss them. Well aside from the nav system when i've been lost a couple times All i really care about are power windows, adjusting passenger mirror for backing into parking stalls, and xenons. Power adaptive sport seats are key too but not invaluable. One feature i am intrigued by is the porsche limited slip differential. I think that's a technological advancement which would be key if i ever decided to track.

Gilgamesh

^ I would imagine that most people who went from an RL to a P-car don't miss anything...

Costco

eh, its new to me. I remember when I was younger and didn't know much about cars, I saw a BMW that had auto-closing doors, not sure if it was aftermarket or not, but it was cool. The driver walked away and the door slowly went "ssssshhp"

godfather2

i'm old school in that i can do without all the modern conveniences and technology. i don't even like leather seats and i've never used my heated seats. with the exception of abs, i'm not into tech at all.

it's hard to find a car that drives you now-a-days. today, you have to drive the car and always be aware of sensors/buttons/beeps/etc ... it's really annoying.

can't wait to purchase an s2000

mrmako

That is a big

I've been in Florida now for about 3 weeks dealing with a family issue, so I rented a minivan (for carrying 7 people and luggage). It does not have the steering wheel controls for the radio....Argh... Once you have them (my Saber had it, and my Legacy does), you don't want to be without them.

My Volvo in Europe had heated seats (cloth, not leather). That was the best feature in the winter time.

Once you have it and use it, you will want and even demand it in future.