[coh4777]

A friend of mine was in the market for a new car recently, so we were talking about different options. He ended up getting a new 535i, but one of the things that I kept on thinking about is how a lot of cars these days have too much technology in them that I honestly would have no interest in. For example, here are a few things that are becoming more popular options on cars that I would prefer to do without:

Rear park assist - I know how to turn my head and drive backwards (although I do see this as useful in large SUV)
Lane departure warnings - I know how to check my blind spots before changing lanes
Automatic high beams - I know when road conditions are dark enough to warrant high beams. I also know when there is oncoming traffic and I need to turn them off.
Lights that warn you if you are tired - Really??? You need a car to tell you when you are sleepy?
Display that shows how economically you are driving - This stuff kills me. Anybody remember the Ford Fusion's tree display?
Heads up display - I know it looks cool, but I find it unnecessary. I have no problem looking a few inches down at my dash.
Multiple settings (ie economy vs sport mode) - One setting per car will do just fine.
Active cruise control - I can activate / deactivate / adjust cruise control on my own.

And the worst in my mind.... a car that parallel parks for you!! If you can't parallel park a car, you shouldn't even have a license!

In my opinion, all these things just make a driver lazy, less aware of their surroundigns, and disconnected from the driving experience. Now I know that a lot of people love cool new tech and care less about the driving experience, but I worry that someday cars will come pre-loaded with so much useless, bloated technology. I plan to drive my 335 til the wheels fall off. I literally love it just as much today as the first day I bought it. It has exactly all the options I want (ie 6MT, nav, sport) and none of the options I don't (ie rear park assist, cold weather package). I hope that when the times comes to replace it, I'll still be able to find a car that I can connect with, as opposed to one that has so many gizmos and gadgets that want to drive the car for me.

[quagmire]

HUD and different driving modes are fine by me. I wish more cars had HUD.

I test drove an ATS with one and it is really nice to have. Have everything important right in front of you.

Different drive modes? Sport mode really awakens the 335xi. The N54 really comes alive in sport mode. I agree if these different modes are put into cars that selecting sport or eco barely does anything, but if they are perceivable then they serve a purpose. Especially if the car has adjustable suspensions like MRC on the ATS.

Everything else in your list I could live without.

[son_of_siggy]

Originally Posted by coh4777

In my opinion, all these things just make a driver lazy, less aware of their surroundigns, and disconnected from the driving experience. Now I know that a lot of people love cool new tech and care less about the driving experience, but I worry that someday cars will come pre-loaded with so much useless, bloated technology. I plan to drive my 335 til the wheels fall off. I literally love it just as much today as the first day I bought it. It has exactly all the options I want (ie 6MT, nav, sport) and none of the options I don't (ie rear park assist, cold weather package). I hope that when the times comes to replace it, I'll still be able to find a car that I can connect with, as opposed to one that has so many gizmos and gadgets that want to drive the car for me.

Got news for you. Drivers are already lazy, dangerous, unengaged, and disconnected from the driving experience. YOU may be a safe driver, but having other drivers be safer due to technology also protects you. You'll be thankful when the teenage girl who doesn't know to turn off her brights has her car do it for her when she's coming straight at you. Or when the night shift guy's car is tell him he's too tired to drive safely, or honks/vibrates at him when he starts to depart his lane. Of all the options you've named I haven't encountered one of them that couldn't be turned off, and none actually drive for you (aside from park, if you tell it to do so).

Long story short, YOU may not want them, but I bet you'll be happy that some of the bad drivers out there have them. If you dumb down the cars people won't suddenly get smarter to compensate. An idiot without his tools is still an idiot.

[Stohlen]

Lets think about the tech thats really kinda ruining cars:

TPMS - Expensive and I can do the same thing in 30 seconds with a 99 cent gauge. Pointless and now its a government mandate.

Electronic Power Steering - Car looses all feel. Dumb and I dont care about the so called benefits.

Ediffs - Shit compared to a real LSD.

But then again i hate anything that takes the skill out of driving a car... Such as launch control. Its becoming more and more of a what car you drive race rather than how good a driver you are race, at the track.

[Top_Gear_Fan]

I welcome tech in cars because progression is always a good thing. Some are hits and some are misses, but adding tech is much better than having a car manufacturer stay stagnant and not take any risks to improve.

[Nkc]

IMO a good rear camera is all you need. My new fx has been stacked with tech stuff and i have to spend time turning it off every time I get in the car.

The 360 camera is useless
The lane departure warning is annoying
The late braking beep makes my hearts stop
the adaptive cruise control doesnt help fuel efficiency because its sensitive

[GeeRam]

Originally Posted by coh4777

A friend of mine was in the market for a new car recently, so we were talking about different options. He ended up getting a new 535i, but one of the things that I kept on thinking about is how a lot of cars these days have too much technology in them that I honestly would have no interest in. For example, here are a few things that are becoming more popular options on cars that I would prefer to do without:

Rear park assist - I know how to turn my head and drive backwards (although I do see this as useful in large SUV)
Lane departure warnings - I know how to check my blind spots before changing lanes
Automatic high beams - I know when road conditions are dark enough to warrant high beams. I also know when there is oncoming traffic and I need to turn them off.
Lights that warn you if you are tired - Really??? You need a car to tell you when you are sleepy?
Display that shows how economically you are driving - This stuff kills me. Anybody remember the Ford Fusion's tree display?
Heads up display - I know it looks cool, but I find it unnecessary. I have no problem looking a few inches down at my dash.
Multiple settings (ie economy vs sport mode) - One setting per car will do just fine.
Active cruise control - I can activate / deactivate / adjust cruise control on my own.

And the worst in my mind.... a car that parallel parks for you!! If you can't parallel park a car, you shouldn't even have a license!

In my opinion, all these things just make a driver lazy, less aware of their surroundigns, and disconnected from the driving experience. Now I know that a lot of people love cool new tech and care less about the driving experience, but I worry that someday cars will come pre-loaded with so much useless, bloated technology. I plan to drive my 335 til the wheels fall off. I literally love it just as much today as the first day I bought it. It has exactly all the options I want (ie 6MT, nav, sport) and none of the options I don't (ie rear park assist, cold weather package). I hope that when the times comes to replace it, I'll still be able to find a car that I can connect with, as opposed to one that has so many gizmos and gadgets that want to drive the car for me.

I agree with you entirely, although, I find the rear park assist to be very useful, living here in London where we don't have room to swing a cat and parking a 1er can sometimes be a challenge let alone anything bigger! So, I would put front park assist on your list instead

I also don't mind the eco/sport mode setting stuff either, although I'd prefer it if the default mode was selectable.

Again, given our very crowded little island, I didn't even spec cruise control on my 135!! so agree about the pointlessness of active CC.

I'd also add those useless and pointless electronic parking brakes to your list as well, and electric steering......

[Ezio]

theres a lot of cool tec in cars, but also a lot of just worthless over done stuff also.

[Nate4641]

Almost all of your reasons against the tech is "I know how to do it without this", but unfortunately the fact is that 95% of drivers aren't as interested in driving as they are in just getting to where they are going. For some people, some of this tech should be mandatory because they are so careless on the road.

Some tech is good though. My Z4 has hill assist and I love it.

Some stuff does need to go, or be redone. I havn't found a built in satnav that I liked more than Google Maps/Nav on my phone. I have Nav in my car, but still run Google with my phone on a windshield mount because it is so much easier to use.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by coh4777

A friend of mine was in the market for a new car recently, so we were talking about different options. He ended up getting a new 535i, but one of the things that I kept on thinking about is how a lot of cars these days have too much technology in them that I honestly would have no interest in. For example, here are a few things that are becoming more popular options on cars that I would prefer to do without:

Rear park assist - I know how to turn my head and drive backwards (although I do see this as useful in large SUV)
Lane departure warnings - I know how to check my blind spots before changing lanes
Automatic high beams - I know when road conditions are dark enough to warrant high beams. I also know when there is oncoming traffic and I need to turn them off.
Lights that warn you if you are tired - Really??? You need a car to tell you when you are sleepy?
Display that shows how economically you are driving - This stuff kills me. Anybody remember the Ford Fusion's tree display?
Heads up display - I know it looks cool, but I find it unnecessary. I have no problem looking a few inches down at my dash.
Multiple settings (ie economy vs sport mode) - One setting per car will do just fine.
Active cruise control - I can activate / deactivate / adjust cruise control on my own.

And the worst in my mind.... a car that parallel parks for you!! If you can't parallel park a car, you shouldn't even have a license!

In my opinion, all these things just make a driver lazy, less aware of their surroundigns, and disconnected from the driving experience. Now I know that a lot of people love cool new tech and care less about the driving experience, but I worry that someday cars will come pre-loaded with so much useless, bloated technology. I plan to drive my 335 til the wheels fall off. I literally love it just as much today as the first day I bought it. It has exactly all the options I want (ie 6MT, nav, sport) and none of the options I don't (ie rear park assist, cold weather package). I hope that when the times comes to replace it, I'll still be able to find a car that I can connect with, as opposed to one that has so many gizmos and gadgets that want to drive the car for me.

These options vary greatly in importance depending on your location. I don't imagine you really need help parking in Las Vegas but parking my S4 in a space that allows maybe 6" on each end of my car in Manhattan is a different story and is made much easier by the rear sensors and camera.

Lane departure warning would have helped me when I dozed off and crashed my Exige.

I don't need automatic high beams but many people driving toward me certainly do.

Tired lights... see above. It's not an issue until it's an issue and then it's life or death. I wish all cars had this because it's scary when it happens to you.

HUD is not a necessity but I've never used it so I'm not a good judge.

I have multiple drive settings on my S4 and I love it. When I'm driving with my wife and kid in the car, I put it on comfort setting and the suspension softens up and the throttle response is numbed a bit. It's perfect for long trips but when I am alone and want to drive it like a sports car, I push a button and have my wish. It's really a great option.

Active cruise - again, not necessarily useful in Vegas but I commute in horrendous traffic every day and if I had an automatic, I would definitely appreciate this option. It doesn't detract from the "experience" any more than traffic does in the first place.