LexFather

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...rkey-cars.html

Automotive turkeys 2008

Mini_cooper_detail_1_copy_3 The word “turkey” means different things to different people. Thanksgiving, for many, is a great time for turkey…unless you’re a turkey. For those of us who drive different cars every day, we sometimes come across features that rank as turkeys – perhaps the designers/engineers created them with the best of intentions, but in the real world, they prove frustrating. We’ve already written enough about BMW’s iDrive, perhaps the biggest automotive turkey of all time. Some turkeys are nice ideas that simply fall short.

In an informal poll in and around the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, I’ve come up with some other turkeys that particularly rankle our feathers:

• Sirius radio reception in wooded, tree shade areas is awful. Also, some car audio systems have a long delay, making you wait to see the title of the satellite radio station identification.

• Automatic door locks that don’t unlock when you park or allow a choice to set the locks to unlock when the car is turned off. This maybe a good feature for those who want the security in a tough neighborhood, but consumers should at least be given the choice. (This turkey was mentioned more than once.)

• The government giving a tax credit if you buy a 19-mpg Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid but nothing if you buy a 32-mpg Toyota Corolla or 29 mpg Ford Focus.

· Outside mirrors that automatically turn and give you a view of the ground below when shifting to reverse. While this offers a good view of the curb, it makes using the mirrors to back out of a long driveway useless. Convex or larger mirrors do it all.

• Chrysler announcing its hybrid Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs and then unceremoniously killing them four weeks later.

· Mini Cooper’s radio controls (see photo above), which are scattered all around the center stack. The radio’s volume ****, for example, is mounted separate from the radio head unit, lower on the dashboard. It’s easy to grab the radio’s other **** by mistake; even though that’s a multi-function ****, it only serves as a tuning **** if you push the “m” button first. (Of course!) It also takes several button presses to change radio modes.

· Re-inventing a wheel that wasn’t broken in the first place. For example: Some keyless ignitions work OK, but some “Start” buttons are hard to find and require a push-and-hold process to start the car. The worst are those on BMWs and Mini Coopers that require using a fob placed in a slot and then pressing a start button. What was wrong with a key?

· Big key fobs are maybe OK if you use a purse, but they’re bulky in a pant’s pocket. Kneel down at just the wrong angle, and the panic button can be activated, resulting in the car’s horn going off and waking up the neighborhood.

• Acura’s styling department is a whole, gobbling turkey within itself. Have you seen the beaks on the TL, TSX and RL? I can’t tell them apart. They all look like grinning teenagers with mouths full of braces.

• The headlights in the Toyota Prius Touring. On a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the tops), these lights got a 1. Even with Xenon bulbs, low-beam light doesn’t provide enough illumination forward to allow the driver time to see and react to objects in the road. The lights also have a distinct ramp-shaped cutoff between light and darkness at the top of the low-beam pattern. These lights leave us in the dark.

• Paying a premium to buy a Smart (ours was just under $16,000) to get 39 mpg overall but putting up with the limitations of being able to seat only two people, limited cargo room, and maybe the worst transmission ever, when--for about the same a price--you could get a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris, which seat five, and are infinitely more comfortable and (in the Fit’s case) fun to drive.

Anyway, that’s our short list. I’m sure we could go on, but you get the point. What particular car controls, models, or manufacturers drive you bonkers? Pass the gravy, and share your automotive turkeys in the Comments below.

mmarshall

I agree with most of these, having experienced most of them myself.....especially the I-Drive. I disagree with CR's panning of the push-button ignition, though....I think that it is a nice convienence not having to fool around with keys, as long as you have them in your pocket or bag. The only exception is the BMW system where you have to use both a keyin the dash AND a button to start.....ridiculous.

To this list I would also add:

1. More aggressive-than necessary tires/suspension on cars that aren't supposed to be sport-oriented models. They just stiffen up the ride and take away comfort.

2. Audi's MMI.....it is every bit as frustrating as BMW's I-Drive.

3. Cheap, silver-painted-plastic interior dash/trim panels that look and feel cheesy.

4. The Solstice/Sky's drop-top feature that takes 5 or 6 steps to do what the Miata does in 1 or 2, with a quick flick of the wrist.

5. (I know I'll get some flak for this one, as some will disagree), but stability systems that can be turned off. They will be a Federal safety mandate in all new cars in another year or two, and for good reason......why defeat a system that is a proven life-saver? I can think of little reason to turn them off except for drifting, tail-out cornering, or powersliding...all of which is foolish and possibly dangerous on public roads. An exception (maybe) could be made for those who run their cars on a track.....but with a signed statement (like with disconnected air bags) that they forgo warranty, insurance, and liability. The auto enthisiast magazines might not like it, but, tough, the world doesn't revolve around them.

Some cars, of course, already get around this by allowing adjustment of the system to allow varying levels of slide before intervening.

doug_999

I'll add mine...
Hybrid cars getting use of the HOV lane. Most hybrids get WORSE mileage on the highway - put them in the stop and go traffic and they do better. So why exactly are we giving them use of the HOV lane? To help save resources?

Oh and the key thing with BMWs.... only occurs if you don't have Comfort Access (yes it is an option, but it should be #2 on most peoples list - right after the heated steering wheel).

mmarshall

Many governments believe, rightly or wrongly, that this perk, along with tax benefits, helps encourage hybrid sales. Even under highway conditions, hyrids do save a fair amount of gas, though in some cases (depending on the exact design of the gas/electric-motor interconnect, known as series/parallel hybrids), they do, as you note, get better mileage in stop-and-go driving.

True, but in cars that cost what new BMWs do, the Comfort Access should be standard, not an option. Virtually every other car that I know of with a START/STOP button allows it without inserting a key into the dash.

2002GGPIS3

Wow, Acura's new styling is so bad, even consumer reports mentions it!

mmarshall

That's rare. CR does not usually comment on styling unless it affects a safety issue, like outward vision from large pillars, or sharply-pointed stuff that could be a hazard to pedestrians.

I myself liken the new Acura grilles to a circus clown-grin. I mentioned that in all of my recent Acura reviews.

Gojirra99

Drivers distracted by the ugly Acura grilles could potentially be a safety hazzard on the road

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Actually, I was behind one and couldn't stop laughing at the trunk.
Looks like a smiley face.

LexBob2

In the new issue, C&D says about the new TL, "This is brave, and the more we look, the more we see a breakthrough design". Just shows how subjective it all is.

mmarshall

Behind the wheel, I find not only Acura grilles, but (IMO) equally garish Audi and Chrysler 300 grilles to be a lot less distracting than trying to fiddle with an I-Drive or MMI controller.

doug_999

That's debatable. What's not debatable is that if you offer it as an option, it is somewhat difficult to offer a key that turns and starts the car AND a push button start depending on the option chosen.

MD350

I agree, and if GM put that grill on a Chevy, the response from C&D would not be the same.

mmarshall

The whole idea of a START/STOP button, in the first place, is so you DON'T have to fiddle with keys in the dash, but just have them in your pocket. This is a great feature for moms struggling with small kids getting in and out, and when you have an arm load of packages.

The Mercedes ML320 Bluetec Diesel I reviewed is actually a combination of both. You put the electronic "key" in the dash and press it instead of turn it. IMO, that also defeats the purpose, at least to some extent.

LexFather

C&D's head is so far up Honda/Acura's *** no one takes their reviews seriously

mmarshall

That's what used to be said about C&D and BMW. Turned out it wasn't quite the case.