it seems we have two competing forces at work with new vehicles.

1) all the new 'safety' systems including blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, automatic braking, automatic steering, etc., etc.

2) all the new interactive features including phone, text, social media, navigation, audio, video, etc., etc.

seems to me there is quite the challenging 'tension' between these two. we've become an incredibly 'distracted' society anyway, staring and poking at screens, keyboards, or buttons for most of our waking hours anyway.

i really think this enormous tesla screen is irresponsible.



so car makers by adding both safety and infotainment tech, they're increasing the tension.

 

Obama doesn't strike me as someone who knows a great deal about cars (although he does come to the D.C. Auto Show on occasion). Most of the time, he gets driven around in the presidential limo. He, however, has also criticized the automakers for this.....simply putting too many electronic distractions in new cars. On that note, he is correct. In general, there are too many electronic distractions in new cars, especially the upmarket/premium ones.

 

let's not turn this into a thread about the president please.

 

I don't find my touch screen in any way distracting. Most features can be controled with the steering controls as well as many features can be voice controlled.

I agree.

 

to fix a problem we create a problem

 

We can't put the cell phone down so car makers are trying to incorporate it. The new Lexus Siri feature is outstanding or even an aftermarket unit like "drivewithsiri" are superb ways to make thjngs less distracting by allowing the driver to speak to siri instead of using their fingers/hands.

http://www.drivewithsiri.com


I find most owners of new cars don't complain or have issues. In some cases it's not even used. For example I rarely use nav, bing, the automatic high beamsetc etc.. But it's cool to have lol. Obviously technology is being added to cars and consumers like it. I don't see any tension at all. It just is "new" and might seem silly just like when 6/8/10 speed autos come out.

There is simply a disconnect with those driving older cars that don't understand the tech as they don't have it to use. Thus it seems problematic. Kind of like iDrive or Remote Touch which is beat up by non owners or on reviews when they have the car for a few hours. Contrarily owners of new cars like these features, order these options and like to have them. Some are more useful than others, like blind spot monitoring.

The Tesla screen is SUPERB to use on the road. It's huge, easy to navigate and has a great touch feel. Contrarily the dual screens acura and infinit are using have been blasted in reviews and owners are complaining how bad they are.

I used to think some features were silly until I got cars with them and drove other cars with them. Now I wonder how I lived without it. I'm sure many feel the same.

The new LS will be a technological tour de force. If you hate technology in cars, there will always be old cars to
Own.

Consumers ASKED for these features. We want more tech, we want bigger screens, more options. Sometimes te initial tech is odd and needs tweaking and over time it gets great. BMW iDrive for example was a new feature and got bashed for putting all the tech in one place with a huge screen. Now all the luxury leaders pretty much followed. Today iDrive is pretty easy to use.

Bring on more tech!!

 

i didn't say people don't like the features, and i'm not criticizing the tech - i love tech and i know consumers do too!!

my point was there's so much going on with all these features that they provide more ways to distract the driver, particularly as the driver fiddles with buttons or even says voice commands trying to get the car to understand while also navigating intersections, parking lots, highway merges, etc. simultaneously car makers have added tons of safety feature to help warn/nag drivers or outright control the car to keep them awake / between the lines / not going too fast / not going too slow / not pulling out into someone, etc.

so there's more things to play with, vs. more car smarts to keep us out of trouble!

don't know if that was a personal comment but my next vehicle will loaded to the gills with tech.

agreed!

 

I see more cooperation than tension. Consumers have already shown that they have an unwillingness to put down their phones so they might as well move some of the functions to a larger screen that provides better opportunities to see the road when not paying attention to the road The electronic nannies then try to reduce the risk for both those that aren't paying attention while they're driving as well as the people they might hit.

In the same vein, I really don't like that new Infiniti commercial with the distracted driver in the Q50. I understand the car saved him a few times, but damn that guy shouldn't be driving if he's that reliant on the nannies...

 

we should stop looking at adding sensors to make the car safer, instead we should try to teach people to be better drivers.
a lot of that technology is stemming from some peoples inability to control a motor vehicle. rear view camears because you cant turn your head around to look? adaptive cruise control because you cant pay attention to the cars in front of you?
technology is covering up the flaws in a lot of drivers on the road.

 

Respectfully, I have no intentions of doing that. I just casually used him as a well-known example of many people today who have become fed-up with too many electronic distractions in today's cars.

Even with my own Verano, it comes with far more features on it than I'll ever use. Even with the complex Buick Intellink video-screen system, I just dialed in some of the satellite and broadcast-radio stations I usually listen to, put them all on one or two pre-set bands, and use the on/off/volume button, a touch-screen station-selector, and that's it. Most of the rest of the almost endless electronic junk in the system, I don't fool with at all....it becomes too much of a distraction if I do.