More new tech bafflemet

[biggs682]

My corrolla doesn't have a traditional auto gear box but something called CVT

CVT gearboxes are the work of the devil and go back to the late 60's and early 70's DAF cars if not before. Wouldn't touch one with a barge pole.

I think most of you lot need a Model T.

I would settle on a 2CV please

What's all this negativity re modern tech'...

Majority of it is not needed, yes to cruise control, abs, heated windows , pas, 3 or 4 speed automatics but after that I can live without.

If it ain't broken don't fix it

 

[mikeIow]

It’s a fair comment 👍
I moved us to autos in 2014 when I was witnessing my elderly FIL pogoing away when they visited. Wanted to avoid that experience 🫣
I figured it made sense to get used to an easier auto before we got older (I was 50!). My modern 8-sp auto is very smooth - now done over 110k miles.
When the second car needed made the leap to electric.
Smooth, near-silent, perfect auto (no gear changes at all!). Heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, memory seats,heated screen, seamless CarPlay (Waze remains the best navigation IMHO).
Low running costs (2-3p/mile), albeit higher buying prices 🤷‍♂️

The modern features?
Well, I use them to the max. MrsMikeIOW much less so, but that is fine, you don’t *have* to use them.

I will use adaptive cruise on motorways or in traffic. I figure it will *always* spot a car braking faster than me, however much attention I am paying.
1-pedal driving can be a novelty in town too!
I also sometimes have a lively conversation with the car.
Especially when it brings at me for not paying attention at a junction; “I am paying attention, you Hyundai idiot, that’s why my eyes are not staring straight ahead” 🤣

 

[yello]

For my part, it's the realisation that tech advances in areas I was not even aware of. I mean, we all know stuff changes but the when/where/how of it all takes us by surprise - unless we are au fait with such stuff. I can miss what seemed adequate simplicity all whilst tapping in a sentence on a device that was a seemingly outlandish sci-fi creation but 20 years ago. More juxtaposition than contradiction.

 

[figbat]

CVT gearboxes are the work of the devil and go back to the late 60's and early 70's DAF cars if not before. Wouldn't touch one with a barge pole.

Why, specifically? Modern CVTs are efficient and reliable, and they have the benefit over stepped gearboxes that they can keep the engine at peak efficiency all the time. CVTs go back to the beginning of cars (and before in other machines).

 

[CXRAndy]

Why, specifically? Modern CVTs are efficient and reliable, and they have the benefit over stepped gearboxes that they can keep the engine at peak efficiency all the time. CVTs go back to the beginning of cars (and before in other machines).

They do make for smooth drive. But are truly awful when they fail. The early Nissan, Subaru Honda CVTs were prone to failing.

Later > 2020 development in CVT has improved their reliability.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Me too!
A career in tech means I’ve always had a slight tendency to being an “early adopter” 🤪
Nowadays, I have to confess, I just want stuff that works, but whilst I have a cracking 11yr old XC60 (with plenty of tech - active main beam, adaptive cruise, all great), we did move the second car to electric over 6 years ago.
Now on our second Kona EV, we love it!
Even has tiny cameras in the wing mirrors that show what’s alongside in the dash when you indicate. Sounds gimmicky yet becomes second nature to glance down after looking over shoulder before moving across 💪

The binging and bonging, on the other hand 🤦‍♂️. Luckily we can silence that with a hold of the mute button on the wheel, so not too bad….

I do think adaptive cruise control (as well as the auto city braking, etc) can be a major contribution to road safety 🤷‍♂️

I agree about cruise control
a good concept and works well

My problem is with the stuff that seems to have been thought out by someone who never drove a car
or was thought out well and designed well and then the accountants took control!!!

Auto lights are good
auto dip headlights would be good but the rest of the auto headlights just are not designed properly

Lane warning is OK - but thinks a wet patch on teh road is a white line
and arrows on the road can also be white lines in its mind


Parking sensors are really great
unless it is raining when - I presume - the rain on the sensor makes it think I am suddenly 1 inch from a car in front

so it is great - if done properly


and "not done properly" includes controls on tough screen which mean you have to take your eyes off teh road to look for it ratehr than finding it my feel like a proper button
Apparently Teslas have that a lot

 

[mikeIow]

Agreed.....& I was astonished to see Volvo went totally away from switches with their EX30 EV - strikes me as mad to have to stab at a screen to turn the temperature up, etc. I think Hyundai currently have a great mix of buttons & screen.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Agreed.....& I was astonished to see Volvo went totally away from switches with their EX30 EV - strikes me as mad to have to stab at a screen to turn the temperature up, etc. I think Hyundai currently have a great mix of buttons & screen.

Mine is a 2019 model and it seems to be a sensible compromise
some touch screen stuff but the things you need while properly driving are buttons so you can feel them
The radio is an exception - but at least the volume controls are on the steering wheel

 

[yello]

My wife's Citroën Picasso beeps incessently when I'm reversing the trailer. I must find out how to turn the darned thing off.

My own car has the reversing beepy thing too (no tow bar though) and I've not yet reversed into anything (touch wood) - so maybe it does work.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

My wife's Citroën Picasso beeps incessently when I'm reversing the trailer. I must find out how to turn the darned thing off.

My own car has the reversing beepy thing too (no tow bar though) and I've not yet reversed into anything (touch wood) - so maybe it does work.

I can switch mine off - little button down to the right of the steering wheel
problem is that the system remembers it, and I am used to having it on
so then I reverse into a parking space and suddenly notice I am closer to the car behind than I thought!!!


( "joke" on the second line about "having it off" changed to protect the innocent)

 

[biggs682]

Why, specifically? Modern CVTs are efficient and reliable, and they have the benefit over stepped gearboxes that they can keep the engine at peak efficiency all the time. CVTs go back to the beginning of cars (and before in other machines).

In my experience they are always searching for the right gear and are not smooth like an auto when they do shift .

And when they go wrong they are normally scrap .

This is only my experience

 

[mustang1]

Auto lights on mine are fine
but the auto headlights are terrible
If you drive along a totally dark bendy road they take quite a few seconds to decide that the full beam migth be a good idea
by that time I have done it manually and this cancels the auto function

and if you leave it on but have a reason to flash teh headlight - like if you are letting someone out at a junction - then that cancels the auto functions as well
and to switch them back on you need to flash the headlights and hold them on full beam for 5 seconds

who designed that carp???

Also need to be aware that if you're on a main road and someone in the opposite direction is waiting to turn right then your headlights automatically come on: the other driver might think you're giving them way to go. Could be a dangerous situation.

 

[mustang1]

I like the following features in modern cars:
Cruise control,
Air con,
Oven,
Gas cooker,
Heated seats.

What I don't like:
Glovebox cannot dispense cheeseburgers on demand,
The car always wants me to change up a gear (for fuel efficiency) but I don't want to (engine sounds like it's droning).
There's a fridge but no freezer. What an oversight!

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Why, specifically? Modern CVTs are efficient and reliable, and they have the benefit over stepped gearboxes that they can keep the engine at peak efficiency all the time. CVTs go back to the beginning of cars (and before in other machines).

CVT Fan here. Manual transmission-like fuel economy and better feel than torque converters.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

What's all this negativity re modern tech'...

...you can't beat radial ply tyres, pas, abs, electric starters, servo assisted brakes, heaters, headrests and the sheer luxury of squidgy steering wheels.

Now do adjusting the wing mirrors via an on-screen app, headlights that work with computers and sentient free will, auto-stop at traffic lights that cannot be permanently turned off, diminishing number of hard buttons so that all switches are moving to software, climate settings via software, entry via phone, software updates, arse-burning seats that can only be turned off by scrolling a screen and brake pads which can only be changed if you have a computer mainframe attached to the car.

Imagine if they spend as much time and research working on rust-proofing the under-carriage as they spend on moving hard switches to software? Radial tyres - great invention, but do we really need low-profile tyres for everyday driving on dodgy roads? Do I need a servo to open the trunk lid sloooooowly, slower than I can do it manually? Do we need software to open the glove box? (I kid you not, the Lucid Air Tourer's glove box can only be opened via software).