New car disaster!

[Dogtrousers]

My hated car knew what the speed limit was and displayed it. That was quite helpful (but don't let it know I said that). I don't think I ever exceeded the limit, so it never got the chance to stick its oar in and stamp on the brakes.

 

[cyberknight]

You can turn off the speed warning but in my car you have to do it every time,no looked at the kane assist yet

 

[Pblakeney]

You can turn off the speed warning but in my car you have to do it every time,no looked at the kane assist yet

Kia?
I had one as a loaner. Absolutely despised it's "aids".

 

[DaveReading]

Yeah but this was a hire car and foolishly I just got in and started driving. When I got to my destination I found there was no manual At this point the car and I were full enemies and the relationship never recovered.

I hired a car at Pisa airport a few years ago and none of the assembled hire company staff had a clue as to how to disengage the handbrake.

They ended up having to ring another branch to find out. No manual, obviously.

 

[Alex321]

I’m not aware of a legal requirement for a vehicle to prompt its owner at every speed limit change. Isn’t that what looking out of the window is for?

The law was changed last year, and all new cars sold since last July MUST have "Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA)" speed limiters fitted.

These will automatically limit your speed to what they believe the speed limit to be (from a combination of GPS and cameras seeing speed limit signs). They can be overridden, but will automatically turn back on next time the car is started.

 

[Alex321]

My hated car knew what the speed limit was and displayed it. That was quite helpful (but don't let it know I said that). I don't think I ever exceeded the limit, so it never got the chance to stick its oar in and stamp on the brakes.

They don't brake, they just don't let you accelerate beyond the limit unless you floor the throttle to override it. Or of course, if you are at the limit, then hit a downhill enough to cause the car to run above it without you touching the throttle.

 

[BoldonLad]

A new EU law designed to reduce speeding and improve road safety will apply to all new cars sold in the European Union from 7 July 2024

What is intelligent speed assistance?
ISA detects the speed limit on roads using a combination of GPS and cameras that are designed to recognise speed signs. It then uses this information to either limit your speed or produce a visual or audible warning when you go over the limit

Yes, my car has that "feature', it gives a visual, but silent indication if you go over the limit. Daughter No1's new car, a Chinese thing, BYD I think is the make, makes an annoying "bong" noise if the speed limit is exceeded.

 

[cyberknight]

Kia?
I had one as a loaner. Absolutely despised it's "aids".

corrolla gr touring sport .

 

[Pblakeney]

corrolla gr touring sport .

Thanks but according to Alex321 above the brand makes little difference. (Although I'd bet premium brands have it reduced to a legal minimum). Think I'll stick with what I have for as long as possible.

 

[cyberknight]

Thanks but according to Alex321 above the brand makes little difference. (Although I'd bet premium brands have it reduced to a legal minimum). Think I'll stick with what I have for as long as possible.

I only got this as i work for the company and got a ridiculously cheap lease deal, i couldn’t afford one otherwise

 

[icowden]

For me a form of active cruise control is the game changer. I use it probably 70% of the time now. The car just does the accelerating and braking so I don't have to. Being a VW it's not the best system (the main bugbear is corners or hills where it thinks that the car in front has magically disappeared) but it's great for adhering to speed limits most of the time*

*not on the A3 or similar roads where you have a lot of overpasses and roads that run alongside the main road at a different speed

 

[SpokeyDokey]

For me a form of active cruise control is the game changer. I use it probably 70% of the time now. The car just does the accelerating and braking so I don't have to.

Absolutely.

A very useful system for driving on M'Ways & Dual Carriageways. Very intuitive (VW) system. Love the programable speed sensitive distance seperator to the car in front. I tend to leave a bigger gap with the ACC on than when it is off which is obviously safer but I do tend to suffer from more cars sneaking into the bigger gap! Cest la vie.

 

[Dogtrousers]

The fact that there are all sorts of different systems (good or otherwise) does mean that each new car comes with a big earning curve. This is what caught me out so badly with my hire car.

Time was you just needed to check: indicators, wipers, lights. Cars could differ as to what was on the control stalk(s) Everything else should be in a standard position. Possibly fuel cap release and heating/aircon too and maybe quirky ways of selecting reverse. Took less than a minute or so.

If I ever do hire a car again (and last week really put me off) I'll need to make a checklist and spend maybe 15-30 mins running through it before starting. And if you don't even know which intrusive systems exist, you don't know that you need to disable them.

The encroachment of automatics and electric cars is another concern. I wouldn't have a clue how to drive either of those, and I bet they aren't standardised.

 

[icowden]

The encroachment of automatics and electric cars is another concern. I wouldn't have a clue how to drive either of those, and I bet they aren't standardised.

No, but they aren't much more complicated than driving a dodgem. Automatic EVs are way better than automatic ICE cars. You don't get lurching gear changes or periods when you wonder why the car seems to be driving in a higher gear than it should be.

 

[Dogtrousers]

No, but they aren't much more complicated than driving a dodgem.

I've never done that either.

Seriously though, if a car doesn't have accelerator brake and clutch I wouldn't know how to drive it. I wouldn't know how to do manoeuvreing and parking. How do I leave it in gear on a hill. The list goes on and I don't think I'd be safe learning as I go along.