There is a general agreement that the increase in tech in cars is not ideal and that there is opposition to putting more but not all tech put in cars is a bad thing. What is your ideal setup? For me, I love the addition of a touch screen instead of the clunk infotainment systems of the past with a million buttons and panels. I don’t like having a very large screen though. I prefer having a smaller 5 or 6-inch screen just big enough to glance at my song choice or GPS but not a distraction. I prefer a manual over an automatic but if the transmission is an automatic for example I prefer a physical shifter to shift with over a button or dial. Same with the hand brake. In terms of the dash, I like some analog dashes but overall I am actually in favor of a digital speedometer as I think they help modernize most cars. The only other digital aspect I like is having the choice to use a digital rearview mirror as I find these amazing and very helpful for cars with bad blind spots. Other than that I don’t prefer any extra tech in my cars. I hate capacitive buttons, a million little beeps for blind spot monitoring, fake speakers in the exhaust, using the screen for ac, and don’t need a million different lighting aspects or sound effects in the interior. I am curious what everyone’s take on this. What do you like and don’t like? Is there tech in your current car you can’t live without now or is there something you wish was never in the car to begin with?
I like a large, responsive touchscreen. I much prefer the 12 inch in my truck over the 8 inch in my Forester. Although the 8 inch was much better than that godawful screen in the Outback.
Other than that, wireless CarPlay, adaptive cruise, physical climate/seat heater controls, a competent stereo and a well sorted automatic if I can’t have a manual. Rev matching if it’s a manual.
Other tech I’ve seen hasn’t wowed me enough to want to pay extra for it. I appreciate the automatic high beams and wipers, but if I could’ve deleted them and saved a few hundred bucks I would have.
I had a few manual cars with electronic parking brakes. I actually prefer it over the levers. I can’t understand why people like them.