Modern Vehicles

[witcombusa]

The engine shutting off/on at every stop is among the most ridiculous of the new 'mechanical' unpleasantries. CVT transmissions are also high on the list of grievances. Auto braking sounds like a problem waiting to happen too.

So far LED lighting is the only PLUS I've read...

[Hellgate]

I hate to tell you guys this, but fully autonomous cars and commercial vehicles are within several years. The pilots are here now.

The company I work for makes the chips going into the prototypes and potentially the production vehicles.

The entire automotive industry is moving there quickly. Hang onto your hats.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by witcombusa

The engine shutting off/on at every stop is among the most ridiculous of the new 'mechanical' unpleasantries. CVT transmissions are also high on the list of grievances. Auto braking sounds like a problem waiting to happen too.

So far LED lighting is the only PLUS I've read...

Auto start/stop can be disabled with the push of a button in my car. I don’t love it but I can easily override it so it causes me no stress. Mostly I let it do it’s thing because it’s pretty transparent. CVTs can be OK too and are measurably more efficient than traditional automatics, which is what my Tiguan has. I’m somewhat ambivalent as to the quality of shifts in the current automatic. I’m used to manual transmissions but it wasn’t an option with this vehicle and is not longer the efficient model anyway.

Dual clutch automatics and CVTs are the way of the future in internal combustion autos but with electric and hybrids becoming more prevalent all bets are off. Slush boxes are old tech in any case.

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by Gummee

Was watching a documentary about the Iowa. The tactical operations area of the ship was lit blue 'cause the Navy thought it did less to night vision than even red. ...and BMW did red...

Learned something new today! Thanks Gummee!

From further reading, it seems like blue-green is preferred over red because it requires less intensity (i.e. damaging one's night vision) to display information to a reader.

http://www.astromax.org/activities/members/kniffen.htm

Much of the myth has certainly been supported by the existence of numerous studies showing red light, of a given intensity, has less effect on night vision than other colors. While this is true, a light source that has the least effect on night vision is not the same thing as a light source that will allow visual perception at the lowest possible level of illumination.

[...]

Once again; we should use the absolute minimum amount of light. This discussion is only about very low levels of light, any benefit of using green light to read charts will not be realized when the illumination level is excessive.

[...]

the intensity of light required to see anything in the red end of the spectrum is much higher than the level needed to see light of any other color. The visual threshold for perception of red illumination with the low light rods is many times higher than the green threshold of the bright light cones! Second, recognize that there's also very little difference between the sensitivity of the cones and rods at the red end of the spectrum. This shows why red light must be excessively bright to see with. Third, note the difference of minimum illumination intensity required to see red as opposed to green.

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by Hellgate

I hate to tell you guys this, but fully autonomous cars and commercial vehicles are within several years. The pilots are here now.

The company I work for makes the chips going into the prototypes and potentially the production vehicles.

The entire automotive industry is moving there quickly. Hang onto your hats.

But will laws change quickly enough?

I'm estimating autonomous vehicles (AV) 5-10 years to be available for consumer purchase, and say 2030 for mainstream adoption. You need an entire generational shift with consumers who are looking to buy a new car and younger people who think AVs are the norm.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by VC Slim

My 2007 CR-V just went over 100k miles. It still has a lot of life left in it but the repair costs are adding up and I'll be looking to replace it at some point. Not interested in the latest crop of interfaces/bells and whistles. I'm just hoping for a make/model that has cloth seats.

Geez, just now getting broken in, 'repair costs adding up?' Honda?

..an interesting aside..My son's 2017 Honda Civic..battery died..wanted to get jumper cables out of the trunk...no can do w/o power..ooops...

VW Golf SportWagen 'S', 4Motion..cloth and heated, seats..

[biker72]

The CVT in my old 2015 Honda Accord was seamless. Smooth and efficient.

Of the new bells and whistles, lane departure drives me nuts. Feels like the front end is loose. Fortunately I can turn it off.

I find the backup warning very useful backing out between 2 large vehicles. Blind spot detection is great too when changing lanes.

[skouri1]

Also intrigued. I think hondas can go for a long while. Sometimes their owners get used to like 0$ repair bills for years and then once they need a little love ditch them. Friend doing the same with a civic after 10 years, which until the point, had no repairs.

Have no clue what's normal, as i've never owned a car. I feel like other (non Honda, Toyota) brands need some investment every year or so to keep going beyond the standard service?
I do know that plotting all of this stuff out is pretty difficult when you're trying to buy a car.

[soulspinner]

I work part time in a Volvo dealership. Sometimes people ask me if I could have any car what would it be? I tell them it would be a Singer Porsche. Just a car that costs a fortune and has none of the driver tech many my age have such a hard time with. Where else can you spend 6 figures on a car with straps for door handles and not care? YMMV

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by soulspinner

I work part time in a Volvo dealership. Sometimes people ask me if I could have any car what would it be? I tell them it would be a Singer Porsche. Just a car that costs a fortune and has none of the driver tech many my age have such a hard time with. Where else can you spend 6 figures on a car with straps for door handles and not care? YMMV

YesSIR..steam gauges...Huzzah!!

[soulspinner]

Might need a Baum painted to match in that tax bracket to be matchy with the Singer...…...

[Dave]

About lane departure technology. All my 2018 Equinox does is vibrate the seat to let you know that you're crossing lines without a signal. There's no interference in the steering. It also has the automatic engine shutdown, but that, like all of the other enhancements, can be turned off if you don't like them.

Cloths seats are the standard on most lower level models, but I prefer leather, so I always pay more for an upgraded interior. I special ordered my Colorado pickup because few had leather seats or navigation, or the right color.

GM went back to an old trick with the 2018 Equinox. To get navigation, you have to buy a large package of items that includes a huge sunroof, that I would never choose.

As for maintenance, there hasn't been much change for a long time. Computers control just about everything and nothing is easy to fix if it involves the computers. Simple items like brake pads and minor engine maintenace are no different. I tend to keep new cars for 4-5 years and trade them off before anything major is ever required. I don't go to the dealership, except for free repairs under warranty.

[zap]

Rebuilt and moded cars is the future.......the Singer seemingly being the pinnacle in the Porsche world.

Like cash. Simpler, more reliable, can't be tracked motor vehicles.

[LouDeeter]

I drive a newer car with all the gadgetry--lane change warning, sensors on the bumpers, backup camera, that sort of thing. When i get in my wife's 10 year old high end German car without any of those things, I think I'm more dangerous! I like the technology from a safety standpoint. Regarding the distractions, probably the biggest distraction that I actually use is the map feature for navigation, watching it as it brings me to a difficult intersection or turn. I don't feel that the rest of the displays are distracting unless you focus too much on them.

[Climb01742]

Originally Posted by soulspinner

I work part time in a Volvo dealership. Sometimes people ask me if I could have any car what would it be? I tell them it would be a Singer Porsche. Just a car that costs a fortune and has none of the driver tech many my age have such a hard time with. Where else can you spend 6 figures on a car with straps for door handles and not care? YMMV

+1000

And with the Singer body tweaks, it’s the most beautiful car ever.