New Delhi: Modern-day carmakers are constantly adding features to their cars to make them stand out. On paper, these help the brands stay ahead of their competition. This has led to the makers putting loads of features in cars that, in the long run, don’t really make a lot of sense.
Cars today are loaded with too much tech, and the addition of some really useless gimmicks is much more than features that are practical to use, and that is a point of concern. After having gone through some cars in the past year, here are some extremely annoying features
Touch-sensitive controls
Touch-sensitive buttons are irritating to use
In any list of annoying things that make a motorist’s life baneful, the touch-sensitive surely tops it. Of course, as is well known, the touch-sensitive controls are made for saving manufacturers loads of money as they don’t have to invest in making separate buttons. They are rarely accurate and quite hard to use whilst driving. We live in a warm country, where sweat can make them less effective. Manufacturers in more recent times have admitted that they are worse in terms of usability, and some are even going back on them.
Over-sensitive ADAS warnings
ADAS system can be very intrusive
ADAS has made driving safer by miles, and it is a great invention by all means, but just sometimes, it is a bit too nagging. Lane departure keeps beeping on the imperfect roads, and collision warnings are too much if you are in dense traffic, and the steering corrections just drain you in the end. With land markings often faded or inconsistent, it is often hard to live your life with an ADAS at times. It is still better than most of the other features, just poor calibrations in the real-world make the experience a little less enjoyable.
Auto Start/Stop
Originally, Auto Start/Stop was meant to help with bettering fuel efficiency, but after a while, everyone eventually hates it for being so intrusive and switches it off. It sometimes even starts anytime you start the vehicle. It is almost for most a muscle memory to turn it off as it finds the most awkward place to shut down the engine or start.
Flush-fitting door handles
Flush-fit doors can be confusing for first-time users
Flush-fitting door handles look quite modern and certainly improve aerodynamics, and that is the reason they are so present in EVs. It is when practicality enters the chat that these door handles suffer. In dusty conditions, heavy rain or when the car battery is close to draining, the handles are really inconvenient. Some need the press-and-pull motion that, for first-time users, is hard to get used to.
Gesture power tailgates
Gesture power tailgates are simply impossible to operate, and even though manufacturers have improved this system over the years, there seems to be no one way to do it right. You can wave your foot all you like and stand with all the bags in your hands, it just seems too lazy to react or simply not register at all.