Why do auto manufacturers increasingly make cars with hard to read speedometers? I was thinking of buying a Mustang, but I could not tell easily how fast I was going. The new Accord speedometer is harder to read than previous models. (Read More…)
Unintended acceleration has been a huge topic in automotive circles over the last year or so, as the Toyota Recall Scandal brought new attention to that man-machine-interface problem. But did you know Mercedes has been receiving its own complaints about UA? Neither did we, as a post-Toyota Recall survey of NHTSA complaints showed Mercedes enjoying one of the lowest rates of UA complaints of all manufacturers. But, reports WardsAuto, the problem was indeed real.
Just about anyone who has driven a Mercedes-Benz in the past decade has experienced it: unintended sudden acceleration because of awkward placement of the cruise-control stalk on the left side of the steering wheel.
A driver may think he is signaling to turn right, when inadvertently he has pushed the cruise control lever upward to the “accel” position, occasionally sending the vehicle bolting forward instead of slowing down to turn at an intersection. This could happen if the cruise control was on but not active.
Left turns were somewhat less problematic because pushing the lever downward put the cruise-control system into “decel” mode.
wmba - Interesting article. This is a subject I think of a lot, because I’m not at all convinced that small turbocharged engines are the way to go, even though...
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NoGoYo - They don’t seem to be tuning it well PERIOD, if the 0-60 numbers and fuel economy reports are anything to go by.
ajla - The EB 3.5L is the high-power option, and it’s still cheaper than getting the 6.2L in the 1/2 ton. It’s a totally...
Type57SC - He seems to be worth a couple billion on paper. Doing something right as that can’t be all luck.
Type57SC - Ecoboost F150 sales would seem to suggest otherwise.
wmba - Interesting article. This is a subject I think of a lot, because I’m not at all convinced that small turbocharged engines are the way to go, even though...
Type57SC - Ahh, but how do you know that the guy you tell about it isn’t the person who ended up inventing it?
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Acd - Looks like a great car for the sub-prime finance crowd. If a car makes a statement this one says “My owner has a really low credit score”.
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andyinatl - GTI is not offered with automatic, but with the VW’s dual clutch transmission. Same idea as Ford’s PowerShift,...