QOTD: Do You Care About The Latest and Greatest Tech?
I’m the type of guy that reads the instruction manual. Admittedly, I’m in the lower quartile of the 1 percent of humans who actually read the book, and there are even fewer still who admit to reading it — most people don’t, and if they do, it’s only when they need to.
But why? Don’t people know that they’re full of good stuff?
Did you know the newest generation Mini Cooper has launch control? I wouldn’t have known that if I didn’t spot it in the manual. Also, I wouldn’t have known how to sync via Bluetooth to a circa-2013 Volkswagen car (the PIN is buried in the manual, it’s 1212 or something like that, if I recall correctly).
According to a recent report, most new car buyers don’t know what their cars do, and quite frankly, they don’t care. They should.
Admittedly, carmakers aren’t tech companies. The latest and greatest is under the hood and usually not at your fingertips. But most people find that their phones are a better source of information and directions, and that’s probably not the safest way to drive a car.
Instead of competing with tech companies, I’d prefer carmakers to contract — but that’s not conducive to a better bottom line [or with developing a product that’s visually and functionally different from the competition —Mark].
Drivers should care about the tech going into their cars because it could make their lives safer — and easier.
But maybe I’m wrong. So what say you, B&B? Do you care about in-car tech? Should automakers improve or outsource? Is there any tech that should be in cars that isn’t already?
More by Aaron Cole
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Not gonna lie, I love the added features in my 2015 GT from the BLIS to the much derided MFT to the adaptive cruise control to the multiple traction and stability control settings. If I can get another serious infusion of cash over the next few years and I can upgrade to a GT350 the tech package will be really tempting.
I *love* my 2011 RX8. Definitely that cars swan song. Pretty much the only reason I would consider replacing it is because the lack of current tech bums me out. the 2011 missed bluetooth audio, so I'm stuck fiddling with cables (usually mid-drive) when I want to listen to my phone. And, even if I *did* have BT Audio, the display could never show me anything relevant about what was playing. I do a surprising number of road trips, so this actually matters to me almost enough to want a new car. If I was getting a new car anyway, I'd love start/stop tech (which I doubt we'll see here) and some radar cruise control for those times where traffic is light enough on your road trip to cruise, but *just* so, and someone always seems to be doing a 1-2 point difference in speed from you. The other safety measures, like lane departure and so on, I'd be happy to take if the tech is mature, I haven't actually researched it yet. Anyone who *doesn't* want these technologies presumably is worried about false positives. If that's not an issue (or won't be soon) then I definitely want them, because if I'm literally going off the road or about to hit someone regardless of how I ended up in that situation, I'd like all the help I can get to avoid both. My personal pride as a driver is NOT worth my life or anyone elses.
I would vote for outsourcing or standardization of at least entertainment and navigation. This is finally coming true with Android Auto and CarPlaym, and even though it will still be divided, it will at least give people options. My current car, a 2011 BMW Wagon, has BMW's Apps system. It only works with iOS, and it must be plugged into a device to get any functionality (like Spotify). I like Volvo's approach to integrate Spotify in the system, but, what about other services? How is it upgraded (ICE upgrades usually get abandoned as soon as the new version/generation comes out). With a standard, non-built-in device running everything, at least we have the advantage of having the experts (Apple, Google and the app developers: Spotify, TuneIn, Waze, etc) take care of the software. Any upgrades to the hardware or apps automatically transfer to the car. Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to go fight with that iPod Touch in my armrest that never manages to integrate with the BMW Apps reliably.
The car either drives itself or it doesn't. If it doesn't, give me a manual and whatever was current for 1995. If it does, I want to be able to play Angry birds with my feet on the dash. This middle ground of vibrating steering and "Uh oh! Looks like the car is moving. Are you a passenger?" nannies, I don't need or want.