Are modern cars more complicated than they need to be?

I know most modern cars are packed with electronics and technology to make driving easier and safer but how much is just pointless unessessary gumpf?
The specs list for our Toyota Corolla has so much electronic stuff in it that it looks like the driver can virtually shut down their brain and drive on autopilot.

Adaptive cruise control
Rear and front parking sensors
Lane Departure Alert with Steering Control
Heated front seats
Power adjustable lumbar support
Reversing camera
Bluetooth telephone connectivity
Colour multi-information display
Intelligent park assist
Traction control
Brake assist function
Constant variable automatic transmission
Tyre pressure monitoring system
HAC-Hill-start Assist Control
Electronic parking brake
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)
Tyre pressure warning system
Anti lock braking system + Electronic brake force distribution
Road Sign Assist
Downhill Assist Control (DAC)
Lane Trace Assist
plus sat nav with 3d mapping and voice control.

Theres a lot of stuff in that list thats possibly useful and makes for safer driving but it just seems like its taking the fun and skill out of driving.

 

I've got some of that in my bus


It's called

The wife

 

My 13 yr old Honda Jazz was off for bodywork repairs a month or so ago when a bloke in a BMW reversed into me ( in fairness he put his hands up and accepted all blame) but the courtesy car I was given had one of these electronic automatic handbrakes. Just couldn’t get on with it, even after a week. Nice enough car (Peugeot summat or other) I guess. I liked the DAB radio, but I was glad to get my Honda back

 

So yes, for my simple tastes, yes they are, but I suppose all these things are relative. In 20 years time we’ll be hankering after the too complicated cars we have now

 

In 20 years time we'll probably be wishing we could still drive our cars ourself.

 

I've nothing against technology but when the car decides you're not following the corner correctly and adjusts the steering to get you back between the lines its a bit scarey.

 

In 20 years I'll, most likely, have shuffled off this mortal coil so won't be hankering after anything.
This is why I like my Toyota Landcruiser Troopy, it's designed to do a job simply and competently.

 

Lots. The manufacturers know this only too well . There must be demand for this stuff, still....

 

It’s just more stuff to go wrong and cost a lot to get fixed when it does.

 

Brothers Just got a new fiesta amongst all the other crap it’s got a heated steering wheel and when he opens the door a bit of plastic pops out to protect the edge of the door.

He does fancy computer stuff for a living and struggled to get radio 2 to work. How do old people cope.

Also my car failed the mot as I had a air freshener that was deemed to obscure the windscreen his has a a4 sized bit blocking the windscreen to house all the sensors

 

Too much custom junk. All set to write off the car when it fails in 5 to 10 years time.

If you are in a car doing 70mph and it effs up because hardware/software fault taking it into something solid you are as dead as in the old 60's Merc open top sports car without seatbelts...

 

I think cars have become similar to an arms' race. Eg Ford introduce parking sensors so all the rest have to add it but include something extra such as park assist. Then that becomes 'essential' equipment on all cars and new crap has to be invented and installed, etc, etc, etc.

One reason I like old cars and bikes!

 

Yes
hired a jeep thingy for a weekend, not intentionally I got an upgrade, thought I was driving a space shuttle

 

My wife's new Fiesta has nowhere to play her cassettes.
Bluetooth phone connectivity should be on all cars....and tyre pressure thing is great.....she just doesn't grasp the concept of low profile tyres and always thinks she has a puncture.
@Zebedee ... you could have got a Dacia.

 

I see a lot of technology as pointless.

The engines are now stupidly complicated computers on wheels. Produced because some faceless technocrat has deemed everyone must adopt a particular piece of new guff because algorithms show it will save 11.6 penguins.

Manufacturers love it, it means in twenty years their won’t be any independent garages left. All work will need to be done at a main dealer.

People like His Royal Highness Mr Khan, Lord Mayor of Londinium and Keeper of the Scared Band Wagon love it cos they can force you to pay yet another new tax for entering his city on a Tuesday when your vehiclee engine doesn’t have the latest version of IFlapjack 7 engine recirculating wing wangs installed.

 

Tis weird all this technology but no one has designed a gismo to eject people who drive dangerously and without due respect to others , oh yeh I forgot it’s the yuff in azia lot init . Too much stuff no one needs innit !

 

I’d look at it this way....all the ‘unnecessary crap’ is all that makes the modern petrol engine have a prayer of being remotely fuel efficient....without it all these old vans wouldn’t get petrol still sold pretty much everywhere.

The rest of it is investment in autonomous driving, not much else.

TBH, daily driving is such a huge arse pain these days I’d love to have a kip or read a book whilst the car edged me forward 2 foot every 10 mins.

 

Or he’s simply been charged with giving major cities some chance of clean air, for the people that live there.

 

We do pretty well with our fully loaded E Class and of course our lesser loaded Bays