One thing you can guarantee in 2024 is that there will be loads of new car releases!
However, while we love to get our hands on a new car, we can’t help but feel that new cars are coming with a whole load of trends - and they’re not always good trends!
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of 11 current car trends which must be stopped!
For example, take electric cars. We know they all need to charging, but why do the charging port covers have to be so BIG! With some of these cars the covers look like they’re a wing that’s been attached to the side!
Or take the decreasing size of digital dials. Why are manufacturers looking to put so much info into the infotainment screen rather than having a big, easy to read dial screen? Or in the worst cases (we’re looking at you, Tesla…) why are they removing the dial screen completely?!
So what do you think - do you agree with our list? Or have we missed something? Let us know in the comments!
Just bring back buttons. Thx.
And, proper gear selectors, not the dials or tiny switches (cough, cough, VW Group). 🙏
@@Presto_001i think jaguar started that gear selector scroll thing
And manual gearboxes
And manual handbrakes
@@Markcain268won't come back because electric cars and because of autonomous driving in the future.
I remember that time (many years ago) when Jeremy Clarkson was reviewing a Mercedes and, to prove that it was perfect, he showed that he could close his eyes and find all the buttons he needed because they were exactly where they needed to be. Today he wouldn't even find the turn signal.
what, modern Mercedes do have a turn signal?
Reminds me of my SAAB's , not only could you find all the controls without looking, you could also adjust as required without looking
the indicator lever has remained the same for all models for decades @@christianstorms3950
@@djabbt4171 and Saab was designed for the ease of the driver, so everything that the driver could need to do was mounted so that the driver could change stuff and push buttons and stuff without needing to look or something. Saab in that sense is a really good car. And i like the night mode😂 and out of all the fwd cars I've driven I honestly think Saab comes first when it comes to driver experience and how to car handles😅
@@christianstorms3950 signals are becoming buttons instead of stalks
Now is definitely NOT the time to be buying a car. Average car cost $47K?! That's insane! Check your ego at the door - you need a vehicle to get back and forth to work, not to impress anyone. An auto finance rate of 7%+ is an insult to anyone with excellent credit. No thanks. Those new cars can sit on the lot and rot away for all I care.
I'm with you. I don't care how much it costs to keep my current cars running. I'll drop new engines and trans if necessary I refuse to buy a new car.
Yeah, Im glad I keep seeing this message because I want a new car, but man these prices are crazy
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Auto rate of 7% should be normal, because if the FED didn't keep rates artificially low. However, PRICES should insult you, these dealers are screwing their future for a gain in the short term.
Not only are the lack of buttons and overtaking of touchscreens creating incoveniences, I think they're incredibly unsafe regarding how you have to mess around with them in the middle of driving.
the ability to permanently turn off all of the stuff you don't need would be great
As in?
@@MaticTheProtolane assist
Infotainment screens should be automatically disabled when driving.
@@MaticTheProto indicators
Don't tell BMW, they'll introduce a subscription charge for that. "Don't want automatic wipers, sir/madam? That'll be $10 a month, please!".
1) Bring back physical buttons 2) Bring back small alloys which can improve ride quality. 3) Bring back analogue speedo & tachometers I think car manufacturers should focus on prioritising function over aesthetics
Nah, miss me with the analogue shit.
Nah analogue gauges are boring.
@@Raptor3698 and less practical. Love the digital drivers display in my 2018 a class
agree with you 100% ... love my small alloys so I can go quicker over potholes... love physical buttons, hate touchscreen .... love old analogue speedo and tachs too
Analog needles, but with digital screens behind.
quick in a straight line. But weights 3 tones. And corners like a bus. Thats a good idea🤣
I do like how the smaller wheels on the E class look, maybe it's because it's a good design overall. Smaller wheels also have the advantage of improving ride quality and being lighter weight in many cases
I quite agree. Large wheels and narrow tyres might improve handling but should one be pushing a car that hard on the public highway?
@@geekandguide I mean... I was when I had a self destructive period in my life, but thank god I'm well over it!
17" tyres are also cheaper than 18-20" low-profile sporty stuff. For SUVs with any ambition to go offroad 17-18" should be the top rim size and on smaller SUVs 15-16" would be ideal.
Not to mention cheaper tires and less chance of popping tires.
Technically it's not the wheel size that gives the advantage but the tyre profile ... all other things being equal (they're not) a bigger wheel should ride bumps and potholes better ... but we all know that's not the case in the real world because the profile of the tyre that is used on the bigger wheel means there is a very short sidewall which allows every bump to be transmitted into the suspension and the car. I hate super-low profile tyres on a road car when a smaller wheel car with more sidewall on the tyre ends up giving a much better ride.
I actually like smaller wheels with taller tire walls. They improve ride quality, prevent curb rashes and you wont crack your wheel when you hit a pot hole
So do I. I even have replaced the 17"s on my new bought car with 16"s.
And let's talk the cost difference of a 17" tire vs a 20" 😮 Just a couple of bucks - right!!!
I hate big wheels with a passion, low profile tyres maybe look "cool", but the ride comfort is crap compared to a smaller wheel in 99.9% of the actual use cases on British roads.
@@richardcrane5189 Not just british...
Not only that but wheels and tires are cheaper too
Bring back physical buttons for ANYTHING you need to feasibly use while driving. A/C, volume, cruise control. If a touch screen makes you take your eyes off the road its a safety hazard IMO Also, headlights are way too bright. Im sick of having my retinas burned in by the latest 10000000 Lumens LED. Bright enough=/=as bright as you can produce
My guess: in most cases just the automatic high beam doesn't work properly and people are not capable of switch it off manually.
You can't turn down the bright lights because it's 11 layers down in the touch screen menu.... HATE NEW CARS
@@jimcurt99then buy a shitbox from the 80s and call it Mr perfect
Totally agree. All this plus the rapid acceleration and the fact that you can't hear them coming is going to increase accidents without a shadow of a doubt. It beggars belief that this health and safety mad country has simply accepted all this without batting an eyelid.
That's not even your opinion, that's an observable fact. Studies have been conducted all over the world that have found putting all these features on touch screens is dangerous. Automakers just insist on them because they're cheaper than buttons and dials, so they lobby for the screens to not be outlawed.
I think the contemporary popular car styling really reached its peak between 2000-2010. Cars like original Ford Focus, BMW E46 (though these two slightly predate that timeframe), Peugeot 307, Alfa Romeo 159, latest Mitsubishi Lancer have all aged extremely well.
Bring back physical controls, build cars better, and make them more reliable. Also add cool interesting bright colors back! That’s all I want.
Lack of physical buttons is the worst trend right now and it seems to be getting worse. Cost saving aka penny pinching disguised as "cutting edge"!😅 I consider it a safety issue to have to faff around touchscreen menus for important functions that are frequently used. Easy to use buttons and knobs please! And if a manufacturer wants to differentiate they should use premium engineering and materials for the controls instead of getting rid of them altogether.
True that
its German trend they like to milk money off people buy Toyota if you want buttons
And I have never seen anyone praise them which means that companies need them badly just to cut costs in the back of safety which is supposed to be their first priority. I do not even want to know what happens in places and materials that we usually dont have access to...
I think nearly everything should be buttons, while stuff you barely use be in the info. Heating, drive modes, etc. Thats is why I like what the Ineos suv did. It's practical but still cool. Makes you feel like your driving an airplane.
So true, i drive a Cupra Leon, which has no physical buttons and without autopilot or on a busy autobahn its really dangerous to for example try to change the AC or anything else. At least the infotainment is somewhat fast.
It's already been said in the comments but the lack of buttons and display dials needs to stop, it's honestly dangerous to have a person constantly checking over to the infotainment system for feedback on speed, battery consumption, temperature etc. I'd go so far as to make it a legal requirement on safety grounds. Also, new Model 3 Tesla removing paddles for indicator, wipers etc. is just another level of madness. It completely rules them out as an option for me.
Then stop buying cars without buttons. The unpopular fact is that most consumers are too dumb to make good decisions. They will see a car with no stalks and buttons, just screens, and think it looks clean and futuristic. Design sells much more than buttons.
But using a mobile is way more dangerous 😂😂
@@jimj2683but will they buy the same car again?
How do you indicate and use the wipers??
Touch sensitive buttons or navigating on a screen is cheaper than physical buttons, that's the only reason
I do not have a problem with thicker tyres and smaller rims at all to be honest. They can look fantastic when properly designed and offer some peace of mind when the terrain gets a bit more "technical". Making the smaller options look hideous on purpose is what bugs me though. I often have trouble imagining that the professional designers, who came up with the usual standard-options, did the best they can.
Agree. I hate the "stretched tire" trend. They are a liability imo.
Agree with the buttons thing. With so many drivers actually hating the touch screens I don't understand why the manufacturers persist in foisting them on us. With proper switches muscle memory means you don't have to think about them , screens, on the other hand, are so distracting.
Touch screens to control heater etc should be banned as not safe to adjust when driving
Can u imagine? But holding a cell phone to ur ear is fucking illegal 😂
@@highwaystar3780yep. Using a cellphone while driving can also led to serious accidents.😅
@@purwantiallan5089 Absolutely....but No more Dangerous than those On Board fucking computers!
How often do you adjust it? Mine is 20C and auto and it works great in both -15 and +30 C. The only thing i ever touch is defroster for the wear window and mirrors and extra fan on the front window. But those are started from a standstill in 99% of the cases. I don't have to have the controls on touch screen but i can't really see the big problem.
I Just press the button and the steering and say , Im cold as fuck and then i get plenty heat without looking on the screen🤩
Point number 9 is actually true. A Finnish insurance company recently published data that EVs are more likely to get into accidents when compared to internal combustion cars. They theorized that the reason is that most people are not used to the fast acceleration and great performance they have. An alternative explanation was that their increased weight increases braking distance on snow and ice, which also increases risk. But the increased accident risk seemed to happen year around.
With modern tires, weight is almost irrelevant to handling and stopping distances as far as public roads are concerned.
@@rightwingsafetysquad9872nope, modern compounds are good but electric cars still weight over half ton more than their size compared combustion counterpart.
Sorry but nope - M3 outbrakes Audi RS4 on snow kzhead.info/sun/mdCmmJd8n6SvmYE/bejne.htmlsi=yDhMPmSlObcEoU5i&t=936
And regarding accelaration - powerful motors are marginally heavier and more expensive than "weak" ones, are just as efficient (i.e. the peak power doesn't impact efficiency at lower powers) and the more powerful the motor the better the car can recuperate. If you want true one-pedal driving without ever engaging the brakes you need a powerful motor.
Or people that buy electric vehicles are dumbasses
What about the increasing rarity of spare tires?
Reminds me of the VW Golf I rented through ZipCar. Seat position was done via the touchscreen and I could not work it out. Drove 40 miles pretty much looking through the steering wheel! Let's bring back good old buttons and switches (and not just on cars!).
high profile tires are pretty good for tackling potholes. With those low profile wheels you need to watch out for bumps and drive extremely cautiously in order not to get them wrecked. Not to mention the driving comfort over the low profile tires.
It looks so utilitarian and I like small wheels
And the cost, who wants to spend $1200+ for SUV tires?
They also reduce weight and increase traction in a straight line. Only thing low profile tyres do is decrease body roll and improve steering response and feedback
Just like the Filthy Corrupt Capital going against the Peoples Will !!
Have another upvote from a fellow utilitarian rubber lover.
Screens instead of physical buttons is by far the worst offender
screen and buttons would be acceptable
Its just stupido
Some things that cars generally don't have that I think should added or prioritised: 1. Hazard lights that flash with a different sequence to indicators. IMO hazards should do a quick double flash, rather than blink at the same rate as indicators - so that you can tell the difference between a car that is parked up with hazards on and one that is indicating to pull out (i.e. if you can only see one of it's indicators). The standard blink probably came about because hazards used the same circuit as indicators - but now most cars have LED lights - there is no reason this still needs to be the case. 2. Brake force indicating brake lights. Given many cars now have LED light bars as brake lights - why aren't brake force indicating brake lights a thing. If the bar illuminated from the outside in, to indicate the braking force, it would give drivers behind more information as to whether brake lights coming on where just a little reactive tap - or a full slam on. 3. Blind spot indicating lights. I know many cars come with these now - but it should be standard. 4. Dashcams. Given how cheap digital cameras and memory cards are today and the potential for sorting out insurance disputes - it's silly that cars don't come with front and rear dashcams as standard (or at least as an option). 5. This might need a change in legislation - but if cars had small rear lights say green and purple above the rear windscreen linked to buttons on the steering wheel to indicate a "thank you" or a "i'm sorry" to drivers behind, it could save a lot of road rage, anger and frustration. I know many drivers use a quick double flash of the hazards or alternating indicators to indicate thanks, but having dedicated lights for this could make things much clearer. 6. Not sure whether this is feasible (and there may be safety considerations) - but could headlights include a black light element? I have done some experiments with a black light torch and clothing that contains fluorescent material is visible at a much greater distance when illuminated by even a very low power black light torch than when illuminated by standard white light.
Car reviewers like you... we need you guys. Thanks.
The smaller wheels are better than the larger wheels. They give better ride quality and don't damage as quickly. The large wheels are an option for people who value looks over functionality.
Also you can air them down to get out of snow, sand or mud pretty easy. Smaller wheels with taller tyre wall also do grip better on 90% of world existing roads. Simply, they're helping the whole suspension :)
Completely agree. I was buying a land cruiser, couldn't get anything smaller than 19 inch rims on the package. That for the so called ultimate offroad car, where 16 inch wheels truly make a difference in every way possible.
Maybe bring back whitewall tyres? I hate ultra low profile tyres.
Big wheels actually have functionnality but it's for... Sports car meant to be drove on track. You feel more the road with big wheels, more informations goes for the driver at the cost of comfort. I heavily doubt your everyday SUV driver needs these informations though. For them, it's just less comfort, more road sound inside the cabin. But whatever I guess
I don't even think they look better. That Mercedes shown in the video looked like a proper car on the 17" wheels, and like a cartoon on the larger wheels. The problem is that in the design studio the clay models have the largest wheels possible. I remember a policy in one (now long gone) studio that all clay models had to be displayed with the smallest planned wheels. The theory was that if it looked good on the smallest wheels, it would probably look even better with slightly larger wheels. I was hoping that Matt's rant over wheels would be against larger wheels, not for them.
The smaller wheels aren’t for upselling wheels only. They also look better on emissions testing and provide a more comfortable / quieter ride on tester vehicles. Then the customer gets larger wheels and screws that, but hey the manufacturer tricked both them and legislators 🥳
I agree. I'll always love the 215/60 R14 on my 1988 Chevy Cavalier Z24. I used those exact tires with 14" ultra light mags on my 2013 Ford Fiesta; much better grip all around, so much more comfortable and quiet than the stock 16".
I find myself reaching to change songs with the steering wheel controls every time because it's a button and I don't have to look away from the road. Also, those bigger wheels look nice, but even a 17" tire is nearly 200 dollars each and they need replaced often enough that they really factor in cost of ownership. Luckily I'm in a 22' mirage with 14's and they're about $45 a tire.
My wife just drove home in her brand new Camry hybrid. I was overjoyed to see it had a stereo volume KNOB of all things (on and off with the knob, too)! It even had temp level knobs for left and right sides! You still have to take your eyes off the road to adjust where to send the heat (Floor? Vents?) and I have no idea how to find the odometer on the instrument cluster.. (Or even how to use the instrument cluster). Back to the heater controls, my 1985 Toyota p/u has two sliding levers to control heater temp and where to send the heat, as well as a four position knob to control fan speed. And the level cable broke after over 30 years of back and forth. I bought the cable for $22 and installed it myself in about 45 minutes. I could do the same job now in about twenty minutes, having figured out my mistakes and how to actually do it. I don't have any idea how much a new HVAC computer would cost on the Camry, but I bet the entire thing, including installation, is north of $1500 and I definitely cannot do it myself.
To be honest I'd take the small rims over the large ones any day. Not only I like the looks of nice tall profiles but it's so much more convenient in real traffic. Large rims may be nice for a race track but on the real road the tall profile tire absolutely rules. More comfort, more stability and just better performance in adverse conditions makes the big balloons my go to tires.
This! Reviewers always review as if the cars are going to be used on a track. And then whinge about the roughness of the ride. Of course it is rough, the car has glorified rubberbands for tyres!
More comfort? Yes, absolutely... But that's it. More stability, and better performance? Well, I think we might define those words differently, because I can't think of any example where they would be better in those aspects. So... Adverse conditions... Like what? Snow? Rain? Mud? Tire compound and tread design massively outweigh any differences in side profile height. Steering response? No contest, low profile tires will be more 'stable' and quick to react, every time. And finally, there is NO reason why a properly dampend car needs to be harsh, even with low profile tires. Even a high sidewal tire car can feel like a shopping cart when the shocks are near, or past their shelf life. Maybe you have not personally experienced a what I am talking about, but a friend of mine recently purchased a new car with 18 inch wheels and a 40 series profile tire... And I can attest, his car feels like a cloud compared to my aging suspension running on 16 inch 55 series tires. I was shocked at how good it felt with that wheel and tire combo.
@@2K8Si 18 inch with 40 side profile is meaty. he is talking about more inch and lower side profiles.
@@frz_lehmann3003 Yeah... I will admit, I myself would not go lower than a 40 series profile. They still have a decent amount of cush, and still have the performance without feeling like a rubber band. But saying that balloon tires can perform the same, that's just not correct.
Actually, they are worse on the racetrack too. There is a good reason F1 cars use small wheels, and the recent rule changes actually limited how small they can be because of that
I'll stick with my 16 year old astra. It has buttons, is reasonably cheap to fix and maintain, has sensible displays and does what I need it to do.
just bought an 11 year old Astra, thought the same, what a nice car... in great condition too, bought it from Netherlands, used to run on smooth surfaces and not abused in any way, nothing creaks still and feels like a brand new car inside aside from of course all the screens and carplay :D
and has a handbrake...dont forget the handbrake!
..and if you lose the key you can unlock the door with the key off the side of a corned beef tin... . Seriously though, look after it, give it the love and it will love you back.
It better have a manual transmission.
With you on a lot of this but not rims. I go out of my way to get smaller wheels as I usually find the ride so so much better. Went out of my way to get my Q3 in sport trim rather than S-Line to avoid the stupid large rims and get 18s instead… a nightmare when trying to get all the other options I wanted
He was also saying that the smaller wheels are styled poorly so that you feel the need to upgrade. And that part is often true.
@@mediocreman2 yeah the 18s on mine are boring but I honestly don’t care. Never see them when I’m driving. However I hate how Audi especially forces you to have S-Line if you want certain options usually. I must have an outlier as I still have all the options but you can’t spec it now if you were to try…
In the 50ties and into the 70ties these fuel filler caps were hidden either behind a rear light or behind the number plate especially in American cars. It can‘t be that difficult to do this again.
One thing I think doesn't get discussed enough with new cars is general ownership costs. Having 20+ inch wheels is all well and good but best hope you have deep pockets when replacing a tire. A lot of these cars especially the EVs are fast, and as a result fall into very high insurance groups. I even hear horror stories of entire headlight units needing replacing if the LED running lights go out instead of a simple bulb change like in older cars.
I do like the look of the new headlights, but miss the old simple, cheap, easy to replace, last forever and never sun fade or turn yellow glass headlights😊.
If you can afford any of those high performance evs then tires would be fuck all money wise.
The problem i see on the road again and again is that people put in the money for a huge car, with huge wheels and then get the cheapest shittiest tyres they can. (It always blows my mind that people try to save on the only thing that connects their life to the ground)
brakes and tires most important thing on any car...
@@nirfz yes I agree 100%!! I constantly see high end cars with cheapo tires. You'll be surprised how many people can barely afford these cars so pay monthly and then can't afford basic maintenence for them, but still want the expensive new cars to look more succeasful than they actually are
Very much agree with the touch screens and engine power. We have gone so astray when a modern SUV has the same fuel economy of a brick shaped saloon of the 80's. Imagine how much more efficient we could have vehicles with all this tech if we kept to a reasonable weight and power with the tech to get lighter vehicles that use half the fuel of 80's cars. Instead we got 4000 lb SUV's that have 400 hp. Also we need a maximum lumen limit for brake lights. The modern ones blind me when I come off the highway, have to block the light with my hand.
But man do I miss those brick-shaped sedans of the 80s.
@@DavidPysnikHear hear! I still have a few of them that I am restoring to drive until gas is not available or I die, whichever comes first.
the trend of putting an actual sun in the headlights of every modern car annoys the crap outta me. when i drive in the dark i get blinded in every mirror AND looking dead ahead.
Headlights too, they need better leveling or angling to avoid blinding drivers through the mirrors.
@@MeesDeppe_OfficialThis. Though, no matter what kind of lights they have, everyone blinds me from behind in my 1988 Cavalier Z24.
Your delivery is so good! 😆😆 like at 3:35. Good work!
4:31 I sat in that exact Hiphi Z at Goodwood this year!
Since cars now commonly have LCD screens, which are always lit, they need to stop having front-only day-time running lights. The number of people driving around at night with no rear lights is astonishing.
But which modern car does not have automatic lights? Maybe you are referring the button loving crap box driver who missed to press one of his 1 million lovable buttons.
@@TschingisTube Honestly, I don't get the point of having lights that turn off when the car is running. I think DRL are fine, just have them at the back too.
All the time...criminally stupid design decision.
@@TschingisTubemany cars don’t. And on the ones who do have, there are buttons to turn the auto function off (which I always do, for example). Seriously, if you can’t figure out (and remember) to turn on the headlights, you shouldn’t be allowed to drive at first.
@@Juvahh why would you turn off automatic lights? It simply works!
Great points. But while big wheels look nice, they are a headache in practice. My previous Cayenne had 21" wheels and I constantly had to worry about damaging them trying to negotiate a big car out of tight underground parking garages. When I sold the car the first thing the dealer did was check for wheel damage. "Luckily" only one was damaged. For my new Cayenne opted for 20" wheels.
Nothing like watching a person's jaw drop when you explain how expensive the tires are for their 20" wheel...that they just wore out in 10,000 miles....
Nothing above 19" rides with comfort, but for sport cars with giant brakes becomes almost impossible.
Congratulations on the new vehicle. I'm just happy Cayenne and Panamera appear under "cheapest Porsche"
Less expensive Cars with less bullshit that we dont need
Amen brother / excellent points and love the honesty. Keep ‘em coming
I don't like all the crap they put in modern cars, stops me wanting one and saves me money! 😀
Totally agree. Years ago, I wanted every other new car that came out. Drove me crazy, not to mention the expense. These days, I have no desire or interest for these modern crap cars. Now I can live my life more peacefully. So, thank you car industry for ruining the cars!
I really like how some other people think like this too
Well, that only works if you don't need a car for your job. Or don't need to enter cities. Because in 2030, that's a no-go in a lot of countries in Europe. So my current second hand gas car will probably be the last non-EV. I'm not looking forward to it. At least I bought the top end engine, to enjoy it while it last.
@@caleidoo2030 is basically like 7 years away.
Get the base model? What's stopping you from that?
I disagree with the wheel size trend though. Smaller rim = higher tire profile = better ride comfort. 20inch wheels on an X1!? I know it looks better and all but it wont be too great on bad roads. I’m glad the smaller rims are at least and option for those would want that.
Agree with you. I think Mat is highlighting the fact that manufacturers are up charging the better looking rims even tho manufactur cost for different size rims are basically the same.
GLA and Q3 get optional 20 inch wheels, so it’s not the only one
He's a buffon that's why
The point Mat was making is that the manufacturers deliberately design the cars to look bad with small wheels.
@@patrickyeh1102 Big alloys take more material to make and need to be more carefully engineered because they are far more prone to bending and breaking on bumps because they get so much less protection from low profile tyres. Low profile tyres also cost a lot more than high profile tyres due to them being way easier to overheat if driven underinflated and they have to be reinforced a lot more to survive damage from square edged bumps that higher profile tyres will roll right over without a problem. Formula 1 showed for decades that low profile tyres aren't necessary for good handling, so big alloys for 'performance' is marketing guff and very little more. The good news is that more people than ever are aware that spending huge amounts of money on a massively depreciating asset that isn't even very useful in a world where every trip is a traffic jam and walking, bicycles and public transport are becoming more and more obviously the best solution for most trips, so car companies are having a much harder time selling their products.
Years ago, I used my relative’s late-2000s Toyota Yaris to commute to my job. It worked perfectly fine, and the most advanced thing in it was probably the Aux cord. Nowadays, cars are almost totally overwhelming with massive screens that are unintuitive to use and no physical controls. I’m astounded at what can happen in just a few years.
Side note on video production, I happened to notice Matt looks a little cross-eyed in this video. I hadn't noticed it in other videos so I'm wondering if the prompter was a little to far away from the camera lens. Loved the video :)
Thought i was wigging out
Expected to see Tesla's removal of stalks (putting turn signal buttons on the steering wheel) on this list. One of the reasons I didn't wait for the Model 3 Highland refresh.
I guess you will just need to drive it. The model s has had this for a while and it makes things much simpler, and it has never failed (me). The lack of physical buttons has made things easier as well because things you need to work just work as they're supposed to. It is nicer than having a hundred extra buttons. I am biased though. I have driven a tesla for three years now. The way their software has been updated through the years has mostly been a success (for me). They've automated things to use the few buttons they have on the wheel at the right times when you need them, and it's been much simpler. For reference, I fly advanced helicopters with too many buttons and switches. The simplicity of tesla is refreshing. There are a lot of annoying issues however that I feel like tesla usually addresses, although it takes them longer to address the model s and x since I think fewer people drive them. The turn signals on the wheel itself for me is awesome, and makes driving easier. I can see how it could be frustrating.
@@coreywadsworth1037 I’m open to buttons on the wheel for turn signals, but you’re wrong about the rest. I’m not just saying I disagree, I’m saying you’re wrong.
@@coreywadsworth1037 Do you always blink out of roundabouts? Seems to me like the lack of stalks makes Tesla drivers even worse than the average driver at indicating properly. I can't really blame them either, because finding the right button when the wheel is upside down is a pain in the ass.
@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 i agree with you, but like, he was just saying his opinion. He said he was bias, he gave reference to reasons why he prefers it that way, and all he is saying is that the turn signals on the wheel are awesome FOR HIM, and it makes it easier for him. He see's how it could be frustrating.
@@aminfozdar Sometimes opinions can be so wildly off base that they become incorrect.
All i want is to control AC and radio through the buttons.
perhaps even worse is the 50/50 physical/digital controls. Like controlling the temperature with a knob but controlling the fan speed through the screen... or controlling the volume with a knob and controlling the tuning through the screen. That makes me so mad, like you were nearly there and obviously arent opposed to physical buttons, why ruin it?
So glad my 2018 A class doesn’t have a radio with buttons. The touch controls are way more convenient
I use them with voice commands (and my car has physical buttons for them)
atleast have ac be a physical knob and have a little screen in the middle of it that would be ideal
@@dimontecorThat’s useful, sometimes, but it’s only acceptable when you’re alone in the car.
Having to navigate through the touchscreen is why there’s an increase in crashes,I have an old Astra with simple real knobs and buttons,I borrowed my wife’s up to date Hyundai the other day and nearly curbed it 3 times trying to adjust heating and finding a decent radio channel 👍🏼
I agree with you that manufacturers should bring the buttons back. In Tesla model S, why do we need to go through the screen to open the glove box? It doesn't have to be mechanical buttons. Transistor buttons are good enough. But the trunk or fuel door buttons should be mechanical leverage buttons. Hyundai and Kia are doing great they keep the buttons and their cruise control systems are easiest to use.
I love that KZhead's closed captions just say "music" when you're playing the exhaust sounds from the BMWs
Dear Matt you are spot on with this video. I couldn't agree more. I really miss the interiors with a million buttons. I just knew where everything was and what did it do. I also agree with the outrageous horsepower of the electric cars that comes with a lot of energy consumption, battery wear and of course the much higher risk of accident.
Don't forget about EVs, they have so many lights (in amd out), so many electric doors ( tailgate, charging port), pop out handles, all but waste of battery
@@doru10922is the 2009 PRIUS from Toyota a battery efficient car?
@@purwantiallan5089isn't it a hybrid? I was saying about the trend
That is why i still drive 2016 car,i have buttons for everything but still have apple car play ,adaptive cruise control ,line keep and all other stuff new cars have ,i dont miss anything but have real BUTTONS
This is real talk from a man of knowledge thank you mat 👍
30 years later. Grandkid discovers this old video. He asks grandpa: "Do you know what an electric car is...?" - "Ah, these were toys for the rich. But since the green transformation made us all poor, nobody owns a car anymore."
Mat, you hit the nail on the head with all these modern flaws! As a certified petrolhead, my daily is a Tesla M3P for the last 4 years is absolutely rapid, but soulless . The lack of buttons/tactile controls is a real safety issue for everyday use. This is why I still have a 20+ yr old manual Legacy GT-B for real driving. OK, so not so quick as the Tesla, but my goodness it stirs the heart.
I completely understand you)))) I have a 1993-built BMW 5 series (modified engine, manual gear and reinforced clutch, self blocking differential, sport suspension etc) and no electronics, just pure driving fun. It is not so fast as modern M5, but it goes as fast as the DRIVER CAN. And that is really a pleasure 😊😊😊😊😊
I liked the old Saab dark mode that blacked out all interior instruments so that you could see better at night. Slick feature,
Night panel ... slick indeed 👍
@@zsb707 I liked it on my Saab.
meanwhile, Mercedes has figured out how to cram rgb leds into every crease, crevasse, nook and plastic bit for "mood lighting".
@@PaulSpades Yuck!
Citroen C6 has night mode too :)
In my opinion it's a great thing that they are going wild with the designs. Some of them are really looking cool. Sometimes you have to push the boundaries to get a breakthrough. :) About the button / touch screen thing. I think the best option would be to leave the most used stuff as buttons and create some programmable button which the user can decide what they set onto.
The wheels being "small" are fine. Some of us prefer comfort and not worrying about curbing the rims that cost £1500...
I think the wheel sizes are ok, Its not all about looks, some people want a more comfortable ride. I think its ok with smaller size wheels, but they can probably make them look better.
But his point still stands - you can make attractive simple normal sized wheels...and a lot of companies don't. It does look like they go out of their way to make awful looking "standard" wheels. He's not criticizing having smaller wheels (most normal/sane people understand that's a better choice 90% of the time), just the designs they use.
@@oskar6661Fuck that, I want old school F1 style Thicc sidewalls back when F1 ran with 13“ wheels.
Need those physical buttons. Analogue meter is always fascinating. And classic cable handbrake is better than electronic handbrake in case of emergency.
do you mean by emergency, the emergency you create by pulling it while driving and realising not being able to handle the car as you thought you could?
@@TschingisTube The emergency when brake fuel pump failure. Even with good maintenance record this still happens everyday around the world. Jason Plato once unintentionally demonstrated this during a road test review.
> And classic cable handbrake is better than electronic handbrake in case of emergency.< Right on! I want my backup means of getting stopped to be stone simple and always work, even if it is a poor way to get stopped. There is no benefit to me in having to re-boot the car or replace a fuse to get the hand brake to work.
i can't imagine it's super common and i don't have access to a lot of cars. but i feel like a lot of newer ('10+) cars no longer have seatbelt height adjustment sliders in the b pillar which can be a pain. keep an eye out for that
Also about having to adjust cruise control on the in car screen. Many countries have now banned using the in car screens while driving (just like not allowed to use phone) No different texting someone or fiddling with in car screen.
Cheaper cars would be great. A trend I've been noticing is that all the 'budget' cars from the past (golf, clio, fiesta, etc) now come with so many features and gadgets that drive up the price, so they are unaffordable to their target markets. When I was a teen, Citi Golf's were marketed to college kids working part time jobs... Now I'm a full time software dev and I can't imagine affording a modern VW Golf.
The legality of things certainly drives up the price because you cannot cut those corners anymore that made the cars cheap in the first place.
@@adrianbergqvist8622 For sure, even with the Citi golf example, it had twig thin A-Pillars and maybe one airbag(?), cant cheap out on safety like that anymore
But there's a catch with those Big Rims. They're just waiting to get damaged one day because they're so close to the ground. Coupled with some worse performance with stuff like increased road noise inside the cabin, your fuel/battery efficiency drop, and the ride just won't be as comfortable as those using smaller rims.
Absolutely! What on earth is the point of buying a top end off-roader that compromises its fantastic off road ability and on-road ride by stupid large wheels with low profile tyres? Which idiot decided that large wheels and this tyres looked "cool"? The high wear rate on these tyres also contribute towards the problem of pollution from micro particles generated by friction of wheels on roads. Ban them! (Apart from this and noise, Matt was spot-on with his other items. The safety impacts of screens for everything and blistering acceleration for "family" cars needs addressing asap)
Exactly! Smaller wheels might not look as 'gangsta" as larger wheels, but they give smoother ride and improved efficiency.
Thank you! It's literally impossible not to damage big rims.
Especially evs benefit from small ones
@@KelveronEven on performance applications, brakes that are large can be fitted in 19 inch wheels (for vehicles commonly fitted with 20-21 inch wheels), with rotors of good size still possible with 18 inch wheels (for average sized vehicles).
I can't help but wonder if there will be a repeat of what happened in the US car market in the early 60s, cars went from outrageous with tons of chrome and fins, which are very iconic, to relatively minimalistic and straightforward designs. Maybe in the near future cars will start to become much less visually complex?
Great review - this is all the stuff I've been saying about modern cars. The obvious reason manufacturers produce all this complicated stuff (Audi's charger flap with electric motor) is simply to either get more cash off the car buyer when things go wrong, or ensure the car will be scrapped when repairs exceed the cars value. I also think there's a hole in the market for cars that are as simple as can be, and therefore cheap to buy, similar to Dacia's.
I remember when EU banned Rolls-Royce having an illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy. Just 3 years ago. All in the name of the light pollution prevention. Seems they have no issue with local and Chinese brands doing crazy stuff now.
Yeah, I'm amazed they can get away with all that crap on the sides of the Chinese cars; I'm sure the UK even outlawed the use of illuminated signs on the front of trucks? (May well be wrong with that though!)
Just look at VW with its light bars and shit, audi projecting signs on the road etc.
Actually you are talking bs. The Smart #1 for example had toditch its illuminated side logo and illuminated grill for the eu mrket
@@Nam3Iessthe projections improve safety you muppet
The EU are communists and only want to hurt the rich.
To be honest, I like the way the new electric Hyundais look. They're maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but they actually have some really interesting design touches reminiscent of the 1980s, which I like.
I would tend to agree. I still wouldn't buy one though, especially after the issues of battery replacement cost being more than the car is worth.
@@alopexlagopus1488I reply to you from my 73 K miles ionic 5 the batteries will be fine, they will be rebuildable
@@alopexlagopus1488 guy ran over something big highway ev6 think or kia same car few scratches under car insurance gave bill of $61.1k for fix a 1 year old car was written off, normal car that not be an issue, battery expanded. something just taller than ground clearance falls of back truck say good by to your car if ev and reason why we all paying more for insurance ev written of far to easy
I wouldn't like to miss the possibility of turning off the center screen in my Honda Jazz and even dim up or down a bit all screens in day and in night mode with a physical button. The car has a touch screen AND also physical buttons (heating, sound, cruise-control and lots more.
Tesla Model S 2022+ did a great job with interior and design. I agree it could use more buttons, but it has a dedicated driver display (in addition to the middle touch screen). They also come with smaller rims/taller tires that look good and perform well. One thing you won't get in more traditional cars: context sensitive cameras based on your driving (showing the left camera when using signal). It makes driving much safer and enjoyable.
I must be getting old now (I'm 45) - I love seeing cars such as the current BMW 3 series and outgoing 5 series in SE spec on 17's with a nice fat sidewall.
What, you don't like paying $450-600 for a single 20"-21" tire when you hit a pot hole every six weeks? Weirdo...
The more stuff you add to a machine, the more it's likely to fail somewhere. As they say "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
The best part is no part.
Agree on a most things here, but one I think is great, is how they, as you say "reinvent their design language"... why I think thats great, is because not only do cheaper car manufacturers actually feel like the designers are inspired... unlike most old cars, but it takes us back to the days when buying phones were exciting, because each one was different and unique in its own way.
If only manufacturers made cars like the w140. That was the best cat ever built. Simple yet comfortable, easy to fix and reliable
6:20 yesterday I unfortunately overlooked a massive pothole since it was dark and raining. I can thell you that if I were driving a bigger rim that rim would have been toast. Luckily the big sidewall on my tires saved my ass.
The manufactures are removing buttons not only for the sake of cost cutting, but to condition users into thinking of basic car features being more akin to software than mechanical/physical features. Software is of course something consumers are already well versed in purchasing and subscribing to since the advent of smartphone apps and streaming services. With every new iteration of car models, more and more function is going to be locked behind subscription paywalls. This is also going to help the manufacturers squeeze much more additional revenue from the second hand car market too.
oh my goat the E36 sound. the replays lol and give me more buttons!
I do have a Jaguar XF 2021 and the design exterior almost haven t changed since 2007 !!! the style with curves and simplicity is always the winner.
I'm attention deficit AF. The last thing I need is a great bit screen full of pretty colours and a labyrinth of menus to explore, when im supposed to be concentrating on driving 😂
An honorable mention for cameras replacing rear view mirrors and that goes for both side mirrors and interior mirrors. It's just even more technology that can and will fail. Happy to see that some manufacturers stay away from huge touch screens at least.. I drive XC60 and V90 CC at work and it really annoys me when I want to change the climate settings or heated seats/steering wheel. It's just not safe to fiddle with the touch screen while driving.
This is even more so with RHD cars, for most of us that are RIGHT HANDED. You ever noticed all car ads show LHD and some model touching screen with her/his right hand?
With a traditional mirror, you can get a slight improvement of the view with a small movement of your head. I look in my side mirror when pulling out of a sharp minor fork onto a main road. By moving my head slightly to the side I can see more of the main road beside and behind me. This is simply not possible with a camera 'side-mirror'. Any gimmick like this is put in the vehicle by a designer who does not understand Human-Machine Interaction and other subspecies of Ergonomics.
There are some reason for this silly touch element on screens. The most important one, it's cheap. Also very important, you can see special features later on (or deactivate features after a period of cost-free usage). And the last one, if the feature isn't fully developed at the time, you want to sell the car, just bring it later on. But for the customer, it's a bis step backwards, wenn you have to open the climate menu first, in your wife wants to increase the temperature of the seat heating. Or you have to use silly sliders for changing radio volume. It's nearly impossible to close the sliding roof of a new mercedes C-Class while driving. Or changing temperature in a ID.3 by night. And after two years, when free testing ob connectivity is outdated, lot's of cars are losing the fine working voice control via external server. Or you have to pay again for the features, you've ordered by buying the car. Preowned cars in the future are risky. Maybe most of the features inside are no longer licensed.
Cars have selfie cameras, but to this day there are no cars with cameras that work every time you drive, we still have to buy dashboard cameras
When I see some of those car trends. I shake my head in shame.
The selfie camera is there to watch drivers for driver monitoring systems.
6:16 I definitely agree. Other thing coming with big wheels is a low tire profile which means unpleasant, noisy and rough ride.
But they're appealing to the likes of people who think Halfords purple air inlet hoses make cars go faster...
TOTALLY AGREE. Newer cars should be about safety and so on, but those screens and "no button" future makes driving totally unsafe.
Simpler cars please!! Also, I for one prefer small rims. Sure they don't look as good but I can't imagine driving through potholes on 20" rims.
It's kind of sad how all those lights we used to put on our car as a kid and got pulled over as it was unsafe and illegal are now totally encouraged.
You got pulled over because you were a kid, and they could make money off it. They can't make money off it if it's a factory option (until someone bans it). It's just about making money from local law enforcement.
i just got a BMW series 2 coupe 21 plate & one feature that annoys me to no end is that when i connect my phone to the stereos Bluetooth to play music. The stereo will change the play setting on my phone to play all tracks when i had set it to loop a single tracks & there is no feature on the stereo to change the play setting, so i have to change it on my phone every time i connect to the Bluetooth.
I was photographing a Z06 near a lake and dog park. The car is phenomenal and that V8 is truly incredible, but the start up bark is really annoying after the novelty wears off. I had to move the car a dozen times to get different angles with the background we wanted to use. People in the dog park grew increasingly hostile every time I started the car, thinking I was revving it on purpose. "WTF, bro! We get it! You have a 'Vette!" yelled one guy after about 5 starts. I looked, but never found a quiet start mode in the menus.
Owner of a 22' Mazda 3 sedan here (my very first car as well) and I love having buttons around; no dirty screen with the use of the central knob and yes physical buttons for your A/C control as well! No need to go through endless options just to change the dang temperature while driving and putting yourself and others at risk with your attention being on the infotainment screen and not the road ahead. Clean instrument cluster gauge (although i could blame the plexiglass being so easily scratched even with a microfiber cloth and overall piano black on the center console...). Overall I'm pretty happy with Mazda keeping things simple and yet creating a gorgeous car inside and out (especially with modern cars having way too many crease, hard lines and even fake air vents lol). I can definitely see myself keep my trusty car for at least 10 yrs with proper care. TL;DR A pretty good car with a few nitpicks here and there but a lot to love also and would recommend as a first car and yes young folks that love sedans still exist xD
Mazda is one of the few manufacturers these days doing design right both inside and outside the car.
The fake vents that used to decorate the front and rear of every kind of Honda are now disappearing along with all the various sculpture lines all over the place.
Fantastic Matt ! You have brought up the exact points , which were burning me down over the last few years ....what has gone wrong with the designers ? Why can't they design simple elegant looking " Dream machines" we aspired right from our childhood ! Give us back our "dreams" , " aspirations" ......today we are loosing them over design, technology and choice of fuel.
There's no brand identity either. Years ago, it was far easier to identify a car silhouette - today's amorphous blobs mean that there's very little to differentiate between various manufacturers.
My next car will probably be from 70s-90s and manual transmission. I'm a mechanic and the over complexity in cars these days drives me MENTAL. I had to replace the headlight housing on my mom's '19 Camry because some idiot backed into it, it was $1500 to get the OEM part!!
The idea behind Sw buttons is that manufacturers dont need a extra interface/switch which can lead failures. Also it reduce the cost of the hw and vendor dependency for the item. Finally they can easily predict the driver usage pattern of that function and improve/update that function.
Also with basic functions you should just be using the voice control. Saying "change the temperature to 22C please" or "Please play my greatest hits playlist" is much safer than pressing a button or a touch screen. I've found in my car with the heads up display i never take my eyes off the road and actually ignore the various screens. The problem is these features only really started working well fairly recently so people haven't adjusted to using them yet. In 10 years time people will think your mad for fiddling with buttons while driving.
Here's the features I want: - Naturally aspirated; - Manual transmission; - Under 1.5 tons; - Rear wheel drive.
You will buy 3-cyl 1.0 TSI front wheel drive two tons SUV and be happy.
@@glennchinyangarara8225 not all cars Alfa Giulia 1545KG-1620KG and on reliability study they Scored 3RD most reliable brand in 2022 just got to find a car manufacter that knows how to make cars feel good to drive unlike the germans
gr86
emira, gt86, gr86, cayman 4.0
Under 1.5 tons?? Your momma is out!
Lmao I love Mat's dry wit humor. Pretty classic. And omg the cruise control thing bothers me to no end. On my car from '06 I just flip on CC on the steering wheel knob, hold it down at the speed I am going at and it's set. That's it. I don't need to look at it or anything. Physical buttons are SOO much easier than navigating through a screen while driving.
I love how he criticizes brands for making cars too quick but as usual, leaves out the brand that started it, Tesla. The brand no one is allowed to criticize for obvious reasons.
Looks like Elon bought Carwow too
They are ALL junk
Spot on. I would like to add that the older Prius also had no HUD for the driver, and moved everything to a tiny instrument cluster in the center of the dashboard. Which is kind of hard to read.
I agree with your pain about over-complication of the modern cars' design. There are some useful features, but some are completely failures. My IONIQ5 has projection of current speed, as well as some other useful warnings and nav info, on the windscreen. I'm so used to that, that when once it glitched and turned off, and I had to check the standard info cluster behind the steering wheel, I felt uncomfortable, because I had to take my eyes off the road. However when I drove Model 3 and Model Y as a car sharing service, I felt way worse. However, that's even worse with the Peugeot 2008 I've driven recently. For my height and seating position the upper part of the fancy squared steering wheel goes right across the middle of the instrument cluster and I can't see the current speed unless I duck my head. Maybe if you own the car you can get used to it, but for a car sharing service that is absolutely disastrous design. So I control my driving speed by the "feeling". Overall, having used car sharing intensively for a couple of years, I came to a conclusion that Toyota leads the market with usability and intuitiveness of their ergonomics design. When you start feeling comfortable in a car (and brand itself) that you have never driven before within the first meters of driving - that says a lot. I think Toyota user friendliness is head above the competition. P.S.: of yes, and I've learned to use voice commands to turn on and off the seat heaters, because there are no buttons for that. I understand KIA has it, so why not Hyundai? However, there are buttons for rear passengers... WTF?..
I agree with most of these but getting rid of loud cars is a blessing and huge low profile wheels are expensive and pointless.
Oh my god someone with common sense in the comments!
A car that sounds nice is something And a car that is loud just for being loud is something else. This ape can't differentiate.
@@antoniohagopian213 kzhead.info/sun/rNCho8aeiIaGd4k/bejne.htmlsi=UUolH2Z4f0WWG3tE
Yeah, I think my 2019 Golf’s as modern as I’ll go. It’s got a few goodies, but they’re reasonably simple. After a month with it, the only thing I haven’t worked out to set properly is the cruise control, but I’ve only been driving for 4 years and haven’t had it before. The only new cars that I like the styling of are the Audi A5 and the A7, and before their recent facelifts, the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208. Personally the peak for more modern cars was around 2014-2017. The facelifted BMW 3 Series F30, the original Mercedes E-Class W213, the original Audi A6 C7, and of course, the Volkswagen Golf 7.5 were all bang on compared to their predecessors, but I can’t take to their successors the same way. I even really liked the Lexus ES from that time, and I normally steer clear of Japanese cars because I find them dull.
100% spot on. Too much consideration to form as opposed to function, a fundamental engineering/design imbalance. The higher associated costs that result will self correct, but still may take some time to work through.