Automated Features On Cars: Does Anyone Actually Want/Use Them?

"J. Walter Weatherman" (J-WalterWeatherman)
10/09/2013 at 12:50 • Filed to: None

It seems like more and more cars are coming out these days with all sorts of automated features. There is park-assist, voice commands, text-to-speech, automatic braking, radar cruise control, and I am sure a whole host of other things I am forgetting. Are these things that are actually desired and/or used by significant portions of the population, or is it pure gimmick?

I, for one, actively avoid cars that have those features, and avoid using them to the extent that they are on any cars that I ever drive. Not because I care about "driving purity" or any Jaloppo idealistic mantra like that, but mostly for a combination of (1) I don't think that any of those systems are actually that convenient to use; (2) they generally don't seem to work well and/or I don't really trust them; and (3) it is just more expensive and complicated stuff to brake.

How about you guys? Do any of you use any of these automated features? Do you know anyone that does?

DISCUSSION (18)

PowderHound > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 12:51

And let the robots win? NEVER!

Tom McParland > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 12:51

It depends...I don't like the parking ones because they are too slow, but that may change in the near future. I think the radar-adjusted cruise control is nice.

J. Walter Weatherman > Tom McParland
10/09/2013 at 12:53

I have never actually used radar cruise control. It just scares me. Maybe my mistrust is unfounded, but I am worried that I would get a false sense of security, stop paying as close of attention, and then not react quickly enough if something unexpected happened on the road.

getchapopcorn > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 12:57

I'm overly bothered and concerned by every new feature that allows the driver to pay less attention and generally not know how to driver their cars. Back up camera, lane change/blind spot warnings, self-park, active cruise, self-braking. Don't get me wrong, I think they're great, GREAT systems to be on a car (well maybe not the parking), but I just get worried about the moral hazard.

Tom McParland > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 12:58

That is a valid concern. I don't have it but I have driven cars that did. On long drives it is nice.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:03

I'll trust auto parking when the car manufacturer is so confident in it that they offer to pay any and all damage caused by the system.

HammerheadFistpunch > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:03

Lets put it this way: They are marketed to people like my mom...my mom can't run her printer, fat chance she is going to remember how to turn on and use self parking. Anything you have to turn on is not going to be used, and anything you have to turn off will never be turned off.

As for the rest? I'm sure that people like them, and I'm equally sure that it makes them worse drivers.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:08

telematics (GPS navigation with a digital signal tranceiver to external data networks, like OnStar and others), and self parking/driving features, combined with obstacle avoidance tech, like radar and sonar distancing sensors, and stereoscopic forward video object detection, and surround-car video object detection are all current tech with various brands.

And not just high-dollar brands. Volvo, Ford, Subaru, Nissan/Infiniti, and GM each have a bit of that.

Put all of that in ONE car... you have all the hardware necessary to have an electronically commandeer-able car. A remote two way digital signal connection. Situational awareness sensors, and primary vehicle control automation, and primary system status feedback.

There is nothing else required for a remotely piloted car, whether someone is inside, or not, and if nefariously intended, could be done without consent of the owner, or the people inside the vehicle. Combine that with ever-growing amounts of portable computing power... and AI control is not trailing all that far behind.

duurtlang > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:14

I haven't used most, but I don't care either. With the exception of the radar cruise control that is, that one seems interesting to me. In a poorly designed car a backup camera really is quite useful as you can't see without it. Backing up a large SUV (Touareg, a few weeks ago) into a tight spot in the dark would've been quite a chore without that camera. I prefer my cars to be designed in a way that I can look out of them though.

Bruno Martini > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:18

I only ordered the toys I wanted with my car. I apreciate having options. However I do not like being forced to purchase something. Make vehicles alacart.

My options include the following

- Manual trans (Yes I would have paid extra to have one)

- 500W radio/ NOT nav.

- Heated seats.

- Single zone manual AC/Heat (Had option for dual zone but this is a coupe no need for it)

- Voice active bluetooth (Sync)

Did not order because NAV as it will be obsolete in 6 months. At 2300bux it was expensive. Not to mention my phone does a much better job, and it connects via Bluetooth to give directions.
Although I would have loved a backup camera on my car, but no nav meant no backup camera so I weight in compromises and decided to do without. Not the sensors though, I find them annoying, however they are very effective on the SUV in the household.

KnowsAboutCars > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:21

My personal answer:

Kinja'd!!!

But actually there are some rare moments when the idea of some automated safety features seems nice. For example driving 80 kph on completely empty 2 lane road without any roadside lighting at night knowing that any given moment there might be a moose waiting to cross the road.

Jayhawk Jake > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:24

GM is working on super cruise which would be amazing:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/30/wat…

If you don't agree that this would be great, then you've never driven from Wichita, KS to Oklahoma City, OK.

TheOnelectronic > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:26

The systems I've used will turn themselves off if anything faults or they can't get accurate readings due to weather. They also make a lot of noise and flash lights at you.

TheOnelectronic > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:43

I drove to Florida and Back in a 2013 S6 with quite a few of these toys on it. Here are my assesments.

Radar Cruise: Admittedly just a convenience item, albeit a very nice one. I did have one incident where it honestly saved me from a crash. I was driving through Nashville, following behind an SUV at 75 or so. SUV suddenly changes lanes extremely rapidly to reveal a rusted out ancient honda doing an optimistic 35mph. The SUV must have changed lanes at the last possible instant, without slowing down, so I now had maybe two-three car lengths between me and this honda. I can say honestly that I would not have been able to react in time, but since I had been following this SUV with the radar cruise control on, the car immediately applied "oh shit" levels of braking.

And let's not forget, the fact that it can essentially take over throttle duties in stop-and-go traffic is wonderful.

Lane warnings: Maybe I'm just part of the problem, but I find that I frequently tend to drift out of my lane. IT's just a nice little backup to avoid accidentally drifting into somebody.

HUD- I don't think this really applies, since it reduces the amount of time you spend not looking at the road, but I'm sure someone out there is convinced it's the devil's work.

As for other, more standard things,

Automatic Wipers: These are a godsend for those times you're caught in a light mist that is too infrequent for even the slowest interval setting. The only car I've had that didn't need them was the Impreza family, which, at the time I had one, had an interval setting that seemed to go 90 seconds between swipes.

Parking Sensors: Almost useless for parking, possibly useful for avoiding small children or low objects.

Parking Cameras: Wonderful. The S6 has front, side, rear, and corner cameras, as well as a composited top-down view of the car. This makes parking in tight conditions a breeze, as you can see exactly how far away from your rear corner that column is. The corner cameras are also very useful for avoiding that situation where you're backing out of a space, and someone comes flying down the aisle.

A lot of these things are just like everything else: If you rely on them to the point that you don't pay attention yourself, that's your own fault. There have always been, and will always be, the people who think that cruise control meant they could climb into the back to get something, or that ABS meant the car would stop on its own. I don't think that should mean that we are afraid of either of these systems.

Jimmeney > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 13:58

I test drove a V40 and it had the automatic parallel parking system, so I tried it.

I got halfway through, I couldn't see the end of the bonnet and it looked like it was going to hit, I got scared and abandoned the process.

Other than that though, I really liked the car, it's nicer than an A class and feels more special inside than the 1 series (plus it has the nicest rear view mirror on a modern car I've ever seen).

Chris > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 17:18

In short: no. I like our Volvo with turning headlights and blind spot monitoring (though I still turn my head) and such, but I could never use something that actually turns and/or stops the car for you. I'm sure they work, but I'd, you know, rather be the one driving.

J. Walter Weatherman > Chris
10/09/2013 at 17:20

Yeah, I don't really have a problem with the systems that simply make more information available for the driver to use, should they chose to, but the ones that actually take control of the car are the ones that scare me.

trynthink > J. Walter Weatherman
10/09/2013 at 19:42

I want radar cruise and automatic braking...for everyone else. That way, when they inevitably text and drive, I won't have to be the victim of their bad decisions. The parking aids all seem a little silly to me, but I'd be interested if there was a system that could parallel park in really tight spaces.