10 Modern Car Features That Won’t Age Well
“They don’t build them like they used to.” This is a phrase commonly heard when old people reminisce about old cars. On the whole, modern vehicles are leagues ahead of their classic counterparts, but there are a few areas where they have taken a few steps back.
Jaguar
Jaguar is a premium car manufacturer from the UK, currently owned by the broader Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) group. Originally a producer of motorcycle sidecars from 1922 (under the name Swallow Sidecar Company), the manufacturer later moved to the production of passenger car bodies under the ownership of SS Cars from 1935. In 1945, SS Cars was renamed to Jaguar Cars. The manufacturer has a historic back catalog of vehicles, notably the XK, E-Type, and XJ220, with modern hits including the F-Type and F-Pace. Jaguar has pledged to become an all-electric automaker starting in 2025, with production of all combustion cars ceasing early in 2024. The brand has launched an all-new identity for its future as an electric luxury automaker.
- Founded
- September 1935
- Founder
- Sir William Lyons, SS Cars
- Headquarters
- Coventry, United Kingdom
- Owned By
- Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)
- Current CEO
- Adrian Mardell
- Production Status
- Available
Don’t get us wrong, even the most basic modern car will have features that were either optional extras or not even available on your dad’s old clunker. Electric windows, decent stereo systems, and Bluetooth connectivity are standard on the cheapest hatchbacks today, but the reason you didn’t get that life-size Lego Millenium Falcon set for Christmas is that your parents had to hand wads of cash over to have these items fitted to their cars. But some modern developments have us scratching our heads: some features are so pointless or frustrating to use that they are unlikely to age very well.
We picked features that have been introduced in modern cars that either detract from the driving experience, make interacting with the vehicle frustrating, or are so pointless as to have no discernible value. We list them in no particular order.
1 Artificial Engine Noise
Most modern cars don’t sound great. Blame it on the downsized four-cylinder turbocharged engines, overzealous sound deadening, and quieter exhaust systems, but they simply don’t have the raspy, engaging soundtracks that older cars were known for. Then there are the near-silent EVs… That’s where artificial engine noise comes in. We aren’t completely against piping the existing sound into the cabin, but when a completely fake sound is transmitted through the audio system – some cars make serious space ship sounds which just feel like a step too far. We’re willing to bet fake engine sounds will come full circle to sound as close to ICE noises as possible.
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2 Built-in Air Fresheners
High-end luxury cars have a specific aural signature thanks to their leather seats and plush carpeting. While modern luxury vehicles still have leather seats, many are offered with vegan-friendly seat coverings or faux-leather which don’t exude the same kind of olfactory stimulation. That is most likely why you can now have built-in scents wafting through the cabin instead. It’s certainly a novelty to experience for the first time, but it all seems rather silly. Especially since passengers generally bring their own fragrance anyway, whether by marinating in perfume or bringing home some fresh-baked goodies.
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3 Electronic Parking Brakes
Car enthusiasts of a certain age will have fond memories of skidding around parking lots or deserted roads using their parking brakes to lock the rear wheels. Just about every modern vehicle has an electronic parking brake, which makes this impossible. They also have a knack for failing to engage or disengage at the right time, which is just plain frustrating. We get that everything has to be super convenient in the modern era, but we reckon it’ll be a thing of the past sooner than we think.
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4 Fake Exhaust Tips
Fake exhaust tips are one of the most pointless modern car features around. You’d think they’d be used predominantly on small budget cars with pea-shooter-sized exhausts, but they are also found on performance vehicles that have nothing to hide. To see just how far this madness has come, take a look at the complex fake exhaust system offered by Dodge on the new Charger Daytona EV. It really is one of the craziest developments we have seen in modern cars.
5 Glass, Crystal, and Piano Black Trim
Fake wood trim has been around for decades, and while some attempts have been better than others, even the worst faux-wood inserts are miles better than the current obsession with piano black and glass trim. Piano black looks amazing until you touch it, then it becomes a manky fingerprint magnet that requires perpetual cleaning. Glass and crystal trim is even worse, and that’s because it will dangerously reflect light straight into your eyeballs at the most inopportune moments. We often have to drive with one hand over the gear lever or touchscreen control to avoid being blinded by our own interior trim.
6 Haptic Controls
Haptic controls sound like a great idea in principle. Haptic buttons can offer a variety of functions based on the way you touch them – which is great on a gaming controller, but less so on a steering wheel while a car is in motion. You often find yourself brushing a hand over a haptic button and activating something when all you wanted was to make a left turn. Trying to exert the right amount of pressure on a haptic button while on a bumpy road is also an exercise in frustration that we could do without.
7 Built-In Navigation Systems
In-car navigation has been around since the ’90s and has been actually usable since the early 2000s. In the beginning, most manufacturers tried to develop their own systems, which didn’t always work out that well. With the advent of smartphone connectivity, most people bypass these systems entirely and use the far better apps already installed on their phones. Some automakers have realized this, and cars like the latest Ferrari 12 Cilindri aren’t even offered with built-in navigation.
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8 Touchscreens for Everything
The minimalist interior of a modern car may look cool, but when you have to access every major feature through a touchscreen, it can quickly become a pain. Things have come on in recent years, but there are still many cars out there where you have to access two or three sub-menus before changing the seat settings, HVAC controls, or interior lighting. We say bring back buttons and switches for these features. They may not look as cool, but it is easier and safer to adjust things on the move when you aren’t trying to navigate through some badly-designed user interface.
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9 Turn Signal Controls on Steering Wheels
Turn signals have been activated by steering column-mounted stalks for decades. They work intuitively. Cadillac once tried using a toggle switch on the dashboard but quickly realized it was a bad idea. That memo has since been lost as manufacturers like Tesla and Ferrari have decided that a small button (this time on the steering wheel) is the better option. Why? We can’t think of any reason they would do this other than as a cost-cutting measure.
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10 Voice Recognition
Early voice recognition systems were a complete waste of time. They did very little and rarely understood your commands. Modern systems can now discern speech far more accurately, but you still have to say the right phrase to get them to do what you want. In our experience, after the first week of ownership, you will never use voice recognition again. Contrary to what movies will have you believe, we can’t fathom voice controls sticking around.
Sources:
BMW, Ferrari, Mini, Tesla, Volkswagen
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