Top unwanted features in cars – Car News

At a time when cars are essentially turning into computers on wheels, true motoring enthusiasts miss the old school charm of pure mechanical machines. While extra features may add more value to a car purchasing decision, the truth is, most of these amenities don’t usually come into use in our regular driving routine. 

In our previous story we discussed some of the unwanted features that have found home today. This article is a continuation of the previous story where we have listed another set of unwanted features that have plagued not just the luxury car segment but also penetrated into the mass-market segment.

Gesture controlled infotainment system

Earlier we discussed how touchscreen infotainment displays are a massive distraction for drivers. It becomes even more obsolete when car manufacturers decide to add gesture controlled operations to the infotainment systems which enable them to perform functions like music playback, volume control, air control, etc. through certain hand gestures.

Head-up Display

Another recent technology that has crept into even mass market cars like Maruti Brezza and Baleno are a Head-up display. An additional screen on top of the instrument display showing the vehicle speed and engine rpm is totally unnecessary and adds no value.

Navigation on instrument panel

Integration of navigation technology into a car has been one of the most helpful features in recent years. However, navigation is best suited for the central infotainment screen only. Once it barges into the driver’s instrument panel it becomes a distraction. Further, a navigation on the instrumentation cannot be clearly visible with the steering wheel obviously coming in the way. 

Ambient lighting

While ambient lighting may visually feel pleasant but practically it adds no value to a car’s equipment, unless one wants to turn their cars into a night club. Also referred to as mood lights by some OEMs, they don’t have any drastic effect on the occupants if the vehicle is in motion. 

G-Force metre

Many readers may not be aware of this but cars like Honda City and Elevate offer this feature.The “g-force” meter measures the magnitude and/or direction of a car’s acceleration, typically in a horizontal plane. When the car is moving at a constant speed without turning or accelerating, the horizontal acceleration is zero. However, when the car turns, it experiences lateral acceleration. 

Pressing the accelerator generates forward acceleration, while braking induces rearward acceleration. Braking during a turn results in a combination of acceleration vectors. As for its significance, unless you’re a professional driver who can benefit from this information, it primarily serves to satisfy curiosity.