When you're not renting them, the time spent learning how to use them is trivial compared to the time spend using them. A lot of those features are nice to have.
True, less an issue if you're the owner, and most can be turned off. And some of my comment is just me being baffled at the things people are ok with. Some people feel safer when the car brakes when it's X distance from one in front on a freeway, but a car not doing what I want to at all times freaks the hell out of me, even when it's fairly predictable.
But I still find there are still tons of issues. People also get used to some of the beeps and flashes and don't realize how it breaks their attention, or how long it takes to do simple stuff on a giant touch screen. And I don't want a giant center console screen on when I'm driving a night, but if that screen is the only way I can control, say, the temperature, well then I'll need to go through extra steps and extra distractions.
This. Any friction between the user and controls that affect safety is a serious flaw. Old cars don't make me look at a screen to make the window less foggy.
My 2019 Honda Accord doesn’t make me look at a screen to turn on defrost. But it does have a screen conveniently placed with directions and a map! And that screen reads my messages to me and even allows me to speak a response without ever taking my eyes off the road!
There are plenty of modern cars with a very pleasant mix of tactile controls for things like AC, radio, defrost, etc, while also having lane keep, cruise control auto distance thing, and a screen with a map. There’s a ton of new technology that I love in my newer car, and I’m very glad I’m not driving my crappy 2004 CRV anymore.
Edit: I forgot about the backup camera. The backup camera is also amazing. It gives me way more visibility then just trying to look out my window, and it gives me visibility if I’m parked between giant cars.
I don't disagree that modern features can be useful, nor do I disagree that some modern cars do it right. I'm saying that one car making the user say "pretty please" before disabling a distraction is one too many.
But here's the thing I don't get. People don't learn how to use them. They won't read the manuals or give a shit. You, reading the manual and learning the car, are the exception.
I can't count how many times I've ridden with someone in a new car, and they're like "I dunno..." Or I tell them about some feature they didn't even know the car had. It boggles my mind that you'd spend so much on some fancy vehicle and not try to get your money's worth.
I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but I read the manual for my car (it's next to my toilet) and have navigated through every configuration menu in the various consoles.
Even then I still had to watch a few videos to figure out how to change my charging rate. It was hidden behind a number of hard-to-find settings and is disabled (silently) in many car modes (basically you can only change it when you're in "car on but motors not running and not charging")
//People don't learn how to use them. They won't read the manuals or give a shit.
It's the psychological concept of "maximizing vs satisficing" The former means to squeeze out the most of some item/experience while the later means being totally good once a thing is "good enough." We maximize or satisfice on different topics.
So I read the manual and I know stuff about our car that my wife doesn't. But because the car is safe, fast, and comfortable - it's maxing our her pleasure even if she doesn't know that some setting exists.
I love your confidence :) The other dude already linked to the dictionary, I am just amused that it was easier for you to make up a mental model my thinking rather than right-click to learn a new word!
I might dive into the owners manual to make sure I know what grade of oil I need or for some specific need I have but I'm not going to sit down and read through an owners manual just so I can successfully operate a vehicle.
I have a license in my wallet that says I'm qualified to operate a vehicle.
Most people purchase vehicles to drive from point A to point B, sometimes with passengers. It's not that complicated.
