THINGS AUTO ENGINEERS NEED TO MAKE BETTER
Some features on cars sound great in theory but stumble on execution
So many parts of our cars work so well. Braking, handling, fuel delivery, exhaust, engines and suspensions systems are, for the most part, mechanical stars, working reliably pretty much as they were intended most of the time.
But several other features fail to live up to such high operational standards. The features, while mostly useful when they work, can be incredibly frustrating when they don’t work, not to mention creating potential safety hazards.
Below are some of the more common features in many cars today that either don’t always work as designed or need to work better overall. While some manufacturers have figured out fixes, many others still haven’t engineered solutions to problems that consistently leave drivers annoyed.
Here are some features that need to work better:
REAR-VIEW CAMERAS THAT DON’T GET DIRTY
Ask anyone who has a rear-view camera whether they like it and the answer is a universal yes. When the car is clean, it’s like having a fourth mirror — the perfect aid when reversing. Most cars employ a small camera, usually centre mounted along the trunk line, but cameras for any car driven anywhere but California get dirty, often blocking visibility and rendering the camera useless. What to do? Volkswagen mounts its cameras under the VW badge, which flips open when the car is put in reverse, keeping the camera clean.
TPMS SYSTEMS THAT GIVE USEFUL INFORMATION
A tire-pressure monitoring system that simply ignites a light on the dash when a tire gets low has only limited value. Which tire? How low is it? Do I need to risk an accident and pull over now? Several manufacturers, however, use systems that show the exact pressure in each tire, so when one gets a little low and sends an alert, the driver knows which tire and by how much, and often can read how much time he or she has got to get it fixed. TPMS systems should also accept codes for two sets of tires in Canada, because in some places winter tires are required by law.
RANGE METERS THAT GO LOWER THAN 50 KM
Most new cars show the “range” remaining in the fuel tank, based on the car’s average fuel consumption. Very helpful to know when you’ll need to fill ’er up. Problem is, a lot of these meters don’t go below 50 kilometres. Yes, of course, it’s not wise to let a tank drop this low, especially in winter, but life isn’t always so tidy and convenient, and sometimes we end up in scenarios where we need to determine precisely how much fuel we’ve got left before hitting empty.
KEYLESS ENTRY THAT WORKS RELIABLY
Some keyless entry systems are excellent at allowing the key to remain in your pocket, with doors unlocking when you touch them, and engines starting at the push of a button. But not all systems are the same, and many don’t unlock when they should, or don’t lock after repeated touches of the door handle or trunk release, requiring you to fish for the key and hit the button on the fob, defeating the intent of going keyless. While a key is certainly simpler, the march to going keyless is inevitable, so automakers need to unlock why some work far better than others.
CLEAR INDICATOR THAT HEADLIGHTS ARE OFF
If it’s dark outside, dash lights should only illuminate when the vehicle’s headlights are on. No dash lights will immediately inform the driver he or she is driving only with dim, daytime running lights and no tail lights, which happens too frequently. If that’s too complicated, all cars should be equipped with automatic headlamps that come on in the dark, regardless of headlight setting, with a temporary override.
EASY BLUETOOTH PAIRING AND CONNECTION
On any given day, half of the Internet must be consumed by connection issues related to phones and cars. Either they don’t pair, won’t stay paired, don’t stream, lock up, automatically reboot, don’t stay connected, don’t operate as designed or won’t let a passenger connect while driving, or some other bizarre issue. Really, is this that hard? We can send expanding hearts and fireworks over our text messages but can’t guarantee seamless connections between our phones and cars? Someone ought to be fired.
USB PORTS THAT DON’T REQUIRE A CHILD’S HANDS
Do electronic engineers all have hands the size of a six-year-old? How else can we explain why so many USB ports are tucked away in places so small that no normal hand can attach and detach a cord to one without some serious contortions. And why can’t every USB port accept a cable no matter which way it’s plugged in?
AN OVERRIDE FOR ENGINE STOP/START SYSTEMS
Sure, engine start/stop technology is good for trimming fuel use, sometimes by as much as 20 per cent, doing away with needless idling. And most systems aren’t too terrible at doing the job they were designed to do: shut down the engine when idling, start back up immediately when your foot comes off the brake or the car needs power. But several systems can’t be shut off, or go back on by default. There are times when a driver will not want start/stop to engage, and the final decision should rest with the driver, not the computer.
TOUCH SCREENS THAT ACTUALLY RESPOND
A little like asking a teen to set the dinner table and getting no reply at all, it can be maddening to touch or swipe a control and see nothing happen. Perhaps there should be an engineering rule that says every audio system on Earth ought to be commanded via a knob, and another that says touch commands must work as well or better than an iPad or not be used at all. Touch screen controls are great, but some automakers have got carried away with them. They need to be reminded that we still wear gloves in this country.