New cars are roving marvels on the road. Show Henry Ford or Karl Benz the kinds of cars their companies are making nowadays and they’d drop dead from shock and a lingering case of whatever nightmare disease was running rampant that day. But progress doesn’t always mean perfection. Sometimes, car engineers are so concerned with asking “can we” they don’t stop to ask “should we.” Should we cover the interior in screens in order to mimic the environment on a cell phone while keeping a human in control at the wheel? Should we make cars with huge wheels and slim tires while infrastructure crumbles around us? And what of the soul of a car?
Alright, the soul thing is probably a perennial complaint made by drivers of every decade, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t valid. Cars are changing in a lot of ways, and not everyone is going to like those changes. Many of you don’t like this brave new world as our question, What’s The Worst This About Modern Cars, garnered over 230 answers. In the words of the great Frank Costanza “I got a lot of problems with you people, now, you’re gonna hear about it.” Here are some of my favorites.
Survivability, at the expense of accident avoidance is spot on
The massive blind spots in most new vehicles. All the pillars are so thick due to safety features and regulations that it can make it unsafe to look around them. There’s been more than one time where I hesitated an extra second and someone had walked out from behind my A-pillar.
and
It’s all about accident survivability, at the expense of accident avoidance. That’s the wrong priority, and the driving aids absolutely do not make up the difference.
From Fiji ST and Chase, others
Bye, bye, buttons
Touch screens and eliminating buttons or tactile items that you don’t have to look at to activate. Seriously, if I have to look for a heater switch because you buried it in menus then I will be more likely to crash.
From Lost in my Land
Advanced driver annoyance system
The worst thing is the desire by the manufacturers to actually eliminate the driving aspect with all the autonomous features. Tech in the performance of the car is good but tech that fights against the driver is annoying.
From Not Me
Wheelie big wheels
At the top of the list for worst – bigger wheels with skinnier and skinnier sidewall.
There is absolutely no earthly reason an SUV or sedan needs 21, 22 or 23″ wheels from the factory.
Track performance cars with massive rotors and calipers can perform with 19″ wheels, no reason milquetoast family sedans and SUVs can’t do the same.
From Sector7GWagen
They don’t make ’em like they used to
Modern cars are “better” than older cars by every measure. They have more power, better braking, better mileage, better handling, better safety, better entertainment.
What many new cars lack, is soul. I once argued – vehemently – on Jalopnik that a 1966 Mustang GT350 was a better car than a modern Mustang. The person I was arguing with listed every attribute I just listed above. And yes, objectively by the numbers, a modern Mustang is a “better” car.
But it’s not the same experience. An old GT350 on a highway, with the windows open, the faint smell of exhaust, the sound, the connection to heritage… it’s a more soulful driving experience.
and
You are 100% right. An older car has a feel to it that feels great. The smell of gas. The sound of the rumbling exhaust. My 2015 Camaro isn’t old but it is base model, 6speed manual, 323 h.p. So it’s just about driving it, no extra features. I feel connected to the car with very few extras to steal my attention from the road.
From JohnnyWasASchoolBoy and Mike B
Once more with feeling
The most disappointing aspect is the lack of sensory details that typically characterize a car. The sound of a 1990s F-150 door slamming, the aroma of a 5.0 Mustang’s exhaust, and the wild wail of an RX-7’s rev limiter are all unforgettable. Electric cars are quick, and hybrids are efficient, but where’s the feeling there?
From Derek Smith
Screens, screens, everywhere a screen
Right about the time the last couple of states banned using phones while driving all the automakers collectively said, “hold my beer” and gifted us with these big screen TV’s that span half the dash or more. The screens themselves, while tacky, aren’t the real problem. It’s all the things that you have to use them for, the basic stuff like HVAC and audio controls. Thankfully some car makers are starting to see they went too far and are backpedaling a little bit. Hopefully this trend continues!
From TheFriar
No thrill
Abstraction. So many automakers are focused on making the point-to-point personal transportation process as easy and uninvolved as possible. Like coding your simple website in Notepad (or nowadays not using an LLM to code Python) or like cooking your own meals instead of ordering delivery, etc. Yes the easy way is faster, more time efficient, the end product is usually better and you can do other things meanwhile like scroll on your phone. But then you have no ideal how HTML, Python or cooking works – does that matter? To most customers, no. A manual transmission forces you to be aware of the different parts of the powertrain and how to use them correctly together and automatic transmissions abstract that behind a simple D and accelerator pedal. EVs just remove the parts altogether. Maybe EVs should have a Normal mode that limits 0-60 to a leisurely 10 seconds and a Boost button to use all the available torque for only 5 seconds. Then at least I’d have a button to play with.
From Enrique Cobas
Even with inflation this one hurts
The worst thing about modern cars is their lack of affordability. It was only 25 years ago that getting a new Focus for about $11K was doable. Now, the cheapest Ford is $28K
From T A
Forbidden Fruit
This is for US, the lack of availability of models. I wish we could get some of the models available in Euro and Asia. Instead we get either a truck, SUV, crossover, few sedans. Hard to find small sedans and wagons here
From Thomas Kim
Remember colors on cars?
Lack of color choices. Everything new is grey, black, white. Fun colors cost extra and even then are usually available on the higher priced trim levels.
From free_range_veal
Fancy trucks aren’t doing the hard truck work
Pickup trucks are no longer for work – no longer the right tool for a job. They are clearly for getting even with all the people who didn’t give you enough attention in high school.
From semica altoid
Much more fun to drive a slow car fast
The power. It’s almost impossible to find a car with a 0-60 of 10 seconds or higher anymore. most cars are under 8. 30 years ago you had to go much higher in the market to get that.
Don’t get me wrong, for enthusiast individual drivers, it’s great. But collectively, it’s a nightmare. It leads to more aggressive driving, both on local roads and on highways. Pedestrian injuries are skyrocketing and fatal collisions have begun rising after decades of decline. It’s way too easy for bad drivers to get used cars that are above their skill level. It’s also lead to the rise in FWD SUVs flipping because they climb the curb or another car.
It also makes a mockery of speed limits. Cheap cars with poor acceleration had a moderating effect on local streets. Now every car can exceed the speed limit before the next traffic signal, making the streets more dangerous.
From Rex
