Has in car digital technology gone too far ?

Taffy7hfa

Senior Member
Joined
May 29, 2016
Messages
1,684
Reaction score
982
Location
Oxford
Your Mercedes
2002 ML 270 CDI,2016 Hyundai1.6 CRDI i30,2014 Peugeot 308 HDI. .6 HDI.
Just finished watching a review of the new Range rover Velar, it has 3 screens which control virtually every function on the car, I can see how this is attractive to a certain type of car buyer but I can’t help wondering what happens when the screen or screens freeze or just start to play up like every smart phone I have ever owned has , I doubt that any of the tech on these cars will be supported in the same way as smart phones with regard to updates etc, surely once they are out of warranty they are going to be virtually worthless as most potential buyers will be terrified of what might go wrong, why anyone would pay £60k for a car that has retractable door handles and a gear knob that has to rise from the centre console before a gear can be selected is baffling to me, then again maybe I’m just getting old…
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,326
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Just finished watching a review of the new Range rover Velar, it has 3 screens which control virtually every function on the car, I can see how this is attractive to a certain type of car buyer but I can’t help wondering what happens when the screen or screens freeze or just start to play up like every smart phone I have ever owned has , I doubt that any of the tech on these cars will be supported in the same way as smart phones with regard to updates etc, surely once they are out of warranty they are going to be virtually worthless as most potential buyers will be terrified of what might go wrong, why anyone would pay £60k for a car that has retractable door handles and a gear knob that has to rise from the centre console before a gear can be selected is baffling to me, then again maybe I’m just getting old…
Because it's well cool innit.
 
OP
Taffy7hfa

Taffy7hfa

Senior Member
Joined
May 29, 2016
Messages
1,684
Reaction score
982
Location
Oxford
Your Mercedes
2002 ML 270 CDI,2016 Hyundai1.6 CRDI i30,2014 Peugeot 308 HDI. .6 HDI.
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Haha, yeah really cool till it twangs out :rolleyes:
 

3146bj

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2005
Messages
1,242
Reaction score
64
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Your Mercedes
2010 B180CDI, 2008 Golf Pacific, 2013 VW Tiguan 103TDI
Heard of an instance a while ago where the electronics in a fairly new Disco developed a problem which drained the battery overnight so they couldn't even get into the car. The problem was that it was in a remote area of Oz, no mobile phone coverage but they did have a sat phone, and "roadside assistance" took 3 days to get to them! Fortunately they had water and food, but it could have been very awkward for them.
 

umblecumbuz

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
4,431
Reaction score
1,875
Location
Wales and Gozo
Your Mercedes
S204 and CLC 204 cdi, MX5, Kia Soul
My brother laughs when this kind of discussion comes up.
He has several nice modern cars to suit his daily driving moods.

One oddity in his fleet is an immaculate Vauxhall Chevette (very old crumblies on here might remember!). No road tax or mot needed due to its age (the car's), and it just starts and goes - always. Never a glitch. He chuckles when I pull out my fancy OBD plug-in. For high tech he carries a mobile.
And an air of superior confidence.
 

KennyN

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
1,745
Reaction score
1,285
Location
Paisley
Your Mercedes
BMW 440i, Cayenne, ZX12r / ZRX11 / ZRX Monoshock
Yesterday we took delivery of a brand new BMW 118i courtesy car , as someone bumped into the wifes Juke a few days ago.

Full digital dash , four driving modes , keyless , more apps on the screen than i have on my phone and probably more tech that i haven`t discovered yet.

All of the above tech on a base rental car , so it seems now-a-days its tech for tech sake in some cases.

FWIW , the dash does look really sharp.

Kenny
 

peterws1957

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2016
Messages
1,822
Reaction score
1,323
Location
Lancashire
Your Mercedes
sl350 /2004/3.7 and CL65/2009/6.0
Just finished watching a review of the new Range rover Velar, it has 3 screens which control virtually every function on the car, I can see how this is attractive to a certain type of car buyer but I can’t help wondering what happens when the screen or screens freeze or just start to play up like every smart phone I have ever owned has , I doubt that any of the tech on these cars will be supported in the same way as smart phones with regard to updates etc, surely once they are out of warranty they are going to be virtually worthless as most potential buyers will be terrified of what might go wrong, why anyone would pay £60k for a car that has retractable door handles and a gear knob that has to rise from the centre console before a gear can be selected is baffling to me, then again maybe I’m just getting old…
Yep i'm getting old too. In my Zafira I can reach out briefly and switch anything on or off without taking my eyes off the road. Surely it's a safety issue when you have to scroll through screens to activate something whilst driving. Our CL is something of a compromise in that its still got loads of switches but a new E63 say would be a nightmare for me.
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,326
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Yep i'm getting old too. In my Zafira I can reach out briefly and switch anything on or off without taking my eyes off the road. Surely it's a safety issue when you have to scroll through screens to activate something whilst driving. Our CL is something of a compromise in that its still got loads of switches but a new E63 say would be a nightmare for me.
Totally agree.
A switch is something you can feel for blind if you need to, its always in the same place, it doesn't magically change function and has a useful tactile feedback. Oh, and it doesn't light up the interior of the car.
 

peterws1957

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2016
Messages
1,822
Reaction score
1,323
Location
Lancashire
Your Mercedes
sl350 /2004/3.7 and CL65/2009/6.0
The other thing I wonder about is what percentage of the electrickery is used by the average owner. The CL owners manual is 400+ pages long. Life's a bit short to spend hours reading it. I long for the days when the only things you needed to know was where the choke , the light switch, and the radio on off was.:) Jeez I'm old...
 

umblecumbuz

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
4,431
Reaction score
1,875
Location
Wales and Gozo
Your Mercedes
S204 and CLC 204 cdi, MX5, Kia Soul
Radio? Oh yes - kinda like a music centre with no individual choice, huh?
Choke? Oh yes - handbag hanger.
Light switch? There you've got me - I thought lights were automatic thingies that come on when it gets dark.
 

Naraic

Moderator
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
10,686
Reaction score
1,274
Your Mercedes
2005 CL500.
The other thing I wonder about is what percentage of the electrickery is used by the average owner. The CL owners manual is 400+ pages long. Life's a bit short to spend hours reading it. I long for the days when the only things you needed to know was where the choke , the light switch, and the radio on off was.:) Jeez I'm old...
You had a radio??
 

daveenty

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
3,536
Reaction score
2,617
Location
The Frozen North :(
Your Mercedes
2019 AMG S Class Coupe
but a new E63 say would be a nightmare for me.

It is for me as well. Whoever thought it logical to place two touch pads on the steering wheel has obviously never driven in traffic. Just so frustrating that you get to where you want to be in the menus, then slip as you're steering and end up in a completely different one. I've eventually found short cuts, long cuts actually, to most of the stuff I use but would still like a proper switch which just clicks. Oh, and I still can't work the navigation system properly...

Think I'll have an hour in my little 190E now and click a few switches. :)
 

kid-jensen

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Messages
942
Reaction score
188
Location
Epsom Downs, Surrey
Your Mercedes
Ml320CDI 2007
I spent many years designing Human-Machine-Interfaces for airborne Electronics.

Basically, they have to be used in the dead of night, (also in Nuclear or Biological gloves) high vibration and high G environment, so need a positive "click" to let you feel that you've actually pressed something. Flying a helicopter at 150mph, low enough to go under power cables, is not the time to be scrolling through menus of a touch screen...

ANY kind of control which needs your eyes off the road to operate it has no place in a car.

I'm staggered the safety nannies that control our lives these days allow it...
 

Yugguy

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
2,241
Reaction score
566
Location
Rugby, UK
Your Mercedes
C220CDI W204 Elegance Comand
I imagine like 99% of modern technology all these features will be used once and then forgotten about. I also wonder what will happen when these cars are 20 years old and at the bottom end of the market.
 


Mercedes-Benz Servicing, repairs, engine and diagnostics
Wayne Gates - Mercedes-Benz, Unit F3, Phoenix Industrial Estate, Rosslyn Crescent, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 2SP
Tel: 020 8863 9233
Established for 20 years all vehicles washed and vacuumed.
Top Bottom