Driver unfriendly car features

[MikeR]

Zafira B handbrake  ,  hits anything put in the ciggie socket !!

[doubleyeller]

Which car was it got a bad name for ejecting it's ashtray with great force into the middle rear passenger's nose, often breaking it, under heavy uphill braking?

 

Get the feeling it was the Renault 11....

[martc]

Issigonis was either a contortionist giraffe or a knob.

 

 

Its the Italian way of life, style over function. Cars, clothes etc etc

 

Pedant mode on

 

Issignosis was born in Izmir in Turkey. His father was Greek, his mother German. Through politics/capitalism they were both British Subjects and hence so was little Alec. Issignosis very much played on his 'Englishness'. So his style over function came from further east (or west) than Italy.

 

Pedant mode off.

[Guest Hooli]

Most stability control systems I've ever suffered, they are designed to make you crash as they prevent you controlling the car when you most need to.

 

Over servoed brakes, teh Hyundai Pony X2 was the perfect example, just looking at the pedal caused the brakes to lock. I couldn't drive one at all due to this, bloody lethal things.

A pillars as mentioned by others.

Most driver's armrests, all they do is smack your elbow if you try to change gear or use the handbrake.

[Stinkwheel]

I've never tried one, I'm sure they're fine if the car is automatic, but hill starts must be fun* in a manual XM.

There is an art to it for sure

[leanycan]

City steering function on fiats. I had a 2008 panda and whilst the steering was light enough if you put city steering on it felt like the wheel had been disconnected from the rack. Pointless feature if any.

 

 

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[Dan_ZTT]

Fog lights on my wife's Polo (and I assume other modern VAG) - you have to pull out the headlight dial switch, in two steps for front then front+back. Confused me the first time I had to actually use them, why not just put two buttons on the dash?

[Dan_ZTT]

City steering function on fiats. I had a 2008 panda and whilst the steering was light enough if you put city steering on it felt like the wheel had been disconnected from the rack. Pointless feature if any.

 

My 2012 Chrysler Delta (/Lancia/Fiat) had this too. I never turned it on but my wife wouldn't drive the car without, said it was too heavy otherwise. I did not agree.

[leanycan]

My 2012 Chrysler Delta (/Lancia/Fiat) had this too. I never turned it on but my wife wouldn't drive the car without, said it was too heavy otherwise. I did not agree.

Even on the normal setting the steering is still way too vague. I remember going to get part worn tire for mine and the guys at the scrappies laughed in hysterics when I told them I needed a 13 inch tire. I felt like a right tit

 

 

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[SierraMikeHotel]

Fog lights on my wife's Polo (and I assume other modern VAG) - you have to pull out the headlight dial switch, in two steps for front then front+back. Confused me the first time I had to actually use them, why not just put two buttons on the dash?

I was going to add to this thread that the fog light switch is on a lot of cars (including both of ours) hidden behind the steering wheel. I actually quite like this VAG solution.

[DSdriver]

I've never tried one, I'm sure they're fine if the car is automatic, but hill starts must be fun* in a manual XM.

Probably no more awkward than the positioning of the DS handbrake before the invention of inertia reel belts, or even with inertia reel belts on a steep hill.

[Rusty_Rocket]

I haven't seen the Land Rover Defender mentioned yet. I don't think it was designed for humans to drive, at least, not ones with a right arm.

[pilninggas]

Pin-number immobiliser on Xantias. Terrible ball ache, jumping and having to enter a code to start-up.

[Momentary Lapse Of Reason]

Metal inserts on the plastic gear knob on VAG chod.

The metal is freezing cold on your hand in the winter and searingly hot in the summer.

What was wrong with a plain plastic gear knob which was at the wrong temperature all year round?

[dozeydustman]

Later Sambas had the choke knob on the passenger side of the dash. I think the early AX dash had a similar arrangement.

[lesapandre]

The Citroen CX and GS used to mount the radio between the seats. All very Thunderbirds but if you wanted a cassette full of crumbs or to adjust the controls...crazy.

[lesapandre]

...

[Guest Hooli]

Manual modes on autoboxes that still do their own thing. It really annoys me that you appear to have an option to pick a gear manually & then it refuses to use the gear you want, especially if it's a gear it would be using at that time in full auto!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

The Citroen CX and GS used to mount the radio between the seats. All very Thunderbirds but if you wanted a cassette full of crumbs or to adjust the controls...crazy.

This actually leads to the phenomenon where a CX driver believes he can hear voices, even though there is nobody else in the car.

 

This is because his elbow has turned the radio on....

[Zelandeth]

The heating and ventilation controls in any modern VAG car, which consist of a million buttons, knobs and digital readouts buried down at near floor level.

[Cardinal Wolseley]

Worst I've experienced was those awful instrument pods on the Fiat Uno, the wipers and lights were controlled by elongated switches rather than column stalks, absolutely awful. One of the pods snapped off and I managed to hold it on using some green garden wire, you all would have been proud

 

[Pillock]

Even on a brand new Mercedes, the light to tell you if you're in Cruise or Limiter mode on the stalk is hidden behind the wheel at about the 7pm position. The easiest way to see it is to ask your passenger to put their head in your lap (that's my story and I'm sticking to it officer).

[Asimo]

Rear seat belts that need both hands to buckle because the socket is flapping around somewhere on a short piece of belt like it was 1967 instead of being solidly mounted like in front.

[PhilA]

Any control or gauge on a vehicle that is regularly used (fuel gauge, lights switch etc.) that is hidden from the driver's view.

 

Usual culprit is the steering wheel, and I get that the seat moves to accommodate varying size drivers, but if you can't see all the controls and particularly the gauges at once without having to crane your neck then what's the point fitting them?

[Steve79]

The 1979 BB Porsche 928 targa

 

Can you imagine if this was actually put into production and the accidents!

 

Sorry officer, that Dave Lee Travis was playing Ring My Feckin Bell by Anita Ward again so had to crick my neck lookin up to change stations. Heard a bang and there was some german Jerry Hall looky likely all spread eagle over the bonnet!

[stonedagain]

Electronic parking brake, expensive, over-complicated, unreliable, stupidly expensive to fix when they go wrong. Totally pointless!

[Tamworthbay]

You can tell it’s dangerous, he has hit someone in the third pic.

[spartacus]

I always found the heater blower speed control on my Alfa Sud's a strange set up, you had to rotate the left hand stalk.

I find the 'carbon' effect dash on Seats give an annoying reflection in sunlight, a schoolboy design error!

[Timewaster]

For annoyance with locks try doing multi drop deliveries in a mk3 Fiesta van.

 

You need the key to open the tailgate.

Annoying once a day.

 

Try it 47 times a day and then wonder why the key is so smooth it barely opens the door on an 18 month old van.

[Rod/b]

I've never tried one, I'm sure they're fine if the car is automatic, but hill starts must be fun* in a manual XM.

Both my current cars have them - Kia Grand Carnival and Ford F150 - and previously on Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Armada and Kia Mohave. As said fine for autos - you don’t really need them to park, for the most part - but they’d be useless for hill starts in a manual car, especially one you have to press to release as opposed to a release handle.