In general, what do you most dislike about modern cars?

[J-Rod]

The Stagea went in for its MOT and service today and I've been given a brand new (630 miles only!!) Citroen C1 as a courtesy car. Let's start with the good points...

 

- It's not costing me anything

 

Now for the bad...

 

- Crap gearbox

- Crap, numb steering

- Noisy

- Engine that sounds like it's been lifted from a tractor

- Rock hard seats

- Rock hard suspension 

- Tiny rearview mirror

- Electric windows, touchscreen, tons of gizmos...but manual door mirrors?

- Oh and a stupid thing that tells you when to change gear. 

 

Having not long ago bought a 99 plate Saxo VTR, the Saxo is a MUCH better car; it's feels solid, comfy, drives well...I could go on. I won't even bother comparing it to the Stagea. You can't. 

 

It seems to me that the only thing that has gotten better in the 15+ years that split the two is that there are now USB ports on the dash so you can listen to your itunes or whatnot. Everything else, especially the mechanics, seem retrograde; it's really a car built down to a price and I can't see it lasting longer than 10 years before it's parted out... and I think therein lies the problem. Many of these cars now are designed to be returned, recycled, reused. They're supposed to look like pretty driveway ornaments but can't be so good as to last for a long time, else where will all the new customers come from? 

 

I get the whole economics thing - but the Brunel part of my brain can't fathom why you would put that above all else, even if a car was designed with a shelf-life. 

[Lukas]

Compared to the Saxo, the C1 was developed unter almost extreme pressure to keep the costs down. It´s built as cheap as possible, it´s developed as cheap as possible and it has to last until the warranty is out. That´s all the C1 has to deliver. 

 

The 1990s were very different times, you can feel it when getting in the Saxo. 

[HH-R]

I hate 3 cylinder engines, but they're generally easy to avoid. Not pleased that they're making their way into most small cars and much bigger ones now.

 

Small CC + high BHP + turbo + stressed engine = ticking timebomb. Give me a decent 4 cyl any day, I'll take the hit in MPG.

[HH-R]

I think the crap visibility around the A pillar is to do with the design of the bonnet. The two worst things I've driven for forward visibility have been a Mitsubishi Colt and a Vauxhall Meriva*. Both cars have a continuous line from the roof through the windscreen and a tiny little bonnet in line with the windscreen. The modern stuff that still has fine forward visibility like Golfs, my Kia and Pandas etc have a protruding traditional style bonnet.

 

*both absolutely shocking, enough to lose a LWB Transit in.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 parted out.

 

 

Broken for spares, please.

[twosmoke300]

Did I hear someone say that a saxo felt well built and sturdy ?

 

Made from spit and kleenex was my view on them.

[J-Rod]

yeah, I did - in comparison to the C1 which I've just been lent. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Did I hear someone say that a saxo felt well built and sturdy ?

Made from spit and kleenex was my view on them.

Whilst Paxos/106s are like little go karts, the dervs brilliant on fuel, uber reliable and cheap as fried potato strips, I wouldn't want to be in a front-ender in one. Local lad died in a relatively low speed accident a while back, and my old neighbour had his legs taken out when hit head on at about 40mph. A mate used to work in a Pug body shop and did regular accident repairs on them - he vowed he'd never let his wife own one as there was so little protection up front. He reckoned there were plenty of other similar sized small cars made by other manufacturers which were much stronger structurally.

[oldcars]

Only ever driven one new car. An Astra. I didnt like all the electric stuff and the parking sensors were mental. If there was anything in the same postcode as the Astra they went nuts.

[forddeliveryboy]

What happened France? You used to make cars that delivered comfort AND handling.

 

Germany and other richer EU nations paid to resurface their roads to German standards. Now the French like to announce this to the world with tyres and suspension which announces this to whoever buys one of their cars, no matter how useless it may be in a country like England once off the motorway network. Roundabouted ringroads connect vast housing estates with access roads so smooth you could probably drive to the dealer with your 63 plated Peugeot without realising you had no suspension.

 

Others will assume that since they paid thousands and thousands for the privelege of riding around in 'advanced technology', the tooth-rattling ride must somehow be a good thing.

[Lukas]

If I have to decide from all the points I mentioned before...

 

The thing I hate absoltely the most about modern cars is this:

 

 

 

 this artifical feeling an electronic accelerator-pedal gives you. There is nothing better than a throttle-cable from the pedal to the engine. Not en electrolic pedal whichs starts to think at the moment you step on the pedal: Is the engine at the right revs, are all the other parameters right and if so, let´s send a signal to the engine that they might open the throttle a bit. 

[billyboy406v6]

All that elextrikery and cpu/sensor stuff is a bugger to fix without a computer plugged in ! I pity the time when they are old chod and impossible to repair ?

[cros]

Well, there's an itch that must be scratched, if ever I heard one.

Not worth a rub let alone a scratch.

[mat_the_cat]

Many, many more potential failure modes, regardless of how likely a failure actually is. Less designed-in repairability.

[cros]

The Austin 3-litre is one of the most comfy and capable cars I have ever driven.

Too bad they command rather stiff money now, otherwise you'd have to push me out of the queue if you wanted one.

I had no affection for these cars until I followed a friend in one across London. It was being driven hard over speed bump- ridden back streets to avoid a big snarl-up. My head was constantly hitting the roof of my old diesel P4, the Austin was calm and composed. I doubt whether many large modern cars could have dealt so well with roads like that.

[dugong]

If that engine is as much a slouch as you make it sound, which is in stark contrast to the impression I had when I drove the car, why could the car have possibly been a favourite with the stockcar variety? All I can say is that the one I drove went like my cat. And my cat went like Smith's cat.

Weird. I drove an MGC and an MGB back to back and the former barely felt quicker than the latter. Sounded nice, but didn't like to rev. Oddly the 'C I tried had E-Z power steering fitted, so I couldn't sample the alleged 'shite' handling because the system gave no clue as to what the front wheels were doing - although it was still better than R17 Rover 800 PCF tillerage.

 

It was more interesting than a 'B, but it wasn't quick. It felt like a wasted opportunity to me.

[Lacquer Peel]

France still has shit roads, I've just travelled down some in a new C4 Picasso; a jarring, back-breaking experience.

What is point Citroën with no ride quality. What is point.

[steve_earwig]

All that elextrikery and cpu/sensor stuff is a bugger to fix without a computer plugged in ! I pity the time when they are old chod and impossible to repair ?

I pity the fool...

 

You're missing the point, the idea is you scrap it and buy a new one long before it gets that far. Cars as white goods.

 

Hard, numb, isolated, pointless electronics, poor visibility. Same as everyone else really.

[cros]

 

We have a variety of warnings now when heavy braking means business but the makers haven't standardized this so it makes not a bit of difference to anyone behind unless they have computer fast encyclopaedic knowledge of every make and models heavy braking warnings.

My lads BMW apparently lights two bulbs (probably leds) at high level for normal braking but under heavy braking this increases to 4 bulbs

 

Glad you mentioned this, I thought it was an intermittent fault when I was following one of these. I've seen quite a few obvious faults with

LED rear lamps, but the oddest thing is the appearance of high level brake lamps in the middle of the rear door on some trucks. They're only at eye level if the car behind is being driven by a fucking giraffe.

[New POD]

..... hmm ..... my inability to muster sufficient funds to purchaze one.

 

 

 

 

You don't have 99 quid ?

[New POD]

for the deposit and another 99 quid a month ?

[John F]

Has anyone mentioned having to do a complete front-end stripdown to replace a headlight bulb yet?

[DVee8]

Probably has been said but rear lights.

[steve_earwig]

Has anyone mentioned having to do a complete front-end stripdown to replace a headlight bulb yet?

Friend of mine here has a Modus, I pointed out she was down a sidelight but she said she leaves bulbs until it's serviced because they're a bastard to replace. I had a look, how the hell do you get to them? Google it, start off by removing front bumper,,, Yeah, now I know.

 

Other cars you get to the bulbs through the wheelarch. You know things are bad that to change a bulb you have to start off by jacking the car up and removing a wheel.

[taxi paul]

When I finished taxi driving I sold my tx1. This was fitted with the Nissan 2.7 diesel lump. No sensors or exhaust gizmos dpf etc. I sold it with 320,000 miles on the clock. The lad still has I with now 450,000 on the clock. Very rarely went wrong . They started to change engines because of euro 5 regs or whatever that suddenly engines have all sorts of sensors and gizmos attached and now they aren't has reliable, more economical yes but I know what I preferred. I used to be able to do bits on my old cortinas and sierras but on my modern now you open the bonnet to be greeted with plastic engine covers and wires and stuff everywhere, you can hardly put your hand between bits of engine. Its no wonder labour charges are so much nowadays . You have to be a contortionist and have a garage full of special tools. On bulbs a lad was telling me the other day that it was a standard four hours labour to change a headlight bulb in a Renault something or other.

[LC Torana]

Friend of mine here has a Modus, I pointed out she was down a sidelight but she said she leaves bulbs until it's serviced because they're a bastard to replace. I had a look, how the hell do you get to them? Google it, start off by removing front bumper,,, Yeah, now I know.

 

You mean, that's the Modus Operandi?

[Tamworthbay]

The cad design process has killed home maintenance. Now cars are designed within mm's and there is little or no consideration for repairs. After all if it takes longer to do a job it's more money in the dealers pocket. A guy where I work had to have a new alternator on his avensis last week and they had to drop a drive shaft out and take it out from the bottom at a cost of over £300. I can do the one in my capri in about twenty minutes.

[Negative Creep]

Visibility is a big one - ironic that safety legislation has made them much harder to see out of

 

Overly light steering

 

Trying to change a headlight bulb

 

Large wheels ruin the ride but small wheels look like castors

[twosmoke300]

Volvo v50 - easiest headlight bulb Eva ! Pull a ( stainless) slider out and the headlight is in your hands . Not all moderns are shit for bulb changes .Pity that you have to remove the fuse box to change a pollen filter !

[strangeangel]

The Audi A1.

 

Prior to this, the most modern thing I had driven is Our Lass' Panda, so this has been quite an experience. I thought the arrival of my courtesy car would provide an interesting opportunity to try a properly up-to-date motor, with all the toys and electronic gizmos that the industry tells us that we need. However I've had this thing for just two days and all I want now is my old 205 back

 

The stupid POS auto box is by far the worst feature of this loathsome device. Why does it need 7 speeds and four modes of operation, not least when two of them (efficiency and auto) make the car dangerous to drive as it pulls away so slowly (it's in third by about 4mph). Entering a busy junction at a snails pace, you shit yourself and give it a bootful, and (after a pause for thought and its kicked down about 5 gears) the little bastard responds by setting off like a scalded cat. It's got some sort of Formula 1/Playstation manual arrangement too, with paddles either side of the steering wheel. These are ideal for accidentally knocking it into 6th and wondering why it's suddenly even worse at pulling away from the lights. The only way the auto box is even nearly as good as the one in my ancient Peugeot is when it's in Sport mode (it's not called sport, but you know what I mean). There's a button on the dash that tells the box what mode you want it in, and you have to select this every time you start the car. My £15 Asda DAB radio can remember the last station I listened to, so why can't this leave the gearbox in the mode I selected?

 

Stop-start mode is a ballache. Again, you have to turn this bastard off every time you start the car - why?

 

I can't hear the engine,so I don't know if it's running or if I forgot to disable stop-start and it's just turned itself off.

 

The ridiculously low roof that you twat your head on when you turn round for a shoulder check. Actually there's no point in doing those because the blind spots in the back corners are so big as to mean you can see fuck all anyway.

 

Ride quality is appalling - the suspension is rock hard and it's fitted with those stupid low profile rubber band tyres. Why on earth does a shopping car need these? Or half the other crap that's fitted to it, like the button that turns off the traction control off? I didn't know what that was, so I Googled it and came to the conclusion that there would be no possible reason to ever turn it off in a car like this, so why is it there?

 

It's full of other minor annoyances too: if you want the lights on all the time you can't just leave them for the car to turn off with the ignition (like in the humble Panda), it just beeps to tell you to turn them off. And why do I need to press the brake pedal to start it when it's in Park anyway?

 

Finally, and this is entirely subjective I know, I feel like a complete arse driving around in it.

 

If all moderns are like this (please tell me they're not) you can keep them!