Die, Die, Die! - Things that should be euthanized in 2007
(Ed. - The views expressed in this post are those of Dan Roth and not Autoblog in general. Dan asked if he could channel the grumpy old man inside of him, and for better or worse, we took off his leash.)
Our morning commute often gives us time to contemplate our navels, as the traffic engineers haven't spent enough time with TrafficSim around here. When the radio gets too boring, it's always interesting to analyze the vehicles around us. Here's some stuff we think is gangrenous, and some is just crap.
Toyota Camry Solara
Please go away. You're ugly. Yes, yes, you're a Camry, rah rah. You're ugly. Especially the convertible. Please just give us a two-door version of your only mildly less ugly Camry sedan sibling, if you must.
Big cars that were once small
The Civic was once a small car, now it's almost as big as Accords once were. The Nissan Versa and Dodge Caliber are similarly not-too-small cars being marketed on the pretense of being compact. The Fit is a step in the right direction, and we realize that all the required safety gear makes light cars largely a thing of the past, but the efficiency-lovers among us can't square the fact that these cars were once small and efficient, and now they're larger and less efficient.
Follow the jump for more items on the hit list.
Not enough glass
Apparently, people feel cocooned in safety when the doors come up to the top of their ears. We'd rather see out, thanks. This problem is compounded by the fact that rooflines often make concessions to style now, leading to tiny little windows and big, fat blind spots. Gone are the days of lots of glass and low beltlines.
Manu-matics
What useless pieces of crap. The only thing worse than an automatic with a "manual gate" is a poorly programmed automatic. A lot of times, you get a twofer with trannies like this - they're never in the right gear and constantly second guessing you, and the manual modes are dopey, slow and worthless. Maybe this is the easy way to make people feel like they can "drive real good." We'd rather have three pedals and a stick connected to something.
Nav systems
What, did everyone forget how to use a map? These things cost thousands of dollars, often can't be programmed while the car's in motion (by your co-pilot, of course), and vary widely in UI quality. We're carping on this one, though. Nav systems do make sense for some folks.
Auto-magic everything
Auto-dimming rearview mirrors never fail to blind the crap out of me. The auto climate-control tends to blow cold air on my feet when I wanted it to stay warm till I decide. Rain-sensing wipers? Come ON! All of this automation adds up to eventual failure points. Not only that, they remove the driver from the act of driving. If you don't want to be bothered to turn on the windshield wipers, perhaps you should telecommute.
Cheap gas.
This borders on heresy for an automotive blog, but gas is too cheap. Who among us wouldn't love to give up sitting in gridlock? You could drive for pleasure. Of course, this would have to go hand in hand with massive improvements to public transportation. Adding additional taxes on to fuel to fund light-rail improvements, offer incentives for developing biofuels and sustainable sources of energy would be wonderful and worth it. Pay now or pay later - and if we're going to have to pay anyway, we may as well attempt to be less beholden to energy sources from unstable regions of the world.
Drum brakes.
Why are these even used anymore? They're fiddly to repair, don't perform as well, and just plain old stink compared to disc brakes. They may be cheaper, but the only place a drum brake belongs is in the hat of one of the rear rotors, as a parking brake.
Well. We've spewed an awful lot of vitriol here. Perhaps it's time for another coffee to tame that edge. This has been cathartic, though. We feel better, how about you?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Christine 5:43PM (12/21/2006)
Cheap gas should be euthanized?? Ah yes, tell that to my 14 gallon tank! What a load of crap.
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vectorbug 5:55PM (12/21/2006)
I agree with pretty much everything. Especially automatic crap. One of the major selling points for my newest car is that it has power nothing. No power steering, windows, mirrors, locks and even the trunk has to be opened by key. No AC even (whats the point, its a roadster). I dont really care about gas prices, but I never thought about the benefits from having gas be more expensive, making driving a luxury event.
The honda fit (or is it the Yaris) is actually bigger than the first gen scirroco.
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Joe 5:59PM (12/21/2006)
Drum brakes do have superior parking brake performance.... haha...
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Chris 5:59PM (12/21/2006)
You, sir, are a moron.
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BartMack 5:59PM (12/21/2006)
You must've read my mind on the Solara... what a ghastly looking automobile. I cringed the first time I saw one.
Thing is, it's really the epitomy of current Japanese styling, and why you'd have to force me at gunpoint to buy anything Japanese these days...
Pretty soon I expect the edges of the headlights will extend unbroken into the taillights...
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hjc 6:00PM (12/21/2006)
1999 Solara was the best looking. I owned one and got rid of it because of several quality problems. I even had to take them to arbitration because Toyota refused to fix the problem....They lost... because of the dealings with Toyota I'll never own another
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Kansei 6:05PM (12/21/2006)
One more thing to add to the list: rear suspensions that are not indepdendent. Solid beam, twist axle, whatever you want to call that crap. Get rid of it!
Oh I have another too: front wheel drive. They were created for their efficiency.. why not just go to mid-engine if you want the efficiency. I'm sick of my car driving the wrong wheels :(
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SOhp101 6:06PM (12/21/2006)
Camry Solara: I agree completely. However in the suburbs I see tons of them so it looks like people are voting with their cash which is why it's still around.
Big cars that were once small: Although most people will say this is because of demand, which it is, I think a bigger factor is due to marketing. Automakers strive to make cars that are better than their previous generation, and one of these ways is to make a car bigger. Fast forward a few generations and you can see the size difference.
Not enough glass: This mainly has to do with the fact that if there as much glass as the older cars proportionately the cars would look awkward. Plus, designing such a car would also mean worse aerodynamics.
Manu-matics: I found out for the reason for this—the male ego. It’s considered more ‘manly’ to drive a manual, and in order to appeal to the crowd that doesn’t drive one (which is large in the US) they give you the option to “make you feel like you’re shifting.”
Nav systems: Don’t agree there because my system can be programmed while the car is in motion and the UI is awesome. The only company that I’ve personally used that doesn’t allow you to operate during movement is the Toyota/Lexus system and that can be easily modified by disabling the ‘moving sensor.’
Auto-magic everything: I like the auto climate control—adds ventilation to the cabin without making it overly hot or freezing. I hear bad things about rain sensing wipers, so I’ll partially agree with you on this one.
Drum brakes: cost reduction for auto companies and an easy way to convince people to purchase higher end models which are ‘sportier’ since they have disc bakes.
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fordman 6:06PM (12/21/2006)
#6 u are full of shit and just made all that up. good job!
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Dave 6:20PM (12/21/2006)
I think the Solara is one of those "eyes of the beholder" deals. Personally I find it to be a rolling piece of art and could be easily slotted into the Lexus family. Far more style personality than the Accord coupe. It's not as ugly as the 1st generation Acura CL, that's for sure (although the 2nd gen CL had a very classy, understated look about it).
Viva la difference!
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Desmond 6:21PM (12/21/2006)
Oh you forgot, die GM.
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hjc 6:25PM (12/21/2006)
Dear Mr. Fordman
I can assure you this is all TRUE
Leather seat cracking after 5000 miles
replaced...again at 8000 miles and 10000miles
oil leaks... radio replaced twice...driver side power window intermitent..never did fix that one... blower motor replaced twice
Merry Xmas
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Paul 6:27PM (12/21/2006)
We have owned several different brands of trucks on our farm, and I will tell you that drum brakes are far superior to disk in the mud. I cannot tell you how many times that we have had issues with the Ford and Dodge disk systems. However, these issues have about ceased with GM's drum brake reintroduction on their trucks.
Finally a company that realizes that some of their trucks will be used as real trucks and not some urban penis-envy'er.
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alan 6:31PM (12/21/2006)
Please add to your list:
People who gripe about gas prices
We as a nation pay anywhere from $1.00 to $2.00 less than the rest of the world. maybe if you had to pay $5.00 per gallon for basic unleaded, you'd think twice about getting the huge, pointless SUV.
32" tyres
Is it just me, or are truck tires growing obscenely large? Who needs to be able to see over a Greyhound bus anyway?
"King Cab", "Quad Cab", and "Extended Cab" pickups
If you work in construction everyday and must haul people around, or if you live in the mountains and must tote your family and quad bike everywhere, then these are understandable. However, there are much to many present in suburbia. It would be much cheaper to trade in that waste for a sedan and get counseling to fix whatever you were overcompensating for when you bought that truck.
Reader comment 4
Thank you for expressing your personal opinion. Now if you could explain why, then maybe we wouldn't think you were such a pompous loser.
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Daniel 6:32PM (12/21/2006)
I think Nav's are great. That shouldn't be on the list. Everything else... yeah, I agree with.
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David 6:39PM (12/21/2006)
If Autoblog is going to venture into the world of editorials, you guys need some work. I don't think anyone really wants to read a list of things you hate. If you have opinions, fine, I'd love to have a look. But to make generalizations like 'all manu-matics are bad' is useless writing. Like most pieces of automotive tech, they have their uses, like driving in the mountains.
And I don't know about the thousands of people who opt for navigation systems, but I do know how to read a map. It's the efficient route calculations and re-routings made in mere seconds by the computer that I can't match. And many will re-figure your route while you're driving if you should meet any obstacles, all without any input from you. This would have come in very handy for me last night while I drove across blizzard-hit Colorado, passing abandoned and stuck vehicles, not to mention accidents blocking the off-ramps I wanted to use. For that reason alone I will make sure my next vehicle is equipped with GPS.
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georgejetson 6:40PM (12/21/2006)
One more for your list: high performance cars with no manual transmission option (SRT Charger, anyone?) I understand that some people have disabilities that mandate the use of automatic transmissions, and I understand that millions of my countrymen are lazy-ass slobs, but really, if you're going to offer 425 hp and a road-racing suspension and Brembos the size of manhole covers then you really need to include a real transmission, y'know?
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David 6:49PM (12/21/2006)
I couldn't agree more, especially about cheap gas.
Also add: GM, the new VW styling, and Mercurys.
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KazO 6:51PM (12/21/2006)
-The Solara is bad but what about all the other ugly cars? Lexus SC430? BMW 6er?
- Nothing wrong with big small cars as long as other small cars come along to fill in the hole.
- Completely agree with too little glass. I need to be able to SEE where I was, where I am and where I'm going.
- Automatics should stick to PRNDL. Leave 123456R to the people who care.
- NAVs without real-time traffic are pointless, though I have to say parts of the country that aren't covered by Thomas Bros Maps are pretty screwed, paper map-wise.
- Some auto-magic stuff is great when it WORKS. Auto climate control in my BMW is total crap. Autodim mirrors in it are great, though.
- Sorry, I want my
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hondacura 6:53PM (12/21/2006)
1st Gen Acura CL is a classic. The design is one Honda's best. The car sold so well all because of it, you idiot!
To me the Solora is a design more for woman. The car is alright.
My list of cancels:
All of Mercury
Ford 500
Jeep Patriot, Compass
Chrysler Sebring
All of Buick
All of GMC
Mitsubishi Endeavor
Mitsubishi Montero
Nissan Altima ( don't need u, got a Maxima )
Nissan Z350 ( don't need u, ur twin (G35) looks better)
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