Car trends that you hope die

[DoubleD]

DegsyE39 said:

DoubleD said:

These companies are in business to make a profit, not to keep a few internet geeks happy.

But N/A straight six engines and RWD used to be BMW's USP when they just make gopping mpv's for posters on mumsnet they chip away at their heritage, cachet and USP.

If they slowly make half the range FWD they'll just end up another vauxhall.. And then the badge snobs who buy the crumby financed 2 series to show off to the neighbours wont want one anymore!! Short sighted business practice IMHO

Well then they did that ages ago when they started making 4 cylinder 4x4s. They still seem to be doing ok for themselves.

[Justin Case]

The badge snobs neither know no care what goes on between the grille and the ever-growing screen on the dash. You can't blame BMW, etc for pandering to this market with more money than sense.

[Riktoid]

henrycrun said:

Blinding brake lights and front lights (and pretty much every bright light) on a new car.
Time for some new legislation on max LED power.

+1

Fed up with the blinky blinky dazzle dazzle brigade.

[Pvapour]

Petrol engines

Cant wait till we're all electric & automated so i can sit back and watch a film while enjoying a bite to eat.

[Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah]

Chas88 said:

Stick on screens like on the new Mercedes C Class or Audi A4, I can't stand them.

Indeed, anything touchscreen, which are becoming more and more prevalent. You're not allowed to use a phone whilst driving, rightly so as it's a distraction. God only knows how anyone can deem it safe for someone to be driving whilst tapping away on touchscreen menus whilst driving. The thought of someone sharing motorway space with me whilst tapping away at such a screen gives me the shivers!

[Dr G]

Pvapour said:

Petrol engines

Cant wait till we're all electric & automated so I can sit back and watch a film while enjoying a bite to eat.

I realise this is a semi-ironic comment but eating breakfast and watching telly whilst commuting is going to be awesome.

[ZesPak]

smithyithy said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

the A class is FWD thou, BMW tag line is The ultimate driving machine and they compromised the 1 series to make it RWD

I read this quite often and while it may be true, I bet less than 10% of drivers actually know it's RWD, know what RWD is, or even care.

Then not to mention the part that KNOWS it's RWD and would rather it not?

You're left with a very small set that lives with the 1 series, takes the looks and the cramped space because it's RWD.

Sad state of affairs, but to be a sales succes Merc had to make the A class FWD, otherwise it would have been too impractical and too expensive and, as stated, nearly no one buys a 1 series because it's RWD.

What bothers me more is that they then make a CLA. Which nears C-class size.

Just look at the sale success of FWD A4's. How many sales do they lose because they are, let's be honest, at best average cars with a terminal case of understeer?

[vikingaero]

Dr G said:

Pvapour said:

Petrol engines

Cant wait till we're all electric & automated so I can sit back and watch a film while enjoying a bite to eat.

I realise this is a semi-ironic comment but eating breakfast and watching telly whilst commuting is going to be awesome.

I fear reality will be different to utopia. It will be OK on motorways, duals and A-Roads but in urban situations pedestrians will probably have priority and it will be stop start mayhem as they randomly walk out in front of you causing you to spill your latte mochachocadingdong.

[ZesPak]

vikingaero said:

I fear reality will be different to utopia. It will be OK on motorways, duals and A-Roads but in urban situations pedestrians will probably have priority and it will be stop start mayhem as they randomly walk out in front of you causing you to spill your latte mochachocadingdong.

Considering my commute is about 5 minutes urban and 55 minutes motorway (if there aren't any jams), I can live with that.

[GroundEffect]

Fractk said:

Zombie said:

Infinite variations of what is essentially the same car. The current range of VAG / BMW / Merc products is ridiculous.

Apparently the cost to design and make various body styles has gone down a lot and they want to just target every single person out there. I don't see any point being a fan of any of these companies anymore. They just seem to release cars like throwing darts at a dart board.

Most of the cost is in the underbody. The upper body costs relative peanuts so they can stick a new shape on a platform for <$50M and bang, another car.

[Davie]

Daylight running lights...

Not the old, 5w Volvo efforts but the 2 billion lumen stuff that looks like it wouldn't go amiss of the front of the mothership.

[CABC]

Dr G said:

Pvapour said:

Petrol engines

Cant wait till we're all electric & automated so I can sit back and watch a film while enjoying a bite to eat.

I realise this is a semi-ironic comment but eating breakfast and watching telly whilst commuting is going to be awesome.

with always available communications making an illicit rendezvous hard to get away with, think of the opportunities in your autonomous commuting pod!
Tesla Tinder app could be awesome!

[ch108]

Corporate identity on cars. Where every model in a cars range has to have near identical front (and sometimes rear) ends. Audi, Seat and Skoda are the worst for this. Ford following the trend by having to shoehorn their Aston Martin grille onto every model, whether it suits it or not.

I know the family look on a manufacturers range has been about for a while, but just seems to have got worse over the last few years. I seem to remember in the 70's or even early 80's the main thing that linked a manufacturers range together was the badge, not the whole front end! Individual models from the same manufacturer were more easily recognisable back then.

[vsonix]

NDNDNDND said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

StescoG66 said:

The automatic reverence of anything German........

The 2 series active tourer stopped that in its tracks

Are you sure? I keep seeing hundreds of the stting horrible things bloody everywhere. I feel a little bit sick every time I see one of the bds.

I was convinced they'd be a flop, in fact for ages after the official release, I didn't see any on the roads at all... then about a year later, BOOM! they're everywhere. And looking downright horrible at the same time. Looks like the [horribly unfunny] joke is on me

[StescoG66]

vsonix said:

NDNDNDND said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

StescoG66 said:

The automatic reverence of anything German........

The 2 series active tourer stopped that in its tracks

Are you sure? I keep seeing hundreds of the stting horrible things bloody everywhere. I feel a little bit sick every time I see one of the bds.

I was convinced they'd be a flop, in fact for ages after the official release, I didn't see any on the roads at all... then about a year later, BOOM! they're everywhere. And looking downright horrible at the same time. Looks like the [horribly unfunny] joke is on me

Proof positive that if you put a German badge on a turd, people will still buy it.......

[marmitemania]

StescoG66 said:

vsonix said:

NDNDNDND said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

StescoG66 said:

The automatic reverence of anything German........

The 2 series active tourer stopped that in its tracks

Are you sure? I keep seeing hundreds of the stting horrible things bloody everywhere. I feel a little bit sick every time I see one of the bds.

I was convinced they'd be a flop, in fact for ages after the official release, I didn't see any on the roads at all... then about a year later, BOOM! they're everywhere. And looking downright horrible at the same time. Looks like the [horribly unfunny] joke is on me

Proof positive that if you put a German badge on a turd, people will still buy it.......

I'm really glad that people are starting to realize that German made does not equate to the best. I think it's long overdue that they fall from grace, but people seem to hold them in such reverence even though the cars are average and a lot less reliable than other supposed inferior marques. Mercedes rust, VW emmisions, Audi drivers attitude and image, none of it seems to matter. Still let the sheep get on with it.

[anonymous-user]

Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:

Chas88 said:

Stick on screens like on the new Mercedes C Class or Audi A4, I can't stand them.

Indeed, anything touchscreen, which are becoming more and more prevalent. You're not allowed to use a phone whilst driving, rightly so as it's a distraction. God only knows how anyone can deem it safe for someone to be driving whilst tapping away on touchscreen menus whilst driving. The thought of someone sharing motorway space with me whilst tapping away at such a screen gives me the shivers!

Bloody Lexus remote touch is worse than its simple touchscreen!!

[Alex_225]

ZesPak said:

What bothers me more is that they then make a CLA. Which nears C-class size.

I was thinking this the other day. Don't get me wrong I'm not RWD snob, I've driven FWD cars for the first 10 years of having my licence and I think they can be some of the most fun you can have.

But ironically I'm a little put off by the fact that the CLA looks like a Merc saloon but its still front wheel drive but then again it is effectively an A class with a boot so that explains it.

In my mind I guess I just feel that German saloons should be rear wheel drive in the same way hot hatches should be front!

[SlimRick]

vsonix said:

I was convinced they'd be a flop, in fact for ages after the official release, I didn't see any on the roads at all... then about a year later, BOOM! they're everywhere. And looking downright horrible at the same time. Looks like the [horribly unfunny] joke is on me

My boss had one as a courtesy car while his M4 was in for service and got some grief for it:

[otolith]

vikingaero said:

I fear reality will be different to utopia. It will be OK on motorways, duals and A-Roads but in urban situations pedestrians will probably have priority and it will be stop start mayhem as they randomly walk out in front of you causing you to spill your latte mochachocadingdong.

Whereas now you would simply run them over?