Features on cars that you no longer see but you miss

[Fish]

Shakermaker said:

I miss the ability to unlock the entire car with one click of the keyfob.

On mine (Skoda) one click opens drivers door only, second click then boot, i think, only on third click do passenger doors open up. That is in addition to the separate (and useful) button to unlock and pop up the boot.

That can be changed in the settings....

[Coatesy351]

Vaud said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

When it became quite cheap, engine power increased so that it made no noticeable difference and people saw the benefits of "climate control" and demisting in winter as well as cool in the summer.

If you live somewhere hot aircon is a must and sunroofs are useless unless you like sunburn and sweating.

[anonymous-user]

Coatesy351 said:

If you live somewhere hot aircon is a must and sunroofs are useless unless you like sunburn and sweating.

Unless you like to suffer manfully, like a real PHer.

[Vaud]

dme123 said:

Unless you like to suffer manfully, like a real PHer.

Or indeed, any kind of advancement in technology or comfort.

[Wills2]

Klippie said:

I really miss sunroofs...the best of all was the VW steel one simple wind back thing it was with the little flip up wind deflector.

Standard air-con killed them off....I'd like to have both.

I'm pretty sure a sunroof is an optional extra on most cars and most cars have air con as standard, I'd say you've much more choice to get both today than "back in the day" In fact these panoramic roofs are all the rage.

My last two cars but one both had sunroof and aircon.

[TheInsanity1234]

ch108 said:

Non colour coded door mirrors and bumpers. They do look odd now, but at least the car didn't have to go to a paintshop to get a new mirror.

I actually think they look cool, but I'm aware I'm rare in my way of thinking. Also, when they're just plastic, with no paint on, you don't need to worry about bumping into things, as the paintwork won't be damaged, and so, you can use the bumpers for their intended purpose.

[FiF]

I think the thing that I miss most of all wasn't that widely fitted but it's the sun visors that Saab fitted for many years. Basically there's a second visor fitted so that when the main visor is lowered you can fold out the second visor to shield from the side window. Works so much better than the single visors that swivel.

Something that I miss and not really sure why harks back to the earlier discussion about proper analogue gauges. Used to like the ammeter where you got a kick to show it was charging and more than meeting consumption. Of course alternators with ever increasing output meant ammeters no longer used, and the voltmeter is a very poor substitute.

[Speed 3]

FiF said:

I think the thing that I miss most of all wasn't that widely fitted but it's the sun visors that Saab fitted for many years. Basically there's a second visor fitted so that when the main visor is lowered you can fold out the second visor to shield from the side window. Works so much better than the single visors that swivel.

Last 2 Touaregs we've had have this, sure I've seen it on other modern things. Would be nice to even have a sun visor on the Tuscan sometimes

[E65Ross]

Shaw Tarse said:

olliete said:

E65Ross said:

Are you for real?

I'm guessing you're overweight and very lazy?

With a hole in his head?

Far from it.... I'm actually VERY light, bmi of 19.

Hole in my head? I used to.... Ironically. I had a brain tumour removed by surgery so yes I did!

But why would one prefer wind down windows to electric?

[Dave Hedgehog]

pop up headlights

clean uncluttered lines, delicate a pillars etc.

[Wills2]

E65Ross said:

Shaw Tarse said:

olliete said:

E65Ross said:

Are you for real?

I'm guessing you're overweight and very lazy?

With a hole in his head?

Far from it.... I'm actually VERY light, bmi of 19.

Hole in my head? I used to.... Ironically. I had a brain tumour removed by surgery so yes I did!

But why would one prefer wind down windows to electric?

Because PH.

[ou sont les biscuits]

Vaud said:

I want the minimum amount of information possible, and the car to inform me if there is an issue to look at.

The Saab Night Panel was brilliant at night. Just speedo was lit. Anything else lit up if there was an problem or you were pushing the limits.

On the ones I had, not even all the speedo lit up. ISTR that under 70 it just lit up as far as that. But I agree, it was a really good idea on a dark A road.

[TheInsanity1234]

ou sont les biscuits said:

Vaud said:

I want the minimum amount of information possible, and the car to inform me if there is an issue to look at.

The Saab Night Panel was brilliant at night. Just speedo was lit. Anything else lit up if there was an problem or you were pushing the limits.

On the ones I had, not even all the speedo lit up. ISTR that under 70 it just lit up as far as that. But I agree, it was a really good idea on a dark A road.

I think this is a neat idea, and I would gravitate towards a SAAB for my next car when my PCP is up simply because one of the things I've always hated about all of the cars I've driven is how bloody bright the dashboard can be at night, it really wrecks your night vision when your maxidot display (Skoda Yeti, I'm looking at you) turns itself up to maximum brightness and starts flashing away at you just because the temperature has dropped to 4 degrees or below.

Not a problem in streetlit areas etc, but when you're on a dark road with nothing but your headlights to illuminate the road ahead, I want the minimum light to be shining at me inside the cockpit.

My Citigo isn't too bad in this respect, but I'd still like to have the ability to switch off the backlighting on the dashboard and only have the needles illuminating the immediate area around them so you can read the speedometer numbers.

[DoctorX]

Conversely, I like my dash boards lit up like Blackpool illuminations, the more switches, screens, ambient lighting etc the better!

[anonymous-user]

• passive suspension
• Skinny tyres
• Engines that aren't covered in crap
• Metal dipsticks

[wibblebrain]

Good ride quality without sacrificing handling.

Bigger wheels and lower and lower profile tyres mean that were all enduring unnecessarily harsh cars these days.

Drove an E39 BMW 530i recently and it was a revelation compared to my 640d.

[anonymous-user]

fk those electric hand brake buttons

[anonymous-user]

golfer19 said:

Door protectors were mentioned a few pages back.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iib8F0XSg18

Never new these existed.
Looks a great idea.

I don't give a rats arse who it is, if someone has those active protectors and opened their door into my car id be fking furious.
they should learn to stop being a clumsy fk and give themselves more room in parking......

[Vaud]

wibblebrain said:

Good ride quality without sacrificing handling.

Bigger wheels and lower and lower profile tyres mean that were all enduring unnecessarily harsh cars these days.

Drove an E39 BMW 530i recently and it was a revelation compared to my 640d.

Quite. Style over substance.

[WJNB]

A radiator to fix my AA, RAC & IAM badges too.
A starting handle.
A radiator water temperature gauge atop the radiator.
Semaphore Trafficators.
Big metal GB plates.
Opening windscreen.
Bench seats.
No heater or air conditioning so when bench seats being actively used (!) windows get misted up.
Steering column gear change.