Automotive Fakery

[GroundZero]

I thought this would just be a bad fashion phase that manufacturers would quickly go through and then realise how fecking stupid it all was, but no, it continues - and they're probably still doing it because they keep finding customers that are willing to pay for such pointless tat.

Fake exhausts....


Fake vents....


Fake carbon fibre....


Fake cabin engine noises...


Fake diffusers...


The list continues...
Fake exhaust farts , Fake/useless splitters, fake 4WD systems that are in essence FWD but occasionally get a RWD 'assist', fake limited slip diffs that is just traction control via the brakes, fake advertising of it being a 'manual' gearbox when all it is is just a temporary manual request for a gear through an computerised autobox (or that if it has flappy paddles then it means it must be "manual", stupid animated turn signals, and so on...


Ok, I'm in my 40's so probably classed by many as out of touch with those who just rent such fakery these days, but are there really that many customers out there who happily part with their cash for all this bullshytery?

Could the above be an additional reason why the demand for older 2nd hand cars is rocketing?

[Fastdruid]

GroundZero said:

fake 4WD systems that are in essence FWD but occasionally get a RWD 'assist'

Having driven one that could be considered that ("up to" 50% torque to the rear) I genuinely think that's being rather unkind.

Yes if you're after the ultimate sports car performance you want more rearward bias but for normal people the "fake" AWD does genuinely give a significant advantage. My FWD only will at times just spin up while the "fake" AWD (with more power) would just grip and go.

[Mr_Megalomaniac]

I'm with you on this. It's insincere and disingenuous.
I flat out refuse to buy any car with fake exhausts or the cabin noise. It's a deal breaker for me.

[GroundZero]

Just to add that my OP is not to cause 'offense', its all slightly "tongue in cheek", so sympathies to anyone if they have parted their hard-earned for such fakery Blame the dealer!

[_Marvin]

Whilst I agree in principle, I dislike basically all of the things you highlight, it's down to several factors:

Regulatory - things like vehicle noise levels are being reduced over time, whilst customers demand ever better NVH. I never found that my old S1 Elise would need sound generators or the like, it was noisy, even with a quiet exhaust. My current GT86 wouldn't sound particularly special at all without the noise generator pipe as it's so well insulated. On cars based on more 'normal' platforms (e.g. hot hatches, sports saloons etc), the NVH is so impressive that with the regulatory external sound levels, you'd hear practically nothing at all.
Appealing to customers - 'sporty' is the word, applied to almost anything. I think that's largely in response to both Max Power (those who were into that style are now the people buying new cars) and journalists endlessly promoting sharper/'sportier' driving cars as 'better', regardless of whether it suits the car or sector
'Aspiration' - (I dislike the term, seems to be used to patronise) make the more basic models appear like the 'halo' model - that is the main reason why almost every manufacturer persists with an M/AMG/RS/R/Type-R/N/WRX division. The halo effect is well known, and by producing a really desirable halo model, then making your more prosaic offerings mimic it helps it sell.

[Mammasaid]

Fastdruid said:

GroundZero said:

fake 4WD systems that are in essence FWD but occasionally get a RWD 'assist'

Having driven one that could be considered that ("up to" 50% torque to the rear) I genuinely think that's being rather unkind.

Yes if you're after the ultimate sports car performance you want more rearward bias but for normal people the "fake" AWD does genuinely give a significant advantage. My FWD only will at times just spin up while the "fake" AWD (with more power) would just grip and go.

Your 'fake' AWD runs mainly in 2WD to assist with fuel economy, only engaging the rears when required. It's not marketed as a full off-road option, just as an assist in poor conditions.

Your post bring this to mind, no-one's forcing you to buy 'fakery'.

[GroundZero]

Mammasaid said:

Your post bring this to mind, no-one's forcing you to buy 'fakery'.

True
I wonder if shouting at a cloud would be just as effective with being able to change the politics surrounding all of this?

My target era for cars that tick my boxes is 1990 to 2010 - a 20 year sweet spot when car tech, safety and performance had reached a good level and before the era when all the analogue driver connection was taken out of driving and replaced by 1's and 0's from 2010 onwards.

[Court_S]

Some of it (eg fake noise) is driven by regulations and the clamping down of exhaust noise. Pumping some extra noise into the cabin of a sportier version whisky a bit crap is kind of understandable.

The fake vents and exhausts less forgivable.

Nice rant though, and you even managed to get a dig in at lease / PCP too.

[vaud]

Mr_Megalomaniac said:

I'm with you on this. It's insincere and disingenuous.
I flat out refuse to buy any car with fake exhausts or the cabin noise. It's a deal breaker for me.

You are going to hate electric cars then as in many countries they will, as I understand it , have to make noise in some areas (geofenced) so that pedestrians, etc can hear them. That said, I quite like the sound of the electric Porsche, it makes the kids of noise I thought space ships would make when I was a child.

[fozzymandeus]

What’s wrong with sequenced indicators? Maybe you object to patterned tail lights too? Maybe all cars should have Trabant rear clusters by order of the ministry of automotive conformance?

[emperorburger]

Fake wood and leather



Fake convertibles



Buyers have been lapping up automotive fakery for decades.

[Mr_Megalomaniac]

vaud said:

Mr_Megalomaniac said:

I'm with you on this. It's insincere and disingenuous.
I flat out refuse to buy any car with fake exhausts or the cabin noise. It's a deal breaker for me.

You are going to hate electric cars then as in many countries they will, as I understand it , have to make noise in some areas (geofenced) so that pedestrians, etc can hear them. That said, I quite like the sound of the electric Porsche, it makes the kids of noise I thought space ships would make when I was a child.

You are quite right, I do dislike them, although mostly for the damage done during their production which outweighs the damage done by most other vehicles... Again they're passed off as being environmentally friendly when they aren't, which I see as dishonest.
I don't mind so much the external noise, which I understand the reason for. But it would be laughable if they piped in a V8 sound to the cabin.

[vaud]

Mr_Megalomaniac said:

You are quite right, I do dislike them, although mostly for the damage done during their production which outweighs the damage done by most other vehicles... Again they're passed off as being environmentally friendly when they aren't, which I see as dishonest.

At a local level they are more environmentally friendly (i.e. no pollution directly into the city/outside a school, etc), but I agree at the macro level.

[anonymous-user]

Mammasaid said:

Fastdruid said:

GroundZero said:

fake 4WD systems that are in essence FWD but occasionally get a RWD 'assist'

Having driven one that could be considered that ("up to" 50% torque to the rear) I genuinely think that's being rather unkind.

Yes if you're after the ultimate sports car performance you want more rearward bias but for normal people the "fake" AWD does genuinely give a significant advantage. My FWD only will at times just spin up while the "fake" AWD (with more power) would just grip and go.

Your 'fake' AWD runs mainly in 2WD to assist with fuel economy, only engaging the rears when required. It's not marketed as a full off-road option, just as an assist in poor conditions.

Your post bring this to mind, no-one's forcing you to buy 'fakery'.

Part time / on demand AWD works perfectly well for what it’s designed for, keep you moving when there’s an inch of snow. No one pretends they’re any good for serious off road use.

[DodgyGeezer]

Fake vents? Mustang in the 60's had them
Sequential lights? Mercury Cougar in the 60's (Mustang too?)

[DoctorX]

This always irritated me.

[GroundZero]

More to add to the list of fakery and silliness is the electronic handbrake when a manual handbrake was always sufficient, engine stop-start 'technology', rev-hang on manual gearboxes, push-button engine start along with de-pressing of clutch before push-button engine start can activate, keyless entry etc.

OK rant now fully out of my system, over to you guys

I'll go back to shouting at clouds for the rest of the day!

[C.A.R.]

GroundZero said:

The list continues...
Fake exhaust farts

I watched a really good YouTube video recently which explained why you get those little 'upshift' farts on DSG-equipped cars. Pretty interesting, if you like that sort of thing.

Where it becomes annoying is when they are exaggerated; the AMG A45 comes to mind, but there are many cars with aftermarket remaps made to exaggerate this unburnt fuel on upshift thing. Sounds crap, of course, but it's origins are not fake / without reason.

[emperorburger]

GroundZero said:

More to add to the list of fakery and silliness is the electronic handbrake when a manual handbrake was always sufficient, engine stop-start 'technology', rev-hang on manual gearboxes, push-button engine start along with de-pressing of clutch before push-button engine start can activate, keyless entry etc.

OK rant now fully out of my system, over to you guys

I'll go back to shouting at clouds for the rest of the day!

Are you sure you don't want to add pneumatic tyres and starter motors to your list?

[thewarlock]

My newest car has most of these things.

Doesn't make it any less great at what it does though.