[arundeepbv]

One of the things that I'm not happy with are the projector head lamps. I think they have a very sharp cut off and does not provide good visibility, it's another thing that they do not glare the opposite drivers. On the Indian road conditions where you have people, animals and what not wandering on the road it is really difficult to drive with such limited visibility. It is also very difficult on the hairpin bends where you will not be able to see the road until your car turns completely.

It might be an issue with my headlights not being aligned correctly, but even then I think the old reflector head lamps were much better in illuminating the road and also much cheaper to replace.

[anurag.somani]

The obsession with fuel-efficiency.

3-cylinder engine: better fuel-efficiency
detuned outright performance: better fuel-efficiency
lighter build quality: better fuel-efficiency

Heck, if that was the most important factor affecting our purchases, we'd all be driving Kinetic Lunas

[BeantownThinker]

Here's my list of peeves

1. Introduction of DRLs / Always On lights in places where it is bright and sunny through out the year
2. Usage of LEDs in DRLs, reflectors and in any unfocussed light assembly
3. Sub-4 meter cars with engine capacity capping
4. Lack of sun-film
5. Touchscreen ICE. Give me buttons any day
6. ATs not available in fully loaded versions

[yogeshsom29]

3 pot engines - Kitna deti hai is importnat but kaise deti hai is completely neglected. vibrations, harshness, noise all are complementary with it.

Weight reduction masked under jargons

Lifeless EPS unit of some cars

Good old Temp gauge going missing

Too many things going on touchscreen, even ACC have feather touch feature

Even historically FTD cars are now turned to behave like mass market ones

Messing up of variants & frequent chopping & churning of features

Quality & feature discrimination in locally sold & export models of the same cars

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by anurag.somani

The obsession with fuel-efficiency.

3-cylinder engine: better fuel-efficiency
detuned outright performance: better fuel-efficiency
lighter build quality: better fuel-efficiency

Heck, if that was the most important factor affecting our purchases, we'd all be driving Kinetic Lunas

The last two points remind me of Ciaz.

Ciaz with a three cylinder baleno RS engine is something I look forward to from Maruti. It has the body shaped to have excellent fuel efficiency and we all know how spacious and comfortable it is. So why not?

Remember most of us would have not owned a car if it wasn't for the 3 cylinder M800. Yes while I'm critical of the light build and all, Maruti is doing what people actually want, a large comfortable vehicle that is as fuel efficient as a hatchback.

Thought clarity here is excellent from their side.

[Hells Bells]

Same set of pet peeves as quite a few others have on this thread -

• AMT in the name of auto tranny
• Lack of full safety features AND a decent AT in the same variant
• Grotesque profiles in the name of sub 4m sedans

[Mitzoomer]

Hi All,

First of all a good thread and so many things come to my mind with regards to this. However my personal dislikes in the latest models of automobile manufacturers are as under:

1) Automatic Tail-gate in the SUVs. Frankly this is bit annoying personally to me as it takes a while to get this automatic tailgates to open and close fully. Plus once it gets malfunctioned, you incur a hefty cost (just replaced one in my X5). To make it more complicated, few companies make it auto-adjustable to your personal need and will open only until the angle you have specified. Personally, its a complication.

2) Making too much "Smart Oriented Cars". These days lots of premium cars come with programmable key-fobs for the cars. Based on the key that you use for operating the car, it will remember those settings that include various things like seat adjustments, lights adjustment, display units, etc. to name a few. I mean why so much complication and the issue is the owner pays for all these so called smart features.

3) forced 3rd row seating. This is quite common in Indian car scene. I mean to have a real meaning of 3rd row seating the car should be atleast 4,500 mm in length that will make some comfortable seating for all 3 rows. And please mind 4,500 mm is also a very conservative number. However in India, we have 3 row seating in Sub 4 meter cars.

[Nav-i-gator]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Second, but that is more an owner choice; these days take a random look at 50 cars anywhere on any road, the majority of cars will be white, grey or black. Car owners are very boring when it comes to colours these days

Jeroen

+1 to that. Though I would replace black from your quote with Silver. Almost all owners I talk about why they chose white/silver color for their new car, they say - It doesn't look old and bruised even after 5 years. And I would be like - it looks 5 year old right out the showroom

But it's more of a public trend than manufacturer trend.

[rav11stars]

I'd say anything that requires taking our attention off the road to operate is a big no-no.

I've seen that Honda did that with integrating the HVAC controls in the touchscreen and then reverted back after complaints.
Dashboard controls should be intuitive enough and within reach so that we can operate them without taking eyes off the road.

C H R O M E and the bling that comes with it
I agree it's a personal choice; so why not offer it as an accessory rather then fit it right there in the factory.

[AirbusCapt]

The overall dumbing down of cars. Auto everything, buttons for gear shifts, cars talking back asking you to shift gears, buckle up, lane departure warnings and what not. It looks like the smarter cars get, the more stupid driver's become.
The other gripe I have is SUVfication of every car on the road. A body cladding, slightly bigger wheels and taller springs and your neighbourhood cab is suddenly a Ladhak conquering off-roader.

[The Observer]

Interesting topic and my views are India specific :

1. Lack of AT variants as compared to MT variants, some AT variants dont have the features that MT top variants have

2. Lighter build, as the model or variants are face-lifted they become lighter and lighter, at least in India, with questionable build quality and crash testing still some time away, this trend is worrying.

3. Mindless craze and marketing of SUV like cars that the character and values of what a true SUV stands for people do not even know/understand.

[rovingeye]

I guess I have an India specific one. Having a driver ferry you around is a very common phenomenon these days. Now, can't the manufacturers make driver-only models where the back seat has most of the creature comforts? What's the point in throwing in a ton of tech and bells and whistles (read cooled seats) all catering to the driver who doesn't know the first thing about RPMs, gear ratios etc. Heck sometimes they can't even read!!

It'll be nice if manufacturers started making an extra trim level for driver driven cars.

[RGK]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Service & maintenance bills going up, up, up. Today's cars aren't built for repairs; they are built for replacements. I am honestly shocked when I see the service invoices of some mass-market cars on Team-BHP. Spending 10 grand on a hatchback's service is no longer a big deal. Just swipe your credit card, baby or PayTM the amount!

- Manuals disappearing from the luxury cars. I still miss the driving experience of my C220 with its 6-speed MT.

Absolutely true. When there was an oil leak in my Figo's power steering rack, the service advisor advised for a replacement. The amount quoted was 21k. I asked the technician/advisor, " Can you replace the faulty oil seal and fit it. No sir, only replacement of the rack". I asked them to wait for one day and contacted Rane Motors (OEM for Ford power steering components) and their reply was that they don't supply child spares for Ford.

I had no choice other than to say OK. I escalated to Ford management and insisted them to encourage child spare parts availability. Now, Ford says they support the availability of 700 spares.

The intelligence of the technician has gone now. Just they work in replacement mindset. Lathe work, grinding were all part of the auto industry and helped SME's to grow.

Driving a powerful car with manual transmission is always interesting. Getting adapted to the nuances of shifting gears and high eng revs make everyone enthusiastic drivers. This will be missed in AT cars.

[BlackPearl]

Everything that I wanted to say has already been mentioned on this thread. The list of cars that we currently own and drive is testimony to how much we love the modern gizmo loaded cars -

2004 Alto LX
2006 Mini Cooper
2007 Esteem
2012 Bolero LX
2014 Thar

[subraiyr]

This is a very good thread. Lots of interesting posts. For me here are my top peeves in new age cars. Wait, wait - should i call them Car, SUV, Semi Truck or Tranny !!!

Small engines - What's with downsizing the 1.6l to 1.3l engines. Polo and Scross comes to mind. I had a Fusion 1.6l engine and when Figo came out - it was such a downplay

No Bumpers - Where did they go. Its all about the front stance. Bumper is removed and the grill splashed with chrome. I remember my trusted M2 Ambi which had a nice chrome colored bumper sticking out. If i were to hit the wall in the garage the bumper may get a bit scratched and nothing beyond. Esp now with traffic in bangalore, time to bring them back

Floor gear - I hate this. Bucket seats and floor gears. What a waste of space in the car. I loved the steering mounted gear stick. There was oodles of space in the front and we could manage 4 people in the front. It can be aesthetic looking with a single bench or even with bucket seats. In addition, i will say the horn. A horn that follows the steering is so much better than the one in the center which moved away in some of the Maruti vehicles and was replaced by a button.

Butterfly wipers - Maybe its nostalgia. But i love these. I dont think very many have this now. The view on the left is so much better with a butterfly wiper

Instrument cluster/MIDI - Its a cockpit now. I need to announce the take off and landing time to passengers.

Keyless Entry - Cars have to have keys that fit into locks that can be opened. I dont own a vehicle with keyless entry. But what happens if there is no key and only a chip and the battery drains !!! Soon, you might use your mobile to open your car

True Blue SUV - Where did they go and now we have mini suv.

Blurred lines - What is the difference between the Breeza, Baleno, Scross excepting for maybe each one is either a few inches longer, taller or shorter.

Soft Suspension - Where did the stiff suspension go. Take the Creta , the Breeza - They are boats.

I can go on and on