WHY all this complexity?

[JDgreen227]

A long-time work associate and Facebook friend of mine and husband just purchased a new F-150...she posted on Facebook last night, quote: "About the infotainment system...what gets me is that each button does about 6 or so different things...I have no idea what they are for, and Ken (her husband) has been reading books on the controls all day. And Ken had to return to the dealership just to get the phones programmed so they will work on voice comment...God help me when I try to drive it...." Unquote.

These people are in their mid-60's...I share her viewpoint and would HATE, repeat HATE one of those stupid infotainment systems....my newest vehicle is a 2004 Saturn...I love the simple heater controls and even the radio controls (which I never use) are clearly laid out and easy to understand. I drove for a living for 31 years, and I can read a map and a compass and I scorn GPS and Google Maps.

Back when I purchased my new 1985 Crown Victoria, heater and A/C controls consisted of two horizontal slide levers and one vertical fan switch. They served the purpose and were dead reliable. I probably could not decipher the climate controls on a new Ford car today without serious study of the owners manual.

To me, all this complexity and the huge number of buttons, etc. in today's new vehicles is a STUPID, STUPID idea. What is so important about having GPS, a wifi hotspot, etc. in a vehicle anyway? All these features do is create distraction for the driver.

 

[oosik]

I agree with you - however, the vehicles today are being built to meet the demands of the majority of the consumers. I guess that most of the younger set don't want to be out of touch with somebody or something - I think its some kind of insecurity thing.

Hey - I just ordered a new Ford F-250. Da*ned if I want an aluminum body - the steel one will get banged up easily enough over time. Standard 350 V-8 with manual tranny, manual windows, standard radio( no hunt, seek or find, no voice command and it doesn't talk back at me either) and manual air conditioning. That's why I had to order it - everything on the lot is all souped up with this high tech crap.

Its no wonder people are all over the road - they are trying to figure out how to get stuff to work. Actually they are probably trying to first find the right knob.

 

[JDgreen227]

I agree with you - however, the vehicles today are being built to meet the demands of the majority of the consumers. I guess that most of the younger set don't want to be out of touch with somebody or something - I think its some kind of insecurity thing.

Hey - I just ordered a new Ford F-250. Da*ned if I want an aluminum body - the steel one will get banged up easily enough over time. Standard 350 V-8 with manual tranny, manual windows, standard radio( no hunt, seek or find, no voice command and it doesn't talk back at me either) and manual air conditioning. That's why I had to order it - everything on the lot is all souped up with this high tech crap.

Its no wonder people are all over the road - they are trying to figure out how to get stuff to work. Actually they are probably trying to first find the right knob.

:laughing: :laughing: My friend told me the new truck stickered at 55K....have to wonder how many of the "younger set" can afford the payments on one of those....:laughing:

 

[bcp]

I sat in a Prius the other day. There is a button on the dash that says "CAR."

What is it before the "CAR" button is pushed?

???

Bruce

 

[Monster5601]

There should have been a quick start card in the glove box, it would have walked them through the set up.

 

[square1]

There should have been a quick start card in the glove box, it would have walked them through the set up.

Sure.....but you have to attend a 15 minute online seminar to figure out how to open the glove box :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

 

[TCowner]

When I picked up my 2014 Chevrolet Silverado last April the salesperson was into the training session on the electronics about 30 minutes when I finally had to stop him. I told him to focus on the heater, windshield defroster and radio controls. Now that I am a little more familiar with the truck I should go back for more training. But electronic "gadgetry" is clearly where today's 20 and 30 something engineers are focusing their efforts. I frankly wish they would focus on other aspects of what it takes to make a better truck but when the new generation of engineers grew up with their smart phones surgically attached to their hand then electronics with be their focus.

 

[coobie]

:laughing: :laughing: My friend told me the new truck stickered at 55K....have to wonder how many of the "younger set" can afford the payments on one of those....:laughing:

They will just take out a 7 Year loan.LOL.I remember when a 36 month loan was the norm.Crazy how expensive trucks & cars have become.

 

[Utopia Texas]

My wife and I are in our 60's and drive Fords exclusively. The info. Screens are divided into four sections. If you learn each section at a time, 3 minutes each, the system become really simple. Our problem with the set up is the voice command and it's wacky interpretation of what you are saying. When ever we try to phone our neighbor and say "Call Loiusa" the return voice says " so you want to order pizza?"

 

[JDgreen227]

They will just take out a 7 Year loan.LOL.I remember when a 36 month loan was the norm.Crazy how expensive trucks & cars have become.

Back when I purchased my '73 Nova, my dream vehicle was a loaded Suburban but the sticker price of about $5400 was out of reach for me, who was earning $3.28 an hour. By the time I could afford my Y2K Yukon XL, the sticker was up to $35 grand. 15 years later they are now up to over $75 grand. Simply inane.

 

[k0ua]

My wife and I are in our 60's and drive Fords exclusively. The info. Screens are divided into four sections. If you learn each section at a time, 3 minutes each, the system become really simple. Our problem with the set up is the voice command and it's wacky interpretation of what you are saying. When ever we try to phone our neighbor and say "Call Loiusa" the return voice says " so you want to order pizza?"

The key to using voice commands with any system. is not to use words like Loiusa. That will never be understood. Use her last name or some other name. For instance, my phone had a lot of trouble with the word "home" but absolutely never misses the word "house".. Just change the word, and make it work.

 

[milligjg]

I still have my Dad's 87 Silverado he bought new. P.S., tilt, cruise, A/C, crank windows, manual locks! Love it. Window regulator went out and it was $45 instead of $300 with a motor hanging on it!

 

[Utopia Texas]

The key to using voice commands with any system. is not to use words like Loiusa. That will never be understood. Use her last name or some other name. For instance, my phone had a lot of trouble with the word "home" but absolutely never misses the word "house".. Just change the word, and make it work.

Maybe someone needs to write the book, "The 876 Words You Should Never Use For Voice Commands And The 1522 Words That Are Iffy". Ooops, Sorry, You cannot use the word, "iffy".

 

[JDgreen227]

My wife and I are in our 60's and drive Fords exclusively. The info. Screens are divided into four sections. If you learn each section at a time, 3 minutes each, the system become really simple. Our problem with the set up is the voice command and it's wacky interpretation of what you are saying. When ever we try to phone our neighbor and say "Call Loiusa" the return voice says " so you want to order pizza?"

Not trying to be the grammar police here, but I have never known anybody with the name "Loiusa"....perhaps you mean "Louisa"?
I am sure your voice command might be confused with the name you quoted.

 

[drajj5]

You are right about the complexity.........


In the early 2000's my kids were little, and very young. I was freshly divorced and being young myself I was without a bank full of money and any creditworthiness. I had to sell everything in that divorce and essentially start over from scratch. My Ex lived in another state and visitation usually involved a full day of travel to exchange the kids. I needed a cheap inexpensive vehicle that I could make repairs (on the fly). I chose the simplest SUV on the market. It was a 1978 Ford Bronco that I purchased for around 800 bucks. I had a good paying job and the judge chose to give her half of those wages as well- so paying a car payment was out of the question as well as full coverage insurance. I needed to stretch a dollar as far as it would go. 12 mpg was bliss, because if a part failed on the SUV it was so simple and cheap to fix I could carry enough tools to make repairs without worry.

Every time I picked the kids up in that vehicle my daughter would complain about the heat, saying "turn the A/C on Dad". This Bronco had no A/C, but vent windows were scattered around the vehicle to create a wind-tunnel effect. I explained to her that this vehicle didn't have A/C and she asked if 'I would go to the bank and buy some'. I would smile back at her and say that she would be "OK" and would survive the trip. The Boys never said a word about the temps inside the car- I guess the oldest, being a girl had the most to say about her life experiences. I never once mentioned to her that in the old days' "nobody had A/C".

Fast forward to today - Kids survived their adolescence, I survived being divorced and supporting the Kids all those years (It was tough to do). Now, I can own a truck VS an SUV- no more kids left in the nest. I go and look for something newer to drive. Oh boy, there sure are some pretty trucks out there. Look at the Sticker on the window and see the MPG has improved over the years from 12 to 15mpg- I was looking at a full size truck to buy unlike one of those little foreign jobs. Popped the hood and saw plastic everywhere and in my mind wondering how it didn't melt and catch fire on a hot day. The engine bay was not homeowner service friendly. Opened the door and saw lush carpet, color coordinated plastic accent pieces graced the dash and was plastered anywhere steel may be visible. The instrument cluster was cool to look at ( as it had eye candy everywhere). Everything was lit up, interactive Ford logo would appear as the key was turned and although never (waved hello) it felt as though it did to me. Yep I wasn't getting a car, I was getting a space ship.... Dealer was telling me all the cool features about the vehicle and I am still fascinated about that swirling ford logo on that little tv in the dash. I asked to drive one with a manual tranny and his reply was "Ford no longer sells those - the automatics can shift better than you can". That was a game changer.

Call me simple I guess but I left that dealer and was saddened to know that if I were to purchase new, there would no longer be any shifting with a third pedal in the floor. If it breaks down, a computer scanner must diagnose/troubleshoot and tell you what is wrong with it. Parts I am sure cost a bit more than what I currently drive. Apparently they no longer sell (vent window's) on new cars either. So as I drive too and from work with my arm placed on the sill of the door with the window rolled down, I look and see everyone in their new cars driving around me sitting in PODS with their windows up and it is a beautiful day! Times have changed I guess..... I am now the 'Old Fart' driving that Sanford and Son beat up truck that everyone unconsciously see's driving down the road.

I guess complexity just don't fit me anymore, I still look for a analog hour meters on tractors. Perhaps I am an {Analog guy in a Digital age}

Sorry about the long read

 

[Patches]

You are not alone, my friend

 

[Shift4200]

I have a 2013 F150 and its my opinion that the Ford info/nav/radio units are pretty much garbage for anything other than playing the radio.

The iOS/Android App is required for their version of "navigation" but it's been broken since launch. The word on the streets is only 1 in 10 people can log into it.... No plans on Ford's end to fix that I can find. The Voice commands are wonky, and not all that intuitive to me. Most times I spend more time getting pissed at the voice in the dash than it would have taken to just reach over and press whatever button needs to be pressed.

I'm the IT manager for my company, so i have pretty good handle on stuff like this. I think Ford just missed the mark on the fit/finish of this system's software. Compared to the system in my wife's older Nissan, this thing is a joke.

I just want to add that I love my truck.... just dislike the information system. So before any Ford lovers bash me... this is all my opinion. The radio system works, and to me that's what's important. Fortunately i don't use any of the nav/information features, so to me all this is really a non-issue.

On a side note, I do love the tow/truck info system built into the gauge cluster. Just enough stuff to play with, but not so much that it's a distraction.... and relatively easy to navigate/manipulate.

-J

 

[Oaktree]

Same here. Back in the 80s I used to shake my head at middle-aged people with 12:00 blinking on their VCR. Now that I'm in my 60s, I can understand.

 

[uglyboywith11fingers]

last year a friend and his wife came over to show off his new Dodge Ram... 4-door, all souped up inside & out, with a short box.
we went for a drive, the ladies in the back, when his wife says " honey, can you turn down the radio and turn up the heat "
he darn near put us in the ditch! Everything is done through the touch screen, and you can't operate that without looking at it.
Around here we have "distracted driver" laws, no texting, dialing, GPS programming, etc... only hands-free allowed. And then they allow these new vehicles with a complex menu system just to turn up the heater. Can't figure that out.
Maybe next the auto makers need to put ALL functions on voice control, like turn up the heat, turn down the radio, turn on left turn-signal, slow down to 40mph, etc. :laughing:

Pete

 

[jejeosborne]

To me, all this complexity and the huge number of buttons, etc. in today's new vehicles is a STUPID, STUPID idea. What is so important about having GPS, a wifi hotspot, etc. in a vehicle anyway? All these features do is create distraction for the driver.

I can speak on the importance of GPS. I would rather people listen to a gps than have them searching for street signs not paying attention to the road ahead. How many of us have slammed on the brakes when the desired intersection caught us by surprise? GPS has probably saved some lives by alerting us which lanes we should be in and a good heads up of upcoming turns. Please don't be reading a map and drive.