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Ideally, one that isn't irreversably entangled in the CAN bus! So it can easily be upgraded to something that isn't as awful as nearly all auto mfg infotainment

Ideally, one that isn't irreversably entangled in the CAN bus! So it can easily be upgraded to something that isn't as awful as nearly all auto mfg infotainment attempts, or isn't obsolete when the mfg doesn't bother with software updates to maintain compatibility with carplay updates, or high quality audio for audiophiles, or aftermarket infotainment with tactile knobs and buttons for us old farts who like to keep our eyes on the road while we're driving.

neuralRiot 6y ago
And letting customers buy lower-tier packages and install upgrades themselves? Or avoiding your car looking old after 3 years? Why? That’s the inly purpose. The only “innovation point” left for auto makers is features so they scramble year after year to show the latest trick sacrificing quality to balance the costs.
- FDSGSG 6y ago
  >The only “innovation point” left for auto makers is features so they scramble year after year to show the latest trick sacrificing quality to balance the costs. Of course the latest gimmicks are a big part of why you'd buy a S-class, but it's not like the basics like seats and suspension haven't seen significant improvements generation after generation. A great example would be the rear wheel steering they just introduced, not at all a gimmick.
- pandaman 6y ago
  I don't think sane people are shopping for a new car every 3 years because their "infotainment" looks old. Such features IMHO are for the comparison shoppers who will compare competing cars side by side and can be pushed either way by tiniest gimmicks.
  - sokoloff 6y ago
    There’s a valuable segment of car buyers who do change cars every 2, 3, or 4 years to always have the newest features. They often lease and are influenced in their overall decisions by the fact that cars do change. “I can’t have the old-looking tail lights and grill!” Manufacturers almost surely tailor some of their product plans with this in mind.
    - pandaman 6y ago
      Sure, people who lease will get a new car every time the lease term is up, but I am skeptical they do it for the new gadgets. It looks like that not having to care about maintenance and wear&tear as well as financial incentives are the major reasons to lease. Besides, the cars being leased are mostly expensive ones, with OTA software updates, why manufacturers would do that if their plan was to make you buy a new car for the new features?
  - gambiting 6y ago
    Well, one of the(but definitely not the main) reasons why I replaced my perfectly functional 2016 Mercedes Benz was that my model missed the ability to have Android Auto/CarPlay by literally 2 weeks of production. It was impossible to add later without an extremely expensive head unit replacement.
    - pandaman 6y ago
      Replacing the head unit was more expensive than the money you lost on trading-in/selling the car?
      - gambiting 6y ago
        Absolutely. Any money put into modifications like these is essentially lost, you won't get even a fraction of it back when it comes to time to sell the car. The modified head unit plus labour to fit it was worth about 9 months of payments on that car, so doing it would have been nuts.
        pandaman 6y ago
        So your German car depreciated less than 9 month of payments (supposedly on a 60 month loan with little down?) after being used? That's not my experience with German autos, was it some A-B Klasse that they don't sell in the US?
        gambiting 6y ago
        GLA45 AMG, 4 year PCP, £400/month. I have actually beaten the depreciation by about £4000 at the end of the contract, sold the car and was left with a massive chunk of money to put towards the next car. Buying the head unit would have effectively wiped all of that money out because its value on sale would have been exactly zero(in fact it would have been negative, as the car would have been now modified which has to be reported to insurers increasing your premium and putting off potential buyers). It was absolutely not worth doing, in any conceivable scenario, not at the price Mercedes wanted for it. But once again, like I said in my first post - this wasn't anywhere near the main reason for changing the car, but I would lie if I said I wasn't looking forward to finally having access to Android Auto.

neuralRiot 6y ago

And letting customers buy lower-tier packages and install upgrades themselves? Or avoiding your car looking old after 3 years? Why? That’s the inly purpose. The only “innovation point” left for auto makers is features so they scramble year after year to show the latest trick sacrificing quality to balance the costs.

FDSGSG 6y ago
>The only “innovation point” left for auto makers is features so they scramble year after year to show the latest trick sacrificing quality to balance the costs. Of course the latest gimmicks are a big part of why you'd buy a S-class, but it's not like the basics like seats and suspension haven't seen significant improvements generation after generation. A great example would be the rear wheel steering they just introduced, not at all a gimmick.
pandaman 6y ago
I don't think sane people are shopping for a new car every 3 years because their "infotainment" looks old. Such features IMHO are for the comparison shoppers who will compare competing cars side by side and can be pushed either way by tiniest gimmicks.
- sokoloff 6y ago
  There’s a valuable segment of car buyers who do change cars every 2, 3, or 4 years to always have the newest features. They often lease and are influenced in their overall decisions by the fact that cars do change. “I can’t have the old-looking tail lights and grill!” Manufacturers almost surely tailor some of their product plans with this in mind.
  - pandaman 6y ago
    Sure, people who lease will get a new car every time the lease term is up, but I am skeptical they do it for the new gadgets. It looks like that not having to care about maintenance and wear&tear as well as financial incentives are the major reasons to lease. Besides, the cars being leased are mostly expensive ones, with OTA software updates, why manufacturers would do that if their plan was to make you buy a new car for the new features?
- gambiting 6y ago
  Well, one of the(but definitely not the main) reasons why I replaced my perfectly functional 2016 Mercedes Benz was that my model missed the ability to have Android Auto/CarPlay by literally 2 weeks of production. It was impossible to add later without an extremely expensive head unit replacement.
  - pandaman 6y ago
    Replacing the head unit was more expensive than the money you lost on trading-in/selling the car?
    - gambiting 6y ago
      Absolutely. Any money put into modifications like these is essentially lost, you won't get even a fraction of it back when it comes to time to sell the car. The modified head unit plus labour to fit it was worth about 9 months of payments on that car, so doing it would have been nuts.
      - pandaman 6y ago
        So your German car depreciated less than 9 month of payments (supposedly on a 60 month loan with little down?) after being used? That's not my experience with German autos, was it some A-B Klasse that they don't sell in the US?
        gambiting 6y ago
        GLA45 AMG, 4 year PCP, £400/month. I have actually beaten the depreciation by about £4000 at the end of the contract, sold the car and was left with a massive chunk of money to put towards the next car. Buying the head unit would have effectively wiped all of that money out because its value on sale would have been exactly zero(in fact it would have been negative, as the car would have been now modified which has to be reported to insurers increasing your premium and putting off potential buyers). It was absolutely not worth doing, in any conceivable scenario, not at the price Mercedes wanted for it. But once again, like I said in my first post - this wasn't anywhere near the main reason for changing the car, but I would lie if I said I wasn't looking forward to finally having access to Android Auto.