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When I hear this I’m reminded of surveys asking people how the government should spend its money. A majority will say cut spending, but wouldn’t agree on what t
by nindalf 3y ago
When I hear this I’m reminded of surveys asking people how the government should spend its money. A majority will say cut spending, but wouldn’t agree on what to cut spending on.
“I’m ok with spending on defence, social security and education” while another wants spending only on unemployment, health care and policing. That’s the paradox where a supermajority supports cutting spending and “streamlining” government but there isn’t majority support for cutting any one thing.
So it is with cars. You want a “tablet mount and good AC. Maybe power windows and nice speakers”. Some other consumer will say “I can’t get around without GPS so a good maps app on a large screen is non negotiable but get rid of everything else.” And so on. To make a car that appeals to everyone, you have to put most features in. Kinda like an American Congress Omnibus Bill.
- technotarek 3y agoI hear your point, but the given example? GPS? Does anyone prefer an auto manufacturers software GUI over the GUI of their phone? CarPlay and the Android equivalent for the win.
- jcpst 3y agoThe kind of places I like to vacation commonly have no cell service. The built in GPS works pretty good without cell service. Google/Apple maps fail in this scenario.
- twothamendment 3y agoI don't buy that. I live and recreate in an area where cell service is bad to non-existent. I navigate with Google maps all the time. The key is downloading offline maps. I've got multiple states on my phone and they take up surprisingly little space. I still like my nav in the vehicle because of the larger screen, but I never use it to navigate.
- gizmo686 3y agoYou need to plan ahead and know about it, but Google maps lets you download regions of map data so it can work offline.
- freetime2 3y agoI prefer built-in GPS, reason being: * Location on the map and distance to turns is represented far more accurately * Knows which way I am pointed and can give accurate directions as soon as I start navigation, while sometimes with my phone I need to move a bit for it to know which way I’m oriented * Works in tunnels * Tends to stick to main roads while Apple and Google maps are far too aggressive sending me down side roads or crossing over 2 lanes of traffic. * Don’t need to pause navigation or mess around with my phone when getting in and out of the car for breaks * Has detailed information about the services/stores/restaurants available at each rest stop along the highway, and distances to each stop * Detailed information about lane closures, temporary speed limit reductions due to weather, chain restrictions, etc * Displays accurate representations of street signs and 3d renderings of off ramps * Displays landmarks at intersections (e.g. turn right before the ramen shop on the right) * Shows guidance about which lane to be for two or three upcoming intersections at a time (as opposed to just the next intersection). * Much more customizable interface. I can choose whether I want it to display gas stations, convenience stores, parking, etc. on the map. How many prompts before a turn. I can enable or disable various features like split-screen turn guidance, etc. And this is Toyota. Not the prettiest UI in the world but extremely functional. Google Maps is better when searching for businesses and other points of interest, but when it comes to actual navigation I much prefer my car's built-in GPS.
- nonethewiser 3y agoAbout half of these have nothing to do with being built-in. They are just software implementation details.
- freetime2 3y agoRight. The parent asked “GPS? Does anyone prefer an auto manufacturers software GUI over the GUI of their phone?” To which I responded with the reasons above for preferring my car’s built-in navigation over CarPlay. I’m not saying that Google/Apple couldn’t build these features. Just that they haven’t.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- toast0 3y agoThe driving directions on my C-Max (with the much maligned Ford Sync 2 system) are actually really nice to use. Inputting addresses is a pain, and UI responsivity is terrible (which is part of why people don't like it; it's also not pretty, but like who cares? Does the radio need a lovely background image; flat green is fine), but put in into the show the map on the left and the next three steps on the right, and it's way better than using my phone. It's been a while since I tried it, but Android Auto in a rental was worse than just using the phone, so I've avoided it since. Also, I'm not willing to pay for maps updates every year, and XM for satellite traffic and compressed to hell music that cuts in and out all the time because I live where trees do. Upcoming turns in the dash is nice too.
- gambiting 3y agoYeah, the satnav built into my Volvo is actually really nice and I trust it more than I trust Google maps. The interface for Google maps is somewhat nicer, but android auto cannot be made full screen in my Volvo while the built in satnav can. And the built in satnav can be displayed on the driver's dash.
- brewdad 3y agoThe satnav in my Volvo is better than my phone, except maybe on forest roads BUT the interface to enter an address is a God-awful mess of about 8 lines of input done one character at a time through a wheel setup. It takes forever to input an address and if that address isn't in the system for some reason you won't know until you've wasted 2 or 3 minutes trying to input it. There used to be an app that greatly simplified this process. Of course, it cost $20/month. It isn't supported anymore because a 2017 model was built with only 3G and my car can no longer connect to a network in the US. Aside from the infotainment system, I love this car and will probably drive it until the wheels fall off. It is a Geeley product, so the wheels will fall off at some point unlike the battle tanks of old.
- gambiting 3y agoSo my 2020 XC60 has an app, fortunately it isn't anywhere near that expensive - £29 a year. And yeah I just use it to send the destination to the satnav, then it pops up on the screen literally 10 seconds later.
- mft_ 3y agoTesla’s is pretty good. My only gripe was occasional slow loading of map times (oddly slow enough to suggest they didn’t cache at all?)
- shakow 3y agoMy BMW GPS is pretty great, to be honest. The step-by-step guiding is top-notch and well integrated in the dash infos, the physical knobs & buttons make it easy to use while driving, it can reroute me according to live traffic infos, and it meshes nicely with the rest of the UI. I don't really see a reason to use CarPlay/Apple Maps in this case.
- arethuza 3y agoYes - I much prefer the nav on my car to using my iPhone even though I do have CarPlay.
- ako 3y agoI have a Skoda, so mostly VW software, and I only use Apple Maps for navigation. Like it better than the built in software.
- friendzis 3y agoCounterpoint: Dacia Sandero is one of the best selling models in Europe
- enigma20 3y agoBecause it is so great, or because this is the last decent car which is 10k euro, and people cannot afford for example VW Polo?
- friendzis 3y agoBecause of killer bang for buck. Dacias are essentially cheapened versions of Renault models. The cars are reliable enough for first two owners not to be bothered, so resale value does not drop too much. Of course the absolute price point is also relevant.
- carlmr 3y ago>The cars are reliable enough for first two owners not to be bothered They're really among the more reliable cars according to ADAC (German AAA): https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/unfall-schaden-panne/adac-pannenstatistik/ https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/unfall-schaden-panne/a...
- enigma20 3y agoSure, but again. People are buying it because Dacias are the cheapest, and there is nothing cheaper besides some Chinese brands, which have questionable quality, and are not available on very market. My dad has Sandero. He bought it because he cannot afford any other new vehicle. If he could, he would have bought Kia X-ceed, or Toyota Yaris X-Cross or something similar.
- ChuckNorris89 3y agoBoth reasons? If the Dacia Sandero was shit, people would just spend their 10k on a better second hand car instead.
- 3y ago
- A4ET8a8uTh0 3y agoThe way around it is to allow cars to be built the way we build PCs. For electric cars, that kind of modularization should be possible. Naturally, this means some of the more ridiculous requirements like 'automatic breaking' and 'remote turn off switch' need to be removed though.
- tiedieconderoga 3y agoCars aren't like governments, though: the Toyota Corolla doesn't hold a monopoly on anything. Why don't we have more specialized vehicles catering to small, passionate niches? A modern Jeep or Land Rover looks just like a modern BMW or Audi SUV. The former brands were made by offering minimal rugged off-roaders, the latter by offering luxury vehicles. Now they've been blended into the same bland category. What about beach buggies, or even the Yaris/Matrix/Fit class of light get-arounds? Gone. What about the old nimble 6'-bed Ford Rangers, Chevy S-10s, Toyota Pickups? Gone, replaced with monstrous lifted 4'-bed wannabe minivans. I understand why we can't have a meaningful choice between different types of government in the same area. But why must it be that way with consumer products?
- nindalf 3y agoMy comment was in response to a person who said “why can’t manufacturers make something that appeals to my specific tastes?” The answer is, there’s no future in serving tiny niches. Due to economies of scale it makes sense to target larger segments. Kinda like a government trying to please everyone.
- tiedieconderoga 3y agoGood point. I, and I suspect many others, would still pay $40K for a specialty base model which would only cost $30K if it sold in mass-market quantities. Large companies in oligopolic positions won't try to produce those sorts of products, because it's risky and they have no reason to innovate or seek untapped markets. It feels like it would be possible if we could incentivize competition and disincentive consolidation, though. Not just in the auto market, either.
- JohnFen 3y agoTrue. It's just a shame that our economy is unable to produce a car that I would buy.
- red-iron-pine 3y agothere was a tv show about this... "The Homer" -- https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/The_Homer https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/The_Homer
- nonethewiser 3y agoBetter speakers is an easy add on. Power windows are probably uncontroversial. I don’t think there is wide demand for built in gps. I just don’t see the problem you describe. Design a basic dumb car base that can be extended with addons. There may be regulatory and other non-necessary obstacles but the ideal seems widely agreeable.