NAME and SHAME: What Are Your Biggest ANNOYANCES With Vehicles You Drove In 2018? Design, Features, Driving Dynamics And MORE...

THere was a time when there were really two choices of Shifters - Floor Mounted or near the steering wheel (Some of those are mounted on the dash today) - BUT the important thing was for virtually all automatic transmissions - they used a similar PRNDL layout.

How hard was that to understand that required the manufacturers to come up with all sorts of new "shifters". I travel a lot for business - and even more now - and Now that I also Fly and rent a car - I cannot believe that I have to first try to figure out the new Buttons or Knobs and how they work. THat is my biggest Annoyance

Now - as a Tall large person - I also note that in order to show more rear seat legroom - many cars are limiting Front Seat Travel -and I have problems getting into some cars that I should have no problems with. Annoyance Number two.

I actually am a mechanic - I rebuild transmissions(both automatics and standards) - although that is not what I do for a living. I am capable of doing mundane Automotive chores, like changing a flat tire. UH UGH - except of course when there isn't a spare to use. For years I always had one of those small floor jacks in my trunk -which are greatly superior to the jacks you get with some cars = but NO spare means I will actually BUY a spare tire - and it will use up most of the trunk space since it was not designed in. Annoyance number 3(no spare) and 4 (no place to put one)

WAY back in 1985 - I bought a Mercury Lynx for one of my grand kids. And on this cheap entry level car - there was a diagram with LIGHTS that lit when a light bulb blew. It actually told me WHICH bulb went. Now - today - with the increased number of bulbs everywhere - where is the diagram - I would even be happy if it was buried in a sub-menu.

I am sure many people will be posting lots of arcane items to this space - but there are so many day to day things you THOUGHT they would never change - that they did -to fill up the whole page.

Amen - what used to be the 'simple stuff' is now all screwed up in the name of progress

CVTs are my annoyance. I drove several cars with CVTs and all I see is downside. All of them are slow to react, then they overreact, they produce lots and lots of thrashing, and genuinely ruin the experience. Conventional automatics are simply better.

Over-reliance on flat screens for what used to be simple controls. A few - very few have done this well, however most have overcomplicated it. As an example, whenever I get a loaner for my MB, the new layout requires a out 3 distracting steps to change the radio station, where I before I press one button.

I agree. Now imagine that you're driving and you're focused on the screen--so eyes off the road--how is this an advancement. Conventional knobs and buttons are low-tech but they are automatistic. Touch screens are the polar opposite and are usually counterintuitively designed.

I thought That would be one with me too - but it turns out that for the Media systems I have in my cars - one can use a VERBAL command - with the button to initiate that on the steering wheel - I can now just press the button and SAY the preset number - which is actually quicker than even a set of preset buttons.

...flat (sidewall cut) tire, no spare, can of green junk useless
...no dipstick to accurately check oil level
...electronic handbrakes, is it on or is it off?
...small gear indicator on a paddle shifting nine speed, what gear is this?

Also, good dials and buttons have tactile feel so more intuitive and less distraction.

Too many recalls! I'm on number 5 with my truck and daughter number 6 with her Mercedes. Some are minor but the number of problems and amount of inconvenience with many vehicles takes the joy out of ownership.

It's all about fear of litigation.

Too many models per brand, too many rushed model introductions and too few engineers to get it all right the first time.

More like "Oh sh!+ three cars had something really bad happen, so let's cover our a$$e$ and recall 300K units."

Ford Fusion, the HVAC buttons array of buttons, is an example how buttons can be made into a distracting mess for what should be an intuitive operation.

very true

New Panamera Turbo I had as a rental in LA.
I may be old fashioned but the new trend for replacing all controls with haptic drives me up the wall.
The supposed "clean" look of the dashboard looks clean only on the showroom floor and positively disgusting with all the smears and fingerprints all over in daily use, especially on a sunny day.
I will go out of my way and compromise on other things just to avoid buying a new car with that garbage.

Not sure if this counts in the subject matter. But my biggest annoyance was with the Mazda6. I was looking for a transition car and had huge hopes for the 6. I test drove the Accord Sport first and was seriously blown away. When I test drove the 6 I was outright baffled. It looked good. The interior was really nice. The car handled really well. But the overall experience was flat-out boring. The drivetrain lacked any character at all. Hitting the accelerator felt like I was driving through a pool of molasses. The brakes were absolutely horrid, took me back to my teens when I drove the most econo of hatchbacks. The overall driving experience just lacked any character. None. Zilch. I asked the salesman what happened to Zoom Zoom and he was speechless. I went in expecting a cost-effective alternative to an A4 or 3Series. What I walked away with was a very forgettable and regretted experience. I did wonder if I had tested the 6 before the Accord would I have felt differently. Maybe it just speaks to truly how well Honda executed the Accord as it turned out far superior to the 6 in almost every measure with the exceptions of cornering.

The problem with the Accord is its ugliness not its engineering.

Which version of the Mazda6 did you drive? If it was the "sport" or "touring", I understand and agree with your comments (they are 187 hp). The 2.5L turbo that comes on the higher level Mazda6 is 250hp and torque is over 300. I just picked up a 2019 CX-5 Signature with the 2.5 turbo and am totally impressed with this compact crossover. Mazda tuned the drivetrain to produce a lot of mid range acceleration (not to be a 0-60 machine) and it is quite effective and the opposite of sluggish.

It was the turbo. I remember asking the salesman if he was sure I was in the turbo. When I got out I also double checked because I was sure it wasn’t the right car.

I felt the same way after driving the Mazda6. Everything I read has me looking forward to it. The experience was flat. It felt mechanical in a good way, but forgettable.
I look forward to trying the Accord. While I do not share MD's level of disdain for the design, I see his point. It looks as though several committees had a hand.