#CES: The GREAT Debate! Do You WISH For A More Analog Vehicle Or One With MORE Gadgets?

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And they've left the building...

Yes, please..more analog. I honestly cannot understand what sort of person would think connected cars are a good idea. We are open to being hacked in nearly every other part of our lives, why invite this into our vehicles.

I have mixed feelings. I want to drive the car myself and don't have a need for blind spot warning, lane keep assist, auto pilot, cross traffic warnings, or even cruise control.

Some tech has clearly made cars better. Automatic climate control, navigation (prefer car play and using my phone's version), Bluetooth connections for hands free calls and music streaming, smart keys, back up cameras, other parking assist devices that help you avoid close obstacles, automated service reminders, tire pressure monitoring, LED lights, automated light controls for HI/Low, on/off, focusing, etc.

Other tech can be a plus for some and not for others. I happen to enjoy driving a car with an "automated manual transmission" like DCT/DSG. I prefer this over automatics by a long shot, and I don't miss driving a standard manual with a clutch pedal except in rare nostalgic moments. But, I totally get why some want this to be completely analog and even free of the automated rev matching now present in some vehicles.

Agreed, it is a mixed bag. We probably all enjoy so,e subset of gadgets, but I bet at least 30-400% are very infrequently or never used. I do like a manual option though.

Even "analog" instrumentation is digital underneath these days. Very few people want a true electro-mechanical daily driver and safety and emissions regulations are now impossible to implement without electronics.
To me the issue is with transparency. Digital instrumentation can display everything in the car, put it in a timeline, decipher trouble codes, and yet it doesn't, it hides important telemetry to dumb-down the interface, hide cut corners and deficiencies, and protect service jobs.

Amen. Totally agree.

I was hoping the "analog diehards" understood that there's already a considerable amount of electronics under the dash anyway. Today's LCD screens now allow the driver to see almost every measurable data point while operating the vehicle. And there are options to show what the driver wants to see & hide what driver doesn't want to see - or re-organize the display to place certain vehicle info in specific locations.

...I won't even start with the need to increase the voltage (48V?) to run all the newer systems & gadgets.

If I want to be "connected" I will go to the office and take my tin foil hat off. Cars are meant for driving and "connecting with the pavement" not more wifi BS as we have enough of that already and beside more tech -more distractions while driving...

For me, it would depend on the car. If it's something like an Aviator, I want all the new-age crap on it. If it's a Shelby Mustang, I want the experience to feel analog.

My Outback has all the bells and whistles available. My 2005 Dodge 1500 ST has nothing but a radio, carpet and A/C. As old as I am, I prefer the technology. In the truck I'm always annoyed that I don't have Bluetooth (wife won't let me change the radio, and it's her truck). And the lack of power door locks is really annoying since it's such a long reach across the cab to unlock the door for someone. Impossible with the seat belt on. I also miss a backup camera, and the adaptive cruise in my Subaru has really spoiled me. Not that I don't pay attention to traffic, it just keeps my spacing and speed where I want without needing to constantly monitor that part of it.

Its kind of a 2 edged sword. Because of the size of vehicles and generally a much smaller "greenhouse" you really need a lot of these cross traffic alert, back up cameras, lane keeping assist systems. Vehicles(particularly SUV's and CUV's) are longer, wider, and even higher. It's much more difficult to see out. A lot of vehicles also take up the entire width of a parking space. If you sit up higher your vision perspective is so skewed that you do not always see when a lower vehicle is coming up along side you. Further how do you back up in a 3/4 ton pickup in close quarters without some proximity sensor. 20 years ago when vehicles were smaller and there were less SUV's on the road you did not need all this crap. Today you do.