seems my wife bought a computer with 4 wheels

[blume357]

This is not a new car and so no telling what the new ones do....

few weeks ago my wife bought a 2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid....

this is the derndest thing to drive I've ever dealt with... not complaining, so far, just saying..... the car actually coaches you on how to drive better and more efficient.... and last night coming home from a wedding.... it got really strange.. I was not tired and had had no alcohol and all of a sudden a notice shows up on the display that I need to stop ... get some coffee and rest..... Not making this up....

One of the cool things is an application on the center display that shows the car and which way the electricity and gas are going.... most of the time you are not using any gas and also if you are headed down hill or slowing down the electricity is going back toward the battery.

 

[jimd441]

Interesting, I have seen the gas and electricity displays on other hybrids, but not the messages. I had to chuckle; "stop, get some coffee and rest". I wonder if Ford has received many complaints from the anti-coffee faction...

Jim

 

[ned]

My fusion hybrid is a 2015..not as advanced but a darn good car. I am a big gas engine guy but this was forced on me as a company car….when I left the company in 2018 I bought it….now at 112,000 miles I remain amazed at how good it is. Very very low maintenance cost and zero problems

 

[kentucky yeti]

Our 2015 Explorer has that message, with a pic of a cup of coffee. I assume the car has parking assist (the front camera)? The camera watches, and if you begin to weave, even lightly and a minute apart, too close to the center or outer road lines- it assumes that you are getting tired and warns you.

 

[Johnnu2]

I've been looking to get a new car for the past two years.... Can't find anything that will just leave me alone and let me drive. They all seem to be 'beeping' or flashing little leds or sending messages on screens that are bigger than the TV in my workshop. For those of us who have grown up compensating for ADD and OCD etc etc... these safety things will certainly distract enough to get us killed..... Can't wait for head up displays (HUD's) to really make concentrating on the road more difficult. It's tough being OLD..!!!
IMHO,
J

 

[Jeepnik]

This is not a new car and so no telling what the new ones do....

few weeks ago my wife bought a 2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid....

this is the derndest thing to drive I've ever dealt with... not complaining, so far, just saying..... the car actually coaches you on how to drive better and more efficient.... and last night coming home from a wedding.... it got really strange.. I was not tired and had had no alcohol and all of a sudden a notice shows up on the display that I need to stop ... get some coffee and rest..... Not making this up....

One of the cool things is an application on the center display that shows the car and which way the electricity and gas are going.... most of the time you are not using any gas and also if you are headed down hill or slowing down the electricity is going back toward the battery.

Just wait until the government puts an auto shutdown feature into all vehicles. The new ones have gps. And, the manufacturers know all about where and when you travel.

Since they know your speed and the limit on most roads, it woobe long before you get an email ticket every time to exceed the limit.

 

[blume357]

Oh and another interesting and actually cool thing it took me a moment to get used to. We were way out in the country for the first half of our trip home at night and I had the bright lights on... pulled up to a stop sign at an intersection and the lights dimmed..." what the heck was that about, is that an electrical problem or just saving the battery?" then when we crossed and headed back on the road the lights went back to bright.... so now I'm tooling along and we meet a car coming at us from around a curve... before I can dim the lights they dim themselves and then go back to high beam right as the on coming car goes by.....

the veering out of your lane warning must be turned off... it has not occurred yet... and I've had that annoying thing in rental cars...and actually my GPS with dash camera in my work van has it and I had to turn it off.... seems I tend to veer off the left or right often...

 

[Igor]

This is not a new car and so no telling what the new ones do....

few weeks ago my wife bought a 2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid....

this is the derndest thing to drive I've ever dealt with... not complaining, so far, just saying..... the car actually coaches you on how to drive better and more efficient.... and last night coming home from a wedding.... it got really strange.. I was not tired and had had no alcohol and all of a sudden a notice shows up on the display that I need to stop ... get some coffee and rest..... Not making this up....

One of the cool things is an application on the center display that shows the car and which way the electricity and gas are going.... most of the time you are not using any gas and also if you are headed down hill or slowing down the electricity is going back toward the battery.

Just wait until the government puts an auto shutdown feature into all vehicles. The new ones have gps. And, the manufacturers know all about where and when you travel.

Since they know your speed and the limit on most roads, it woobe long before you get an email ticket every time to exceed the limit.

My wife's new GMC Acadia has that auto shutdown feature.........drives me crazy, so I just push the button to turn it off. She actually likes it.
The vehicle also has the feature which gently steers you back into your own lane if it senses that you have crossed over the yellow lane marker. Very eerie............

I do like the auto-dimming feature on the headlights.

 

[JFB]

how does it think you need coffee
I've seen where fleets use a facial camera !

 

[Kevin]

My truck has the auto dimming headlights as well, it’s a very nice feature.

I had a 2013 VW Golf which had adaptive headlights. They swiveled into corners as you turned left or right. That was a fantastic feature.

 

[caryc]

This is not a new car and so no telling what the new ones do....

few weeks ago my wife bought a 2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid....

this is the derndest thing to drive I've ever dealt with... not complaining, so far, just saying..... the car actually coaches you on how to drive better and more efficient.... and last night coming home from a wedding.... it got really strange.. I was not tired and had had no alcohol and all of a sudden a notice shows up on the display that I need to stop ... get some coffee and rest..... Not making this up....

One of the cool things is an application on the center display that shows the car and which way the electricity and gas are going.... most of the time you are not using any gas and also if you are headed down hill or slowing down the electricity is going back toward the battery.

Just wait until you accidentally run a red light and the car tells you to immediately drive to the police station and gives you the directions. Don't try to go in a different direction, your car will not go there ! Or maybe the advanced ones will have the car print you out a traffic ticket. Don't try to throw it away. Your car has automatically sent it to the DMV.

 

[Dan in MI]

My wife's new GMC Acadia has that auto shutdown feature.........drives me crazy, so I just push the button to turn it off. She actually likes it.

That is different than what was implied above. You have STOP/START. It is a fuel economy feature. The car shuts off when you stop to prevent excessive idling. (wasted fuel) It starts up again as soon as you remove your foot off the brake.

This is what we fear coming

Just wait until the government puts an auto shutdown feature into all vehicles. The new ones have gps. And, the manufacturers know all about where and when you travel.

Since they know your speed and the limit on most roads, it won't be long before you get an email ticket every time to exceed the limit.

It's kind of there. GM's OnStar has a remote shut off they can activate if you call and say your car was stolen. They just need to automate it for when the .gov decides they want you.

 

[Rick Courtright]

This is not a new car and so no telling what the new ones do....

Hi,

Friends bought two Subaru Outbacks last year. This was the first for Mom and Dad, second for daughter and son in law. They were telling me they had a class to go to at the Subaru dealer's shop on how to drive your new car!

I know for decades pilots had to be checked out in various aircraft so they could fly them safely. Is it getting like that with cars now? For example: a buddy and I are are on a "longish" road trip and decide to switch drivers. He drives a Ford p/u and I drive a Toyota. Is something behind the dash gonna rat us out if we're not "checked out" in each other's vehicles?

It doesn't sound impossible any more! :evil:

Rick C

 

[Kevin]

It's kind of there. GM's OnStar has a remote shut off they can activate if you call and say your car was stolen. They just need to automate it for when the .gov decides they want you.

Perhaps not even the government, what if some hackers get into the system and shuts everone's car off, unless we pay them 100 million dollars. That could be more realistic, given the gasoline pipeline shutdown last spring, where the hackers were paid off.

 

[blume357]

Did I imagine it or was not that done by someone a year or two ago? Or maybe it was just some movie.... but I thought someone figure out how to jam the computer in cars a while back.

 

[Mobuck]

I have no interest in ANY vehicle less than 10 years old. Simply too many widgets that can/will go wrong.

 

[Dan in MI]

I have no interest in ANY vehicle less than 10 years old. Simply too many widgets that can/will go wrong.

Honestly, I think you need to up that to roughly twenty.

I said this years ago and it is just getting more firmly ingrained in my thought process. Approximately 2000 is when the computers took over from helping to controlling your driving. I spent 30 years in auto engineering at one of the Big 3. I know a lot of what they can, and can't do, but even with the knowledge I have (and my career was in the computing/controlling side) I know there were secretive groups that did more in the dark than we were allowed to know or play with.

 

[RSIno1]

.gov has been pushing for OBD3 for years. The ACLU is it's biggest foe. It has 2 way communication ability and if you speed it will send the RO a ticket. If the emissions are off it will send you a letter to get it fixed. Ignore the letter and it can send a signal to shut your car off until it's fixed.

 

[Jeepnik]

My wife's new GMC Acadia has that auto shutdown feature.........drives me crazy, so I just push the button to turn it off. She actually likes it.

That is different than what was implied above. You have STOP/START. It is a fuel economy feature. The car shuts off when you stop to prevent excessive idling. (wasted fuel) It starts up again as soon as you remove your foot off the brake.

This is what we fear coming

Just wait until the government puts an auto shutdown feature into all vehicles. The new ones have gps. And, the manufacturers know all about where and when you travel.

Since they know your speed and the limit on most roads, it won't be long before you get an email ticket every time to exceed the limit.

It's kind of there. GM's OnStar has a remote shut off they can activate if you call and say your car was stolen. They just need to automate it for when the .gov decides they want you.

I can remotely start or shut off my truck via an app. So technically the government can already do that. I'm waiting for a chase and the car suddenly stops as the cops activate a remote shutdown with the aid of the manufacturer. Or they just get an app connected to a database where they punch in the plate and kill it remotely. Though personally after about ten minutes of running the cops should be able to employ a TOW.

 

[blume357]

The freaky thing I'm now used to is when you start this car all that happens is the instrument panel/display comes on... other than the very slight noise from the AC fan there is no sound at all......

The interesting thing in this hybrid is the battery is not that big/powerful and has a very limited range before the gas engine will cut in and start to charge it... the real energy saving part is the combination of the battery being charged by breaking as well as when ever you are headed down hill. But so far with a combination of city and highway driving it is getting just over 40 miles to the gallon. It actually gets better millage with city driving than out on the open road according to the specs.

 

[BearBio]

Not a Fusion but I recently retired and wanted a car/truck that wouldn't need work and be dependable for the future. I sold a buddy my 2005 Frontier Crew Cab 4WD. The next day, the tranny started slipping REALLY bad, so I dropped the price because he still wanted it and, even if he replaced the tranny, it was a good deal. I had just bought a '69 FJ40 and we traded the wife's 2005 Xterra in. We got a 2019 4Runner= basic model (SR5). Still haven't figured out the bells and whistles. We also got a 2014 RAV4 AWD (We need 4WD and/or AWD where we live).

MAN, hard to figure out with "traction control. downhill assist, locking diffs," etc. What ever happened to 4H, 4L and 2H and manual transfer cases? My FJ40 has locking hubs! You learned early on to get out and lock the hubs BEFORE going off pavement or before doing a water crossing!

 

[blume357]

We rented a Rav4 two years ago to tour the Western part of South Dakota.... dern thing was acting strange going along one of those long straight 20 mile roads until I realized the car was trying to correct my steering.... the only thing I did not like about it was it seemed noisy to me.

Oh and we parked out in a parking lot while staying at the lodge in Spearfish Canyon and there was a hail storm... according to Hertz $15,000 damage to that Rav...... you had to look hard to find the dimples.....

I much prefer All Wheel Drive to 4 wheel or two wheel ....

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Talk about "distracted driving"! If I paid attention to all the digital controls on the steering wheel of our 2021 VW Jetta "base" sedan, I would have no attention left to deal with CA's insane drivers and supersonic mazes like our "Orange Crush."

All new cars should be equipped with a big "Shut The F--k Up" button somewhere on the steering wheel....I already had one Mommy!

It's our fifth Jetta in 35 years and my first car with an automatic transmission. I trust it as much as any jammamatic, that is, not much!

 

[ProfessorWes]

Hi,

Friends bought two Subaru Outbacks last year. This was the first for Mom and Dad, second for daughter and son in law. They were telling me they had a class to go to at the Subaru dealer's shop on how to drive your new car!

Wow. Almost as ridiculous as the Internet cartoon of prospective BMW owners not being allowed to take their new car home until they watch a video titled "BMW Presents: How To Drive Like A (Censored.)" Except this isn't a cartoon . . . :roll: :lol:

I really would like to replace my increasingly-elderly 2012 Hyundai Elantra - upwards of 188,000 miles now and still ticking along - with a newer car, but I really don't want a car that forces me to argue with it, in order to drive it. If nothing else, all of these "driver assist" features are just something else to go wrong and cost ridiculous $$$$ to fix.

 

[chm270]

I've been looking to get a new car for the past two years.... Can't find anything that will just leave me alone and let me drive. They all seem to be 'beeping' or flashing little leds or sending messages on screens that are bigger than the TV in my workshop. For those of us who have grown up compensating for ADD and OCD etc etc... these safety things will certainly distract enough to get us killed..... Can't wait for head up displays (HUD's) to really make concentrating on the road more difficult. It's tough being OLD..!!!
IMHO,
J

Actually, there is an app for that named "Hudway Go" on the play store.
I got it but haven't played with it much because I ride the bike more than I drive my van.

 

[blume357]

Seems like I saw an add for some car recently that has a heads up display. I bought a device to project my GPS screen on the windshield a number of years ago but never installed it.

 

[hpman66]

Sorry

 

[buckeyeshooter]

I've been looking to get a new car for the past two years.... Can't find anything that will just leave me alone and let me drive. They all seem to be 'beeping' or flashing little leds or sending messages on screens that are bigger than the TV in my workshop. For those of us who have grown up compensating for ADD and OCD etc etc... these safety things will certainly distract enough to get us killed..... Can't wait for head up displays (HUD's) to really make concentrating on the road more difficult. It's tough being OLD..!!!
IMHO,
J

time to buy a classic. I am thinking my next car will be a 69 Pontiac.

 

[toysoldier]

I hope I never own such a nanny car.

 

[contender]

All these so called "safety features" on many new cars can be a nightmare. That lane assist or when it wants to steer for you if it thinks you are drifting or weaving etc would be a traffic hazard in my area.
We have a LOT of steep, winding curvy roads. Nobody, & I mean nobody who lives around here can drive them without occasionally going across the double yellow. And most of us do it routinely as we navigate the area. (Not when there's oncoming traffic.)
And what if you are driving along,, and NEED to make an evasive maneuver? You are trying to avoid an accident, as some stupid individual who's paying more attention to their phone than driving, and you can't because the car wants to drive for you.

I see WAY too many problems with such "advanced technology" for places like what I live.

I have a question about the auto-dimming headlights.

Will it auto dim the headlights if you are on an interstate & have oncoming traffic there? I ask because I see a lot of idiots who drive with their bright lights on the interstate highways, and they even ignore a courtesy "flipping" of my lights to let them know they are on bright.


Luckily,, my 2021 Chevy truck was built more as a utility/work truck & did NOT come with a lot of bells & whistles types of modern technology auto driving crap.