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Sedans Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable 2010 Ford Taurus
294 messages, Last post on Dec 07, 2009 at 2:59 PM
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I know I am in a minority (but it is probably a 15-20% minority so not a lunatic fringe) but I regret the decade long tendency to add unnecessary and, in some cases, expensive doodads and gismoes to the basic car. I long for a simple, basic car that would cost about $20K. Examples of such "advances" I could live without include but are not limited to: 1) BLIS (I have a neck that rotates and rearview mirrors) 2) Superintense exotic gas headlights (the old one were just fine and much less expensive). These new lamps often are alimed improperly and blind on-coming drivers. 3) Headlights that point around the corner as you turn. Again I use my neck and eyes. The more moving parts a car has the more potential for expensive repairs. 4) Adaptive cruise control. So even less attention can be paid to the changes occuring before you? What's next? Autopilot? 5) Fog lights. These do absolutely nothing to enhance forward vision in fog or rain (check it out, it's true) and are simply a decoration that some think says "sporty", I say stupid. Turn them off except when rain or fog so others will not have to deal with all the lumens. 6) Exotic Sound Systems. Give me the basic under $500 system. A car is not a concert hall and the acoustics are very compromised by the small space. Make the Levinson and other systems optional as an upgrade. I don't care about MP3, iPod or Blackberry connections, make them optional. 7) Larger tires. Nowadays the trend is toward 19" and 20" tires and wheels. Paying more for a more punishing ride. Leave these to the true sport cars or the pimp cars. Now a set of tires costs >$800. 16 or 17" just fine for me. 8) motorized drivers' (and passengers' seats). Probably $900 and 160 pounds of unnecessary junk. If you are so lazy you can pull a lever to adjust position, you are pathetic. As an option=okay. Don't ask me to pay for it. 9) Power trunk opening or closing. Again how lazy are you? 10) Navigation systems and touch screens that print incoming phone calls. How many ways do you want to be distracted? 11) Elegant, soft touch interiors with pretty buttons. It's a fricking car not a living room. I drive it from place to place I don't live in it. I'll put the money into my house. 12) Shifting paddles on Steering wheel. In most cars this is a form of delusion that you are a good driver and the car is a sportscar that would benefit from a few milliseconds faster shifts. Just more to break. And, lest I be thought a complete curmudgeon, let me suggest a feature I would like to see. A rain sensor that closes all ports if no one is in the car (windows, moonroof). I can turn on the wipers if I need them but I can't close up the car if a sudden storm comes around when I am on the back nine. You will not be surpirsed to find that I am from New England and I am thrifty. Not the norm but not alone either (I hope). |
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Replying to: pod (Oct 27, 2009 12:45 pm) |
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steve: " I don't like the games."...I see your point, I was just in a razzing mood... pod: I see your point, but I think there comes a point where it becomes cheaper to manufacture if options become standard...back in the 60s and 70s, there was a time when power steering, power brakes and air conditioning were optional, but as time progressed, they became standard items because a vast majority of buyers wanted them...plus, as Honda and Toyota were growing in the 80s and 90s, it was them who made just a few packages (example: Accord DX, LX, EX) where ease of manufacture was the norm for them...DX was relatively stripped, LX was moderately equipped for most, and EX had all the bells and whistles... I think at one time someone figured it out that GM could make something like 1.5 million variations of a given model (or maybe all models combined) by adding or subtracting an option here or there... Out of your entire list, I agree with most except Xenon headlights (wish I had them, properly adjusted, of course), motorized seats (set 'em once and forget 'em, but gives short folks like me the ability to alter any angle, "average" settings simply do not fit me)...and, one item you omitted...adjustable pedals...we have them on our Crown Vic and Ram 1500, and it is nice not to have the steering wheel in our chest so we can reach the pedals...if you are of average height or taller, you would not understand, but if you are short, movable pedals (3 inches of movement) are better than round tires and wheels... 
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Replying to: pod (Oct 27, 2009 12:45 pm)   I jest But if I may, I'd like to reply to some of your points... 1.) BLIS: It isn't to replace looking over your shoulder, it's there to do what it said; alert you to a car in your blind spot. I've looked over my shoulder and not seen right away a car in the blind spot. At 70 MPH, I don't want to spend 2-3 seconds looking the opposite direction that my car is moving, and BLIS would provide an extra set of eyes. 2.) High-Intensity Headlamps: They're brighter, and when properly adjusted, provide a wider spray of light without blinding people. They are more expensive to replace, however. 3.) Adaptive Headlamps: Your neck and eyes can't shine light into a turn. Do you drive with a flashlight? As someone who turns left into a dark, hard-to-see wooded driveway everytime I drop off my girlfriend, I'd welcome the feature. I don't take that many curvy roads at night though, so maybe I'm more interested in cornering lamps than adaptive ones. I dunno... 4.) Adaptive Cruise: I agree. If traffic is such that you can't maintain a speed with normal cruise, you should be using your foot anyway. 5.) Fog Lamps: Great when used properly (I've used them in my parents '08 Taurus). When dark, and driving on their road (on the beach) used with parking lamps or low beams, they're great, because they shine the light from a much lower place on the front of the car, preventing glare from the cloud. 6.) Great Sound-Systems: Make 'em optional. Not everybody wants to listen to talk or AM radio; give me good sound if I'm already paying $20k+ 7.) Larger Tires: On the Taurus, it looks silly with anything smaller than 17 or 18. It's simply too large. 8.) Power Seats: My grandmother is 74, 5'1", and struggles to reach the lever between her legs to pull the seat UP the track to a more forward positon. I don't have a problem with it. 9.)Power openings: Never really seen these much on a car, but in a van, power doors and hatch are great when your hands are full, especially in the rain. 10.) Navigation: The Ford system is voice-guided, and reads your messages to you. You can even place a call with it and never have your hands leave the wheel. 11.) Nice Interior: See the second photo I posted. If you don't expect a nice interior for your $30,000 car, well, you should. I expect good tactile quality from my television remote, I sure expect it from my car. Why not? 12.) It's not to make it shift faster; its to make it driver-controlled. Great for engine braking, etc, and it doesn't even require removing your hands from the high quality steering wheel.  Not trying to pick a fight, but rather explain the other side of why people find these features handy. Personally, I drive two midsize, middle-trim-level 4-cylinder cars. My folks have an 08 Taurus SEL with Sync, Leather, Convenience Package, Sirius SatRad that I helped them find and purchase. TheGrad |
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Replying to: marsha7 (Oct 27, 2009 4:09 pm) I'm 6'5" and get it. I'd love to be able to slide them back further so that I could actually stretch my legs a bit.
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Replying to: steve665 (Oct 27, 2009 9:42 am) |
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Replying to: pod (Oct 27, 2009 12:45 pm) 160 lbs for power seats are you serious? Try like 10 lbs tops. How much do you think that little electric motor weighs? Everything else is the same as the manual seats. All the tracks still have to be there but the power seats give you more adjustment typically and the controls are lighter. Two or three little buttons weight less then three or four large levers and knobs. The whole driver seat weighs 50 or 60 lbs even with all the air bags and heating elements in them.
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Replying to: british_rover (Oct 28, 2009 7:05 am) Graduate: I disagree about the blind spot. The correct positioning of the side mirrors should show none of your car in the side mirror when your head is vertical. A tilt to the right should then show the slightest bit of the car and a tilt to the left likewise. This eliminates the blind spot and also prevents the lights of trailing vehicles from adding to the eye load when in the neutral position. It is not a shoulder turn (that's why the mirrors are there); it is a head tilt. A shoulder turn helps confirm the mirrors info but doesn't involve the mirrors and when set this way is unnecessary (I do it from instinct and habit). What does the BLIS system do in stop and go traffic? It just seems unnecessary to me and if it is integrated into a greater safety logic algorithm it may be a disaster if (in a few years) there is a wandering ground or some wire pinched outside the harness. I agree that many of the points are simply a matter of taste and subjective. I want the lightest simplest car c/w safety and economy. I do also disagree about the fog lights. Except when crawling slowly along an unlit country road (as you describe) they shed no useful light. At twenty mph you are outrunning them. I did engage in a long discussion about this here in the edmunds forums (probably under lights or accessories) more than a year ago and most agreed. Indeed some argued they are for other cars to see you better in the fog--others argued that special colored lights were optimal. Most agreed that they were simply sporty decorations under most driving conditions. In most states it is against the law to have them on unless it is raining or foggy. Thank you gentlemen for the opportunity to engage in a discussion about these points. I am a minimalist and did look at the Graduate's little red car with some longing....not enough...but still. |
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Replying to: pod (Oct 28, 2009 4:07 pm) ... We can agree to disagree about BLIS. I feel it has merit if only for two long-shot reasons: 1.) I'm 6'5", and can't adjust my mirrors perfectly in all cars. I have no problem in most, but in my '96 Accord, I reach the edge of the adjustment level just before I have them right. I still see a bit of car. 2.) Vehicles in the mirror aren't necessarily moving at your speed. I've looked in my mirrors, saw nothing, only to lookover my shoulder and prepare to merge when I see a motorcycle in my blind spot. Apparently, he was managing to stay out of view as I adjusted myself to check whether or not the lane was clear. It's only been one instance, but while it rattled me, I bet he or she on the bike needed new underwear! I agree about the foglamps in general, but they do have their place for a select few. I would want to pay for them here in Birmingham. Thanks for some great talking points here! TG |
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