technology packs.......who needs em??

[HULK_I6T]

Thread is about technology packs offered in many of the new cars for sale today.. are they a new standard in luxury or just gimmicks?

The fg is criticised for having a lack of tech in relation to the holdens (and other cars)

Also is the technology offered in todays cars worth upgrading your ba/bf? (And earlier models)

I saw a mates audi a6 today, it was a 2013 model. It had a small pad near the gear selector that acts as a mouse pad and writing pad where you can with your fingers draw a letter and it uses it for navigation or phone book for making a call. There were buttons and dials everywhere for other little smart tech additions.

is this sort of stuff really a new standard of luxury or just gimmicks as car makers these days cant really innovate much substantive advances.

i see a luxury drive as nice quiet ride, smooth ride, powerful motor, nice comfy seat, roomy interior, good air conditioner, power windows, cruise control and a nice sounding stereo.

these new tech packs add a bunch of gimmicks that you actually need to stop driving to use many?? Doesnt add to the luxury of the car but just nice stuff you can brag to your mates about

tech packs?? New standard in luxury or gimmicks that noone needs?

[Rodp]

For me, gimmick.

My F6 had enough gadgets to keep me happy. Only thing I felt was missing from mine was Satnav.. which was an option!

Recently picked up an Evo X. About the same amount of gadgets as my F6 had. Never even factored into my purchasing equation that it lacked gadgets that a lot of other cars have. There's a button on the steering wheel that'll voice activate most options (apparently) - will probably spend zero time working it out and probably better than having a pad near a shifter.

Wouldn't update a car just to get newer/better/more gadgets.

[csv8]

Gen Y does
eg Trax LTZ has sat nav as standard. Ecosport Titanium doesn't.

[Lardman]

Originally Posted by csv8

Gen Y does
eg Trax LTZ has sat nav as standard. Ecosport Titanium doesn't.

Adaptive lighting, park sensors etc are all there to help you. Reverse cameras are a safety feature, and so on.

If you don't want it, great, but the majority of car buyers outside of some commenters do want and like these features - more importantly, if a competing car offers them to a buyer that cares not for where it's made and decides based on product competitiveness, they won't buy a falcon because they didn't have the foresight to add these features.

Who needs em? Ford needed them to attract a changing market.

[chopstar87]

Personally luxury is comfort with everything included which was a big factor behind my decision chosing my 300c luxury over a ford product (i was looking at g6e turbo)

Below is a link to info about my 300, not all features noted, but most major features are.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11400421

[CyberWasp]

How long until we can get in the car after a long day at work, blacken the windows, tilt the seat back and tell it to drive you home while you sleep?

[Iggle Piggle]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

i see a luxury drive as nice quiet ride, smooth ride, powerful motor, nice comfy seat, roomy interior, good air conditioner, power windows, cruise control and a nice sounding stereo.

So all the stuff that were gimmicks back in the day but are now standard?

Airbags were nice-to-have rather than need-to-have a bit over a decade ago, as were things like remote (not keyless) entry.

[Parfrey]

Some of them are gimmicks, other stuff might seem like a gimmick until you get used to it and you love them! I wouldn't really buy a car for those features tho... but if you were comparing 2 very similar cars and one had heaps of small extras it could make the choice easier.
Previously I hadn't had a reverse camera, auto dim mirror and elec left mirror but I liked them all in the G6ET, great features.
Keyless start, heated seats for the missus, sat nav and a diff lock would be nice additions for my GT... my old mans Jeep has all those for similar money when new ;) I can dream I guess!

[Smoke Pursuit]

All I know is these tech packs are a scam for more $$$. Kuga titanium is a good example. The tech pack features should be included, not an option.

[NX74205]

Originally Posted by Iggle Piggle

So all the stuff that were gimmicks back in the day but are now standard?

Airbags were nice-to-have rather than need-to-have a bit over a decade ago, as were things like remote (not keyless) entry.

This.

They're not "need to haves", but they're "nice to haves". Just like things like air conditioning, cruise control, central locking, power windows, power steering, automatic transmission, radio ...

It's 2014, not 1960. I swear some people are still living in the past. Technology moves on - things like front and rear parking sensors, reverse camera, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, keyless start, rain sensing wipers, blind spot monitoring, heated and cooled massaging seats etc should be standard, not to mention things like Bluetooth connectivity and voice control.

The way I see it, the new Mercedes-Benz S-class is the best car in the world, because it shows just what engineers can achieve when given virtually free rein over the car. Hopefully all the new innovations in the W222 S-class will filter down to lower priced cars by the end of the decade.

There's no such thing as "too much" technology.

[Nikked]

Indicators
Wipers
Electric Windows
Heater/demister
Seatbelts
Foot rest
Power Mirrors
Power Steer
Electric Sunroof
Radio
Cup holders


Wow, gimmicks and technology are sooo useless...

[MrXR8]

My ba xr8 is the first car to have extras as such. I've got auto lights, pre set drivers seat, adjustable pedals etc. didn't need them before but nice to have.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sioso]

When my wife was after a new car we had to find something she liked without all the safety crap fitted as I can't stand it.
We ended up with a CX-5 GT which is still a bit of a pain with the keyless entry and start which beeps and freaks out anytime you move more than 2 feet away from the vehicle.
Also has stop/start which appears to be pretty useless in terms of reducing fuel consumption - nice gimmick for selling them though.
The top of the range CX-5 and XT Forester had stuff like blind spot monitoring, collision avoidance and all sorts of crap that you manually have to switch off everytime you get in the car.
I don't mind them fitting it for the daydreamers who don't pay attention but have a fixed switch so that when you switch it off it stays off!

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by csv8

Gen Y does
eg Trax LTZ has sat nav as standard. Ecosport Titanium doesn't. blah blah blah

Another dig at EcoSport, i reckon you have posted this 400 times or something else that LTZ Trax has that EcoSport does. Go buy an LTZ and a VF Calais and visit LS1.com.

As for tech packs it depends on what it part of it as to whether id option it.

[excopau]

I bought an GT over VF as there dash I recon will age quickly in looks, too many knobs and stuff happening in one area, and most the gimicks cost money to use or don't work very well lol

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by csv8

Gen Y does
eg Trax LTZ has sat nav as standard. Ecosport Titanium doesn't.

Trax LTZ is also around $4,000 dearer drive away than Ecosport Titanium manual .....

At the moment, if you option 6-speed auto EcoSport Titanium, it is still $2,000 less drive away
but the Garmin heads up display navigation is a $180 option....I don't see a problem.

[RANGEREST]

Originally Posted by BLOWN.GTP

When my wife was after a new car we had to find something she liked without all the safety crap fitted as I can't stand it.

Funny way of looking at it! I'm guessing you don't like your wife

[MrXR8]

lol

[Wretched]

It's only a gimmick if it isn't available on your car

[2011G6E]

People who accept the reality of modern day driving.

Look...facing reality, you can't drive like you used to anymore...no one cares about 0-100 times, quarter miles times, and stuff you just can't do on the heavily policed roads these days, so they might as well make them fun in other ways as well as being a competent and comfortable drive. Cars have to be more than a car, not only with safety features but with technology. If a local maker doesn't keep up with the Joneses, then they'll get left behind. Scratch that...it's already happened. They didn't learn.

People are paying a lot for new cars, and demand better features. The old cliche of "offer people a cheap basic car without anything and they'll buy it in droves" is bullcrap...no one would buy it, at least not without ticking at least a dozen boxes on the option list to make it a more pleasant place to be on the daily commute.

In fact, there's a lot of money in making old cars "up to spec", by fitting modern amenities in old vehicles...touch screens, climate control air, digital gauges, etc.


It's the 21st century...these are the sort of cars we expected to have nowadays, not basic cars with no modern features that are easily integrated and make the driving experience better.

[russellw]

I suspect we are all (or should be) thankful for the advances made in vehicle dynamic safety over the last 3 decades but technology is a different question altogether.

I used to think that reversing sensors were for those who couldn't drive but modern vehicles are making it harder to actually assess where the vehicle corners are and I'm thankful for the reversing camera in the XR6 so I'd give that a tick - I suspect given the way the front of the Territory falls away front sensors would be a good thing too.

I loved the heated seats in the SRT8 on every < 0 degree morning that country Vic can throw at you and that's plenty but I'm not horrified that the Ford doesn't have them.

SatNav is also a great tool but I'm not fussed if it's built in given my current Tom Tom is in it's fourth car now.

I like the convenience of blue-tooth integration but it's pretty well standard in most things now anyway and I've got iPod integration that I've never used and am never likely to.

I don't like the self parking systems - call me old fashioned but this is a really basic skill that everyone should possess before being allowed on the roads and I'm not inclined to trust computers with that task.

The SRT8 had rain sensing wipers which were really handy in light rain / drizzle conditions but hardly an essential outside that.

Likewise with adaptive lighting - it raises the question about how many of the basic functions associated with operating a motor vehicle we really want to abdicate to the electronic brains.

Adaptive cruise, blind spot avoidance, lane change warnings, driver fatigue systems I can see as safety feature so I'm not against them but I don't see their absence as being a deal breaker for me given that they are all (except adaptive cruise) taking over functions a driver should be capable of performing anyway.

It's an inevitable march and all of these things will gradually filter their way down into cooking models of average vehicles whether we need them or not. My only real concern with those that take-over driver functions is the risk that we expect them to do our job for us rather than paying due care and attention to the task of operating a vehicle safely.

Cheers
Russ

There will continue to be many more of these

[Davehoos]

Tech packs--solid no. safety lighting maybe.
For me airbags are solid no but they reduce insurance cost..

family buyers--demand some stuff--jones factor.

I have at least 1 call out per month to induct operators on modern vehicles .Ive serviced cars that the radio has never been turned on or the clock set. some cars have cloth taped over displays to reduce distractions.

Use car buyers--just one more problem to be avoided.

I was looking at a police car yesterday. I wouldn't think they could be legal with all that crap surrounding the front seats.

[Davehoos]

My 4 year old loves the keyless entry, I would like a key in the tailgate.

[2011G6E]

"Gadgets" are actually "safety items".

Bluetooth hands free integration means people aren't using their mobile phones in dangerous ways.
Better large screen sound systems with more features mean it allows other functions like reversing cameras and the like all fitted in one unit, rather than having a stereo, and a GPS hanging off your windcreen and a possible added screen in an aftermarket rear view mirror or maybe even another screen for that somewhere.
Reversing beepers (and sometimes, front beepers which are great on most new cars where you have literally only a vague idea where the nose actually is) help prevent accidents while parking.
Airbags...no real problem with them, apart from the way some people think a car is worthless if it doesn't have fifty of them fitted.
ABS and stability control help you when things get beyond human reflexes and capabilities.

They're not "gadgets and gimmicks"...they're basically safety and driver assists.

[HULK_I6T]

When a new model comes out id rather see advances in the gearbox, motor, nicer looking car, nice wheels, better performing brakes..

But these days new cars don't go or stop or ride any better than last years model, but instead have a few gimmicks in the touch screen control panel, few extra knobs etc.

A guy I know is a dealer principal and says his customers come and trade cars in with 80000km that still drive like new for a newer model which drives no better but has a few cool gimmicks.. (And dump loads of cash)

It's a keep up with the jones sort of thing, when your mate brags about his gimmicks then some people have to match them or go one ahead.

[CyberWasp]

It is not hi -tech but can we remove the beepers for when you leave your keys in the ignition.
No one is ever going to lock the car any more with the keys in the ignition as we are used to using the remotes to do it.
It is damn annoying when you just want to sit in the drivers seat with the door open while you are waiting for someone for example.

[2011G6E]

There's also the point that manufacturers possibly have plateaued with steering, suspension, and braking. They could pour a lot more development money into those parts of a car, but for one: how many buyers would even notice, and two: is the return worth the investment?

Better to make a few small tweaks here and there with mechanicals, and put effort into making the interior a nicer place to be.

[The Yeti]

I love old cars and consider new cars as just transport.


BUT, the new car I just got my wife HAD to have Bluetooth audio, reverse camera,& sensors, adaptive cruise control, auto lights & rain sensing wipers, 5* ANCAP safety rating etc

Yes it's just transport, but my family rides in that car and I want them safe and comfortable,

[poppa smurf]

after the basics are dealt with and luxury cruising is a given (most modern vehicles now are capable of basic luxury cruising) then the technology is simply a bonus.

gimme more I say.........many more things to fiddle with on the way up north on the long straight stretches.

[HULK_I6T]

I think we are confusing technology packs with safety..

Safety is always welcomed

Technology packs are just gimmicks..