It turns out that more technology in cars isn’t necessarily something customers want, and it’s not really improving their driving experience. We know my thoughts on the matter, but I’ll do my best to stay impartial on this latest survey from JD Power that shows most customers don’t appreciate technology in cars unless they can see a clear benefit to them.
JD Power’s 2024 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study evaluated over 81,000 drivers’ experience with “advanced vehicle technologies” in 2024 model year vehicles after 90 days of ownership, It turned out to be a pretty mixed bag when it came to what people liked using. There are a number of tech features that customers like using because they feels that it answers their needs, but at the same time there is a whole lot that don’t get used very often or are continually annoying, according to the survey.
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All I want is a regular car with an electric engine. Why is that so hard?
Closest I’ve seen to that is BMW’s offerings. It just felt like a BMW inside, which still means a crazy amount of tech of course, but it was very similar to BMW gasoline cars.
It’s literally the reason we went with Polestar 2. It has a big screen, but all buttons on the steeringwheel are actual buttons. Same with audio controls, seat memory and mirror adjustments. And door handles! Screw pop-out handles in a country with proper winters! I’ve seen people piss on their Model 3 to get into it after freezing rain.
Only the AC is done on the screen, which is fine as it’s “set and forget” for the most part.
It was the only EV at the time that still felt like a car.