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[omega2018]

been thinking of reasons to get a newer car (prompted by the imminent london ULEZ tax) so started a list of improvements on the mig

variable valve timing - better economy.
6th gear - better economy and more control
adaptive cruise control - i use cruise a lot so might find this useful.[/li][/list]
step change cruise control - i liked this on a bmw i drove - tap once to drop or rise 10mph.
cruise control with braking - doubtful about this - more to go wrong but could be useful downhill next to a speed camera.
parking assist - suspect this is not aimed at men but could be wrong
rear camera - only thought of this the other day when I tried to help a garage rep park his car and he just reversed at an unerving speed and braked just in time.  he later explained he didn't need any help, he used his camera.
auto lights - suppose I could get used to that
auto rain wipers - i know some migs have them, one less thing to think about I suppose
tyre pressure monitoring - i assume they have cracked this now. i would quite like that.
double clutch system - nice for accelerating
integrated sat nav - assuming it  isn't obsolescent at time of purchase
4WD - nice if it is reliable
I think i could do without an electronic handbrake but perhaps i would learn to love it.
lane change alarm/automatic braking, proximity alarms - doubtful about these
adjustable suspension - i would like that
hybrid engine - have they cracked this fully? i suspect low performance.

have i missed anything?

[biggriffin]

Only thing for London is the oyster card, or a boris bike.

[YZ250]

.....
have i missed anything?

Missiles, so that I can nuke that bloody Asda lorry that insists on doing 35mph in a NSL zone just because he's too early for his drop off.   

[Nick W]

Don't forget to upgrade your mechanic to an electronics wizard for when the active cruise control takes over the variable valve timing by creating harmonics via the adjustable suspension.

Or just to figure out how to shift the transmission out of park when the engine won't turnover.

[YZ250]

cruise control with braking - doubtful about this - more to go wrong but could be useful downhill next to a speed camera.

It is good for the very reason you mentioned. 

rear camera - only thought of this the other day when I tried to help a garage rep park his car and he just reversed at an unerving speed and braked just in time.  he later explained he didn't need any help, he used his camera.

Very handy for close proximity manoeuvres and kerb parking. 

auto lights - suppose I could get used to that

Also pretty good, except when drivers forget that fog is not darkness so they have to manually switch them on. 

have i missed anything?

Limiter to set a maximum speed. I use it a lot to prevent me speeding in situations where cruise is not appropriate. 

Hill start assist, it works great, although some may think it's for people who can't drive. 

[TheBoy]

Having driven the same 150 mile stretch of French motorway in a 6 speed manual in both 6th and 5th (forgot), I can assure you it makes no discernible different to economy, at about 130kph. So an extra gear change for no benefit

So, particularly in a manual, its not something I'd aspire to (I wouldn't be fussed either way).


I'm not sure on a lot of this auto stuff.  I'm more intelligent than a sensor to know when it need lights, wipers etc.  As for adaptive cruise, most car handbooks that have it carry big warnings that it may not stop in time if the traffic slows, as they tend to have less braking effort available.  I think like ABS in the late 80s, it has the potential to lull lazy drivers into a false sense of security.


Having been looking for a replacement for my MFL one (hopefully the FL one has a few more miles left in it), I've been looking at more modern equivalents and the improvements that matter are just refinements, rather than new gadgets.  Autoboxes are all 6+ speed, which is a vast improvement on the loooonnnnnnggggg ratios in an Omega 4 speed unit. Diesels in particular are more powerful, more drivable and a lot more economical.  More refinement on noise reduction.

The new gadgets don't really interest me, but the useful ones like traction control are a bit more intelligent, and most modern execs come with full stability control.

The biggest "new" gadget not available on Omegas that does interest me is the ability to plug in a gayDevice for tunes, everything now has an aux in, many have specific iPod/MP3 interfaces.

[tigers_gonads]

Cars are far too easy to drive nowdays imo.
ABS this, ETC that and don't even start me on soulless power steering and frigging electronic handbrakes 

Cars 30 years ago might have been ultimately less safe but imo, modern cars literally send you too sleep they are that boring.

To alleviate that boredom, people tend to drive must faster which in turn causes accidents because people do not know how to "Drive" and are now used to driving a car which does everything for you. Due to this, when the shit hits the fan the laws of physics take over and people die 

[Kevin Wood]

Most of the listed items are gimmicks designed to make today's drivers think that controlling the car won't distract them from facebooking on their mobile phone, IMHO.

Yes, engines have got more efficient, marginally, but also have more gadgets on them to cause headaches. Not sure there's anything in that list that would sway me wither way, TBH.

But then I've always said, as long as I've got an oil light on the dashboard, I'm happy.

Which reminds me. The bulb in my oil light has blown. Must fix that.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I have become a confirmed Luddite where cars are concerned.  Nothing made in the last decade or more interests me in the slightest.
I would happily take my 190D over a brand new C class for example.
As for Vauxhall. I'm a second generation lifelong Vauxhall man, but there is nothing they make now which I would be remotely interested in owning.
My current Omega is almost certainly my last Vauxhall, and that saddens me tbh.

[Diamond Black Geezer]

I just feel the passion, no, maybe the soul is going, more and more, every year in cars... but I suppose people have been saying that for about 100 years...

[frostbite]

You dont want too many monitors in a car such as audi, you cant change a bulb without resetting it therefore the buld still dont work.

What I miss in my w202 c class is the speed limiter, this thing could pull all the way 150, but set this to say 60 and mash your foot down, you'd get full acceleration then the power would just cut  as if it had run out of fuel

I was adament it was business mans trafficlight drag race button

[TD]

Park assist on a Merc is pretty clever tbh, not sure about other makers park assist tho

The E class ive seen park using park assist, does just this....

Your driving along a line of parked cars, you pass a space you want to parallel in, you stop and put it in reverse.
It then asks if you want park assist, hit the yes button, let go of everything and it effortlessly does a parallel park, turning the steering wheel, braking and selecting different gears. When its finished, it just asks you to apply the parking brake.

The reason I think its clever, its scanning all the time looking for a space it could fit into and seems to tell the difference between parked cars and other objects. It also does the parking in one reverse and forward shuffle. 

[Andy H]

step change cruise control - i liked this on a bmw i drove - tap once to drop or rise 10mph.

You already have step change cruise control - the steps are quite small though (the manual says 2 kph steps)

I find it really useful for tweaking the speed to match the traffic when the cars around me have set theirs a mile per hour or two faster or slower than me.

[omega2018]

step change cruise control - i liked this on a bmw i drove - tap once to drop or rise 10mph.

You already have step change cruise control - the steps are quite small though (the manual says 2 kph steps)

I find it really useful for tweaking the speed to match the traffic when the cars around me have set theirs a mile per hour or two faster or slower than me.

yes i use that all the time too.  but the bmw system is in addition to that.  useful when going from a 40mph area to a 30mph  etc...

[Doctor Gollum]

Simply press the appropriate button and hold...

Where the latest BMW/Mercedes system comes into their own is where they display the set speed on a screen