Should these 10 car trends DIE?!

There are a few things we can guarantee for the year ahead. For example, we know that there’ll be a whole load of new car releases. And we know that a whole load of them will be electric!

But it doesn’t stop there. We also know that with new cars, come all-new car trends… And some of them are absolutely awful!

With that in mind, we’ve pulled together a list of our 10 worst car trends for 2023. 10 trends that, if we could, we would get rid of forever!

For example, take the yoke steering wheel. It first appeared in the Tesla Model S Plaid, and now manufacturers such as Lexus are jumping on the bandwagon as well! But what exactly was wrong with the original steering wheel design?! As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

But it doesn’t stop there! Did you know that manufacturers are bringing in subscription services to unlock features that are already built into a car? You could spend £30,000+ on a New BMW and be expected to spend £15 a month to activate the heated seat!!

So what do you think - do you agree with our list? Or have we missed something? Let us know in the comments!

[andrewjones-productions]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the daft nonsense of burying controls for the heater/aircon etc. deep inside of the infotainment system. There is nothing wrong or old fashioned about knobs, switches and dials. The only knobs in some car manufacturers these days can only be found in their head offices.

[DAILYbeater]

Buying a subscription for heated seats is crazy 💀

[scottyrob]

Lack of physical buttons. It doesn't just take away the quality feel but it's also dangerous.

[alexk]

The weight issue is totally bananas. We should be going the other way, using better materials to make things lighter, and being more efficient in design.

[shahab_shawn_siahpoosh]

In my opinion the subscription charges are straight robbery.

But the most annoying trend in modern cars is taking away the manual controls for HVAC, sound system, seat adjustment, and other controls that we need to change constantly.

[erasmus]

Matt, you omitted the biggest problem of all! Which is the removal of physical knobs and buttons for basic functions like volume and aircon. Instead, we have to fiddle with complex touchscreens while driving. It’s utter madness and needs to be called out by influential reviewers like you.

[mattevans]

The subscription model reeks of 'You will own nothing, and you will be happy'.

[petersmith]

You forgot to mention that most modern cars don’t have spare wheels. That’s the most annoying aspect when you have a flat tyre and you would need a tow truck to tow your car to a tyre shop. How about when the flat tyre happens during the weekend, late evening, or public holidays when the tyre shops are closed? How about during long trips driving around the countryside when there’s no tyre shop available within a 50 mile radius?

[donfatale]

This video could easily have a part two!

My bugbear is the combined screen for sat-nav, music and pretty much everything else. Makes you have to operate the screen more than you should, which can have an effect on road concentration and safety. Also, on mine, I can't switch off the display if I just want to listen to the radio.

[jimsteinway]

The yoke was designed for aircraft. Aircraft operate in 3D and don’t normally make huge changes in direction. It doesn’t work in cars. Another brilliant video!

[hannesH]

The worst thing is having to do anything on a touchscreen that you previously could do with a physical button. At least anything that you could be expected to do when driving.

[Kerman_von_Braun]

Personally, i think what Lexus has done with the yoke/steering wheel is brilliant.
Not only did they reduce drivability, and safety, but they also engineered in more failure points to raise the price of the car.
This is what true innovation looks like, just like touch controls in a car.

[markano]

Seeing these trends makes me appreciate my old car even more...

[TheCrankshaftRotator]

11. Fake exhaust pipes. 12. No protection plates for doors and bumpers 13. Rear reflectors not integrated in the rear lights 14. Digital instruments 15. Touchscreens inside for everything

[paultodd]

The one that annoys me is when they changed from large door mirrors, sometimes with convex outer sections to smaller mirrors, thus creating blind spots, then introduced Blind Spot Elimination Systems (yes, VOLVO, I'm talking about you) for many hundreds of pounds, sometimes Thousands!

[logicplague]

#1 Planned Obsolescence

edit: I had a Civic with an Isotta steering wheel like that yoke. I was told it was illegal by every police officer who ever laid eyes on it, citing safety issues.

[rg]

I live in the USA and Mercedes subscription here is an absolute joke lol
It has put so many people off it, for such a premium brand it is crazy how they are doing that

[eedesign]

That popout camera will also work in finnish winter at least once before breaking since it froze and broke the mechanism.

[nicoleandmatt]

100% right, as usual. And I could add a few.
Having been responsible for strategy and customer proposition for some well-known consumer brands, I suspect that the new subscription models in particular will make customers actively hate BMW and others that do it. Nobody likes being told they can’t have something which they feel they’re entitled to - like a feature that’s right there on the car you just paid £60k for. Most other things are irritations - but that will build serious resentment and ultimately undermine brand value.

[TheFatmer]

I would make the list a top 12 and add:
Removal of physical buttons
Swiping indicators/turn signals (chavvy)