By G.R. Whale
Ah, the little things in life. They can make the world go 'round or drive you right around the bend in frustration. Perhaps they're idiosyncrasies, deal-breakers, or minor annoyances that can be overlooked. After some seat time in a bunch of new models, these little things are what cause me trouble. Feel free to e-mail us with some of your personal favorites.
&ull; Gauges are usually on my list of good things. Yet too many suffer from being overly styled with chrome bezels that cause distracting reflections and fancy watch faces, buried so deep in a nacelle the blood-red needle can't be seen with sunglasses on, hidden behind a steering wheel or shift lever (only in "D," when you really need to see it), or randomly scattered like pepperoni on a large pizza. Lazy gauges that move like a needle swimming in 140-weight gear oil are as useless and popular as ever; engine valves stop clattering long before oil pressure registers, and I can sometimes hear the turbine whistle before boost shows. And temperature gauges are becoming less common, despite the fact that they can be used to monitor warmup; engine-protection software may save hardware until it's warmed up, but if my redline or power output are reduced, I want to know before I attempt a pass and want 100 percent.
&ull; If we can make automatic headlights that know it's dark or when the car drives into a tunnel, why can't we design them to switch to low-beam when appropriate? The middle of a tunnel isn't the ideal time to catch a bi-Xenon blitz in the mirrors.
&ull; Foglights are great, except maybe in a sandstorm or when they compromise approach angle. But recessing them in bodywork and bumpers is silly--you shouldn't have to climb out and scrape mud and snow from them to see in the inclement conditions for which they're ideally suited. Besides, if that recess limits beam spread to less than the low-beams, how much use will they be?
&ull; The use of too many parts annoys me on the corporate level, if not with the product. I drove five vehicles from one parent company, which all used the same trip-computer interface buttons. The icons and logic seemed straightforward and effective, yet they appeared in locations from the dash by the door to adjacent the console shifter. I didn't remove all of them for inspection, but could readily discern by orientation and clearance that there were more than one part number involved. For a part that simple, that's too many.
&ull; Rear parking sensors bring mixed emotions. Safe is good, but if you're too lazy to look first or don't have a clue where the back of your truck is, should you be towing something behind it? And sensors without a defeat switch are just stupid. Trailer backing is accompanied by incessant beeping, and I've even had them beep backing up in the mud--because of flying mud that wasn't covering any sensor.
&ull; I'm glad someone noticed that pickup beds are too high for some owners to easily get into and attempted to do something about it. Yet I remain unconvinced that a three-step process to open said step, or having to lower the handle while up there to slide in a full-width load are the best ways to go about it. Installing a power step (like a runningboard) under/in the bumper and just stepping over the tailgate would be better.
&ull; Big wheels on 4x4s. The ultimate truck wheel diameter is just slightly larger than that required for brake-caliper clearance. There isn't enough increased function--in too many cases they cost in acceleration, fuel economy, and braking--to justify any aesthetic improvement. Then again, I've got a 2100-pound sports car, so I don't need to make one out of a 5500-pound truck.
&ull; Backup and side rearview cameras will probably replace mirrors in our lifetime--they're lighter, create less aero drag, and will eventually be cheaper than a powered and heated glass element. While that may require an adjustment in driving style, my biggest issue with them is that when reversing when the car's cold, the exhaust pipes blow a lot of steam directly where the camera's looking. I can see more looking out the back window, and, like parking sensors, sometimes you just have to get out and look for yourself.
&ull; The SAE standard person is 154 pounds but even bureaucrats can tell you people are getting bigger. Logical progression says their feet are getting bigger, too, so what's with all these low-lying fuse boxes and floormats that can't contain a pair of medium-size shoes, never mind a trucker's boots? Making you pay extra for those annoys me.
&ull; Redundant controls on the steering wheel aren't a bad idea, but why put radio volume behind the right spoke of the wheel? I can reach around with my fingers or I can extend my fingers the other direction and adjust the radio directly, but in either case my right hand isn't free to shift or run the majority of the other controls, which on virtually every car and truck are designed for the right hand to work.
&ull; My final complaint is with fixed-lens HID headlamps, like those on a recently driven pricey new pickup. Although the truck's suspension-leveling system adjusted for a load, there was plenty of suspension travel being used, which had the headlamps frequently aimed skyward (and they were properly adjusted). That irritated oncoming traffic (and me) so much that I was "flashed" more in two hours than in the entire previous year's night drives. Many vehicles have HID headlights, some mounted high, but this was the only one of hundreds tested with headlights mounted higher than a Viper's that didn't have headlamp-leveling units to accommodate acceleration.
These manufacturers should've known better.