Is This The Most Annoying Car Feature?

Issue #128

Does your infotainment system annoy you? 

Then, this is the issue for you! Today, we’re discussing one of the most criticized features in cars and how some automakers want to change them. 

Plus, Hyundai production struggles, why GM trucks are easy to steal, and much more! 

Market News

• America is getting a Nismo Armada, and comparisons with this other Nismo model are already appearing. 

• This Hyundai plant can produce 400,000 vehicles in a month. Last month, it exported only 14. Here’s why. 

• These are the ten most American cars in 2025. 

• This is the quest for a battery to end the need for gasoline engines. 

• Ram is luring more and more customers, this time with these two new, cheap heavy-duty options. 

• The NHTSA launches an investigation on Land Rover for this critical steering issue. 

• Rideshare users are losing their patience in these 10 states. 

• Trump says car trade with Japan is unfair and could take these actions. 

• A new lawsuit says that GM trucks are too easy to steal, and here’s why. 

• Washington is getting hydrogen fuel at a much cheaper rate than California. Here’s how cheap. 

Safety and Recalls

• Chrysler recalls more than a quarter of a million minivans due to this airbag issue. 

• Loose trim forces Ford to recall more than 133,000 of these vehicles. 

• GM recalls 60,000 of these trucks for a fire risk.

Car Culture

• Here are ten cars every 90s kid dreamt of and, most importantly, how much they cost now.

• This forgotten sports car could’ve ended the Corvette. The most surprising thing? It was also a GM product. 

• This is one of the most fascinating barn finds of recent times. 

• Can this iconic car feature make a comeback? Some people would love them. 

• Why is the Mustang still successful even after all these years? This article explains the reason. 

• Do you want a project car? These cheap options won’t leave you stranded.

• Do you want a car that can last more than 200,000 miles? These are five excellent options. 

• New York City faces a car meetup problem so bad that it has residents crazy. Here’s more on it. 

• Car owners are complaining about one aspect: their cupholders. Here’s what’s going on.

• Bentley doesn’t want Mercedes Benz to revive these cabriolets. 

• Road and Track brings you the best car wash soaps you can buy. Here they are.

Video Of The Week

Do you remember the Chevrolet Vega? Here’s why it became a recall nightmare for GM.

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In The Know

Is this the most annoying car feature? 

Whatever happened to just driving? It’s a dying art, and soon, we might run out of drivers, especially as the younger generation refuses to drive, as this article explains. 

Now, our cars do a lot, perhaps too much, and driving is no longer the priority. So, when companies announce that their cars are smarter, buyers aren’t necessarily thrilled. 

Mercedes-Benz is the latest company to brag about its vehicular intelligence. 

The company is touting the new CLA as the smartest car in the market. 

How smart? It can capture how you feel and take action by customizing the mood. 

That’s not all. The car also comes with AI from Google, Microsoft, and ChatGPT. What’s the point? Having a vehicle that’s also an assistant. 

You can read more about it here.

The problem is not only with hyperintelligent assistants. Choosing the music you want to listen to, or even choosing your A/C’s temperature is now more complex than it’s ever been. 

JD Power recently released its quality ratings for 2025.

Besides Lexus ranking at the top once more, everyone agreed that vehicle infotainment systems are becoming too complex, unreliable, and not user friendly. Here’s more on the quality ratings. 

As this article explains, the problem is more present in luxury cars, such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, and Bentley. If Mercedes Benz wants to add another layer of complexity by introducing our emotions into the mix, then it’s a recipe for disaster.  

Complexity is one of the problems, and so is compatibility. Automakers have also had their hands tied for some time now. For years, two systems were the most popular: Android and Apple CarPlay, but now times are changing.

Apple CarPlay was once the gold standard for infotainment operating systems. Now, several big companies, including Mercedes, are backing out of working with Apple, and here’s why. 

The three big German automakers want to join forces and create an Apple CarPlay alternative. You can read more about it here. 

Unless the three German automakers reverse course and create a much simpler infotainment screen, the problem will persist.

As this article eloquently explains, in reality, the root cause is quite simple: drivers have too much information at their disposal. That takes away from the driving experience, which is the essence of a car. 

Some automakers are even flooding drivers with ads, as this article explains, which borders on abuse.

No wonder the equation is overwhelming. In the past, a screen was for choosing music or navigation. Now, you may need to control basic functions through a touchscreen, which can be counterintuitive. 

It’s much easier to adjust an A/C vent by hand than to access a screen and navigate through the options. 

That’s why, as this article explains, people are now demanding that screens become simpler.

Does this mean that automakers are not reacting? Not quite. 

Some are actually returning to simpler infotainment systems. Hyundai said this about bringing back buttons in all of its vehicles, and for this critical reason. 

On the other hand, Mercedes Benz is creating AI-powered systems and vehicle assistants, and that’s where this will go wrong in the near future. 

If you talk to anyone who has owned a 2000s-era BMW, they will tell you that the iDrive System is one of the most annoying systems out there. The same goes for Infiniti’s InTouch system. 

These cars can turn into bricks if the system fails, and unfortunately, support for these systems is disappearing. You can read more about this here.

So, what makes us think that this won’t happen again?