Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#171

Post by FlyingSnake » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:00 PM UTC

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #141

Annoyingly, I want an electric car without "digitilization". No distracting central touch screen, no "autopilot" nonsense, proper gauges and indicators, tactile feel. A focus on the driving and safety and ergonomics, not on "we don't need an instrument cluster because iPads are cool, people like their phones and buttons are expensive and break"... A Saab 900 with an electric motor. Please make it.

I drive an VW e-up! which has none of the fancy digital gimmics you mentioned. It is a perfect distraction free city car that doesn't spy on you.

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#172

Post by zemvpferreira » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:00 PM UTC

reedciccio wrote: post #145

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #141

Annoyingly, I want an electric car without "digitilization". No distracting central touch screen, no "autopilot" nonsense, proper gauges and indicators, tactile feel. A focus on the driving and safety and ergonomics, not on "we don't need an instrument cluster because iPads are cool, people like their phones and buttons are expensive and break"... A Saab 900 with an electric motor. Please make it.

I believe Citroen makes one, but I'm not sure it can be bought... Initially they said they'd sell it in supermarkets https://electrek.co/2021/05/04/citroen-ami-small-electric-ca...

And they do! You can buy it at FNAC stores in malls.

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#173

Post by api » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:04 PM UTC

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #141

Annoyingly, I want an electric car without "digitilization". No distracting central touch screen, no "autopilot" nonsense, proper gauges and indicators, tactile feel. A focus on the driving and safety and ergonomics, not on "we don't need an instrument cluster because iPads are cool, people like their phones and buttons are expensive and break"... A Saab 900 with an electric motor. Please make it.

The Nissan Leaf has some of that but has physical buttons and such and drives much like a classical car. The 62kwh version has 200+ miles of range. Price is very competitive too.

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#174

Post by baybal2 » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:04 PM UTC

cbdumas wrote: post #169

I'm surprised by the tone of the responses here so far. As much as we might or might not like the new digital user interfaces in modern cars, the value of the safety features like automatic braking and collision avoidance is pretty much beyond contest at this point[0]. Before you buy a car without these features, consider that you are probably not as good of a driver as you think you are. [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih…

Most drivers today in the West don't realise just how much they are reliant on non-disableable electronic stability control on most FWD cars, which quietly entered cars along with ABS.

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#175

Post by yumraj » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:04 PM UTC

csours wrote: post #138

officeplant wrote: post #97

I currently drive a 2021 Nissan NV200 Compact Cargovan. It's about as basic of a vehicle you can get. I'm slowly turning it into a miniRV because I like to go camping at times. Works great as a place to sleep when I visit friends and when conventions get back into full swing and I don't want to spend $300+ on a weekend hotel room. Bonus points for the van being actually smaller than my previous 2015 VW Passat when it…

Hard to beat a Chevy Express Van when it comes to low tech. In general, look for vehicles that have a really old platform or really old 'redesign'. Eg: Look at model history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Express I'm not sure of any way to look this up across brands and models? Perhaps a good opportunity for a microsite? In general companies boast about how new their tech is, not how old. Disclosure: I…

> If you don't want OnStar or Satellite Radio, there are ways to disable it pretty easily.

How? Any pointers?

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#176

Post by Sohcahtoa82 » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:04 PM UTC

throw8932894 wrote: post #35

Lada Niva 4x4. Old school soviet, but modernized car. With airconditioning and some modern gimmicks. Very easy to fix and maintain. Good fuel economy, some versions even pass Euro 5 emission limits. I liked WW2 jeeps and their simplicity, this seems like modern equivalent.

Lada? O_o

Isn't that the brand of car I usually see shatter like glass in a crash in dashcam videos from Russia?

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#177

Post by paulgerhardt » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:05 PM UTC

To combat some of the anti-curious stances in this thread are there any new cars with too much digitization?

I would love something like a Tesla with a repl that I can program to do donuts; dynamically adjust the ride height from my Apple Watch, or just make the headlights flash in time to my music. Booting Urbit on the infotainment device is a bonus.

Basically a modern car for a hacker that still loves technology. Absolutely loved the Rally Motors concept as a kid. The Grenadier looks promising too. But I’m not aware of anything that’s computers + Hoonigan. The more digitization the better.

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#178

Post by cmrdporcupine » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:05 PM UTC

baybal2 wrote: post #174

cbdumas wrote: post #169

I'm surprised by the tone of the responses here so far. As much as we might or might not like the new digital user interfaces in modern cars, the value of the safety features like automatic braking and collision avoidance is pretty much beyond contest at this point[0]. Before you buy a car without these features, consider that you are probably not as good of a driver as you think you are. [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih…

Most drivers today in the West don't realise just how much they are reliant on non-disableable electronic stability control on most FWD cars, which quietly entered cars along with ABS.

The problem is that a lot of safety features came into the market along with a lot of really terrible cabin UI choices and wiz-bang display electronics that I do not want.

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#179

Post by Misdicorl » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:06 PM UTC

ospzfmbbzr wrote: post #126

judge2020 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's a dying breed though, complicated "driver assist" systems are becoming standard or even mandated :(. It saves lives, even if the systems are not 100% effective.

What a pile. Blind spot detection system malfunction a lot to the point of being useless. Front collision detection is just annoying. I have driven for 40 years and have never rear-ended anyone or run over a pedestrian. These 'safety' 'features' are only useful to terrible drivers. Decent drivers are just annoyed by the car fighting you. I guess they need to have some way to keep adding features so the price points n…

Given that cars are by far the most common cause of violent injury and death, I think it's kind of silly to call it an irrational fear.

You are not exceptional. You are maaaaybe in the top quintile of driver competence. Very likely not if you've been driving for forty years- your reaction times are trash compared to a twenty year old. These driver assist features would help you be a safer driver.

Re: Ask HN: Best cars without too much digitalization?

#180

Post by aunty_helen » Fri, Nov 19, 2021, 10:06 PM UTC

stefan_ wrote: post #130

alphabettsy wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does a defeat-able non-essential feature shorten a vehicle’s lifespan?

Here is a thing that happens: many countries have more or less comprehensive regular vehicle inspections. If your car is showing a warning light or reports an error on the standardized interface, that can cause you to fail the inspection. What a warning light is shown for is at the discretion of the manufacturer though. One example is Anti-lock braking (ABS), which they made mandatory in 2004. If you bought a car wit…

The point of abs isn’t to improve your braking system. It’s to stop you from panicking in an accident situation, locking up the front wheels and losing the ability to steer.

Abs actually very slightly reduces the stopping potential of your brake system. But being able to steer and control your car is a bigger benefit under these circumstances.