Rear Automatic Braking

[AustinBike]

If you are buying a new car, definitely ask some questions. 

Our new 2021 Nissan Rogue has a feature called "rear automatic braking", basically if you start backing up and there is something in your way, it shrieks a loud alarm and then applies the brakes. Really great if you are pulling out of a grocery store and someone is walking up with a cart and you don't see them.

But it SUCKS if you put a bike rack on the back of the car. It will basically not let you back up unless you are going about 1/10th of a mile per hour. We have a complicated driveway garage situation and it took me a ton of time to get the car out to the street because you have to back up, make an s-curve and go up a 45deg angle backwards, with alarms going off and brakes stopping you ever 2 feet. Ugh.

There is a way to turn off the braking. You go to the driver menu, scroll to settings, driver assistance, emergency braking, rear and then toggle it off. Every. Single. Time. You. Get. In. The. Car.

There does not be a way to permanently turn this off. It does not stop you if there is a rack that is up, but the minute you put it down, it activates.

If you are buying a new car, do some research, check with owners who have that EXACT model because all of these new features are basically making cars smarter and giving you less control.

Normally I let my wife have the new car for 4-5 years, then take that and let her get the next new one. Based on this, I am not sure I want her car in 2025 when it is time for a new one.

Buyer beware.

[ATXZJ]

No offense. The Renault-Mitsubishi-Nissan partnership have been producing epic fails for two decades now.

 

[Taco Man]

Maybe put the bike down and bikes on at the street?

 

I had a Fusion Hybrid that had all these safety features.  The one that annoyed me was adaptive cruise control- it would adjust your cruise speed to the car in front of you a long way off and you didnt notice until cars started passing you and you look down and your well under what the cruise was set for.

[AustinBike]

41 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

No offense. The Renault-Mitsubishi-Nissan partnership have been producing epic fails for two decades now.

 

I disagree. I have a 2017 Rogue and it has been one of the best cars I have ever owned. Beats 2 Infinitis, 2 BMWs, a Toyota, a Mercury and even 2 Nissan Maximas. Wife just traded in an equally good 2016 Rogue to get this one. Their technology package is 10X everyone else in the market with the exception of Tesla and possibly some Ford models. 

This is the only feature about the car that I do not like, the rest is better than mine.

[AustinBike]

29 minutes ago, Taco Man said:

Maybe put the bike down and bikes on at the street?

 

I had a Fusion Hybrid that had all these safety features.  The one that annoyed me was adaptive cruise control- it would adjust your cruise speed to the car in front of you a long way off and you didnt notice until cars started passing you and you look down and your well under what the cruise was set for.

My car has this and I love it for long trips. It is a 90% solution, not a 100% solution. Wife's 2021 has it and hers includes a camera that looks at speed limit signs and asks you if you want to speed up or slow down when the speed limit changes. That is a 95% solution. Being able to say "drive at 5MPH over the limit" and then automatically change on the speed zone would be the 99% solution. We're slowly getting there, will be interesting to see where care are 5-10 years from now.

[ATXZJ]

16 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

I disagree. I have a 2017 Rogue and it has been one of the best cars I have ever owned. Beats 2 Infinitis, 2 BMWs, a Toyota, a Mercury and even 2 Nissan Maximas. Wife just traded in an equally good 2016 Rogue to get this one. Their technology package is 10X everyone else in the market with the exception of Tesla and possibly some Ford models. 

This is the only feature about the car that I do not like, the rest is better than mine.

Glad you've had good experiences with Nissan, and many do. I've been in the industry for 30 years and perceive something different.

 

At this point I avoid any features like the one you're describing. I'm smart enough to set my own cabin temperature, park, maintain a safe distance, stay in my lane, put air in my tires and use my fucking mirrors. Modern vehicles are becoming an extension of the nanny state and are just boring.  

Rant off

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by ATXZJ

[AustinBike]

My assessment after a car search is the following (ranked in order of my preferences):

Nissan - best technology, best cameras

Hyundai - great features, good prices, great warranty (because of previous quality concerns)

Honda - solid car, but ~2 generations behind in technology, solid reliability, boring

Toyota - good cars, but everything is just a "bit off" 1 generation behind in technology, or the tech is Toyota-centric, a bit pricy for buying last year's tech

Kia - cheap, features are *mostly* there, questionable quality perception (don't know for sure)

US cars - generally too many repair problems, especially 4-5 years out, get really expensive

European cars - great quality (fit and finish) but man, you get slammed on repair costs and insurance.

Interested to hear your opinions, especially on Hyundai and Kia as it seems like the Koreans are picking up steam (especially on quality where they lacked in the past) but that the Japanese still hold the top spots. US cars are definitely a "by the car" situation, it is harder to make generalizations because of the wide variance.

 

[ATXZJ]

17 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

 

 

 

Kia - cheap, features are *mostly* there, questionable quality perception (don't know for sure)

 

 

 

 

Interested to hear your opinions, especially on Hyundai and Kia as it seems like the Koreans are picking up steam (especially on quality where they lacked in the past) but that the Japanese still hold the top spots. US cars are definitely a "by the car" situation, it is harder to make generalizations because of the wide variance.

 

I think autos in general have come A LONG way from where they were. Most all will go 150-175k with maintenance, which was unheard of 20+ years ago. I think we all just pick a brand based on XYZ reasons and hunker down, kinda like bike geometry. 

Kia IMHO is one of the brands that are improving year over year. The fitment/build quality of their autos is way ahead of toyota, particulalry on lower priced units like corolla and camry. That being said, kia has had some engine bearing failure issues as of late and toyota has problems with oil consumption. Nissan's CVT was so bad only dodge could build a worse transmission. That's saying a lot.

It's all a crapshoot.

 

P.S. 100% agree with you on honda. WTF happened to that brand?

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by ATXZJ

[RedRider3141]

6 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

My assessment after a car search is the following (ranked in order of my preferences):

Nissan - best technology, best cameras, quality can be model dependent. I just sold my 220K+ 2001 Pathfinder that cost me <2000 in maintenance over 10 years (excluding tires/Oil, etc.). It was a posterchild of low maintenance req'd and reliability and at half the price of a 4Runner. On the other hand I've personally seen some POS Sentras and Rogues that were DOA by 120K or deathtraps at 200K. 

Subaru - See Nissan, mostly. 

Hyundai - great features, good prices, great warranty (because of previous quality concerns), still have some major quality issues now and again. HAd a rental Santa Fe that shut down while exiting the free way, a few times.

Honda - solid car, but ~2 generations behind in technology, solid reliability, boring, 100%

Toyota - good cars, but everything is just a "bit off" 1 generation behind in technology, or the tech is Toyota-centric, a bit pricy for buying last year's tech, Just purchased one, 100%. That's the way I like it though. 

Kia - cheap, features are *mostly* there, questionable quality perception (don't know for sure) I'd put KIA neck and neck with Hyundai in some cases. Rented a Mini-Van ona  trip and loved the features. Their styling is better than Hyundai too which is just a blend of Honda/Toyota models. 

US cars - generally too many repair problems, especially 4-5 years out, get really expensive 100%. My dad got a 2 year old Yukon that was LOADED. Had nothing but issues and traded it in on highlander that he'll probably have for a decade or more. 

European cars - great quality (fit and finish) but man, you get slammed on repair costs and insurance. I don't know about insurance but repair/maintenance can be brand dependent. Some are better than others but they are all designed heavily around dealer support, more so than US/Asian models. Remember, brands like BMW come with maintenance covered for a duration. 

Interested to hear your opinions, especially on Hyundai and Kia as it seems like the Koreans are picking up steam (especially on quality where they lacked in the past) but that the Japanese still hold the top spots. US cars are definitely a "by the car" situation, it is harder to make generalizations because of the wide variance. The Korean brands have both been gunning for Toyota/Honda for decades and they have made significant progress. They still lack that quality culture that is deeply engrained in the Japanese brands.

Generally agree expcept where noted.

[AntonioGG]

What makes a car boring is also what makes it reliable.  Honda re-uses proven tech for 10+ years, while others try to change stuff to look good every other year.  I haven't owned a Toyota but my family had a 1990 and 1995 Camry and those things were tanks.  Yeah they were super boring. They excelled at nothing except lasting forever, including the transmission. My family had just come from a 1987 Voyager (huge POS, everything broke multiple times, Yamaha engine heads cracked) and 1988 Tempo (relatively solid but boring car with a transmission that never felt right, like it was going to fail any minute, eventually it did.)

My wife's 2014 CRV has had the starter replaced already at less than 100k miles and the new one is not sounding great after a couple of years.  That to me is a step down.   My 1996 GS-R was awesome.  When I bought it, I specified I wanted one built in Japan and not in Ohio, not as much b/c of the workers, but because in Japan everything was Denso, while in Ohio some stuff was other than Denso.

I had an acquaintance in the auto-recycling business, and he would go by which cars people didn't come get new engines for.  It is an interesting exercise in empirical data on reliability.

[AustinBike]

My Honda perception was mainly in the 2016-2017 era when we were buying our Nissans and my mother in law was buying a Honda. We have full birds eye cameras that show your car and surroundings, perfect for parking. Hers, which was the highest package, had only backup cameras. 

But the price was functionally the same as the Nissan. I could see if you paid less and got less but to pay the same and got less is really a bad deal.

[notyal]

Until cars are full autonomous and can legally drive my drunk ass home, I don't give 2 shits about a "tech package". I heard a radio commercial for the new electric VW SUV where they were touting how you can open the moonroof with voice control. I though never once have I wanted a moonroof open so badly that I can't wait for a good time to remove one hand from the wheel and press a single button. On the other hand, I can't tell you how many times I've been frustrated using Siri or other AI voice commands. Talk about a solution looking for a problem. 

I buy a computer or phone based on the tech and fully expect it to be near worthless in a few years. That's fine when we're talking a couple grand for a device, but not for what new vehicles are costing these days. 

I just bought a 2012 F-150 4x4 with 22,000 miles on it. It's got the V8 instead of the turbo charged V6. It had basically no tech features. For $370, I added a touch screen receiver with bluetooth phone and a backup cam. It runs Apple CarPlay for all the maps (which gives speed limits) and any app on my phone like streaming music services, messages, Audible, etc. I'm letting my "disposable tech" do the heavy lifting while I just need my vehicle to run. Couldn't be happier. 

[RedRider3141]

It all comes down to who the intended market is for each brand.

BMW, for example gets a bad rap for being un-reliable and expensive to maintain. Well, BMW doesn't (at least not anymore) design/market/sell their cars for anyone but the first buyer who will likely bring the car in for every service. Once the lease is up/ maintenance program expires it goes on to a 2nd owner who is buying it for different reasons. For that reason, BMW (and other "luxury" brands) has had some pretty advanced technology MUCH earlier than others. I had an '88 BMW 325 with 270K with more options and technology, better MPG and more comfortable than my 20 year newer 2008 Subaru. https://www.bmwusa.com/explore/bmw-value/bmw-maintenance/terms-and-conditions.html

Toyota/Honda buyers (historically) prefer reliability over features. So they don't keep up with latest trends that others do. 

Subaru USED to have a captured market segment, which to some extent they still do (PNW, NE, Indiana) and their options were severely limited. Around 2009, they caught up because they realized they could increase sales by adding tech. Again, my 2008 Subaru Legacy "Special Edition" has the following options over the base model: 1) Electric Drivers Seat, 2) Sun Roof and 3) Tweeters. It doesn't even have auto up/down windows. Doesn't seem very "Special" to me. The following model year they threw the book at it and it became much more comparable to the competition feature-wise

Nissan/Kia/Hyundai/Subaru (now) sell highly featureized cars to overcome a reputation of being (slightly) less reliable than Honda/Toyota.

 

 

[AntonioGG]

29 minutes ago, notyal said:

Until cars are full autonomous and can legally drive my drunk ass home

This is what drives me to get my 16yo driving!

29 minutes ago, notyal said:

For $370, I added a touch screen receiver with bluetooth phone and a backup cam. It runs Apple CarPlay for all the maps (which gives speed limits) and any app on my phone like streaming music services, messages, Audible, etc. I'm letting my "disposable tech" do the heavy lifting while I just need my vehicle to run. Couldn't be happier. 

This is 100% the way to go.

[TheX]

Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay are freakin glorious.

 

[jcarneytx]

Any opinion on Mazda? Will likely be 2-3 years, but was thinking of trading in my Genesis Coupe for Mazda3 Turbo AWD. I'm happy with the GC, more-or-less, but am finding the lack of transport space really annoying, now that I own a house.  Mostly just annoyed I need to rent a uhaul just to go buy a couple trees...sigh. 

[Taco Man]

I started with VWs- kept wrecking them decided to move on.

Moved to a POS Toyota, cost me $500 every 6 months in something or the other and it had 40k miles on it.

Moved to Isuzu- great cars, never should have gotten rid of the Rodeo (see below) and had my Pup for 10+ years with zero unexpected costs

Mitsubishi- got rid of that Rodeo to get this.... F***ing paint basically fell off traded for our first

Nissan- Xterra, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue- We still have the Rogues but the SUVs had to go more because you run kids through a vehicle and they are trashed.  Love the two rogues.

Ford- Fusion, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, F150- Like the Fusion its a great car for the value.  It was a work car so ever 20-23 months they'd call and say they had a new one.  They hybrid sat in my driveway for 9 months of Pandemic, I drove it once a week to keep batteries charged.  Just got the F150 love it so far.

 

All that I will never own another Toyota or Mitsubishi.  In the quest for the latest Rogue we looked at everything- sedan, truck, suv, crossover ended up back with a Rogue.  All that searching one of the losing salespeople called me on the truck and I bought it 6 hrs later it was the right deal.  I think all brands have their idiosyncrasies and you just deal with them.  What I have found is that "haggling" is basically dead, do most of your car buying over email.

[Taco Man]

39 minutes ago, jcarneytx said:

Any opinion on Mazda? Will likely be 2-3 years, but was thinking of trading in my Genesis Coupe for Mazda3 Turbo AWD. I'm happy with the GC, more-or-less, but am finding the lack of transport space really annoying, now that I own a house.  Mostly just annoyed I need to rent a uhaul just to go buy a couple trees...sigh. 

when we used to travel I rented a CX5 one time,  I was all about that car, Mrs killed it.   But I also like the Ford Transit which I thought was similar.

[notyal]

1 hour ago, jcarneytx said:

Mazda3 Turbo AWD..... Mostly just annoyed I need to rent a uhaul just to go buy a couple trees...sigh. 

Hmm? I'd say you at least need to get the moonroof option.

 

[jcarneytx]

41 minutes ago, notyal said:

Hmm? I'd say you at least need to get the moonroof option.

 

I was actually referring to my current car (which does have a sunroof.) My car has trunk. the Mazda is a hatchback. My previous 2 cars were hatchbacks, and I'm missing the ability to  transport larger items. 

[AntonioGG]

I'm a big Mazda fan.  I just love how they drive.  My car is a 2007 Mazdaspeed3 and I haven't found something I like better to replace it.  I load it to the ceiling on race weekends. I also own a 1990 Mariner Blue Miata and I raced a 1994 Miata.  Those old Miatas are bulletproof.  I don't now much about the newer cars but I've seen decent reliability reports in Consumer Reports.

If Mazda made a Mazdaspeed5 I would have bought that immediately.  I know someone that dropped the 2.3l turbo into a 5.

[ATXZJ]

Funny enough, the vehicles we liked the most were also the most problematic. We'd for sure buy a pre-tata range rover in a hearbeat if i hadn't had an issue with every one I drove.  As mentioned before, boring= reliable and we're deep in the boring part right now. Tacoma is paid off this fall and I'll hang onto it for 8-10yrs. Not down with paying $40k for a basic truck.

Every time I see voice activated tech for homes/cars I just think, so this is what my ancestors fought death and disease for. We have definitely become 10 ply bitches.

 

 

[natas1321]

Can't fault tacoma's, I have three and all have been super reliable (70k-320k miles) with no issues just regular maintenance. They are a little boring and I keep looking to replace 1-2 of them but can never find anything else I like.

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[TheX]

I don't think I've ever met an unhappy Tacoma owner.

[Chongo Loco]

For me, my Honda Ridgeline has plenty of tech compared to the Element I drove for 10 yrs and 180k mi. [emoji51] Since it’s 425 mi to my family and 175 mi to the in-laws I use the hell out of the adaptive cruise control. Great on driving fatigue on 7+ hr drives.

Yes the Honda backup cameras now has a wide view to see around parked vehicles when backing up and mine actually has 3 views including a look down so you can better back up to a hitch. I feel your pain on the backup beep but mine doesn’t brake. It is a PITA when the tailgate is down since the camera points at the ground and I can’t tell wtf it’s beeping at. It will jam on the brakes if someone moves into the gap when you have the cruise on. Takes a bit to get used to. Honda’s system is not nearly as smooth as the Subie system I’ve used on the in-laws Forestor on trips.

Crazy how almost every setting, and there’s hundreds, are now done thru the “infotainment center” touch screen. You can even change them based on which key fob it senses. I’ll echo the CarPlay love. Waze, Pandora, Spotify, audible and phone/messaging on the touchscreen or by Siri.

I probably exemplify the Honda buyer that looks for reliability over tech crowd. I have so little free time a lot of the year I don’t want to spend it going to a dealership. Comfy seats, tunes and I’ll go for 8-9 hours, the rest is great but meh.


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