Bad designs on cars

Jonny69

Jonny69

Jonny69

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Lets have a roundup of all the things that we think are bad in current car design :)

I'll kick off with the rear light cluster on some new VW's. The indicator is in the middle of a combined brake/rear light ring. When the brakes are on I can barely see the indicator flashing when I'm approaching. I think that's a really bad design.
 
86daviesjk said:
The indicator storks on the new Astra's. Wont allways cancel after you have indicated. Pain in the bloody arse.
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amen to that, id put it down to the worst design in the history of cars.

bloody thing doenst cancel and then you hit it the opposite way and sometimes it cancels the other it starts indicating the opposite way grrrrr.
 
Skoda Octavia, theres a gap between the rear window and the back... when it's raining / been raining if you open the boot loooads of water rushes into the boot.

It's really cool :(
 
One more from me - combined horn, indicator, lights and foglights on one stalk. Ok this saves on having switches everywhere but you normally use the horn when you're startled and you go for it in a hurry. So what happens is the lights or indicators come on as well and you just look stupid yourself fumbling around trying to turn it all off. I think that's a rubbish idea.
 
Poor seats on some cars!!

I love the VW approach to seat design, a wheel to adjust the angle of the back of the seat, so you can put it where you like, Peugeot/citroen's have a handle where you can either have the seat bolt upright or too far back...
 
Jonny69 said:
One more from me - combined horn, indicator, lights and foglights on one stalk. Ok this saves on having switches everywhere but you normally use the horn when you're startled and you go for it in a hurry. So what happens is the lights or indicators come on as well and you just look stupid yourself fumbling around trying to turn it all off. I think that's a rubbish idea.
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Nah, thats a fantastic setup. Means you can both beep and flash your lights in one movement leaving your other hand free for some hand signals ;) :D

My poor design feature is having the ciggy lighter socket tucked behind the handbrake in my Octavia. So when the sat nav is plugged it I've got the cable pulled tight and stretching right over the hand brake and gearstick :mad:
 
Subaru have gone a different direction, it's not changed because of safety legislation.
 
Well i would say that anyone that before was considering a evo or impreza, that market. Now has there decision made for them..
 
Baz said:
Poor seats on some cars!!

I love the VW approach to seat design, a wheel to adjust the angle of the back of the seat, so you can put it where you like, Peugeot/citroen's have a handle where you can either have the seat bolt upright or too far back...
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I think you'll find that a lot of the cheaper, smaller, older hatches are like that, newer bigger better ones have proper adjustable seats.

My bad design would have to be Peugeot sunroofs that let more rain than sun in. :(

InvG
 
David _b said:
Well i would say that anyone that before was considering a evo or impreza, that market. Now has there decision made for them..
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The thing is think about the uproar when they "ruined" the Civic Type-R. I see more of the current shape type R's around than I ever did the previous model.

From the motor manufacturers point of view if they lose the niche car enthusiast market and gain mass market appeal, the people who actually equate to new car sales, then its a success.

Just realised I'm taking the thread off topic so another bad bit of design again from my car ;) is having the heating controls in such an inaccessible place. "Ja lets have a blank cubby hole under the radio and the heating controls where you have to reach around the gearstick" "But Hans, doesn't it make more sense to have them the other way around?" "NEIN!"
 
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mk3 mondeo indicators, where you press it lightly and it singnals a few times, if you cancel it yourself it would sometimes signal the other way!
 
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