Halfway through 2020, I've driven dozens of cars, trucks, and SUVs. See all the features I've found most annoying.
Matthew DeBord
Business Insider
- I test and review dozens of cars, trucks, and SUVs every year.
- Most are wonderful. But there are some things that annoy me.
- At the halfway point of 2020, I decided to round up all the features that disappointed me so far.
At the halfway point of every year, I like to pause for a moment and reflect on all the vehicles I've driven, savor the great experiences and roadway thrills and ... amass a list of complaints!
Actually, I usually do this at the end of the year, but in 2020 I've decided to up my timetable. Part of this is because I've gotten behind the wheel of A LOT of cars at this point.
A caveat: These days, most cars are wonderful, at least compared to the dreadful sets of wheels that we routinely had to deal with in past eras. The auto industry has done a very good job of giving customers what they want and improving reliability and performance.
But there are still some fails.
Here's a rundown of everything that's annoyed me so far:
The dashboard cupholder ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... in the Porsche 911 Turbo S. What a staggeringly great machine! But that retractable cupholder is useless.
Porsche 911 Turbo S.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The flimsy plastic hood latch ...
Maserati Levante GT
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... on the Maserati Levante GT. Admittedly, other Fiat Chrysler vehicles have suffered from this component, which I expect will fail well before the warranty runs out.
Maserati Levante GT.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... on the Maserati Levante GT. Admittedly, other Fiat Chrysler vehicles have suffered from this component, which I expect will fail well before the warranty runs out.
Maserati Levante GT.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
Fake plastic vents ...
Toyota Supra 2.0
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... on the Toyota GR Supra 2.0 and 3.0. The updated Supras are pretty nifty cars, but the extraneous plastic adornment isn't.
2021 Toyota Supra.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The carbon fiber wing ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... On the Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster. The car is magnificent, and the wing would be helpful to keep the back tires glued to the tarmac on a track. But it spoils the design of the rear.
Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The infotainment system ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... And infotainment interface ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... In the Aston Martin DB11 ...
Aston Martin DB11.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... And V8 Vantage. The system is borrowed from Mercedes, but it's an older generation and quite difficult to use.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
BY THE WAY, the passenger-side hood release ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... in the Aston Vantage was so well-hidden that many owners might never find it.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The rear end of ...
Porsche Cayenne Coupe.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... The Porsche Cayenne Coupé. The Cayenne is already a marginally attractive vehicle, and while the Coupé's fastback styling is an improvement, the back quarters remain a problem.
Porsche Cayenne Coupe.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The infotainment system ...
Matthew DeBord/BI
... In the Nissan Titan full-size pickup truck. I quite like the old Titan, and the infotainment setup gets the job done. But it needs to be updated.
Nissan Titan.
Matthew DeBord/BI
It could be worse, of course. It could be the infotainment system ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... In the Nissan Frontier, a midsize pickup. It's an aging design that has been gently upgraded ahead of a new truck, but the infotainment has DNA that seems borrowed from the early 2000s.
The outgoing 2020 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The mock grille ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
,,, on the Chevy Bolt EV. Electric cars don't need to suck in air to mix with gas to power their engines, so why do they need pretend grilles?
Chevy Bolt EV.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The lack of a running board step ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... On the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon. The missing feature made climbing in and out a challenge.
Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
While we're at it, although the Gladiator's 3.6-liter V6 is a stalwart ...
Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... The pop rod for the hood is quite difficult to deploy.
Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The shifter in ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... The Lamborghini Huracán EVO Spyder. Awesome car, and many folks like the jet-fighter-inspired shifter. I feel like it was stolen from a Cylon raider.
Lamborghini Huracán EVO Spyder.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The square infotainment screen in the round central dash ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... Of the MINI Cooper SE electric. The car is fun to drive, but the ill-fitting screen reminds one that MINIs once had a far more interesting dashboard design, pre-infotainment era.
MINI Cooper SE electric.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The design of ...
Mercedes-Benz GLB 250.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... The Mercedes-Benz GLB 250. It could have been because I don't like white SUVs, but the GLC was blandly forgettable.
Mercedes-Benz GLB 250.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine ...
Kia
... in the Kia Soul GT-Line. The cute ute sends 201 horsepower though a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which is terrible. Worse, the motor has rough turbo lag.
Kia Soul GT-Line.
Kia
The dated interior ...
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... Of the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400. Infiniti is losing ground to other luxury sedans due to its reluctance to bring interiors up to speed.
Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
The performance of ...
Cadillac CT4-V
Matthew DeBord/Insider
... The Cadillac CT4-V. As a V-car, this Caddy should be something special. But the 2.7-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder doesn't exactly roar to life, and the car doesn't liven up until it hits decent highway speeds.
Cadillac CT4-V.
Matthew DeBord/Insider
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