There is a strange thing happening to modern cars.
They keep getting more advanced. They also keep getting more annoying.
There is a reason physical knobs and switches survived for so long. You can find them by touch.
I’m not talking about technology in general. Modern safety systems have unquestionably prevented crashes and saved lives. Innovations like backup cameras and blind-spot monitoring are genuinely helpful. I’m not interested in going back to drum brakes and lap belts.
But somewhere along the way, automakers started treating every new feature as an improvement simply because it was new.
On a recent episode of “The Drive,” Karl Brauer and I were joined by the show’s former longtime host, Alan Taylor. We started going through some of the modern automotive technologies that sound impressive in a brochure but can make owning and driving a car less pleasant.
The list got long pretty quickly.
1. Cameras that watch you
New cars increasingly contain cameras aimed not at the road, but at you.
They’re called driver monitoring systems, and manufacturers say they’re there to make sure you’re paying attention — especially when advanced driver-assistance systems are steering, accelerating, or braking for you.
As Karl put it, “They’re watching you and your passengers.”
And that raises a pretty obvious question: How much monitoring are we willing to accept just because the car is capable of doing more for us?
The concern gets bigger once those cameras are part of a connected vehicle. Then the issue isn’t just what the car can see. It’s what information gets collected, where it goes, and who ultimately has access to it.
The car used to be one of the few private spaces left in modern life.
Now even the dashboard may be taking notes.
2. Microphones that listen
The microphone makes sense too.
Voice commands require one. Hands-free phone calls require one. Increasingly sophisticated digital assistants require one.
But once a connected car has microphones and a cellular connection, the privacy question gets considerably more troubling.
Voice assistants have to listen for a wake word. Sometimes they hear one when nobody actually said it. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that this can trigger unexpected recording and that voice recordings may be sent to company servers, stored, and, in some cases, reviewed by employees or contractors to improve the system.
That’s a very different proposition from the old Bluetooth microphone that simply carried your side of a phone call.
Karl described reading the Uconnect connected services agreement when he bought his Dodge Demon 170 and deciding he wanted no part of it because of the amount of vehicle and behavioral data that could potentially be collected. Uconnect’s terms also explicitly permit recording and monitoring of calls placed through certain connected services, including customer care, roadside assistance, and emergency calls.
Most buyers do not read those agreements. Maybe we should.
3. Touch screens for things that used to have buttons
This one drives me crazy.
Touch screens are terrific for maps, music, and information that genuinely benefits from a large visual display.
They are terrible replacements for controls you need while driving.
If I want to turn up the heat, adjust the fan, or open the glove box, I should not have to work through a menu system while traveling 70 miles per hour.
Tesla is probably the most obvious example. Karl brought up having to use the screen just to open the glove box.
That is not progress.
There is a reason physical knobs and switches survived for so long. You can find them by touch. Your hand learns where they are. You do not have to take your eyes off the road and aim at a little square on a screen.
Even automakers appear to be rediscovering this. GM’s new Silverado and Sierra interface, for example, was designed after customer research found drivers were tired of “hunting for controls,” and the company specifically retained physical controls for frequently used functions.
Sometimes the old solution survives because it was already a pretty good solution.
4. Automatic stop-start
Here’s a typical 2026 driving experience that would have made no sense whatsoever to someone 20 years ago. You pull up to a red light. The engine shuts off. You take your foot off the brake. The engine starts again.
Repeat dozens of times.
Automatic stop-start became common because shutting off an idling engine saves fuel. The EPA has long said the technology can improve fuel economy by roughly 4% to 5%, with the biggest gains in stop-and-go city driving.
Washington liked the idea enough to reward automakers with emissions credits for installing it. But under President Donald Trump, the EPA has changed its tune. In February, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin eliminated the credit for what the agency itself called the “almost universally hated start-stop feature,” arguing that it produced no significant environmental benefit and that the old credit overstated real-world emissions reductions.
So yes, shutting off an idling engine saves some fuel. The question is how much that saving is really worth.
Starting an engine over and over puts far more cycling demands on the starter and battery than a conventional system. That is why stop-start vehicles typically require heavier-duty starters, upgraded batteries, and additional control systems designed to survive the extra work.
In other words, “they’re designed for it” is only half the story. They have to be designed differently precisely because stop-start creates a harsher duty cycle.
AAA has noted that its fuel-savings estimates did not include the potentially higher replacement cost of those upgraded starters and batteries. AGM batteries, commonly used in stop-start vehicles because they tolerate repeated cycling better, also tend to cost more than conventional flooded batteries.
And if most of your driving is on the highway, there isn’t much idling to eliminate in the first place.
I have disliked stop-start from the beginning. Even when the restart is smooth, you can still feel and hear the car cycling on and off. And plenty of drivers seem to feel the way I do, judging by how many of them want to disable it.
If I’m going to pay for heavier-duty components so my engine can shut itself off at every red light, I’d at least like the savings to be worth the trouble.
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5. Electric power steering
This one matters more to people who actually enjoy driving.
Hydraulic power steering used fluid pressure to provide assistance while retaining a relatively direct mechanical feel through the steering wheel. Electric power steering replaces much of that hardware with an electric motor.
There are good reasons manufacturers prefer it. Electric systems can improve efficiency, reduce weight, and integrate more easily with modern driver-assistance technology.
But something can be technically superior and still feel worse.
Karl noted that electric steering has improved tremendously over the years, but for many enthusiasts it still does not provide the same feedback as a good hydraulic system.
Most consumers will never care, but the people who do care really care.
Steering is one of the primary ways a car communicates with its driver. Take too much information out of it, and you may wind up with a vehicle that handles beautifully while somehow feeling less alive.
6. The connected car itself
This is really the technology behind all the others.
Your car is no longer merely a machine. Increasingly it is a computer with wheels, cameras, microphones, software, and an internet connection.
That brings enormous benefits, but it also radically changes the relationship between the car company and the owner.
Software can be updated remotely. New services can be added. Features can be sold by subscription. Data can flow back to the manufacturer. The relationship no longer necessarily ends when you drive off the dealer lot.
During our discussion, Alan joked that modern cars seem to be “watching everything we do.” I pointed out the important next step: Once the car is connected, information can leave the vehicle too.
And that is where consumers need to start asking questions beyond whether or not a feature works. Questions like:
Who controls the feature?
Who controls the data?
Can you turn it off?
When it stops working, can anyone other than the manufacturer fix it?
New cars do extraordinary things. Sometimes I just wish they would do a little less.
Auto industry, Lifestyle, Drivers, Touchscreen, Car technology, Safety systems, Evs, Automatic stop-start, Surveillance, Privacy, Automotive
