Crash test- 1959 Bel Air vs 2009 Malibu

[Jim Naseum]

it's always in the same place.

And you don't use your vision to find it. It's a straight neuromuscular memory process. Likewise actual adjustment of louder or softer. With a touch screen this takes visual acuity, manual dexterity and time to get "just right." With a knob, the just right volume is achieve almost instantly. 

[Pete H]

I would think that in most circumstances the touch systems also have steering wheel and or voice activation that shouldn't require any reaching or looking at all.  My truck has all of those features and it's a truck.  Now if you could just get the idiots to stop looking and using their cell phones while driving, that would prevent a lot of accidents.  A great wireless earpiece and you can drive down the road and send and receive e-mail, text, take notes, call and never screw with your phone.  I do however prefer nobs over a touch screen, but those days are about over.

[Jim Naseum]

I would think that in most circumstances the touch systems also have steering wheel and or voice activation that shouldn't require any reaching or looking at all.  My truck has all of those features and it's a truck.  Now if you could just get the idiots to stop looking and using their cell phones while driving, that would prevent a lot of accidents.  A great wireless earpiece and you can drive down the road and send and receive e-mail, text, take notes, call and never screw with your phone.  I do however prefer nobs over a touch screen, but those days are about over.

 

I have steering wheel controls and voice command (for some features). The radio has 34 presets for stations. The steering wheel has an UP/DOWN selector which scrolls and choose in sequence. To go from say, 13 to 29 is beyond tedious, considering how long it takes to digitally lock the next station and confirm by listening to it, or looking again over at the device. The voice commander is just a toy that barely works for any purpose. 

 

Of course, it has to be said that these controls DO WORK. But even the company acknowledges they are dangerous. 

[sputnik]

 

Who knows how much rust was in the Chevy's chassis. Inquiring minds, you know.

Look at about 1:05. You can see all kinds of rust/dust coming out of the bottom of the right-front quarter panel.

 

 

Here's some more background.

http://jalopnik.com/5364071/yes-the-iihs-crashed-59-chevy-had-an-engine

[Pete H]

 

I would think that in most circumstances the touch systems also have steering wheel and or voice activation that shouldn't require any reaching or looking at all.  My truck has all of those features and it's a truck.  Now if you could just get the idiots to stop looking and using their cell phones while driving, that would prevent a lot of accidents.  A great wireless earpiece and you can drive down the road and send and receive e-mail, text, take notes, call and never screw with your phone.  I do however prefer nobs over a touch screen, but those days are about over.

 

I have steering wheel controls and voice command (for some features). The radio has 34 presets for stations. The steering wheel has an UP/DOWN selector which scrolls and choose in sequence. To go from say, 13 to 29 is beyond tedious, considering how long it takes to digitally lock the next station and confirm by listening to it, or looking again over at the device. The voice commander is just a toy that barely works for any purpose. 

 

Of course, it has to be said that these controls DO WORK. But even the company acknowledges they are dangerous. 

 

I don't disagree that it can be a PITA to scroll through the functions, because it can be, but it's what we have to work with. 

[Jim Naseum]

Oh, absolutely. There's no button radios for sale. And, I'm not going to trade in my new car for a 1959 model. I thought it was an interesting "misuse" of technology in a sea of good safety technologies. Cars are safer, so these touchscreens are an incongruous element in the modern car. 

[joshnich]

I could not agree more regarding the touch-screens. I hate them! How complicated does a radio have to be anyway? My biggest problem is hitting the correct place on the touch screen while driving. The combination of the car moving and trying to keep my eyes on the road makes it virtually impossible to touch the appropriate "button" on the touch screen. I am amazed that there are not more accidents because of them.

[Paducah Home Theater]

 

Not quite what I expected.

With one major exception...

 

The Bel Air driver can see out greater than 180 degrees, nearly unabated...can't see crap from inside the Malibu. Watch the video again and see.

 

I think this is primarily due to an optical illusion.  Look how much space there is between the driver's shoulder and the window in the Bel Aire.  That gives lots of room for the camera in the back seat to see out of.  In the Malibu the panel between the front window and back window still exists, it's still in about the same position, being about even with the seat, but the shoulders are closer.  

 

Plus, well, the Malibu has a full back with a headrest, while you're looking over a low bench seat in the Bel Air.  From the back seat yeah you'll see TONS more.  I'm just not convinced the driver will have the same experience and hindrance.  If anything the fact that you can't see as much from the camera angle due to the full back and headrest is a huge plus for the Malibu in terms of safety.  Bench seats are dangerous due to whiplash.  

 

[Jim Naseum]

I could not agree more regarding the touch-screens. I hate them! How complicated does a radio have to be anyway? My biggest problem is hitting the correct place on the touch screen while driving. The combination of the car moving and trying to keep my eyes on the road makes it virtually impossible to touch the appropriate "button" on the touch screen. I am amazed that there are not more accidents because of them.

 

I'm looking into that now. I noticed that in my car the company has downloaded TWO changes to the warning in the three months we owned the car. Everyone I've talked to (admittedly mostly people over 60) has massive complaints about these screens. Safety complaints, usage complaints, confusion and so on. 

 

I am looking to see if there is a breakout yet on accidents involving these control panels. I have a hard time believing this will stay with us. 

 

EDIT: Its the only feature I rate POOR on the car. 

Edited January 26, 2016 by jo56steph74

[Paducah Home Theater]

I could not agree more regarding the touch-screens. I hate them! How complicated does a radio have to be anyway? 

 

Everything was all good until MP3's came out and people wanted to have 12,000 songs in their cars.  

 

Then somebody decided that a separate GPS wasn't good enough, it had to be integrated into your radio.  

 

Then somebody decided that most people don't know how to back up in reverse apparently, so they put cameras on the rear bumper and displayed it on your radio.  

 

Last time I checked you could get news and weather feeds.  

 

Just kinda dumb and smart at the same time.  We should bring back CD's and tape decks.  I want my MTV back as well.  

Edited January 26, 2016 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters

[JJkizak]

 

 

Not quite what I expected.

With one major exception...

 

The Bel Air driver can see out greater than 180 degrees, nearly unabated...can't see crap from inside the Malibu. Watch the video again and see.

 

I think this is primarily due to an optical illusion.  Look how much space there is between the driver's shoulder and the window in the Bel Aire.  That gives lots of room for the camera in the back seat to see out of.  In the Malibu the panel between the front window and back window still exists, it's still in about the same position, being about even with the seat, but the shoulders are closer.  

 

Plus, well, the Malibu has a full back with a headrest, while you're looking over a low bench seat in the Bel Air.  From the back seat yeah you'll see TONS more.  I'm just not convinced the driver will have the same experience and hindrance.  If anything the fact that you can't see as much from the camera angle due to the full back and headrest is a huge plus for the Malibu in terms of safety.  Bench seats are dangerous due to whiplash.  

 

 

 

Baloney.

JJK

[Pete H]

Then somebody decided that a separate GPS wasn't good enough, it had to be integrated into your radio.

The GPS in my Tundra sucks compared to google maps on my phone, so I just use my phone.  I do really like have a usb drive for taking music on the road and don't play any cd's in the player.  Back up camera is great for hooking up a trailer.

[Paducah Home Theater]

 

Baloney.

JJK

 

 

Are you guys saying you don't like the windshield pillars?  What is obstructing your view here?  

 

[Paducah Home Theater]

Back up camera is great for hooking up a trailer.

 

 

Had a customer pick one up the other day, I was giving him hand signals while backing up and was thinking, this guy isn't even looking at me.  But, he parked the truck in the exact spot.  Yeah, backup camera.  

[JJkizak]

The size of the window glass in the 1959 is approximately 50% larger, the windshield pillars are about 50% smaller, there were no headrests to block the side views as with an SUV, the new side door pillars are about 75% bigger than the 1959, and the site line has effectively risen because the doors are higher to make up for the smaller windows. So basically in the new vehicles you are in a cocoon hoping nobody hits you.

JJK

[Jim Naseum]

.....surrounded by airbags.

Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk

[MercedesBerater]

Is there no steering?

 

If you lose all electricity and you have an electric steering then yes.  It's extremely rare to lose your alternator and battery at the same time.

Not true. Almost al of our cars are electric steering. If the electric motor or battery power is lost with alternator power also gone... You still have a mechanical linkage. It's difficult to steer, but possible still. Similar to hydraulic power steering.. If the pump or belt is lost, you don't lose all steering, you lose the ASSIST of hydrolics or electric assist.

[CECAA850]

You still have a mechanical linkage.

 

That wouldn't be true steer by wire then.

[MercedesBerater]

All current examples of SBW use redundant systems and are very unlikely to completely fail.

 

 

It's certainly not uncommon.  I've seen non responsive throttles several times.  It's also possible to have can bus failures and take out multiple systems.  If the bus goes down, you lose everything on it.  Heck, we had an air conditioning transducer (pressure sensor) take down the bus and cause a no start.

Keep in mind there are multiple data networks in vehicles:

CAN-bus -- low speed interconnect for basic functions. Radio, navi, door modules... ,

LIN-bus, very low cost, low speed network

Flex-ray, Super high speed, for safety critical systems

Fibre-optic,

standard electrical, to motors and switches

D2B, another high speed multimedia network

MOST, Mostly entertainment and multimedia network

And saying these networks go down can cause massive problems.. Well, yeah. But that's like saying we shouldn't advance technology and innovate.

Carburetors clog.. So guess we should have given up a while ago.

But we advanced.. We went EFI And now D.I.

And most systems have redundancies on their redundancies.

[MercedesBerater]

Who makes a steer by wire system? Ive never heard of such a vehicle. You still turn a wheel, to steering column, to electric motor, which operates an assist to the rack, which turns the wheels.

Edit: I see Infiniti has a steer by wire in the q50.

Will research. I'm interested to see their redundancy.

Edit edit: I will say, the hyperbolic technology is awful theme is kinda passé in such a technology driven industry. Look at aviation. They have had fly by wire for 10+ years. (No pun intended)

Edited January 27, 2016 by MercedesBerater