Jeff Balazs Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Last night I got confirmation at last that our oldest daughter was actually fathered by a space alien. I have suspected it for a long time but her new car selection has finally proved it. A Ford CMAX Energi ????? WtH???? Who buys a car you have to plug in every night? Especially one that looks like a small SUV but only has room for a couple of breifcases? OMG!!! We went for a ride.....and all you could hear is weird whining noises.....electric motors....electric braking system ....and me. Finally I asked if she left it plugged in and how long was the cord? "Dad you are not taking this seriously! I am averaging over 90 mpg". "Yes but you could do better than that on a bicycle"...... "Oh Dad.......look how cool this is......you can change the color of the interior lighting to any color you want" and "it syncs automatically to my phone" That is a good thing because your going to need the phone. There is no spare. "No bother it monitors the tire pressure and if you get a flat it injects sealant and pumps it back up" Oh ya? If you tear a tire up you won't be pumping it up any time soon......I'll just call AAA then! Dad don't you like it?........long silence....... You know Kim with all the features it has I noticed it is missing the one you need the most. Whats that? It won't park itself. I can't believe that any kid of mine would buy something like this. It couldn't possibly be farther from what I want from a vehicle. If she had only asked me first I could have found her a decent Pilothouse. Jeff 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 For a lot of years my wife has claimed I was fathered by an alien because of my old car dabbling and the fact that I don't text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 At least is is built by a US based manufacturer. Looks like her car is a plug-in hybrid, so plugging in should be optional. But if it gets you from 30 to 40 MPG or to 90 MPG why not plug it in? http://www.ford.com/cars/cmax/ Apparently there is an option for parking assist. Not sure how that works other than the blurb at the linked web site. But if she got that then it sounds like would almost park itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 don't text....I agree with you there..I do not text..I even have all incoming text messages blocked at the main office..I do not send or receive pictures on my phone..I do not navigate by my phone...I do not even check voice messages and delete them..all my friends know this and therefore d not leave messages..mostly they call on the house phone....I talk on my cell phone and only a very few folks even have my number...I do not use my phone to call outside my small group....it's a tool..not a life support system.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Last night I got confirmation at last that our oldest daughter was actually fathered by a space alien. I have suspected it for a long time but her new car selection has finally proved it. A Ford CMAX Energi ????? WtH???? Who buys a car you have to plug in every night? Especially one that looks like a small SUV but only has room for a couple of breifcases? OMG!!! We went for a ride.....and all you could hear is weird whining noises.....electric motors....electric braking system ....and me. Finally I asked if she left it plugged in and how long was the cord? "Dad you are not taking this seriously! I am averaging over 90 mpg". "Yes but you could do better than that on a bicycle"...... "Oh Dad.......look how cool this is......you can change the color of the interior lighting to any color you want" and "it syncs automatically to my phone" That is a good thing because your going to need the phone. There is no spare. "No bother it monitors the tire pressure and if you get a flat it injects sealant and pumps it back up" Oh ya? If you tear a tire up you won't be pumping it up any time soon......I'll just call AAA then! Dad don't you like it?........long silence....... You know Kim with all the features it has I noticed it is missing the one you need the most. Whats that? It won't park itself. I can't believe that any kid of mine would buy something like this. It couldn't possibly be farther from what I want from a vehicle. If she had only asked me first I could have found her a decent Pilothouse. Jeff Sadly Jeff, all these "cool features" distract the younger drivers and enable their seemingly increasing disability in driving....if you are worried about what color your interior lights are you might not be paying attention to the road....much less dinking around with your phone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennCraven Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 We went for a ride.....and all you could hear is weird whining noises.....electric motors....electric braking system ....and me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Mark; Yes ..... and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately Kim is a model of responsibility so I am not too worried about her attention span while driving. But I got to tell you that this sort of vehicle is truly bizarre. I really question the practicality of designs like this. I have a good customer and friend who owned a first generation Prius and it truthfully was a reliable and very usable little car. It seems like it was a pretty well thought out design. This Cmax while quite a bit larger in appearance has several glaring deficiencies due to the size of it's battery. I will have to look a little closer at the mechanicals' but I suspect that at least some of the systems utilize "fly by wire" type technology which I really don't care for. I am not against hybrids.....but I do think the design parameters have to make sense. It seems like the people designing and building things today put too much emphasis on the bells and whistles and the say the heck with good practice. When is having no provision for a spare an acceptable way to design a car? Why do coffee pots have to talk to you? And why would you want them to. jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 kids are not very conscious at time on major purchases...while I was happy they traded that POS Chevy Camaro (came with the bride) in for a Mopar...I was not happy to learn it was a Jeep Wrangler with full mud bog features..can you say guzzler for young couple...thankfully they got from under that thing and got a Cherokee instead..everyone is happier..and hopefully lesson learned.. the Wrangler was nice for what it was..it just was not a practical vehicle all told.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 it all boils down to the fact that the dealerships fix the cars..most are fixed under warranty and if and when the warranty is gone...the car does not function as designed due to cost of repairs so car is traded/trashed along the way..they find them selves on lemon lots hawked by the guy with the cigar and cheap polyester suit..some of these make Lucas shine in a whole new light... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Bells and whistles seem to be what sells cars today. My wife's SRX has way too many buttons. And the pictures they place on these buttons have no meaning to me as I am very old fashioned and I don't care to learn what these pictures are trying to tell me. The knobs and gauges on my P-15 tell exactly what each does written in plain and easily visible English. I once pushed a button on the steering wheel of my wife's car where one would expect the horn button to be and the car radio went silent and some lady started talking to me through the radio speakers in stereo asking if I needed assistance. I told her yes I need to honk my horn. She asked if she should send someone to assist me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 How many times has it been said here. .? Your money your car. Times change, technology changes some folks embrace change some do not. My daughter is weird too. Whataryagonnado?....?.....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 sigh in desperation while slinking into total despair and get another cup of coffee...your voice is the preverbal tree falling in the forest...while loud..no one hears...it is a fight you will not win...lol 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledfootslim Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Yeah, driving my mothers car, I somehow hit the On-Star button, and a recorded operator kept asking me if I needed assistance or if I was just wanting to use the phone.........I pushed about a dozen buttons trying to shut it iff, told it sternly to turn off, to which it replied "Im sorry, I didnt understand that" and finally a live person came on and I told them to shut it off- all while I was trying to drive down the road......how convenient- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted August 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Guy's I have enjoyed your comments. Some of the stuff that people believe they need just blows my mind. I really thought I had got this through to my daughter's ..... apparently not. My wife tells me that the kids just leased the Cmax.......so at least they won't be stuck with it for too long if it turns out to be a lemon. It sure seems to me to have a distinct air of being an experiment rather than a true production vehicle. I hope I am wrong. Honestly I am not opposed to certain forms of new technology. If it really helps me......and it works without breaking down all the time. But I am very selective about what I do go all in for. And it has to function the way I want it to.....not how some nimrod arbitrarily decides it should. I don't think cars or appliances need to talk to me. I want them to run when I decide they should run and shut off when I shut them down. If it won't work that way then I don't need it. Like Don I suppose I am a bit old fashioned when it comes to how controls function. I don't like or want multipurpose displays or switches. The word control actually implies that the device do what it is intended to do without having to run through a myriad of permutations. Items requiring driver input should do exactly what they are intended to do......another way to say this is one function requiring input should have one clearly labelled knob or switch. Period. If it functions any other way we end up becoming a slave to the technology. Jeff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonstop Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Why is all this technology needed? I believe we would be much better drivers in general if every car was a stick, brakes were manual, and radios were optional. We are taking the human out of the equation. In California, as I'm sure in many other places, cell phones are outlawed. Even hands free, people are focused on the conversation and not the driving. People can still eat, drink, occupy their hands with countless other things, and daily you see dogs sitting on the laps of drivers because it's "cute". I can't stand new cars with center stacks and touch screens. You can feel a button and keep your eyes on the road. You need to look at a touch screen before touching it. Sorry to go off a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 When you gotta go you gotta go. Back in the old days one could pull over on a back road with a car load of people, walk behind the car, and wiz. Hard to do that these days with a rearward camera on a big screen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Bells and whistles seem to be what sells cars today. My wife's SRX has way too many buttons. And the pictures they place on these buttons have no meaning to me as I am very old fashioned and I don't care to learn what these pictures are trying to tell me. The knobs and gauges on my P-15 tell exactly what each does written in plain and easily visible English. I once pushed a button on the steering wheel of my wife's car where one would expect the horn button to be and the car radio went silent and some lady started talking to me through the radio speakers in stereo asking if I needed assistance. I told her yes I need to honk my horn. She asked if she should send someone to assist me. P8060001.JPG because in America now we can't offend anyone who can't read American English....just like: why in MINNESOTA I have to select "english" or "espanol" at an ATM....we are about as white bread as it gets! My dad had to speak english before he went to school (he could but chose not to to not have to go to school)... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted August 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 because in America now we can't offend anyone who can't read American English....just like: why in MINNESOTA I have to select "english" or "espanol" at an ATM....we are about as white bread as it gets! My dad had to speak english before he went to school (he could but chose not to to not have to go to school)... Dude.....you oughta see what it is like living here these days. Espanol is just bueno with me.....it is actually a big part of our history here. But all this other stuff? You can't go anywhere here these days where it doesn't remind you of the galactic bar scene from Star Wars. I am not kidding. Holy crap!!!! I never thought I would see the day when I felt like an outsider in my own country. A buddy is giving me the keys to his place in Payson Arizona to go check it out. It is real Cowboy and Indian country and it sure sounds good to me. At least there me and the Tonto Apaches can fight the menace together. Can you say Geronimo? Jeff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobjob55 Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 well ,,,, at least she won't be driving around town at 110 m.p.h. will it go over 70 ??? Is it full electric ?? I don't know what it's like where you live ,,but here in Az. It's 40 miles or more to ANYWHERE ..I would run out of extension plugs before I can find a plug ...I would have to call someone with a trailer to come and pick me up ... Guess I won't save any gas that way ..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 This might be the answer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0_tJjWHZOo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 so with that idea...appears Taco Bells will be dubbed filling stations for certain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Going back the the original post, it seems there are still some things your daughter has to do, like steer and dim the headlights for on coming traffic. GM is introducing "super cruise" control that will steer and maintain following distances, etc. in a couple of years: http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/cadillac/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Apr/0420_cadillac.html And "smart headlights" might be illuminating the road but not blinding the other (computerized) drivers: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/smartheadlight/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonstop Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 That is one thing I would like to see - auto dimming headlights! People around here seem to think there is only one setting for headlights - high! Really screws up the night vision when working nights! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Yes she still has to steer etc...and it is so contrary to what I look for in a vehicle. But what the heck I didn't pay for it. She is pretty happy with the mileage she is getting though......95 mpg. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Leibhart Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 My Dodge Ram 2014 has auto dimming lights in 12000 miles have never failed to work properly yet. They dim when you make a turn so as not to bright any vehicle as you corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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