33% Of People Think This Is The Most Pointless Car Feature - SlashGear Survey
There has been a ton of vehicular innovation over the past decade, with electric cars being the most significant overall. While new is almost always synonymous with better, not everything is worth the hype. In a recent SlashGear poll, we asked those of you in the United States which car feature you think is the most pointless of them all. Out of 606 respondents, a grand majority of you (33.5%) said paddle shifters have added no real value to most everyday driving situations.
Paddle shifters allow you to maintain a decent level of control over an automatic transmission, allowing you to shift gears with manual precision without having to engage a clutch. This sounds nice in theory, but the reality is that most people don't bother with shifters at all. Most vehicles are already automatic, and the small bit of extra performance you can eke out of your car just isn't necessary for a vast majority of folks outside of aspiring street racers.
The next runner-up may be equally deserving of the clown horn, depending on your perspective. Automatic car doors (23.6%) are a cool parlor trick — almost a status symbol, even — but they ultimately don't add anything practical to improve your driving. In fact, they often slow you from getting in and out of the vehicle, when a simple push with your arm does the trick much faster.
Other features you found useless in today's cars
Next in the list might be the most polarizing result of them all. Surprisingly, 21.29% said sunroofs are not all they're cracked up to be. When most cars have at least six windows, a seventh just to add a touch of overhead sun doesn't seem all that necessary. Like the automatic doors, this is a car feature that was heavily popularized in music videos and movies, but in reality, most people don't often climb onto their seats and stick their heads out of the roof like they've gone mad.
Rounding out the list are motorized rear view mirrors (15.18%) and dynamic steering (6.44%). The former makes a ton of sense — the mirror is right there, and it takes ages to adjust it with a button compared to simply twisting it around with your hand. As for dynamic steering, we're surprised this one made the list at all, as it actually has value as a safety benefit, especially for those driving in tough wintry conditions. It helps keep the car stable and responsive, but some of you (6.44%) probably think it feels like unnecessary training wheels for most situations. Fingers crossed that 2023 and beyond will bring us more useful car goods to overshadow these duds.