Technology has become a major part of our lives in recent times so much so that most of us probably couldn’t imagine life without our phone.
The same goes for cars, if you own a newish one then you can’t imagine life without an infotainment screen. Buying a new car guarantees you access to at least a little technology while luxurious cars tend to pack them in. But how much of it is actually useful?
JD Power sought to find out and they recently published the results of their Tech Experience Index (TXI) survey. The survey collected information from over 80,000 car owners across the board and the main question was around whether they liked the tech in their car.
The simplest tech was the winner overall with most respondents preferring to add more cameras to their car. 360 degree and front view cameras were the most popular suggestion.
The most hated? That honour belonged to gesture control. This allows drivers to control things like the volume using motion rather than buttons or the touchscreen. 61% of owners said they barely ever use it. Along with this, drivers still have their reservations about autonomous driving aids. I am going to guess that those complaints came from Mercedes owners.
Tech is a vital part of the car buying process these days but there is a certain balance between useful and useless. Overall, Volvo scored the highest on the experience index with a score of 617. BMW were second with 583 followed by Cadillac of all people who scored 577. In fourth, Mercedes and Genesis shared the spoils with both achieving a score of 559.
In the mass market sector, Genesis’ parent company took out the top award with a score of 556. Subaru placed second with 541 followed by Kia at 538 and Nissan at 534. All the usual suspects performed well but the shock of the bunch was Ram who achieved a score of 520!
The study is in its fifth year but there was a bit of a twist this time when the boffins reinvented it to focus on new technologies when they first come to the market. That score is measured on a 1000 point scale. The index measured how well a car brand does with bringing tech to the market and then how much the owners like them or what problems they have with them. All that makes it easier to choose a car with the right technology for you!
Thanks for reading!
Words by Matthew Dsouza and pictures sourced from Pexels.
