Fancy technology may attract shoppers, but it irritates buyers.
Ford saw its brand drop 20 spots on the Consumer Reports list over concerns about its MyTouch system. David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports, said the system is difficult to use even when its actually working.
Champion said the technology may draw praise from the consumer electronics crowd, but creates too many hassles in the real world.
There s a difference between sitting in the showroom and driving the car, he said.
The company s powershift and ecoboost features also brought it down.
The challenges go beyond Ford. The entire minivan segment scores below average due to complaints about sliding doors, navigation systems and DVD players.
Consumers demand all these features, Champion said, but are disappointed when they fail to function easily.
Champion said these issues with non-essential items can turn into safety concerns as drivers focus on getting them to work rather than the road. Taking your eyes off the road for only two seconds greatly increases the risk of an accident, he said.
Champion recommends scraping touchscreens.
Make it as simple as possible, he said. Don t listen to the stylists who want to make it look good.
European cars are an example of putting style over substance, Champion said.
The European market weighs handling and appearance more than reliability, which is why manufacturers such as BMW and Audi rank low on the list.
We expect a car in the U.S. to behave more like an appliance, Champion said.
Not all technology hurts a car s reputation. The Chevrolet Volt ranked the highest of any offering from that brand.
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