New cars buyers are being bombarded by screens, driver assists, and complicated input methods – and they’re not happy about it.
The new Tech Experience Index (TXI) survey from respected US analytics firm JD Power has revealed the new technology features buyers are gelling with, and which they consider annoying or unnecessary.
The survey found buyers are pushing back against features such as “facial recognition, fingerprint reader and interior gesture controls”, as they “unsuccessfully try to solve a problem that owners didn’t know they had”.
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Passenger screen in the new Audi A5
Owners are also against the rollout of passenger screens, considering them “not necessary”.
JD Power also points out the challenges involved in dealers explaining infotainment tech to new owners are already significant, and that’s before you add a second display for passengers.
Driver assists were in the spotlight, with the survey finding systems that require hands on the wheel – such as active cruise control with active lane centring – has a low “perceived usefulness score” of just 7.61 out of 10.
Proper hands-free systems such as Cadillac Super Cruise or Ford Blue Cruise weren’t considered significantly more useful, with a score of 7.98 out of 10.
According to the owners surveyed, Genesis was the best-rated premium brand for tech innovation ahead of Lexus and BMW.
Its corporate parents at Hyundai led the way among mainstream brands, ahead of Kia and GMC.
JD Power spoke with 81,926 owners for its latest survey. They were owners of new, 2024 model year cars who’d had their cars for at least 90 days.