The Trouble With Moving On

[GhostStrykre]

Over the years I've really enjoyed my 2019 Ranger, but it does have quirks that get to me from time to time. As a result, I've kicked a few tires through the years.

This summer has been different. My Ranger is nearly at 100k miles and every other month or so 4th gear gets a bit churlish before it chills out for a while again. So I checked out an F-150, a Tundra, and a RAM 1500. I've always wanted the extra utility of a full size, so I figured why not.

The Tundra was really nice and my wife and I liked it, but the price was outrageous just to get the 360 parking cameras. The F-150 I would've loved, but the seats on new F-150s happen to be incredibly uncomfortable for my wife (glad I didn't go look at the truck without her!).

So that left the RAM 1500 in a Rebel trim. RAM is running ridiculous deals this month so despite the horror stories I've seen online we gave it a chance. The test drive was awesome. That HEMI engine freakin rules with the GT exhaust on it. It just sings. The interior is the best of the 3 and it isn't even close.

All my words above just to arrive at the point of this post. The trouble with all 3 of these trucks, but especially the RAM, is the design decision to move so many controls and features into the infotainment screen. If the screen goes out I lose more than just heated seats and such. It has all the diagnostic data like temp sensors, sound/chime settings, safety system settings, etc. The screen is powerful, but if it goes out it's like losing the brain. Ford and Toyota both have a lot of physical buttons, but they still have a lot of important tech in the screens. RAM just put darn near everything in their screen.

While the trucks all have warranties and will make parts a while, I do have to wonder what the state of things will be in 15 years. Could an OEM just say they aren't making the screen parts anymore and then I'm sunk? If they did that and my screen is busted then man.. it's sunk. Unsure if aftermarket can fix the problem with so many proprietary modules in the engines.

So here I am, with my simple and easy going 2019 Ranger. Loads of memories and I'd drive it anywhere tomorrow. Tech isn't buried in screens in such a way that the truck is sunk if it breaks. The trouble with moving on is that the 5th Gen Ranger sits in what feels like the goldilocks zone of old school and unobtrusive tech. And that makes it so dang difficult to walk away from.

Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to get my thoughts out on the matter.

Here's the rebel I test drove just cuz i think she's purty:

Man she was tempting......

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[TheExtra404]

I feel the same way about the interior layout of the 5G, enough tech, but still rooted in an older gen layout(Buttons) for most functions, that i wouldn't be too bothered if the screen went out, especially with my XLT gauges and less tech than the Lariat trims have.


There I go being long winded as well, sorry. LOL

 

[AzScorpion]

Good thorough write about all 3 vehicles and that is a really nice looking Ram truck. Everything is hit or miss now so I wouldn't put too much stock in any manufacturer now and just buy what you like and hope it's a good one. The new Colorado has a lot of their controls on the screen now and I think more and more are going to be moving everything to the main screen in the coming years because it's cheaper and another way to save them money.



I just test drove a Tesla today because I've never driven an EV before and always wanted to try one. Like the Ram almost everything is on the main screen (they moved the blinkers back to the left stalk and there are some steering wheel controls) and it was weird driving it at first. We took it for a good hours drive and I will say I got use to it pretty fast and the voice controls are right on the steering wheel which makes it super easy to control everything. I'll admit at first glance I didn't care for it but it grew on me fast and I hate change! While I still like knobs and the tactical feel I could easily get use to just using a touch screen.

Good luck on your decision!

ETA...I wouldn't worry about the screens being discontinued over time. The aftermarket will surely have them and I'd bet they'd be better and cheaper than OEM. Just for reference the new Tesla already has an aftermarket heads up display you can attach to the top of the steering wheel. It's all plug n play and gives you full gauges that you can change and has CarPlay and AndroidAuto for only $399.00. There's going to be a huge aftermarket for all these manufacturers soon.

https://tsportline.com/collections/...chscreen-lcd-display-smart-instrument-cluster

 

[LaBalbe]

I'm currently traveling in Europe and last week rented a car, an MG PHEV. It's got all that nanny tech in it, including that facial recognition camera thing that's supposed to become mandatory on all new sales from 2027 and that you supposedly won't be able to turn off. In this case, I could turn it off, but every time I turned off the engine, it reset to factory default and I had to go and reset all of my preferences each time. I did eventually find a way to save my preferences, but even then, I had to go and reset my saved profile each time I restarted the car; very annoying, and for that reason alone, I wouldn't be getting that vehicle if I was in the market for one.

To get to the point, whenever I'd forget to reset my preferences and had to interact with the damn touch screen controls, the "distracted driver" alarms would go off because I wasn't staring straight ahead at the road. Well, of course I wasn't, because with a touch screen I have to look at what I'm actually touching, rather than feeling for knobs or buttons.

It also raises the question of how that's properly going to work in mountains or anywhere where you have to deal with hairpin curves and proper driving means that you'll be looking out of the side windows at where you're actually going instead of straight ahead of you at the cliff you should be avoiding.

 

[GhostStrykre]

I feel the same way about the interior layout of the 5G, enough tech, but still rooted in an older gen layout(Buttons) for most functions, that i wouldn't be too bothered if the screen went out, especially with my XLT gauges and less tech than the Lariat trims have.


There I go being long winded as well, sorry. LOL

despite your lengthy post (/joking) i can say yep, you nailed it.

Good thorough write about all 3 vehicles and that is a really nice looking Ram truck. Everything is hit or miss now so I wouldn't put too much stock in any manufacturer now and just buy what you like and hope it's a good one. The new Colorado has a lot of their controls on the screen now and I think more and more are going to be moving everything to the main screen in the coming years because it's cheaper and another way to save them money.



I just test drove a Tesla today because I've never driven an EV before and always wanted to try one. Like the Ram almost everything is on the main screen (they moved the blinkers back to the left stalk and there are some steering wheel controls) and it was weird driving it at first. We took it for a good hours drive and I will say I got use to it pretty fast and the voice controls are right on the steering wheel which makes it super easy to control everything. I'll admit at first glance I didn't care for it but it grew on me fast and I hate change! While I still like knobs and the tactical feel I could easily get use to just using a touch screen.

Good luck on your decision!

ETA...I wouldn't worry about the screens being discontinued over time. The aftermarket will surely have them and I'd bet they'd be better and cheaper than OEM. Just for reference the new Tesla already has an aftermarket heads up display you can attach to the top of the steering wheel. It's all plug n play and gives you full gauges that you can change and has CarPlay and AndroidAuto for only $399.00. There's going to be a huge aftermarket for all these manufacturers soon.

https://tsportline.com/collections/...chscreen-lcd-display-smart-instrument-cluster

electrification comes for us all. it's incredibly nice, and many of us are just waiting for the tech to mature. i've never been particularly attracted to tesla's, but i respect the disruptions they've caused to automotive industry norms. like it or not, it forced changes. i wonder if tesla is the reason ford chose to make the ford app free.

and thanks for the note on the head unit. i wasn't sure what to expect from aftermarket, but you're right. i also learned the newest ram uconnect service is android based. so that tells me there will be an abundant amount of options in the future.

I'm currently traveling in Europe and last week rented a car, an MG PHEV. It's got all that nanny tech in it, including that facial recognition camera thing that's supposed to become mandatory on all new sales from 2027 and that you supposedly won't be able to turn off. In this case, I could turn it off, but every time I turned off the engine, it reset to factory default and I had to go and reset all of my preferences each time. I did eventually find a way to save my preferences, but even then, I had to go and reset my saved profile each time I restarted the car; very annoying, and for that reason alone, I wouldn't be getting that vehicle if I was in the market for one.

To get to the point, whenever I'd forget to reset my preferences and had to interact with the damn touch screen controls, the "distracted driver" alarms would go off because I wasn't staring straight ahead at the road. Well, of course I wasn't, because with a touch screen I have to look at what I'm actually touching, rather than feeling for knobs or buttons.

It also raises the question of how that's properly going to work in mountains or anywhere where you have to deal with hairpin curves and proper driving means that you'll be looking out of the side windows at where you're actually going instead of straight ahead of you at the cliff you should be avoiding.

agree! the nanny aids in europe will eventually come for us here in the US and ya gotta bet it'll be half baked. just when transmissions are smoothing out and the industry is figuring that out, this will be the next frontier of frustration for owners!

 

[ppfd]

I will turn 100k in the next day or 2. I try not to keep my vehicle much past that.
Chevy is running zero percent financing for 5 years on 1500 series trucks.
im kind of leaning that way. GFs dad has a Chevy custom with the turbo max in it. Drives well, and the custom is as fancy as I need.

Nobody makes a perfect vehicle, nobody. Tech is here to stay. I don’t like most of it. Not much I can do about it.

 

[Rtball]

I had a 1961 Falcon as my first new car. Damn, it was so complicated and confusing!

Seriously the perceived need for more 'tech' is becoming overwhelming. Try reaching for a control on the screen without taking your attention away from the road. Not happening.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

I had a 1961 Falcon as my first new car. Damn, it was so complicated and confusing!

Seriously the perceived need for more 'tech' is becoming overwhelming. Try reaching for a control on the screen without taking your attention away from the road. Not happening.

Hahaha! Mine was a used 1963 Mercury Comet 4 door. My biggest tech issue was integrating a 8 track player into it

 

[AzScorpion]

I had a 1961 Falcon as my first new car. Damn, it was so complicated and confusing!

Seriously the perceived need for more 'tech' is becoming overwhelming. Try reaching for a control on the screen without taking your attention away from the road. Not happening.

Almost every control can be done by a command now. Press the button on the wheel and say

Turn the ac to 70*
Directions
Change the radio station to....

Personally I'd rather have the old sliders for controls. But the tech is here to stay and will only become more involved over the next few years especially with AI being pushed so heavily now.

 

[GhostStrykre]

I had a 1961 Falcon as my first new car. Damn, it was so complicated and confusing!

Seriously the perceived need for more 'tech' is becoming overwhelming. Try reaching for a control on the screen without taking your attention away from the road. Not happening.

during the test drive the truck was setting off what sounded like a seat belt alarm. I realized it was the speed limit sign detection notifying me I had exceeded the posted speed limit. We had to pull over, go through the menus, and turn off the warning. At least it was an option to disable! But yeah, very much a hesitation for me. So many features and settings.

 

[AzScorpion]

during the test drive the truck was setting off what sounded like a seat belt alarm. I realized it was the speed limit sign detection notifying me I had exceeded the posted speed limit. We had to pull over, go through the menus, and turn off the warning. At least it was an option to disable! But yeah, very much a hesitation for me. So many features and settings.

The Hybrid Camry had the too. What I did like is that on the Camry you can set it to warn you at specific speeds say 5 miles over or 10 miles over the speed limit. That could come in useful helping you control your speed in unfamiliar areas when traveling.

The one thing I hated and you can't shut off it the 2 hands on the wheel warning! I've always driven with one hand on the wheel and one on the shifter. Old habit that wont die from driving a stick for years. So every so often you have to grab the wheel with 2 hands or it'll keep beeping. The Tesla has no shifter so I was like now what the heck do I doo with my right hand. lol The good thing is it has no beeping if you only drive with one hand.

 

[dozxab]

It also raises the question of how that's properly going to work in mountains or anywhere where you have to deal with hairpin curves and proper driving means that you'll be looking out of the side windows at where you're actually going instead of straight ahead of you at the cliff you should be avoiding.

My sister in law has a WRX with that and my brother hates driving it for that reason. He used to drive tractor trailers so he is in the habit of having to know everything about what is going on around him. We have that situation here with the hair pin curves. I drive a twisty mountain road 3 or 3 times a week and that would get old really fast!

 

[TxOTRRanger]

I'm sticking to my guns on this one. I'm continuing to research the OBS Ford F150s and Rangers. Dad and I were looking at them yesterday, and a good one with a decent amount of miles can be had for less than half the price of one of the new ones. My 2 cents.
@GhostStrykre, good luck with your decision.

 

[Grumpaw]

Wonder when their going to intigrate a sexbot in vehicles ???

 

[GhostStrykre]

Wonder when their going to intigrate a sexbot in vehicles ???

well sheesh... whenever they do that'll make buying a new vehicle a lot easier for me

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