We all love a clever product that makes our lives a little easier to manage, and there are hundreds of innovations that have proven to do this in recent times. Driving has also been targeted and where would we be without the parking sensor or those heated seats that treat us so well? But there have also been a number of real turkeys that haven’t brought much, if anything, to the useful gadget table. Some of them are just a little too complicated, others not complex enough, and then there are the ones that leave us scratching our heads in amazement. This article takes you on a little tour of those car gadgets that really make our blood boil!
Cooled Car Seats
Heated car seats are now pretty much accepted as a nice way to warm up our nether regions on those chilly mornings and evenings. They really hit the spot, literally, and bring some much needed comfort when we are driving around. So some bright spark decided to try the opposite and developed the cooled seat as an option. It is safe to say that these have not exactly set the motoring world alight and we can see why. If you live in a warmer climate and suffer from a rather over heated cabin at times, why not simply power on the air conditioning and chill out as you cruise around? Most air conditioners have a multitude of directional choices and you’ll soon be feeling nice and refreshed. The cold bum option that this ‘innovation’ offers is not really as cool in comparison. Some drivers have reported that their seat chiller has malfunctioned and they have arrived at their destination with a very cold posterior. We think the developer of this device needs to put his brains in the fridge until he thinks of a better idea.
Paddle Shifters in Non-Sports Models
These are fantastic pieces of equipment in high-powered cars that require a bit of assistance in the transmission department, in order to deal with those 500 brake horse-powered engines, but what about the lesser endowed models? The whole point of a paddle shifter is to extract the maximum efficiency from a rather swift mechanical monster. They have the capability of changing gear hundreds of times per second, and this is all well and good on a racetrack or private road. So why have some manufacturers insisted on mirroring this concept on a glorified shopping trolley? If you happen to drive a people carrier with an under-powered engine, you will know what we are talking about here. The poor thing struggles uphill because the transmission is often in a confused state, it can’t cope with the huge amount of gear changes and you end up with a very unpleasant driving experience. We suggest that the person who decided this was a match made in heaven should spend some time being towed behind a high powered racing car whilst sitting on a skateboard. He may eventually see the error of his ways, but we doubt it somehow!
