Automatic start-stop, assisted driving, air suspension and other configurations that were originally only qualified for high-end models are gradually being distributed to mid-range, low-end, and even entry-level models.

However, not every technology is decentralized, for ordinary people All can improve the driving experience. Some time ago, car expert Wu Pei complained on Weibo that the electric suction doors installed on luxury models are too useless and not suitable for ordinary consumers. In the comment area of ​​this Weibo post, many netizens complained about various new door designs.

(Source: Weibo screenshot)

As ​​one of the most basic structures of a car, door design has become a very popular area for car companies in recent years. Many car manufacturers have changed from \”light factories\” to \”door factories\”. However, as netizens said, some things are not always better when they are more advanced, and even simple and ancient designs are more usable, such as physical buttons, such as car doors…

Advanced is not necessarily the best

Xiaotong is not that it favors the past over the present, nor does it think that new configurations that we are not accustomed to will not work, but that some new functions and new configurations are really not as convenient and fast as the old designs. The physical button is controlledThe replacement of screens and virtual buttons is a configuration that has been criticized a lot by netizens. Originally, drivers could use physical buttons to operate blindly, but now they have to turn their heads and look at the car screen, and may even have to enter the secondary menu to adjust certain functions, such as a certain function. All smart car companies have to operate wiper adjustments on the central control screen.

(Source: Tesla)

Relatively speaking, virtual buttons are easier to use, but the tactile feedback is not as strong as mechanical buttons. These designs not only complicate operations, but may also distract users, posing certain safety risks.

Different from physical buttons, door design update iterations mainly focus on two points. That is, aesthetics and technology. In addition to the electric suction doors mentioned above, car doors also have electric doors, sensor doors, hidden door handles and other designs. All of them are full of style, but when it comes to practicality, I’m afraid none of them can match the honest door handle design.

Next, let’s complain one by one.

Let’s talk about electric suction doors first. The advantages are mainly high-end, elegant, opening and closing. Easily, when the top rich get in and out of the car, electric suction doors can well reflect their identity and style, so they are often used in top luxury cars such as Rolls-Royce and Maybach. The main disadvantages of electric suction doors are their high cost and maintenance costs.It is too high, and the detection of obstacles is not timely enough. Of course, the most important thing is that it is easily damaged.

(Source: Bentley)

Those top rich people don’t often use their cars, and even if the electric suction door is broken, a driver will take care of it, so I don’t feel it. It is different for ordinary people. On the one hand, they use the car frequently and in many scenarios, so bumps will inevitably occur. This will amplify the shortcomings of electric suction doors that are not durable. That\’s why Wu Peicai said that the owners of electric suction door cars \”have no life of rich people, but have the disease of rich people.\” Frequent car repairs are not acceptable to ordinary people.

Electric doors are also a very popular design in recent years, and many of them are not It can be installed on models priced at RMB 200,000, such as Jikrypton X. The advantage of electric doors is that they almost completely eliminate the need for door handles and can be opened automatically by touch or induction. Of course, considering that electric doors may be damaged, most car companies will still equip their products with a hidden door handle.

(Source: Ji KryptonX)

It seems ideal, but after real experience, I found that the electric door also has some weak points. After using the button to open the door, you still need to Open and close the door to the appropriate angle before entering the vehicle.

There is also a more advanced derivative of electric doors, that is, induction automatic doors, which can use various sensors to sense whether the car owner has arrived nearby. After the car owner arrives, the door will automatically open. So a very embarrassing question arises The car owner did not intend to drive when he approached the vehicle, but the car opened the door automatically…

During the Shanghai Auto Show, Tang Wei, the spokesperson of Zhiji Auto, took the stage to speak and said that she really likes the automatic door opening of Zhiji Auto, but when she washes the car, the car often opens the door automatically, which affects her. As an international movie queen, Tang Wei actually did it herself Car washing, the opinions expressed are the voice of the majority of car owners, which shows that she really likes cars and understands them very well

(Photo source: Zhiji)

Nowadays, some new energy vehicles don’t even have the ignition start button. Over-reliance on intelligent operation has indeed made certain aspects of operation more difficult. Convenient, but some operations are more cumbersome

Speaking of this, we have to mention the hidden door handles that are the most criticized in car door design. If you ask how to tell the year of a car, the answer is to look at the door handles and taillights. If the vehicle has hidden doors Handle + through-type taillight, then it is most likely a product of 2020 and later

The reason why the hidden door handle is criticized is that it splits the action that can be completed in one step into two steps. Originally when we got in the car, we only needed to pull the door with our hands, but now we need to first Through buttons, touch, induction and other solutions, let the door handle pop up first, and then open the door.

(Source: Tesla)

Compared with traditional door handle designs, hidden door handles have two advantages: one large and one small. The small advantage is that it can reduce wind resistance to a certain extent, thereby reducing energy consumption. The big advantage is the appearance, which can greatly improve the car\’s appearance. Integration. It must be said that with the advent of the new energy vehicle era, the appearance design of cars has also undergone earth-shaking changes. The word \”sense of technology\” that was once very popular among car companies, has only now been truly realized.

In addition to the above-mentioned electric suction door, the car door design In addition to automatic doors, there are also frameless designs, wing doors and other designs, but in terms of practical value, the degree of improvement is not obvious.

The automotive industry needs progress, but please choose the right direction

Any industry has a similar development cycle. In the early days, companies did not have a clear direction, so product design It’s all kinds of weird and full of creativity. But after the industry matures, products will inevitably converge from hardware to appearance, such as the hidden door handles and through-type taillights that are widely used in today’s cars.

In addition, car screens are getting larger and larger, AR -HUD display systems, vehicle-mounted beds and other configurations are also gradually becoming more popular, and vehicle configurations are becoming more and more similar.

Of course, cars are expensive and there are many brands of various hardware For electronic products, the configuration will not be the same so quickly.

Most software, hardware and new design upgrades, All can improve the user\’s driving and riding experience, but it is inevitable that some will sacrifice the upgrade of experience in order to pursue the ultimate in some aspects. For example, the current pursuit of appearance and intelligence by car companies sacrifices convenience and safety.

The most terrifying thing is that after a design becomes mainstream , will cause other car companies to follow suit and become a symbol of high-end and high-end products, ultimately leaving consumers with no other choice. Nowadays, the popularization of door handleless designs is the best proof. Popular, fashionable, and high-end are not necessarily the best. If you need to sacrifice experience to obtain these, it will be more than worth the gain..

Cover image source: Tesla