Sometimes a new car’s ergonomics, controls, or other details can make it or break it—here’s a list of last year’s best and worst
For the past few years, we’ve polled Driving.ca‘s editors and top contributors on the best and worst new cars they’d driven over the prior 12 months, and more than a few times, their preferences came down to the presence of one particular feature in said new car. Sometimes it’s a fantastic infotainment system that was so intuitive, it moved that vehicle to the top of their list of best driving experiences; other times, it’s a knob or button in the worst place that was just so frustrating to deal with that our writer just, well, wrote the car off.
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So this year we thought we’d skip the middle man and do a compilation of the specific new-car features the Driving staff liked least and most from their 2024 test drives. Most of them have to do with ergonomics, controls, and user interfaces—but there’s a handful of plaudits and complaints a little more esoteric in nature, too.
Is there a new-car feature you came across this past year you absolutely adored or abhorred? Let us know in the comments!
Stephanie Wallcraft’s Fave and Least Fave: Apple CarPlay and wireless charging; and hands-free driving systems
My favourite vehicle feature these days is actually a combination of features: wireless Apple CarPlay (or Android Auto for the iPhone-averse) and a wireless charging pad. I love the convenience of having my phone connect to the car automatically, no dangling cables required, and then throwing it into the tray to charge as I drive without a second thought. Fortunately, this combination is becoming widespread. I wouldn’t buy a new car in 2025 without it.
And my least favourite feature is also becoming more common: I strongly dislike any semi-autonomous highway driving system that gives drivers the impression they don’t need to pay attention while behind the wheel.
Renita Naraine’s Fave and Least Fave: Volume knobs; and heads-up displays
My least favourite feature is today’s head-up displays; I just think most are redundant in showing the same things you can see a couple centimetres below. That said, if you drive something like a Tesla that has only one massive centre screen, then I guess it’s appreciated a bit more.
Matthew Guy’s Fave and Least Fave: Ford Active Valve Performance Exhaust; and Toyota driver-attention alerts
On the flip side, this writer does not appreciate the driver attention nannies invading their way across an otherwise tremendous Toyota lineup. The system uses infrared to track and monitor a driver’s face, issuing alerts when it thinks whoever’s at the helm isn’t paying attention. That’s fine — except it exhorts to ‘keep eyes on the road’ and even ‘sit up straight’ when glancing left and right to find a street address or (horrors!) holding the steering wheel at top dead centre. I’m surprised there aren’t also admonishments to wash my hands and eat my vegetables.
Brian Harper’s Faves and Least Faves: All of the things
Oh, where do I start on the dislikes? Paddle shifters on cars with no sporting pretensions. Ditto use of the “GT” designation on pedestrian models. Touchscreens that require accessing menus and submenus to get to what should be basic functions (like HVAC and audio system). Automatic transmission shift patterns that are anything other than a straightforward pull back from Park. Voice recognition that doesn’t. Gesture controls. Electric handbrakes. Overly sensitive lane-departure or -keeping assists. Sunroofs. Fake or enhanced exhaust notes. Rear windows that don’t go all the way down.
My likes are simple: a good sound system; a strong, fast window defrost; heated seats and steering wheels; embedded navigation; convertible tops; and manual transmissions.
Brendan McAleer’s Fave and Least Fave: Heated steering wheels; and Mazda under-floor storage
The least useful feature has to be the Mazda CX-70’s under-floor storage. Getting rid of the (admittedly small) third-row seats of the CX-90 was not worth the tiny amount of additional space we get in this five-seater.
Elle Alder’s Fave and Least Fave: Porsche Active Ride suspension; and Porsche centre-lock wheels
Porsche takes both spots for me, and both on the same model series!
Sami Haj-Assaad’s Fave and Least Fave: Hands-free driving systems; and Android Automotive OS
Android Automotive OS seems like the most troublesome trend in the automotive industry. When an automaker announces that its new infotainment system will be utilizing Android Automotive OS, prepare for some annoyances.
For starters, some of them don’t include support for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay (Chevy EVs are the worst at this, but a Volvo I drove also lacked Android Auto). Then there’s an Account requirement to get additional apps, but that requires a data service for your car, meaning you’ll have to pay a monthly subscription at some point. While some automakers provide a decent experience with Android Automotive OS, many others I’ve dealt with have been frustrating.
Now for something I’ve been pleasantly surprised with: hands-free driving features. This job requires a lot of time on the road, and while it’s nice to take the route less travelled and find something new, the reality is there’s a lot of mileage travelled on the highway, which is where hands-free driving systems excel.
I’ve tried out General Motors’ Super Cruise, Ford’s Blue Cruise, and Nissan’s ProPilot Assist 2, and found them to be a nice way to deal with the tedium of long-distance road trips. They aren’t always perfect, and can nag you a lot if you’re not paying attention, but when they work, it’s a pretty slick experience.
Jil McIntosh’s Fave and Least Fave: GM towing labels; and EV pop-out door handles and Mazda gear selectors
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