If you could design a car from scratch, what's one unique feature it would have?
Posted by paarsa_ab@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 72 comments
Posted by paarsa_ab@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 72 comments
No-Care6289@reddit
It would be completely user serviceable
Ok-Tangelo4024@reddit
And the FSM along with TSBs would be available online for free.
Healthy_Yogurt_3955@reddit
What are those!?
Ok-Tangelo4024@reddit
Factory Service Manual, shows parts diagrams and how to do pretty much all repairs and maintenance. Technical Service Bulletins are what they send out when they notice an issue after a vehicle goes into production. Like if there's a common issue that comes up after the vehicle has a few thousand miles on it and the fix is always the same, the TSB describes the problem and the fix
weredragon357@reddit
Would also include full tool set to work on car.
VW-MB-AMC@reddit
It would be a very simple and basic car. Simple enough that I could fix it myself. It would have no screens. And it would have vent windows, and a front bench seat as an option. The front seats would fold all the way down so it would be possible to sleep in it. It would basicly be a Rambler. We could also bring back the name.
sonofeevil@reddit
It would be the LACK of features.
Barebones EV. here's a list of shit it WOULDN'T have.
Touch screen that gatekeeps every feature like AC Rain sensing wipers Auto headlights Boot lid/hatch that opens and closes itself Automatic height adjustable suspension Heated seats Heated steering wheel Lane staying Self-driving of any kind Integrated infotainment system (we're going back to a double din head unit (with carplay/android auto)) Electric adjustable seats Smart keys Smartphone integration (except head unit) Over air updates Blindspot monitoring Automated emergency braking/collision avoidance Tyre pressure monitoring Parking assistance Remote start
cashinyourface@reddit
Have you seen the slate startup. It's the same concept, a barebones ev that's said to have an msrp under 20k.
Viharabiliben@reddit
Not under 20k any longer thanks to tariffs.
twoheadedhorseman@reddit
And with all the safety features this person is removing haha
smthngeneric@reddit
I'd use the term "safety features" pretty loosely here. If you can't keep your car in one lane on your own, then you shouldn't be driving. If you need it to tell you when people are around you, you shouldn't be driving. If you need it to drive for you, you shouldn't be driving. Those features are more so for the safety of others for when the driver is too old or stupid to be operating a motor vehicle.
twoheadedhorseman@reddit
Ehh kinda disagree. Blind spot monitoring is 100% a safety feature. Lane keep can be aggressive but is helpful, and self driving in the way of lane centering is really great at minimizing driver fatigue on long road trips. Are they necessary? Absolutely not, but they're super nice to haves. Also heated seats and steering wheel are real nice in cold winters or when my back is acting up.
So, i'll say yes, loose safety feature term. But it's like when people say they don't need the reverse camera to reverse my response is always stfu we were all always just guesstimating when we reversed until we got cameras and distance sensors
cashinyourface@reddit
I disagree with that. Backup cameras are not needed, especially on smaller cars if you know how to use your mirrors. Blind spot monitoring is fine, but looking over your shoulder quickly should always be instinctual for all drivers on the road.
All those things you said are nice creature comforts, but that's all they should be. Nobody should rely on them. They all also drive the price up, and nobody can afford a new car now because of all these things.
cat_prophecy@reddit
With EVs the touchscreen is kind of necessary. Especially if you want to be able to have any sort of interface with the battery.
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
Everything that current automotive industry is adding right?😂
sonofeevil@reddit
Take me back to the 2010's.
The plethora of features and sensors have made working on cars a nightmare.
Everything is an unserviceable black box.
An apparently EV's just HAVE to be loaded to the gills with features.
I really like EV's but I don't like the bloated feature sets that come with them.
I don't mind adaptive cruise control, I love having GPS and Android Auto, I like ABS, reverse cameras, reversing sensors, traction controlz airbags and the advancements we've made in crash structures.
But I just don't want the bloat.
Dnlx5@reddit
Mclaren f1 style 1+2 seating!
Ornery-Vehicle-2458@reddit
Multipla Style 3+3 seating with the removable rear row.
But yeah, steering n wheel in the centre- all you have to change for rhd/lhd markets are the headlights (mostly)
Eldermillenial1@reddit
Heating strip along the bottom of the door windows so the window doesn’t freeze closed in winter, also heating strip along the bottom of the windshield so the wipers don’t stick and no ice build up. Automatic tire chains like on emergency vehicles and school buses. No cell service inside the car, prohibiting cell phone use while driving other than Bluetooth for music.
Expensive_Finding_74@reddit
Someone get this man a job at a car company.
MisterRay24@reddit
So many people are sleeping in their cars these days. I would sell a car with seat or a contered bed situation. Super easy to do for SUVs. It can even be removable so you can swap.
Expensive_Finding_74@reddit
Dacia Jogger has a bed and curtains as options.
Lowlife_4evr@reddit
Manual steering.
ZeroCool718@reddit
Goes to look for parking by itself in a metro city and picks you up when summoned. Other wise a 6 speed manual , v8, air suspension.
Eziekiel23_20@reddit
Rocket launcher. Duh.
ZeroCool718@reddit
Dilbert reference ?
Insertsociallife@reddit
Manual transmission with an electric motor driving the input shaft directly.
-regen braking works like engine braking -electric only driving by just putting the clutch in -lessens clutch wear by helping starts without slipping -neutral + clutch out + throttle + regen brakes is basically a massive generator -fuel-efficient and quiet car that's engaging to drive
SterTheDer@reddit
2500 HD body and frame. (But the size of the early 2000's trucks)
plug in hybrid, with \~40-60kwh battery for \~100miles of EV range.
3.3L Diesel engine or similar 4cyl turbodiesel.
Toyota e-CVT transmission. Toyota 4WD-i rear axel but with 2x the torque and a 4WD-LOW button to force-engage the rear motor.
Physical HVAC controls.
User serviceable. All bolts have the torque value stamped into-or next to them. All fluid reservoirs have the capacity marked on them. (Ie, coolant 'low' would say '3L' and "high" would say "3.5L" so you know to add .5L to bring the level up.)
OEM provided dash camera mounting spot on the windshield, with base spec provided dash cam.
Service washout ports provided to quickly and easily wash out the frame and body panels.
Easily replaceable rock-guards and fender liner.
TheFragileRich@reddit
It should be shaped like a huge penis. Two big pendulous wheels at the rear, a small cabin in the middle and a monstrously long front end with a V12 engine and only one wheel at the front. Painted beige, it should cause children to run in fear and women to faint in ecstasy as it drives down the narrow streets of CuntTown (Georgia). At night it will attract wayward girls and MILFs who please themselves upon it by polishing it with their vaginas. Also it's faster than a Ferrari.
C4PTNK0R34@reddit
A 5-speed manual transmission with an electromagnetic clutch that engages a second, 5-speed automatic transmission so you have the option of either driving a manual transmission or switching over to a fully automated transmission.
The design would feature a switch that when pressed would connect the flywheel to the automatic transmission while the manual transmission is in neutral, disengaging when the switch is off so the manual transmission can be used.
The length would probably be an issue, so the car would need to have rear-wheel drive or AWD.
BeaverMartin@reddit
I’ve long dreamed of a 2500 diesel truck that would have an easily removable normal bed say at the push of a button with hydraulic rams like the military PLS system. With options for a flatbed, camper, and enclosed utility bed. Just back up and in a matter of minutes the truck is transformed. Even better if it was a hybrid so you get tons of torque at takeoff/around town while the diesel sips fuel on the highway.
CalebCaster2@reddit
It would display volume of gas per time instead of distance per volume of gas.
thewhorecat@reddit
A mother-in-law divided section.
marriedthewronggirl@reddit
Came here to say a mother in law ejection button.
sir_thatguy@reddit
Ejecto-seat cuz!
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
😂😂😂
Party_Ad_3924@reddit
No weight cutting / cost saving measures, just purely engineered for the longest life possible.
TheCamoTrooper@reddit
Mechanical 4WS, digidash, and a near complete lack of computerized shit and complex electrics
Content-Agent-5871@reddit
Hood mounted rocket launcher because
Manderthal13@reddit
Every car, regardless of trim level, would have heated seats because everyone deserves relief for their sore back.
drpepperfan69420@reddit
A clutch operated manual transmission with an automated crawl gear for dealing with heavy city traffic. IDK how this would work
TheReal-Chris@reddit
I just saw a post about this in one of the car subreddits. Full manual old car with an extra crawl gear. And it wasn’t a 18 wheelers crazy transmission. Just a regular car. I tried to find the post. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Affectionate_Cloud86@reddit
This was known as a granny gear and wasn’t entirely uncommon, they’re quite handy.
weredragon357@reddit
My 2015 Cummins has this as 1st gear
drpepperfan69420@reddit
the Bronco Sport has something like this, but it's only good up to 6 mph as I understand. I would want something that went up to at least 20 or 25
bigflippindeal@reddit
Some cars such as the Citroen Ami 6 of the '60s had what's called a traffic clutch. It was a centrifugal clutch that would be disengaged at idle and then automatically engaged as the rpms increased. So you could operate in stop at go traffic with just the throttle and brake but you had to use the clutch to manually shift through the gears once having to shift out of first gear.
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
Clever thinking
Solid_Enthusiasm550@reddit
I posted this a while ago to s similar question.
The car would yell at you if you started to make a lane change without putting the blinker on 1st.
If you are going slow/ blocking traffic in the left lane. The car would say "speed up or move over repeatedly" in an annoying Rosie O'Donnell voice.
Flan-Cake@reddit
An 8 cylinder boxer engine. Just because I wamt to know how it sounds
Solid_Enthusiasm550@reddit
Porsche had them in the past in race cars 1.5L, 2L and a 3L. The 908 Porsche was probably the model that used it the most. 908-3 was porsche's most extreme non-turbo model. It was the ultimate lighter weight car.
Aluminum tubular space frame 400kg empty, 54kg( 1,200lbs race weight) 340 <370hp@8,400rpms, 3L Flat-8.
https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/history/porsche-history-1970-908-03-racing-car-targa-florio-nuerburgring-essence-13864.html
https://youtu.be/A7CMzpYqoC4?si=jWu83r_qjzjJ5Nyk
https://youtu.be/4ih8pEeNH8M?si=aeli5GC8yBVAYxUQ
Porsche had Flat 4, 6, 8 and 12 cylinder engines over the years.
former-ad-elect723@reddit
It'd be a tech first car, combining two things I really like, tech and cars.
BurningFarm@reddit
I was just thinking about this last night. All cars have license plates and they need to have registration stickers updated every couple of years. I slice the stickers and use plate covers to prevent people from messing with them or stealing them. All cars also have trunks, hatches, liftgates, tailgates, etc. Why not integrate a small window into the rear of the car, accessible from the inside of the hatch, so that the license plate can be secured more or less like the light bulbs, etc? Front plates are bad and should be abolished.
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
I liked your idea, but how do you think traffic cameras would identify the driver's information if there's no front license plate? It seems a bit difficult.
chibicascade2@reddit
A bunch of states in the US don't require them.
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
I didn't know that cause I don't live in us, but interesting 🤔
puskunk@reddit
No front plate in my state, no way for cameras to issue tickets. They don't need to know my info.
drpepperfan69420@reddit
good, traffic cameras can fuck right off
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
😂😂
three9@reddit
About 6 inches more head room than any other car on the road.
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
Really why?
puskunk@reddit
I assume because they are tall, especially from the waist up.
No_Mathematician3158@reddit
2 wd single cab 4cyl long box pick truck with full frame small 15 or 16 inch wheels 6 speed manual 4 cylinder turbo engine somthing along the like of a b16 Honda civic with a turbo. Ride height of a suv. No screens just a button stereo and no fancy ahit all user serviceable.
Liv4thmusic@reddit
Nav
beagletronic61@reddit
A good steering wheel that doesn’t fly off of your hands while driving.
Potential-Anything54@reddit
A noticeable absence of screens.
Gonna_do_this_again@reddit
A truck just because of the weight, but a tank holding sand that you can dispense in bad road conditions
Or tires that have heating wires that instantly melt ice on contact
Ok-Target3363@reddit
Gooch chiller
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
😂👍
SnikySquirrel@reddit
Rear engine rear drive sport sedan without power steering. Somewhere between an old beetle and a 911
EarthOk2418@reddit
Some sort of self cleaning feature to remove brake dust from the rims & brake calipers (think along the lines of the spraying mechanisms used for headlights and windshield washers).
paarsa_ab@reddit (OP)
Nice very creative🤌👍
RelevantMarket8771@reddit
Love this idea! Brake dust is a menace.