‘Do I Really Need That Stuff?’

Car owners like to stay cool (or warm) thanks to new artificial intelligence-based smart climate controls in their modern vehicles.

But they don’t think some other new technologies are so hot, and they often wonder why they are needed.

That’s according to this year’s J.D. Power Tech Experience Index study focusing on user experiences with advanced vehicle technologies as they come to market.

“We’ve come a long way since the high beam-low beam pedal under the driver’s left foot,” dealer Matthew Phillips tells WardsAuto. “There’s so much on these cars. It’s almost impossible to show everything (during the dealership delivery process) and expect the customer to retain it in one sitting.”        

While some technologies, such as intelligent (smart) climate control, have quickly won over users, many surveyed owners say they feel overwhelmed with features that, to them, don’t solve a problem, don’t work right, are challenging to use or are too limited in functionality, says J.D. Power.

The not-so-hot list includes facial recognition, fingerprint readers and interior gesture controls.

For example, many owners say interior gesture controls can be problematic (43.4 problems per 100 vehicles). Twenty-one percent of those owners say this technology lacks functionality.

Poor performance metrics, including a lack of perceived usefulness, cause the technology to lose consumers’ perceived value despite the automakers’ costs of bringing it to market.

J.D. Power has developed a return on investment (ROI) analysis as part of the index findings that group individual technologies into three categories: must have, nice to have and not necessary.

“A strong advanced tech strategy is crucial for all vehicle manufacturers, and many innovative technologies are answering customer needs,” says Kathleen Rizk, J.D. Power’s senior director- user experience benchmarking and technology.

Yet, this year’s study indicates many owners find some technologies of little use and even “annoying,” she adds, noting that automakers can address rising manufacturing costs by not giving customers what they don’t want.

Historically, it’s not uncommon for people to bridle at new technologies, especially ones that don’t yet have bugs worked out.

And many of the advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) stem from automakers’ autonomous vehicle R&D. Putting that technology on today’s cars costs less than developing it from scratch for non-self-driving cars.

Study highlights include:

Drivers still prefer hands-on tech – hands down.

Despite the increasing availability of ADAS, many owners are indifferent to some of those systems’ value. Most owners like features that directly address concerns, such as visual blindspot warnings, including back-up alerts, says J.D. Power.

However, other ADAS features often fall short, with drivers feeling capable of handling tasks without them.

Case in point: active-driving assistance. The hands-on-the-wheel version ranks among the lowest-rated ADAS technologies. Its perceived usefulness score was 7.61 on a 10-point scale.

This technology's more advanced hands-free version scores only a little better in perceived usefulness (7.98). In other words, it is not seen as solving a recognizable problem.

Owners don’t see value in separate passenger screens.

Automakers are expanding their offering of vehicles containing a front-seat passenger display screen. While passengers might like their own screen, vehicle owners tend to describe the feature as unnecessary.

J.D. Power says the technology might be viewed more favorably if front-passenger seats were occupied more often. But only 10% of vehicles carry front-seat passengers daily.

At the dealership, the addition of a second screen can complicate the vehicle-delivery process. J.D. Power says it’s difficult for dealership staffers to teach new owners how to use the primary infotainment screen, let alone a second one.

Tesla might be losing its tech edge.

Since Tesla began selling electric vehicles 16 years ago, its buyers have touted the brand's technology and rated their vehicles highly, often overlooking quality concerns.

However, J.D. Power says this trend is waning as Tesla's customer base expands beyond tech-hungry early adopters.

This year’s study results show lower satisfaction across some problematic technologies, such as direct driver monitoring (score of 7.65).

Phillips, CEO of Car Pros Automotive, a multi-point dealer group with sales in Washington state and California, sees educating customers about the technology on their newly purchased vehicle as a joint auto industry effort – if not necessarily an easy one. 

“I’m not sure it is strictly the OEMs’ responsibility; it’s everyone’s,” he says. “Everyone deserves a proper delivery and deserves to know about all the features on their purchase.”

Yet, advanced automotive technology is so amazing and prolific that “it’s easy for customers to feel overwhelmed if the salesperson goes through every single thing,” he adds.

Phillips says manufacturer tutorial videos help reinforce the familiarization process dealerships do when delivering a vehicle.

The 2024 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study is based on responses from 81,926 owners of new 2024 model-year vehicles. They were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.