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Car technology I'm thankful and unthankful for

The past few years have seen a surge of tech features in new vehicles — everything from cloud-based content to semi-autonomous driving. While some of it makes the driving experience better, not all tech is useful or well thought out. Automakers who are adept at drivetrains, ride quality and in-cabin comforts often fail at infotainment interfaces and connectivity. From testing dozens of vehicles each year and in the spirit of gratitude, here are three car tech features I'm thankful — and a trio I could live without. Thanks Connected search: This seems like a no-brainer since everyone already has it on their smartphones, but not all automakers include it in the dashboard and as part of their nav systems. The best ones, such as Toyota Entune, leverage a driver's connected device to search for a range of services and don't charge a subscription or require a separate data plan for the car. I also like how systems like Chrysler Uconnect use Yelp or other apps to find everything from coffee to gas stations and allow searching via voice recognition. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: It took two of the largest tech companies to get in-dash infotainment right. While they have their disadvantages (you're forced to use Apple Maps with CarPlay, for example), the two smartphone-integration platforms make it easier and safer to use their respective native apps for phoning, messaging, music and more behind the wheel by transferring a familiar UI to the dashboard — with no subscription required. Heated seats and steering wheels: I really appreciate these simple but pleasant features come wintertime. It's easy to get spoiled by bun-warmers on frosty mornings and using a heated steering wheel to warm the cold hands. I recently tested a 2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 Coupe that also had heated armrest that added to a cozy luxury experience. Bonus points for brands like Buick that allow setting seat heaters to turn on when the engine is remotely started. No thanks Automaker infotainment systems: Automakers have probably poured millions into creating their own infotainment systems, with the result largely being frustration on the part of most car owners. And Apple CarPlay and Android Auto coming along to make them obsolete. While some automaker systems, such as Toyota Entune and FCA's Uconnect, are easy and intuitive to use, it seems that high-end systems (I'm looking at you BMW iDrive and Mercedes-Benz COMAND) are the most difficult.

F1's Vettel leads, Verstappen and Grosjean crash at Silverstone

SILVERSTONE, England — Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel pushed Formula One title rival and home race favorite Lewis Hamilton off the top of the British Grand Prix practice timesheets on Friday while Max Verstappen crashed. Hamilton, winner for the past four years at Silverstone, had started the day by leading a Mercedes one-two in the sunny opening session. Vettel, who leads the Briton by a point in the championship after nine races, put in a lap of 1 minute 27.552 seconds in the afternoon to end the session 0.187 faster than his fellow-four-times world champion. That was still slower than Hamilton's morning time of 1:27.487, however, with Vettel third then and half a second slower. Hamilton's Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas, with a new engine in his car after last weekend's mechanical retirement in Austria, was second and third fastest respectively in the two sessions. Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen traded fourth and fifth places while Max Verstappen, winner in Austria for Red Bull, was sixth in the morning but crashed after lunch without setting a time. The 20-year-old Dutchman had ended the first session early after he was told to stop the car. Haas's Romain Grosjean had a heavy crash at the fast first corner, slamming into the tire barriers after failing to close the drag reduction system (DRS), in the morning and did not take part in practice two. "The car is destroyed," the Frenchman, who was unhurt in the impact, said over the radio. "I'm very, very sorry guys. I think it was the bump. I missed the (DRS) button." Team boss Guenther Steiner said the team needed to rebuild the chassis. Grosjean's team mate Kevin Magnussen and McLaren's Fernando Alonso were called to see stewards for a "potentially dangerous maneuver" after an incident between them early on but stewards ruled there was no further action needed. "Magnussen tried to hit me two times - in one and three," Alonso reported over the radio. "Very dangerous."Reporting by Alan BaldwinRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: Reuters Motorsports Ferrari Mercedes-Benz Racing Vehicles F1 Lewis Hamilton Sebastian Vettel Kimi Raikkonen silverstone Max Verstappen british grand prix Romain Grosjean

Maybach lost upwards of $500k on each vehicle sold

Daimler is shuttering Maybach in 2013 after seven years of production. In that time, the company's ultra-ultra-luxury arm managed to sell just 3,000 units, and CAR reports Daimler lost somewhere around $500,000 on each and every one of them.
Even with a ludicrous price tag of over $370,000 for an "entry" Maybach 57, the brand couldn't quite recoup the dizzying $1.33 billion Daimler poured into it since its (re)inception. Rumors ignited over a possible tie up with Aston Martin that would have resulted in a range of new and attractive models, but Daimler has instead decided to snuff out Maybach altogether.
We can hardly blame them.