It’s often said you can never have too much of a good thing; however, J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study reveals that’s just not true. Drivers want certain types of advanced tech and little more.
A new J.D. Power study says Americans want more functional technology in vehicles and less non-essential offerings.
The latest study shows simple, yet functional Artificial Intelligence-based tech wins the day with vehicle owners. This would include something like smart climate controls. However, consumers deemed more involved tech, such as hand-gesture-based controls or facial recognition, unnecessary and frustrating.
Their frustration stems from the inconsistent performance of the technology, Power officials noted. They cited gesture controls specifically — 43.4 problems per 100 vehicles — because 21% of owners said it wasn’t functional.
“A strong advanced tech strategy is crucial for all vehicle manufacturers, and many innovative technologies are answering customer needs,” said Kathleen Rizk, senior director of user experience benchmarking and technology at J.D. Power. “At the same time, this year’s study makes it clear that owners find some technologies of little use and/or are continually annoying.”
The good
The continuous call for knobs and buttons is often tied to older drivers and somewhat derisively. However, new findings suggest those Boomers know what they’re talking about. According to the new TXI, owners are indifferent to advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, as a rule. They want something that solves a specific problem, such as cameras that can help with blind spots.
However, active driving assistance features, such as reminders to keep both hands on the wheel and others like it ranked the lowest-rated ADAS technologies with a low perceived usefulness score (7.61 on a 10-point scale).
The hands-free, more advanced version of this tech does not significantly change the user experience as indicated by a usefulness score of 7.98, which can be attributed to the feature not solving a known problem.
The not so good
Apparently, not everyone needs a screen, specifically the front seat passenger. The feature was called “not necessary” by owners. Much of this is born out of the fact that most Americans drive alone much of the time. Plus, owners feel like they need to learn how to use it, complicating their lives.
While more and more automakers add more and more technology, one seems to be losing its leadership position as the most advanced automaker in the country: Tesla.
The compelling or interesting tech found in the EV maker’s vehicles, often gave owners reason to overlook quality issues. However, as more and more legacy automakers and nascent EV makers come online, the Texas-based EV company looks less and less like the king of the hill.
As Tesla’s customer base expands beyond tech-hungry early adopters, this trend is waning as this year’s results show a shift to lower satisfaction across some problematic techs such as direct driver monitoring (score of 7.65), Power officials said.
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The winners
Genesis ranks highest overall and highest among premium brands for innovation for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 584 (on a 1,000-point scale). In the premium segment, Lexus (535) ranks second and BMW (528) ranks third.
Hyundai ranks highest among mass market brands for innovation for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 518. Kia (499) ranks second and GMC (439) ranks third.
Certain vehicles earned recognition for the use of technology, such as the Toyota Sequoia nabbing the convenience award for its camera rear-view mirror technology. The rest of the awards were divided by premium and mass market brands.
Genesis GV70 is the premium model receiving the emerging automation award for front cross-traffic warning. Kia Carnival is the mass market model receiving the emerging automation award, also for front cross-traffic warning.
BMW iX receives the award for energy and sustainability in the premium segment for one-pedal driving. The mass market segment in the energy and sustainability category is not award eligible.
BMW X6 receives the award for infotainment and connectivity in the premium segment for phone-based digital key. Hyundai Santa Fe receives the award for infotainment and connectivity in the mass market segment, also for phone-based digital key.
KISS! (keep it simple, stupid)