Life with Cars.(Brief Article)

Should a car serve its driver or should the driver serve the car? The answer is absurdly obvious, absolutely straightforward. Logic: check. Reasoning: inarguable. But what's this? A worrisome number of car companies-even those known for making driving satisfaction a top priority-are now proffering vehicles that slap this notion of automotive servitude upside the head.

I'm talking e-car. Electronics. Telematics. Convergence. Our cars and trucks are feeling the effects of the same electronic boom that put a laptop on every lap and NASA computing power in the hands of PlayStation-playing children.

I have sampled numerous vehicles riddled with the latest in Silicon Valley-think and it is not pretty. The much-ballyhooed electronic gear made these encounters mildly annoying at best. At worst, I'd rather have been logging seat time in a dentist's chair.

For decades, the operative philosophy in automotive technology has been ``Put it in if it makes the car better.'' ``Better'' could be defined as more rewarding to drive, easier to operate, more versatile, or more comfortable and convenient for driver and passengers. Hence such improvements as power steering and brakes, power windows, automatic gearboxes, electronic sound systems, automatic climate control, heated seats and better switchgear.

Not any more. A veritable electronics frenzy has seemingly pushed sensible ergonomics off the bridge-and it's in danger of drowning. How else to explain the counterintuitive controls and teeth-gnashing frustration that accompany these ...