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While most new automotive features make life easier, some annoyingly solve problems that don't even exist in the first place.

The global car industry is currently worth trillions of dollars and growing rapidly. This is a huge pie to slice up, but with hundreds of automakers competing for a share, competition can be brutal. To stay ahead, automakers are always coming up with new features that can attract more buyers.

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When executed well, some of these new features can make life much better for drivers, passengers, and other road users. In other cases, some new features are hated for being nuisances or solving problems that didn't even exist in the first place. With that said, let's explore some of the features we hate most in modern cars.

Two decades ago, the dashboard was dominated by buttons and dials that controlled everything in a car. Those days are gone, and now most cars have touchscreens to do that. Some of the cars featured on our list of the biggest screens in cars - such as the Tesla Model S Plaid - don't even have buttons anymore as all functions are controlled by touchscreens.

While touchscreens work well for some features and look cool, it's probably not a good idea to have them controlling everything.

Advanced driver assistance systems like lane-keep assist are credited for boosting safety on our roads massively. We actually think the technology is pretty neat when it works, as it ensures that the driver stays in their lane.

However, in some cars, lane-keep assist is preset to be on all the time, and it can be infuriating trying to figure out how to turn it off. The same applies to other assistance features like blind-spot monitoring and forward collision warning.

One of the features found in most performance cars is proper exhaust systems to allow their powerful engines to breathe and perform well. These cars also typically have vents all over their bodies to aid in cooling and aerodynamics.

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Manufacturers know gearheads love these cool features and the perception they give to other people, which is why we have so many cars with fake exhausts and vents.

When automatic transmissions started taking over the auto industry, manufacturers no longer needed the beloved stick shift. Most manufacturers kept various versions of the gear lever around to attract buyers still attached to the stick shift, but now we're seeing less of them.

Nowadays cars have many different ways of operating their gear shifters, from knobs to buttons, and even touchscreen controls. Most of these are hard to get used to and may even be dangerous when you keep having to take your eyes off the road.

One of the biggest thrills of driving is hitting a proper handbrake turn - just as you see in the movie. Sadly, you can only do this in old cars as the manual handbrake is an endangered species in new cars.

Manufacturers have replaced traditional handbrakes with electronic parking brakes. Although this can save space, most gearheads prefer the old lever as it was more fun and could be engaged intuitively in emergencies.

One of the best parts about driving a really fast car is listening to the sound it makes. Whether it's the thunderous roar of an American V8 engine or the scream of a Ferrari V12, the sound a vehicle makes is a key part of the driving experience sacred to most gearheads.

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Sadly, as the industry becomes more eco-friendly, cars are becoming increasingly quieter, which is a turn-off for many gearheads. Some manufacturers think a good counter to this is to add fake engine sounds to the cars, but everyone can instantly know they're fake especially if it's in an electric car.

Backup cameras are not a new thing in cars. In fact, since 2018 the US federal government has required manufacturers to install backup cameras on all new vehicles.

Although backup cameras have been around for a long time, some new cars make it seem like the technology was just invented, as they provide grainy footage that doesn't help anyone.

The grille has a significant impact on the overall design of a vehicle. After all, the grille is among the first things people see as a vehicle approaches them. Different manufacturers have different ways of approaching grille design.

Some manufacturers like to keep the grille simple and minimal while others - such as Tesla - get rid of it entirely. However, there's this new dreadful trend of installing massive grilles that cover almost the entire process. It started with Lexus, but now even the likes of BMW are taking it up. Just look at the new BMW XM SUV concept.

Thanks to the rise of smart voice assistants in smartphones and smart speakers, voice control seems to be the new must-have feature in car infotainment systems. Voice control can come in handy while driving, but it's often annoying in most cases as it never seems to work well. You end up having to repeat commands, shout, and even change your accent to get it to understand the commands.

It gets even worse if you have to use gestures to control certain features. It may even be dangerous if you do it while driving.

The Tesla Model S Plaid took the automotive world by storm when it debuted in 2021. The new design and insane acceleration caused a stir, but one of the most talked-about features of the new car was the Yoke steering wheel.

The Yoke may have appeared like a good idea to Elon Musk and his guys as it makes the Model S Plaid look like some sort of race car, but there's a reason why it's called a steering *wheel*. The box shape is unnatural for most drivers and can be hard to adjust to.

Martin is a seasoned content creator who has been writing about cars for over a decade, and has been in love with them for even longer. Growing up, Martin was surrounded by gearheads who instilled a deep love and understanding for cars in him at a young age. He loves to learn and write about all the developments happening in the auto industry - especially in the EV space. When he's not writing about cars, he likes to spend quality time with his wife, kids, and fur baby.