16th Jul 2016, 11:58
That's cool. I think I see what you mean now anyway - was in a friend's Mazda 6 at the weekend there, a modern one, and the head restraints were fixed. Comfortable enough, but they were non adjustable, which I see might be a problem if you don't like the set position. Heard modern Volvos and a few other manufacturers are the same, wonder why they don't let us adjust them anymore.
16th Jul 2016, 21:39
I noticed that forward-pushed headrest on a Hyundai ix35 (Tucson) too, very uncomfortable.
16th Jul 2016, 22:17
It's simple really and it's safety. All of my Volvo's have had fixed headrests (although they are very comfortable) and they are fixed to offer maximum whiplash protection. The problem with the titchy adjustable ones that most manufacturers have in their cars is that people DON'T adjust them correctly and if they have an accident, they are next to useless. If they are fixed then the chances are that they will work. Again, a very simple safety thing that Volvo started doing in the 70s and only just recently has everyone else started doing - BECAUSE IT WORKS! Admittedly, some manufacturers do seem obsessed with having them too far forward which can make them uncomfortable - which is plain silly.
19th Jul 2016, 07:17
The headrests in modern cars are angled forward to prevent whiplash. In the event of a rear-end collision, the inertia of the head causes it to accelerates backwards relative to the torso, which can lead to the backward snap and extension that causes whiplash. The forward angled headrest is intended to cause the head to accelerate forward in unison with the rest of the body to avoid this effect.
Where the headrest is adjustable, the top should at least level with the top of the driver's ears and preferably level with the top of the head. The headrest should reasonably close to the back of the head, and this may require angling the backrest into a more vertical position.
13th Mar 2020, 12:57
A thought on the electronic parking brakes. These are more and more becoming automatic, both when stopping and when moving the car - so no longer need to activate the button to set or release the e-brake. But what's fun is the e-brake does not work as an emergency brake on all cars. I have the latest Hyundai Sonata model and I tested the e-brake while rolling: at very slow speeds (under 10mph or so), the brake does engage and stops the car. But at higher speeds the e-brake won't engage and will throw an Anti-skid message if the button is pulled. I've seen on Youtube, on other cars the e-brake activates no matter the speed and brings the car to a very sharp stop.
13th Mar 2020, 18:11
I'm not a fan of modern e-brakes. I live in the UK and a lot of cars have it now. Just do not see the point - we were doing fine with a lever, and as long as it is placed logically, it never gets in the way - manufacturers justify the electronic handbrake as a space saver - but in reality the handbrake lever never took up any room. The modern electronic e-brake is just another pointless electronic thing to go wrong - just google search repairs on these, it is driven by a motor and is not cheap to replace. I (and many others) say some things are best left old school - https://www.carthrottle.com/post/6-reasons-why-the-electronic-handbrake-needs-to-die/
13th Sep 2020, 17:45
I question as well the actual concept of electronic parking brake. Originally, I think the manual parking brake had two functions: to secure the car when parked and to serve as an emergency brake. On a 1998 Passat, I blew a brake hose while braking on the highway. I heard a 'pop' and the car lost all brakes (I think the hydraulic system is designed to still work when a flexible fails, but on that car the brakes went completely down). Fortunately, I could pull the manual parking brake lever and bring the car safely to a stop. However, I now drive a newer car with electronic parking brake. I did a test: I drove the car at 20mph and pulled on the electronic parking brake: nothing happened, only the Anti-Skid light came on, but there was no braking whatsoever. I think on other car brands the electronic parking brake works even at speed, but not on mine.
I also don't understand why we have to manually apply the electronic parking brake. Why doesn't it apply automatically when putting the transmission in P? It does release automatically when moving on, but it does not apply automatically when parking the car.
16th Jul 2016, 07:19
Thanks for commenting on my post. I wish I was joking about how uncomfortable it is, I hope it's only this particular model. Every VW I have driven has never had this problem, although the recipe has been changed with the introduction of the "ergocomfort" seat range being painfully unsupportive, with the headrest painfully far forward. It's strange because other 2016 cars I've driven have absolutely nailed something as simple as comfort. Although I may notice such things more since I do a 160 mile trip each day.