There are similarities, yes. But then again, a spaceship doesn't nag you every few minutes that the windscreen cleaner is running low, or that the left reverse light is out (linear rcs?
) ), even while I'm doing 110 kph on the expressway and have no intention of using reverse. Not sure if the constant reminders are a bug or a way to get me to do something about it.
The newer cars are truly like spaceships though. Had the new Vw Polo as a replacement car for a few days( at least I think it was the Polo, might have been the Lupo or some other tiny one), and while it didn't have full lane assist, you could actually set the distance at which it follows the car ahead, without disabling the cruise control. Really useful on highways, since there's a special breed of drivers which overtake so slowly that you could make a timelapse out of it, and sometimes you run into trucks ahead in your lane and you have to brake, which deactivates the cruise. Also useful if the car ahead isn't driving at constant speed.
I still don't get by what principle the compressor turns on and off. Windshield de-frost sounds like a leafblower and uses bleed air, since it takes a while to get hot and it actually fogs up the windshield if I turn it on too soon. Normal heating, though, seems to be a combination between using the air con for heating and using engine heat. I can hear the compressor working, so it's engaged even for heating, but not always. Apparently it isn(t directly related to the heat setting.
Can't help but notice how, on the Opel Vectra, the temperature setting on the air con has no relation whatsoever to the outside temp sensor. Lower than 20 C and it blows cold air, even if it's colder than that inside and outside temp is close to freezing. Set it to 24 degrees while it's summer and it's 32 degrees outside, it's still going to blow warm air.
Edit: Well, the truckers.....Since they still have to drive trucks eligible for european highways, you only get to see the driver (half) naked. In eastern europe, it's the same shirt-less dude, but in a truck that has his name in full led lights on the front and in general more lights than a crhistmas tree. which is sort of fine, since the normal headlights and stop may or may not work.
