Seeing is Relieving

Casting a closer look at instrument displays

By Bill McLauchlan

Choosing a new car follows a predictable routine. Enjoyable? Yes, but still sticking to a time worn process. Probably suitable candidates get scoped out at an auto show or in a dealer’s showroom. Specs are checked, prices compared and a particular model’s styling wins you over. After sitting in it and checking out the interior a short road test usually follows, where performance, handling, braking, visibility, room and ride comfort are assessed.

Pretty standard stuff, right? Yup, but typically overlooked in the “buzz” one gets from a test drive is instrument panel legibility, an issue that should become a key focus as you approach the big 5-0 or have passed beyond.

Illustration: Newspress

Eyes start aging as mid-life sets in and glasses are the norm for many over-40 drivers as failing sight kicks in – usually long-sightedness, affecting our ability to see up close. Muscles become weaker, the eye’s ability to change focus quickly deteriorates and for many drivers it becomes harder to adjust from reading detail in traffic or street signs to a quick glance at the instrument display.

And let’s face it, the latest IP designs tend to have more in common with your iPhone than in uncle Buck’s old Ford. In today’s complex driving environment its vital to constantly monitor what’s going on outside and inside the car and react appropriately. As we get older, our ability to process information – and react to it – tends to slow down. Getting, and keeping, a clear picture of what’s going on is more important than ever. So, keeping an eye out for a legible, easy-to-read in the blink of an eye panel read-out should be added to the road-test checklist for the maturing motorist.

One feature to watch for is a good choice of font (type style) that optimizes visual information across all aspects of the vehicle interior, from instrument clusters (dials and gauges) to telematics displays, head-up displays, audio systems, mapping and diagnostic presentations.

While the link between font design and readability may be obvious on the face of it, it hasn’t always been so for automakers.

Photo: Newspress

Readability of instruments can be influenced by factors such as the shape of the numerals and letters, also known as glyphs. These include their height, width, weight (bold, regular, etc.) and whether or not they have serifs. Besides the shape of the characters themselves, text legibility may also be affected by other factors, so attributes you should be looking for include font size, contrast between type and background, font colour, and screen resolution. And don’t ignore lighting.

It’s one thing to have an instrument layout with good design elements but external issues, such as sun glare, can markedly impair your ability to see and make sense of the vehicle’s controls and panel displays, especially at sunrise and sunset when heightened glare is most prevalent. At least one automaker has seen the light and is working to minimize this problem.

Ford Motor Co. has set up a Visual Performance Evaluation Lab, or “lighting lab” as insiders call it, to replicate just about any combination of light and weather conditions you’re likely to run into on a daily drive.

Photo: Courtesy Ford Motor Co.

Not unlike a planetarium, the dome-shaped Lab can reproduce sunlight conditions from dawn to dusk and even recreate the effect of planet Earth’s phases as it revolves around the sun. There are also lights around the dome’s lip that can be adjusted to reproduce the effects of various weather conditions.

Photo: Courtesy Ford Motor Co.

Take a look at the 2015 Mustang if you want to see the benefits. It’s designers subjected the ‘Stang’s new aluminum dash panel to the Lab’s rigorous regime to make sure there’s no glare that might affect drivers under a variety of conditions, and that the instruments comprising the car’s optional gauge pack are always legible.

“The first time a buyer sits in the Mustang, that person will be able to see the interior as the designers originally envisioned it – in the best light possible,” claims Mahendra Dassanayake, a lighting technical specialist with Ford. “Whether the car is parked outside or (sitting in a dealer showroom), whether it is a bright, sunny day, or overcast and snowing, the materials and controls in the Mustang will be both visually satisfying and highly functional.”

To assess their clarity and legibility, gauge clusters, head-up displays, climate controls, nav systems, audio and infotainment systems, in the complete car or as individual design components, are placed centrally in the Lab’s circular confines. Then, a quartet of powerful 1,500-watt lights, mounted on a moveable steel arm, is switched on. By moving the arm to specific points on the circle’s rim, adjusting the spotlights and controlling floodlights in the ceiling, light conditions for any time of day can be simulated. Additionally, the dome-mounted lighting is employed to duplicate varied weather conditions from bright sun to complete cloud cover.

The job of good type design plus a good job in the way a car’s instrument panel is designed can help make it a lot easier for you to do a better job of processing, and acting on, vital visual information. And that can’t be bad. It’s worth a good, close look next time you take a new car out for a trial spin.

Things That Really Grind Our Gears

Canadian drivers confess to bad behaviour:
Survey finds speeding is the most confessed bad habit

By Tom Mack

Most of us will have some experience of being on the receiving end of someone else’s aggressive or bad driving displays. Thankfully such moments are still relatively rare but they can be annoying, if not downright scary when experienced.

While age is no indicator of who’s likely to indulge in such bad road manners, it’s safe to suggest that perhaps there’s a correlation between youth and impatience. On the other hand, as we mature, gain driving experience and become more philosophical about life an argument can be made that we show more patience and less aggression behind the wheel.

Still, at any age, stress can lead to risk taking and this in turn increases the likelihood of a driving transgression, regardless of age. 

A new survey from Kanetix.ca finds that more than 75 per cent of Canadians admit to bad driving behavior, with speeding being the most confessed bad habit.

“While our study shows that most of us are guilty of bad driving behaviours, what’s particularly interesting is the consequences of this aggression,” said Janine White, Vice President, Marketplaces at Kanetix.ca “Receiving a ticket, getting into a collision, or worse – all which inevitably lead to car insurance hikes, is risky and costly, and just not worth it in the end.”

Illustration: Newspress

What are Canadians guilty of doing behind the wheel?
Over half (58 per cent) are guilty of speeding, down about two percent from 2012, when Kanetix.ca first conducted this study.

Using profanity out of frustration with traffic or delays is the second most common bad habit (31 per cent)

Following too closely behind other vehicles (22 per cent)

Displaying hostile hand gestures towards other drivers is also a common bad behavior, along with yelling at another driver (19 per cent)

Drivers also admit to: cutting people off (13 per cent); weaving in and out of traffic (8 per cent); honking excessively at other drivers (7 per cent), and chasing or tailgating other drivers (7 per cent)

Generally, men are more likely to engage in these behaviours, while Quebec residents are least likely to do so.

Provincial Breakdown:
Eighty per cent of Albertans admit to bad driving behaviour, with two-thirds saying they speed

Ontarians are the same – eight in 10 admit to bad driving behaviour, again, speeding is the most common

Quebec residents are the least likely to admit to any bad driving habits (68 per cent vs. 79 per cent for the rest of Canada,). Twenty-five per cent of Quebec drivers claim they are a perfect driver.

While Canadians show marginal improvements, bad driving behaviours remain largely unchanged from three years ago. The only habit that saw a significant drop was the use of profanity out of frustration with traffic or delays, which fell from 39 per cent to 31 per cent, an interesting observation considering traffic congestion is generally increasing across Canada.

“One ticket can have a significant negative impact on your car insurance premiums,” said Janine White. “Become a calmer and safer driver – it will save you and your money.”

Renewing Marriage Vows in a Classic Way

Memories connected to cars rekindled for 150 couples

By Bill McLauchlan

Cars play a big part in most of our lives and, as the years pass, contribute to many milestones along the way.

It’s hard to forget your first time behind the wheel of a car. Or how about the first car you ever owned? Your first awkward fumblings in the back seat? Your first new car? Driving home from the hospital with your first born? Noteworthy road trips? The list is as long as your memory.

Looking back, one car often stands out among all the others. Perhaps you’ve kept it all through those years, lavishing it with care and affection to keep it in pristine condition. Or, thanks to career success, you’ve had the financial means to locate and buy back the very car you used to own or bought and restored one just like it. Whatever the reason, it’s all been driven by love, one way or another.

To emphasize these life-long commitments Hagerty, the world’s leading insurance provider for classic cars, trucks and motorcycles, decided it would be a good idea to host a vow renewal ceremony for more than 150 classic car owners in the cars they love at the legendary Woodward Dream Cruise over the weekend. The Dream Cruise brought together more than 40,000 classic cars and around a million visitors to Detroit’s Woodward Avenue.

“So many special life moments that create lasting memories are connected to cars,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of the firm. “We wanted to find a way to rekindle those memories for couples who love their cars almost as much as they love each other.”

PRNewsFoto/Hagerty
Gordon and Geri Rinschler renew their vows in the same 1930 Ford Model A they drove at their wedding 47 years ago.

Using the world-famous Woodward cruise as the perfect ‘car-centric’ setting for the event, participating couples were provided veils, bow ties, cupcakes, sparkling apple cider and a certificate to mark the occasion. More than 150 couples participated in the vow renewals including Gordon and Geri Rinschler of Birmingham, Michigan, who were married 47 years ago in the very same 1930 Ford Model A that they drove to renew their vows in last Saturday. Dressed in full gown and tux and witnessed by their three children and 17-year-old granddaughter, who attend the Dream Cruise together every year, the Rinschlers reaffirmed their love stating “this will certainly be a Dream Cruise to remember.”

The Woodward Dream Cruise started as a fundraiser for a soccer field in Ferndale twenty years ago. In just a few short years it has evolved into the world’s largest one-day automotive event. Spectators and cruisers travel to the 16-mile (26 km) stretch of Detroit’s historical Woodward Avenue to demonstrate and view thousands of muscle cars, street rods, custom, classic, collector and special interest vehicles that celebrate an ongoing love affair with the automobile.

Lincoln's 30-way Seat: A New Era in Comfort and Luxury

It goes beyond the one-size-fits-all designs of today

By Bill McLauchlan

A long day behind the wheel can sure leave you stiff and sore, even with the benefit of driver’s seat adjustability and no age-associated effects to deal with. If you can’t find a comfortable set-up then it can be a tortuous journey dealing with leg, hip, lower back, shoulder and neck pains along the way.

Shorter trips can still be a problem if you need to compensate for impaired function, restricted movement and the typical aches and pains brought on by old injuries, arthritis and other ailments typical of advancing years.

Now there’s a good chance you can arrive feeling refreshed and rejuvenated – even after a long trip – thanks to the new 30-way seats introduced in the Lincoln Continental Concept.

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“The next frontier is a seat that conforms to and supports the body – a seat that feels as if it were personally tailored for you each time,” said Jonathan Line, advanced seat innovations supervisor and technical expert.

In addition to greater adjustability than currently offered by conventional multi-setting seats, the Continental Concept’s 30-way adjustment is better able to tailor and personalize your driving experience and improve comfort.

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It’s all possible thanks to a patented flexible structure with a suspension system of plastic and a thin layer of foam that flexes around the body, helping take stress off the shoulders and neck.

“The new design of the 30-way seats goes beyond the one-size-fits-all designs seen in the past,” said Line. “It conforms to your body and supports it in ways not previously possible.”

Where did this inspiration come from? The luxury automaker’s seat engineers studied first-class and private airplane seats for possible applications. Lisa Senters-McDermott, CEO of Jet Senters Aviation, believes luxury car drivers will welcome the influence of high-end aviation seating.

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According to Ford CEO Mark Fields, this rendition is a strong indicator of the new full-size Conti due next year.

“Private aviation caters to no-compromise clients,” said Senters-McDermott. “These seats certainly seem as if they spring from an elevated, no-compromise approach.”

Two extending thigh cushions, each independently adjustable, provide support for the lower body and legs. These cushions can be extended or moved up or down. This lets the driver further personalize the adjustments and give support as needed to each leg separately, recognizing the different needs for each leg – one is at rest while the other engages the pedals. Sounds like an ideal cure for that “dead leg” sensation and a way to alleviate hip pressure points.

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Additional comfort comes courtesy of massage functions in the seatback and cushion. The rolling-pattern massage is designed to help reduce muscle fatigue, aches and pains by keeping muscles and blood vessels stimulated in the legs and lower back. The seats can be heated, and cooling vents are included as well.

“Creating a seat that tailors itself to your body and can be adjusted to the situation to make you more comfortable can be a big benefit,” said Christopher Kempski, an ergonomist for Ergo Concepts. “In my field, we develop solutions for industries that create the best possible fit between workers and their tasks – in essence reducing fatigue. When the body tires, the mind follows, so keeping the body refreshed is vital.”

As of last month, over 50 patent disclosures related to the 30-way seats have been filed in the US to date, with over 100 more disclosed or under review. Here’s a look at what can be adjusted (with the number of ways possible):
Seat travel (6); Recline (2); Head restraint (4); Upper back bolster support (2); Cushion extension (4) – two movements on each side; Thigh support (4) – two movements on each side; Lumbar (4); Seatback bolster (2) and Cushion bolster (2).

Hopefully, it won’t be too long until the comfort and wellness afforded by this 30-way seat design finds its way into less expensive mainstream models from Lincoln’s parent Ford Motor Co.

Nissan Takes a Cruise Down Memory Lane

A blast from the past helps trace its 'sport sedan' tradiition

By Bill McLauchlan

There are many ways to celebrate car culture and historic vehicles. One is museums, the other on the road.

For this year's Monterey Motorsports Reunion in California, Nissan is taking a pair of museum cars – a 1967 Datsun 411 and a more familiar 1972 Datsun 510 – filling the tires and fuel tanks and putting them on the road. Throw in a showroom-fresh 2106 Nissan Maxima and you've got a rolling exhibition called "The Evolution of the Sport Sedan."

The low-key tour featuring this trio of old and new sport sedans leaves Los Angeles this Thursday, August 13, to make the 300-mile (484 km) drive to the Monterey Peninsula, home of the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Monterey Motorsports reunion vintage sports car races.

The Datsun 411 and Datsun 510 helped establish Nissan on this continent, while the Maxima today continues as the flagship of the automaker's sedan lineup. The three vehicles should attract lots of interest from car enthusiasts from all over the world gathering for the weekend's various activities.

The sedans will be driven from Los Angeles to Monterey by a group of automotive media and Nissan employees, accompanied by a Nissan NV support vehicle – but no trailer. The leisurely pace will likely be set by the Datsun 411, which at 48-years old should provide quite a contrast to the ride, handling and comfort of the brand-new 2016 Maxima.

The next day, Friday, the trio will be on display in the downtown Carmel area. On Saturday, the road show moves the track for display there.

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The Datsun 411 (left) was produced from 1965 to 1967 and featured a body designed by Italy's famed Pininfarina studio and its styling shows strong hints of Alfa Romeo in many ways. It shared its 96-horsepower 1.6-litre inline 4-cylinder engine with the sporty Datsun 1600 Roadster and featured standard front disc brakes and 13-inch wheels and tires. Car and Driver magazine, in its May 1967 review said, "From what we were able to deduce, it handles creditably well, though its makers have a lot to learn about the subtleties of shock absorber calibration." 

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By the time the 411 was replaced by Datsun's new 510 model (right) in 1968, the Italian-designed body was gone but the blueprint was set for all future Nissan sport sedans. The Datsun 510 became known as nearly unbeatable on race tracks in both Canada and the US and was a popular alternative to European sport sedans in garages on both sides of the border. The 510 was named by Road & Track magazine as "one of the most important cars of the 20th Century."

Now in its eighth generation, the all-new 2016 Maxima (below) takes the nameplate's position as the '4-door Sports Car' to its highest execution ever. It features authentic sports car cues throughout, including low and wide proportions, powerful body sculpting, flared fenders and available machined-finish 19-inch  wheels. The standard re-engineered 3.5-litre DOHC 24-valve V6 is rated at 300 horsepower – more than three times that of the Datsun 411 and 510 engines – and 261 lb-ft of torque. The new Maxima also features a premium bespoke crafted interior, anchored by a driver's cabin that rivals luxury vehicles.

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The Maxima also offers an extensive range of safety, security and driving aids that will find favour with many more mature drivers, including Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), Forward Emergency Braking (FEB), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), as well as Blind Spot Warning (BSW) and Driver Attention Alert (DAA).

Put The Brakes on Skin Damage

Years of driving takes its toll 

By Bill McLauchlan

Imagine the effect on your skin if you exposed it to the sun every day for four straight years. Not a pretty prospect and, let’s face it, a particularly hazardous practice.

Yet, if you’re over 50 years old and have been driving for five decades or more, that’s an ugly truth you’ll have to live with.
  
The average North American spends more than 101 minutes a day in a car, according to Harvard Health Watch. That’s 37,935 hours or more than four years in a person’s lifetime. Yet millions of drivers don’t realize that UVA rays infiltrate glass in cars and if unprotected contribute to long-term skin damage that can lead to aging, sagging skin or even cancer.

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Taking preventive measures such as installing window tint on your vehicle windows and using sunscreen every day can help minimize against such potential skin damage.

According to a study in Dermatologic Therapy, “The need for protection from the sun is widely advocated, but consumers generally associate such protection with the occasional extreme exposure and tend to ignore the risk … daily protection can reduce lifetime exposure by 50 percent or more.”

Dr. Dee Anna Glaser, vice-chair of the dermatology department at St. Louis University says, “UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin and can silently accelerate the aging process, cause wrinkles and even skin cancer.” Unlike UVB rays, which create immediate effects like blistering and burns, UVA rays create long-term damage that is not immediately noticeable. “That’s why many people don’t realize their skin is getting damaged from sitting near car windows,” says Dr.  Glaser.
   
A  St. Louis University Medical School study revealed that nearly 53 percent of skin cancers in North America occur on the left side of the body. Researchers believe the increase in left-sided skin cancers may be from exposure to UVA radiation while driving. Notably the trend reverses to the right side of the body in countries where drivers sit on the right side of the car.

Cars That Can See Round Corners?

New camera system takes the stress out of situations with reduced visibility

By Tom Mack

Exiting a blind intersection can be a nerve-wracking experience for drivers, young and old alike, as they inch forward into traffic and strain to see and hear oncoming vehicles.

So, too, if you’re coming out an alley, laneway or driveway with walls, hedges or other visual obstructions impairing your lateral vision. Even leaving a parking space in a mall can be problematic, what with slab-sided SUVs, minivans or pickup trucks blocking your line of sight as you try to pull out.

Photo: Ford Motor Co.

That’s why it’s good news to learn Ford is introducing a new camera technology that can see around corners, even when drivers cannot, to help avert accidents.  

The innovative Front Split View Camera, available on the all-new 2015 Edge and slated for the 2016 Explorer – as well as Ford’s Galaxy and S-MAX models in Europe – displays a 180-degree view from the front of the car, using a video camera in the grille. At a blind junction or exiting a driveway, the camera enables drivers to easily spot approaching vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists. 

“It’s not just blind junctions that can be stressful, sometimes an overhanging tree, or bushes can be the problem,” said Ronny Hause, engineer, Driver Assistance Electronic Systems, Ford of Europe. “Simply driving off driveways can be a challenge. Much like a rear-view camera, Front Split View Camera is one of those technologies that people will soon find indispensable.”

The new system is activated at the push of a button. A 1-megapixel camera in the front grille enables drivers to see a real-time 180-degree view – both left and right – on the vehicle’s eight-inch colour touchscreen.

Graphic: Ford Motor Co.

Drivers can track road users that approach from either side and pass in front of their vehicle. The camera, just 33 mm wide, is kept clear by a specially designed retractable jet-washer that operates automatically when the windscreen wipers are activated.

“From sunrise to sunset we tested the camera on all kinds of roads, congested urban streets and areas with a lot of cyclists and pedestrians,” Hause said. “Tackling tunnels, narrow alleys and garages in all light conditions also meant we could ensure the technology worked well even when sunlight was shining directly into the camera.”

Pulling out on a blind intersection can be a tricky manoeuvre for new and experienced drivers alike. The best approach has traditionally been to simply lean forward to get the best view while creeping forwards with the windows wound down to listen for approaching vehicles, but cyclists are a particular risk as they can’t be heard. Nor can a potential new hazard – electric cars.

Photo: Newspress

This technology will certainly make emerging from anywhere with a restricted view much safer and the experience less nerve-wracking for those behind the wheel. Though one wonders why a similar rear-bumper system isn’t available too. After all, most of us drive into a vacant space in shopping centres or parking lots and reverse out when leaving. The latter can be a problem if your car has a large vehicle parked on either side to impede vision.