Driving a different new car every week gives me the unenviable ability to test out the latest and greatest technological advancements in the industry.

Many of you are probably rolling your eyes about that statement – “poor auto journalist complaining about driving a brand new car every week” – but you people who listen even half-heartedly to what we say may buy a car based on its features and then you get used to how they work.

Mercedes-Benz is using an electronic "switch" to control gears.

By the time I get used to some car’s technological advancements, I’m into a new vehicle with different systems and/or different ways of doing things. There are few standardized functions between vehicles from different companies.

And although I’m often amazed at some of the tech advancements – the Nissan rev-match function that blips the throttle on manual shifts of the automatic transmission, for example – I’m often also left to wonder if some things are really necessary – the toggle like gear selector European premium companies are embracing, for example.

Another such shining example, in my eyes, is an inclinometer on some SUVs. When you’re driving off road, does a driver really need to know how far off level the vehicle is? Would the driver push on knowing the vehicle owner’s manual says the vehicle can traverse a 45 degree side angle and the inclinometer is showing only 43?

The Toyota FJ Cruiser has the option of adding an inclinometre.

Having been at a 45 degree side angle, I can tell you it is not a pleasant experience and I probably wouldn’t venture into more than a 30 degree side slope in a top-heavy vehicle – regardless of how the vehicle’s engineers assure me.

One of the key characteristic that seems to spread across all companies, though, is the needless voice commands of a navigation system. Surprisingly enough, it got through to me on a recent launch, when my co-driver complained about the rally book’s needless instructions (5.6 km – entering the town of Nowheresville, for example). The thought is that if the driver really doesn’t have to deviate from the line of travel, don’t bother with an instruction. He or she will assume to keep to the current road until asked to navigate away from it.

Many navigation systems instruct drivers to bear left to stay on the highway.

Navigation systems are like that, especially when you’re on a major highway and they keep instructing you to stay on that highway. There’s only a couple that actually leave you alone until it’s time to get off the highway, but most will tell you every 500 m or so “keep left, following Highway” to make sure you don’t take each exit. That’s usually followed by “then in 800 m, keep left, following Highway”. Repeat that instruction at 400m and 200m intervals and you’re faced with sometimes three voice prompts to insure you know to stay on the highway. Granted you can turn down the voice prompts (or off completely) but that really defeats the purpose of keeping your eyes on the road.

In this day and age of offering drivers the ability to control things without taking eyes off the road and hands off the wheel, a little would probably go a much longer way.