Agreed. The Civic definitely moved upmarket in terms of quality and performance but not THAT much upmarket where it'd get torque vectoring... my opinion of course. It's appearing on more and more performance cars but those are still rather premium cars that feature it.
This might be a stupid question, but I haven't bought a new car in a long time, heh. But how does the camera block a big chunk of the windshield? Are you talking about the camera on the side mirror? And if so, how does it affect the windshield? I haven't owned a car with a camera.
Wouldn't it be hard to incorporate ACC and lane watch on a manual transmission? Is that even possible?
As a fellow Prelude fan, I can tell you the Prelude is GONE. Actually, no offense, the 5th Gen was the most diluted representation of the old Prelude. The 3rd Gen was the best "Prelude". The feel of the Prelude is defined by lightness, body remaining flat in quick turns, low belt line (dash and windows are low so you have big visibility) low seating position (gives a go-kart like feel) and like you said great transitional response. Most of these attributes are not manufactured in a car anymore. Obviously newer cars perform better than a Prelude, but the "feel" isn't the same.
ACC difficult, lane watch no prob
Not hard at all, since you can use cruise control with any Honda manual. It's all electronically controlled. You just need the added sensors.
That self centering effect you feel in older cars steering is the hydraulic steering rack at work. Hydraulic steering is connected mechanically to the wheels/tired but modern day electric power steering (EPS) racks aren't. That's the short of it. Here's a geek out physics explanation:
Not totally true. The amount of caster that is dialed in on front suspension geometry is what determines the effect of "self centering". Think about shopping cart wheels, how they always snap back to direction of travel. It's because they have exaggerated caster.That self centering effect you feel in older cars steering is the hydraulic steering rack at work. Hydraulic steering is connected mechanically to the wheels/tired but modern day electric power steering (EPS) racks aren't. That's the short of it. Here's a geek out physics explanation:
With traditional manual or power-assisted steering (hydraulic steering) the wheel is mechanically connected to the tires. The tires are rotating quickly and so have gyroscopic inertia.
When you are coming out of a turn the inertia of the tires will want them to keep spinning in the direction you last held the wheel, which is why the vehicle "self-centers" as it comes out of a turn.
With EPS the tires are not directly connected to the steering wheel so you will not experience as much of the gyroscopic effect. So wheels will not "self-center" in the same way. This is also what causes the perceived lack of roadfeel in electronic steering. That gyroscopic inertia is what causes steering resistance on traditional cars as you go around a curve.
I wish all cars stayed hydraulic steering because of the better centering, connected feeling, and road feel it gives you, but manufacturers want to squeeze every bit of MPG from cars so they're all going EPS
If you drive mainly highway, like I do, where the speed can fluctuate between 55-70mph, its an add benefit to have ACC. You dont need to shift down a gear at those speeds.
They COULD offer it with a limited effect, such as it would disengage under or over a certain RPM. Still though, the driver would be so involved, what's the point? But, they may anyway, people don't realize how cheap it is to put all of this tech into a car. Most of the cost is development and software, hardware is cheap these days.
