When you walk into a dealership today, the brochures and showrooms are full of futuristic tech. Huge touchscreens dominate dashboards, wireless connectivity is everywhere, and automakers proudly market advanced safety features. But while the technology seems to be moving forward, many familiar touches that used to make cars practical, user friendly, and even luxurious are quietly disappearing. These omissions are rarely advertised, and often buyers only notice them when they start living with the car. In the quest to save production costs and squeeze out higher margins, automakers are trimming details that once defined quality. Here are ten features that have been slipping away, leaving drivers wondering when cars started feeling just a little bit cheaper.
Physical Buttons and Knobs
The first feature being phased out is physical buttons and knobs. For decades, they were the foundation of good design, letting drivers adjust climate controls, volume, or defrosters without taking their eyes off the road. Today, many automakers have stripped dashboards of nearly every button, hiding essential functions inside touchscreen menus. Volkswagen, Tesla, and even some luxury brands like Cadillac have embraced this minimalist look, which reduces manufacturing complexity and wiring costs. The downside is that changing the cabin temperature now means stabbing through digital menus instead of twisting a dial. It looks futuristic but often feels like a downgrade when you’re driving at night or bouncing over rough roads.
Spare Tires
Spare tires are another casualty. Most older cars came with a full sized or at least compact spare, giving drivers peace of mind on long trips. Increasingly, new vehicles ship with nothing more than a small compressor and a can of sealant. Automakers argue that this saves space, reduces weight for fuel economy, and improves packaging. But the real win is cost savings on every vehicle sold. Owners discover the problem only when they hit a pothole or debris that tears open a tire’s sidewall, something a can of sealant cannot fix. Brands like BMW and Mercedes have leaned into this change by promoting run flat tires, but even mainstream manufacturers are leaving customers stranded without a proper backup.
Engine Covers and Insulation
Even what you see under the hood has been cheapened. Many cars from the 1980s and 90s came with carefully fitted insulation on the underside of the hood and neat plastic engine covers to give the engine bay a clean, finished look. Today, many new models lack either. The reasoning is obvious: every piece of insulation or trim is one more cost on the production line. While premium German cars still use them, plenty of mainstream sedans and crossovers have gone barebones, leaving noisier cabins and engine bays that look half finished when opened.
Illuminated Switchgear
A similar disappearance is happening inside, with illuminated switchgear. Buttons for windows, locks, and mirrors once glowed softly at night, making them easy to locate. Now, in many entry level and even midrange cars, those lights are gone. Drivers are left fumbling in the dark, especially on rear seat controls. Automakers save pennies per switch, which adds up to millions across entire production runs. It’s a small but noticeable cut that makes interiors feel less polished compared to cars built twenty years ago.
Hood Struts
Hood struts are another place where corners are being cut. Gas charged struts used to make lifting a hood effortless, a feature that conveyed a sense of quality even in affordable cars. Increasingly, they’ve been replaced by basic prop rods, the kind of thing you would have expected in economy cars from decades past. It’s a reminder that automakers look at every component, no matter how small, when trimming budgets. Even trucks, once considered too tough to cheapen in this way, have started showing up with prop rods instead of struts.
Full Size Spare Keys
The spare key situation has also changed. For years, buyers received two fully functional keys when purchasing a new vehicle. Now, many automakers provide one expensive smart key fob and a backup that is either stripped down or missing features like remote start. Replacing the main fob can cost several hundred dollars, and programming it requires a dealer visit. It shifts cost and hassle onto the customer in a way that most don’t realize until they lose or damage their only advanced fob.
Retractable Antennas
Some charming touches have disappeared entirely, like retractable antennas. These were once hallmarks of premium models, gracefully extending when the radio was switched on. They’ve been replaced by fixed metal rods or integrated windshield antennas, which are cheaper and less likely to break but lack the elegance that made older cars feel special. It’s another detail that has been sacrificed to efficiency.
Sound Deadening
Sound deadening has also been scaled back. Many new vehicles transmit noticeably more wind and road noise into the cabin than older models, especially in compact SUVs and sedans. Automakers have reduced insulation materials to save weight and cost, which may help fuel efficiency on paper but often leaves cabins feeling cheap and unrefined. Buyers expecting whisper quiet rides are sometimes surprised to find that their brand new vehicle is louder inside than the car they traded in from a decade earlier.
Trunk Carpeting and Lining
Even trunks are less refined. Full carpeting and padding used to be standard, making cargo areas feel finished and upscale. Increasingly, automakers are using thin felt like materials or leaving large areas of bare metal exposed. It saves money and reduces material usage, but it makes trunks look unfinished, especially when compared to cars from the early 2000s. Owners who spend time loading and unloading luggage notice the difference immediately.
Hood and Trunk Release Levers
Finally, simple mechanical release levers for hoods and trunks are being phased out in favor of electronic switches. While marketed as modern and convenient, they add reliance on systems that can fail, leaving owners locked out of basic access points. Mechanical levers rarely broke, but electronics cost more to repair and can disable access if they malfunction. In reality, this is cost cutting disguised as progress, replacing durable hardware with cheaper electronics and plastic trim.
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