2002 Chevy Corvette Z06: Ditch The Heads Up Display

I don't see why people think GM has such good AC Systems. My Envoy I had pretty much panted to get air out of the vents. I had to use the rear AC Unit to get air into the front.

I've never understood why someone would complain about a feature that they can totally disable if they don't like it.

I like head up displays. They are useful, they keep your eyes on the road, and you can turn them off if need be.

I give props to GM for adding a new feature to a car and then actually giving it an "off" button. There are so many "helpful" new features in cars today that cannot be disabled, and that can be pretty infuriating. As for the HUD, I think I'd find it pretty useful...then again, I'm a pilot.

...Ok, in the in the interest of full disclosure, my callsign is not "Iceman," and I've only flown airplanes with HUDs a handful of times. They are mostly used for applications that are a bit more serious than the Cessna that I fly.

Redundancy that doesn't get in the way gives you a choice: a voice-operated navigation system with a touch-screen backup, an audio system with controls on the steering wheel and the center stack, a speedometer that appears both in your line of sight and where you're most used to it.

And maybe I'm betraying myself as a sissy, but I'd consider having a car that sets off car alarms to be an inconvenience rather than a plus.

The only thing I like about my sister's Grand Prix is the ice conditioning. There's nowhere I'd rather be after monkeying around outside on a summer day.

HUD's make me think of that quartet of GM disasters, the w-bodies. That and "Hughes Electronics", the company GM bought in the 80's. When HUD's first appeared the unit sat on top of the W's dashboards like a giant portable CD player.
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/605/1661/1510830025_large.jpg

The only time I've driven a Corvette was at a GM event where they had Corvettes and an "autocross" course. On one of my runs the Corvette had the HUD on, and I left it on to see if it helped. In an autocross setting it was pretty useless (I didn't even see it during the run) but I imagine it could be useful in other settings.

As others have said, at least GM includes off switches for most features that could be considered intrusive. Or in the case of skip-shift, they practically advertise the eliminators that can be bought out there.

Oh and is that photo on Glendora Mountain Road? It looks like one of my favorite sections of that run.

I generally don't car for HUDs. If you could select/customize the data presented I might change my mind. For example, a tach/shift light would be nice, but I couldn't care less about a speed readout.

"And maybe I'm betraying myself as a sissy, but I'd consider having a car that sets off car alarms to be an inconvenience rather than a plus."

I think car alarms that are too sensitive should be banned so I think being able to set them off with the sound of your car is a big plus. I'd rev it up all the time just to piss off the people who have no clue how to set their alarms.

And all their neighbors...

I found the HUD in the C6 Corvette (wrong generation, I know) to be very good. I also really liked the HUD in the RX350 loaner that I recently had... it even incorporated navigation system directions. Very well thought out... very easy to use... and a real help to keep you eyes on the road.

Thats an awesome pic.

Btw, I like HUD's and the one in the Z06 looks like a quality piece (unlike most every other electronic feature in the car)...

I'm surprised no one has asked why the oil light is on (or the right turn signal, for that matter)...

...unless this is a stock picture from a brochure or something?

"And all their neighbors..."

More voices to get them to use them correctly.

I'll jump on the car alarm hating bandwagon. Is there any reason at all to have one? I don't think I've ever seen anyone pay attention to a car whose alarm is going off, unless it was to contribute to the vandalism of said car to punish the idiot owner. It certainly wouldn't be a deterrent to anyone trying to steal the car, because no one cares.

This past summer I was studying at home full time for licenses required for a job I had taken. One day a car alarm went off every 5 minutes all day long. Eventually I went down to the apartment complex's parking lot and the offending car was an old craptastic Jetta that could have been entered into 24 Hours of LeMons with about $350 to spare on the valuation. I left a note explaining how a car alarm was a waste of money since no one would ever want to steal a piece of crap like anyways. The alarm kept going off all day but the next day it was silent. Guess the owner got the message when he/she got home.

I love the head up display. One of my favorite features on the car. It's best use is on the track, where you don't have to take your eyes off the road or the corners to check you entry and exit speeds. I can remember the speeds at each corner better when seeing it digital format on the HUD for some reason. I never use the digital tach on the HUD though, only the speed. The shift light on the HUD is cool though, as is the "Check Gauges" feature that displays on the HUD if any of the gauges are in a red zone, including fuel.

Fighter pilots find HUD displays extremely useful - that can't be a bad thing.

Incidentally, the HUD system on the Corvette was made by Hughes Aircraft, which was owned by GM at one time (I think GM may still have a minority ownership interest in Hughes). Hughes makes most of the HUD systems on fighter aircraft.

HUDs are awesome. Why don't you like HUDs?

Why disparage an entire technology - HUDS - when it may simply be GM's implementation that needs improvement?

I used to be "old school" about instrument panels too, until I got the 2010 Insight. While it doesn't have a HUD, it does have a "split dash" with the digital numeric speedometer in a high dash pod, closer to the driver's line of sight, like the Civic. This is a great improvement (better implementation than the center-mounted Prius, too..) Regardless of steering wheel or seat position, everyone can see the speedometer on the Insight and the Civics. Can't say the same for many other cars I've driven (including our CUV) with silly analog speedometers, where 50-70 mph part of the gauge are obscured by the top of the steering wheel...

Most people have an adjustment period with H.U.D. displays. If you start to use it consistently I think you'll find that the "old way", namely instruments, seems like an anachronism.

Great photo though. Australian's don't have the luxury of being able to own Corvettes without spending 4x what Americans have to pay for them. I personally don't have the luxury of having a HUD. However, I think if I had one, I'd love it. It's kind of a novelty yes, but I think if I had one for a while and got into a car without one, I'd miss it. In Gran Turismo 5 : Prologue, having the HUD is nice, really nice in the '06 Z06, saves me having to look at the speedometer.

It's a "head-up display", not "heads up display". Once you get used to it, you will wish all your other cars had it. It can display oil temp or coolant temp or oil pressure or battery voltage along with lateral g's, speed and RPMs. Great for the street, even better on the track. And since it's standard equipment on the Z06 and it's able to be switched off, quit your whinin'!!!

Looks like a brochure pic, see the page number on the bottom left, haha.

It would help if the HUD on this car didn't look like the dig dash on a 1990 Ford Taurus.

I was spoiled by HUD technology in the car I first learned to drive in. Gosh, I think I wrecked that 92 Bonneville about 6 times...

I've never driven a vehicle with HUD, but I'd be curious to do so. It doesn't seem like it would be annoying.

" bimmerjay says:

11:27 PM, 02/21/10

Looks like a brochure pic, see the page number on the bottom left, haha.

It would help if the HUD on this car didn't look like the dig dash on a 1990 Ford Taurus."

It is a brochure pic, but that is exactly how the HUD looks.

It doesn't have the fanciest graphics, but they are very legible. Keep in mind this car is 8 years old, and it's based on a design that goes back to 1997. The HUD on the C6 Corvette has been updated and is nicer.

I love the HUD on my C6 - I find that with speed, RPM, lateral G's and oil temp displayed on the HUD, I very rarely look at the dashboard gauges when I'm driving.

Try lowering the position of the hud in your field of vision and lower the brightness to the point where you can just barely read the hud without straining - that should make the HUD useful wihout being distracting/annoying to you.

I agree it seems gimmicky. In normal driving, a glance down is not a problem. On a fun twisty road like that, I'm probably just hearing and feeling the car and less concerned with actual MPH or RPM.

I loved the HUD in my C6. I would never buy another Corvette without it. I never had to look down and always had my eyes on the road. Big thumbs up from me.

When I bought my Caddy, for the first month or so, I really missed having HUD. I'm used to not having it now, but if they ever offer HUD in the Caddy I will sell my car and buy the new one.

Love the HUD. Flew with them in the Air Force in my fighter. Use them now in the 737.

It's a tremendous safety tool. It increases situational awareness by keeping your eyes "outside" instead of down and inside.

It does take some adjustment time, but once mastered, you will become a "HUD cripple."

Give it a try.

I really miss the HUD that was in my 04 Grand Prix GTP Comp G when I made the switch to an 09 G8 GT. That's pretty much the only thing I do miss. The G8 GT does everything else MUCH better.