In trying to make things look right, sometimes things are not functional. That is, a button in a particular location may be pleasing to the eye, but functional problems may occur because of its location.

Example: the 2007 Mercedes-Benz R-Class. Jim Travers of Consumer Reports found that the cruise control lever is on the left side of the steering wheel, the same side as the location of the directional signal lever. As Travers points out, the driver could be attempting to signal a right turn and actually end up speeding the car up because he has hit the cruise control.

The BMW 3-Series has a new version of keyless start up feature. Other cars that have this feature, you don’t actually have to have the key in a slot. As long as you have the key with you, all you need to do is push the button on the dashboard to start the car. With the new BMW 3-Series, the key has to be in the slot before you push the start up button to start the car. Uh, doesn't this kind of defeats the purpose of keyless start?

Finally, there's the Chevrolet Tahoe (pictured). It’s an SUV with a third row seat. Most would think the seat would be in proper proportion and at the correct height for comfort. Wrong!  Apparently it's seat is too low and too short. And to add insult to injury, there is not enough leg room. This is a full-sized SUV?

All of this causes one to invoke, “What were they thinking?”

Via WRAL