Posted by andsoitis 3 days ago
in the article, it shows a Magna-Steyr handle on a Mercedes Gelaendewagen, which looks like those on the Ineos Grenadier, and not very different than the ones that Ford uses on various trucks.
that contrasts with those on Audi and BMW evs, for examples i see often, where the CoD is a stated spec for ev shoppers, and the handles have motion to them, but are flush (but not Tesla vanishingly flush). Weirdly, some Porsches (intimately related to Audi...just read the shared parts) use flush handles and some the protruding handles with an actual handle.
i admittedly pay an unusual amount of attention to car componentry, sort of a hobby really.
Flush handles exist as brand differentiators. They're a "futuristic" feel-good feature that consumers want, like engine noise, tablets, and colorful dashboards.
https://media.landrover.com/new-range-rover-sport-press-kit-...
https://usa.infinitinews.com/en-US/releases/2025-qx80-press-...
The production vehicles designed after these concepts often used flush pull-up handles for aerodynamics. Those handles later disappeared in favor of the more reliable pull-bar handles we're familiar with because improved CFD made it clear how minimal their benefit actually was for the tradeoffs.
Of course, even if we accept that all the mechanical complexity of flush handles is necessary for aerodynamic reasons, it's not the only alternative to pull-bars. Look at the Volvo EX60 for an example. Designing a flush handle is hard. Tesla spent years working on it. It's not something undertaken for negligible aerodynamic benefits.
The pull-up latches also caused issues for people with long nails. In some places spiders liked to nest inside them. Places with snow had issues with a sheet of ice forming over the entire panel, an issue that also occurs with modern flush latches.
These are not in conflict. The energy you save from drag stacks with the energy you save from "learning how to drive".
And that’s before we consider the other aspects of these door handle designs that make the cars a death trap.
Maybe as legal and reputational backlash spreads the pros will not outweigh the cons. But someone designing a car a decade ago, marketed towards early adopter types, would have had no reason not to.
And I say this as someone who hates these handles designs personally.
I have a car with a "novel" handle situation. (Ford Mustand Mach E) The door is operable from the inside with a dead battery. Maybe this particular one isn't as challenging as some of the other designs, but calling it a "puzzle" definitely overstates the case. I think it took me maybe 4 seconds to figure out the first time.
If they evolved, one might assume they'd survive more than a few years.
My last two vehicles have been Toyota and Hyundai, both of them having multiple broken and malfunctioning door handles.
Every time I get into a commercial* or antique vehicle, I long for the solidity, surety and hardness of the dark ages when things were built to last.
Driving semis, I'm well acquainted with automobile 'evolution', and all but a few are hardly worth entering. UPS trucks, Mac, some others still make stuff for adults, but International, Peterbilt, even Kenworth are using sillyputty for parts. Consumer vehicles, to me, are the antithesis of evolution. And for all the wondrous eco tech, their merit is contested by landfills, downtime and piles of repair receipts.
Not that eco couldn't work, but the way it's been introduced, in the US, has been replete with cut corners and outright scams. An old truck pre-DEF still runs far more reliably than anything new on the road. Volvo has done reasonably well with trucks, but no new truck can stand to the old ones. CAT!
Door handles are symptomatic of the disposable infrastructure we've built our new country on, and come hard times, when folks can no longer afford a new HVAC system every 8 years at 12 grand, coupled with everything else falling apart around us, we'll be longing for the dark ages again.
Thankfully it's not everything. I just bought a pair of Knipex pliers, which should make it well through the century.
For the young, or majority I presume, if you can suspend your contempt of a less fuel efficient steel monstrosity, hop into an old vehicle from the 70s or earlier. Close your eyes if needed, but just feel around a bit. You'll feel honest engineering. Not as safe, but there's something obnoxious anyway about being too safe and cozy trundling around in a big bulbous plastic bubble. We didn't always drive unaffordable fluorescent pillows.
Stylish, good gas mileage, decent performance, it was a great car. It had one fatal flaw, a weak linkage in the drivers door handle.
The linkage included a small plastic clip that didn’t quite align properly. It would pop out of place periodically, making the door impossible to open. I became adept at taking apart the door from the inside and popping the pieces back into place.
I once returned to my college dorm after a snowstorm, the car got stuck in the snow. I had another trick for this situation, I’d ease the clutch out ( leaving the back tires spinning slowly ) and would exit the car, pushing it by hand. When the wheels caught and the car started creeping forward I’d jump back in and drive off. ( Foolish, I know. I was 20. )
Well, once I had both mishaps at once. The car got stuck, so I got out to push. The door handle broke, locking me out of my car with the engine running and the wheels slowly turning!
Praying fervently, I ran to my dorm room, got my spare key and went in through the passenger door to stop the engine.
It was a memorable day.
Edit: correction it seems to be crashing on my adblock.