Seriously vehicles today the big thing is designs and styling, not functionality, reliability, driveability. People look at a car and they say 'ooh that looks nice I want it' but in reality the piece of crap.
Nonsense, if you are going to make outrageous blanket statements, you could at least attempt to ground yourself in reality by citing facts.
Anything you'd drive off a lot today has barely any power, front wheel drive, handles poorly around the corners, poor traction, a glut of 'features' you will never really use.
Hence the term "Economy Car" and "Fully loaded Economy car". If you don't like Economy cars, then don't buy one. For most people, they are a means to get around cheaply and efficently.
no redundant systems or backup embedded computer
The worst part about the reliability is that modern cars have an embedded computer (PC-104 or other single-board computer) and if that fails your car is hosed (be ready to pay $10,000. to the manufacturer to replace a $300. PC board).
I'm guessing you work in the computer industry, because you sound like an IT man, definatley not a backyard mechanic. ECU failures account for an insignifigant percentage of failures in modern vehicles. Redundant systems aren't necessary, as ECU's are simply not prone to failure. Out of every single person I know, including a Canada wide 80s/90s Toyota club that I'm a member of, the only faulures I've seen have been from people tampering with the ECU or from hackjob rewiring, in any case it was the owner's fault.
Since you seem to feel that EFI is not a viable means of fuel management What do you suggest? Should we go back to using carburators? And what, throw 20 years of progress towards clearner burning, more efficent engines into the gutter. Anyone who has owned a carburated car will tell you that reliability is not one of it's high points. The other alternative to EFI would be Mechanical Fuel Injection like the old Bosch K-Jetronic system, however while they tended to be somewhat accurate, they have the same shortfalls of carburation, like the inability to adjust fuel curves and ignition timing based on temperature and atmospheric conditions.
Simply put EFI is infinately more reliable than Carburation or Mechanical FI.
high center-of-gravity, poor visibility, uses plastic (not steel), and weighs half a ton more than it should.
Most 'import' vehicles have vastly different suspension settings for the American market than they do for the European and Japanese markets. Its well known in the automotive industry that American's prefer extremely soft, nonresponsive rides and slow, effortless steering ratios. Drive a European Corolla if you want to see what I mean, the ride is firmer and much more confidence inspiring than the US model. As for visibility, that is on a per model basis.
A note on vehicle weight, cars are becoming safer and safer each year. Unfortunately for enntheusiasts, this means that they are also becoming heavier. As for your plastics statement, this is totally off the wall. Find me a car that uses plastics in it's unibody chassis and I'll find you a magical flying ape that can grant wishes. Plastics are often used as bumper skins due to the fact that they don't dent in low speed collisions, but NEVER on anything structural.
Anyhow it would seem to me that you have been fed a glut of nonsense by someone who has a serious hate-on for the autmotive industry.
