Which means, of course, that you're paying more for less – but are expected not to notice it because the price hasn't changed.

There's another way you're paying more for less, too.

If you've been in a new car showroom lately you have probably noticed the digitization of dashboards. The replacing of physical with virtual gauges.

Many new cars have entirely digital/flatscreen dashboards now. These have the virtue of being "configurable" – meaning, their appearance can be changed to suit whatever look the driver likes from a variety of programmed-in options (e.g., red-backlit "sport" displays with a big, racy-looking tachometer or "green" displays with backlit leaves that coach the driver to optimize his driving for the highest possible mileage). They are also capable of displaying much more information because you can change screens and scroll through various menus – just like a smartphone.