imagine having to turn off all of those beeps every time you start the car. as for drive mode, "sport" is a special case when you want more power for entering a freeway or passing. if i'm driving the car and put it in sport, it is not what my wife might expect when she drives the car next. in other words, they are designed properly for average, non-technical people who will just drive the car without using any of those buttons. it may not make logical sense for those of us with a technical background -- which is why engineers are almost never used to make decisions for average 