I don't know if I can go along with it's a step forward, it's more like a step backwards to simplicity. That's the complete opposite of the automotive market today. The car market has made the cars so complexed that the average owner can't work on them without a computer.
I said years ago, when I first opened the hood of a new car and saw the plastic covers over everything, that soon there will be a sticker right in the middle that said "Do Not Open, No Owner Serviceable Parts".
We are very close to that now.
The question is what do you do when a light comes on on the instrument panel in a new car that says "Check Engine" and you're 50 miles from the nearest service area?
1. Slow down and pray for the next 50 miles?
2. Pull over and call AAA?
3. Pull over, look under the hood and say "Yup, that's an engine".
4. Pull over, check your oil, water, tranny fluid and keep driving.
5. Some combination of the above.