You are right. The guys from Mythbusters lamented the same thing in my last issue of Popular Mechanics. They basically said those designing cars today had never worked on cars in their past. They have no idea that placing something (like a battery) in a great spot for space-saving purposes, takes a 5-minute job of replacing the battery to a 2-hour ordeal. Of course, that’s not to say that all past mechanical developments were better (V-8 Monzas, and changing the rear spark plugs, come to mind).
To replace the battery on my 1998 Lumina, I have to remove a body brace, the fuze box and the wiper fluis reservoir.
Then, I have to remove the battery bracket that’s attached to the air intake (WTF?) and requires a specific set of maneuvers to get it out.
Insanity.