Maybe I’m just getting old, but modern cars should be less complex to drive
Editor Paul Barker wants his car to act more like a car, and less like a smartphone
What do we want from our cars? It’s something I pondered in relation to my long-term Polestar 3, because it’s a car that feels like it’s trying to be too clever. But it’s a recurring theme as the latest cars are loaded with more and more technology.
We’re well into the touchscreen era, where the smartphone explosion saw brands decide that was the way to go for in-car tech – blissfully ignoring the fact that using a phone behind the wheel is banned – and for very good reason. Then the rowback started, and we’re hopefully heading towards a better place in terms of the balance between buttons and screens.
But it goes beyond the basic touchscreen issue. Our family car is used by my wife more than me, to the point where I’ve never bothered to set up a driver profile. I just grab the keys when I need them and jump in. So that whole curated experience is lost on me, because I just want to get in and drive, generally because I’m rushing to deliver or collect one of the kids from somewhere.
It’s symptomatic of brands packing in features that I’d wager many of us simply don’t use. I don’t want a car to be an extension of my house; I’ve got a perfectly good actual house, thanks very much, which doesn’t involve me being sat outside. And if I want to watch the latest Auto Express YouTube video while I’m parked up, I’ve got a phone that’s great for that.
Car makers argue that voice control – much more popular in a market such as China than in Europe – is the way of doing what you need to on the move without using the touchscreen while driving. That’s fine as long as you don’t want to interrupt whatever music or podcast you’re trying to listen to every time you want to change the climate, navigation or myriad other settings.
Maybe I’m just getting older and grumpier, but brands that can offer a less complex driving experience when I run an errand are more likely to get my affection and money. If I’m travelling the length of the country, I don’t mind setting the car up for the long haul, but if I’m ducking out to the shops, I want to jump in, have my phone connect instantly and just get on with my day, rather than waiting for systems to spend time setting up things I won’t need on a trip to Sainsbury’s.
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