I know what you mean Declan.
I love the new Peugeot 208 GT Line but with no heated seats option I’ve had to take it off my list. Same goes for the new Renault Clio. I can’t do without heated seats during the British Winter.
I currently have the Toyota C-HR which has been really fabulous in the 30-months I’ve had it. I saw one on the road back then when they first came out and loved the funky look of it. It’s a wonderful drive too – very comfortable seats which, being Toyota, are heated of course. However, as much as I like the C-HR – I wouldn’t necessary get another one because I do like to change cars completely after 3-years of owning one. I’ve looked at the all-singing, all-dancing brand new Toyota Corolla GR Sport which is a lovely looking car with all the bells & whistles. For some reason though, the AP has shot up to well over £2,000+ now which is a hefty price rise compared to pre-Covid prices. The 2.0L version does 50+MPG which in some ways may offset the steep AP after a year or so of driving it. But like you say; there is a sea of blandness out there for many car manufacturer’s & their models at the moment. Very little (looks wise) grabs my attention & makes me sit up & look. I don’t want dull and I don’t want key driver options missing due to a lot lower spec.
Guess I may have to wait for the new Ford Puma automatic & see what kind of AP Ford stick on that. In the current climate of weird & wonderful advance payments – it’ll probably be completely silly too !!!