I can’t think of anything worse than being stuck with a car for three years that I dread getting into each day or one that I’m so glad to get out of at the other end of my journey!
Car manufacturer’s – some of them at least – are finally listening to what buyers want & are changing back to things that worked well in the past and work equally as well nowadays. Take my Renault Clio for example. It’s got proper door handles. I get in – and I’m also glad to see it’s got large rotary dials for all the heating/aircon. Yippee! There is also a proper physical button (thank you so much Renault!) which you press just once… and it stops all of the annoying bings & bongs that would drive me CRAZY having driven just 200 metres down the road! It also has proper physical buttons, one each side of the console, for the heated front seats. I don’t have to press some stupid massive glass screen several times just to warm my butt cheeks!
I’ve been looking at the new Honda Civic hybrid Sport (on the scheme for around £1,400 AP). Read any review on the net and they love it – every reviewer. Fabulous hybrid system, very powerful car, fantastic to drive, very comfortable, all mod cons. Sounds great I thought – will consider it as my next car. And then you read something that every single reviewer writes ; “It’s a real shame then that the Civic is let down by constant annoying warning bongs which require several presses of the screen in order to mute and you have to do this EVERY time you want to drive the car”. Several reviewers said in the end, it was such a faff that they just left it on and tried to ignore the bongs going off constantly in the background as they drove 2 or 3 mph over the speed limit.
Nah, not for me thanks. I value my sanity for starters. Where’s the enjoyment in getting behind the wheel of a car and it nagging you constantly so much so that you’re tempted to drive it all the way to Beachy Head in Sussex & driving it over a cliff – ala Jimmy and his scooter in Quadrophenia!!!