Despite having the run of the Autocar test garage and the general aggro and financial burden that come with owning a 20-year-old car, I keep a slightly scabby Mini Cooper S around.
Part of the reason is practical and deontological: it’s always there for a run to Heathrow, and for an objective reviewer it’s rather questionable to be wholly reliant on press cars for transport.
But a large part of why I still love my Mini is that, despite being somewhat modern (it has airbags and stability control), it’s pretty analogue. It ensures that I don’t forget how clutch control and heel-and-toe downshifts work and it has no digital screens to speak of.
Okay, there’s one of those low-tech segmented LCD displays for the mileage and MPG readout, but that’s it. In its own way, it’s an oasis of calm.
When I’m not driving, I’m like many people in that I spend much of my day staring at a screen. They’re useful things: I wouldn’t know where I’d be without Google Maps on my phone and I’d get some weird looks if I filed copy for the magazine written on a typewriter.
But the glare, the colours and the elaborate graphics do cause a good deal of fatigue and general sensory overload.
Despite the intergalactic mileages that I cover every week, driving is still an escape for me, a moment of zen. Sure, sat-nav is useful, but sometimes I actually know where I’m going and just want to concentrate on the driving.
All I need is a rev counter and speedo needle, and I can do without some cartoon fox dancing in my peripheral vision (I’m looking at you, Smart #1).
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Another agree I'm afraid, I own a MINI Cooper Clubvan, and the simplicity is adorable. Cheers Alan
In the modern world of EVs manufacturers need to find a way to sell you a darned expensive battery and this has prompted them to look for cost savings throughout the rest of the car.
Though you may not agree with it, Tesla were clever and made a design statement by consolidating controls into a single touchscreen. This also makes it cheaper to switch from lhd to rhd variants.
Tesla is driven by cost saving and others have followed suit. Touchscreens are a necessary evil to be able to deliver EVs at affordable (ish) price points I'm afraid.
Completely agree with this.
Under pressure from investors, car makers have been desperate to 'go digital' and project themselves as tech companies rather than industrial manufacturing enterprises.
The easiest way to do this is embrace touchscreens and reject analogue dials.