A few years ago, my working life consisted of gallivanting around Toronto, Canada, behind the wheel of a different new car each week. Writing about new vehicles is perhaps a story for another day, but it quickly informed my opinion of what I’d like my vehicles to both have…and not have.
It also sort of explains why I sold one of the few features fitted to a car I used to own, a 1985 Citroën 2CV Charleston.
I look at things on a case-by-case basis. My Fiat 500 Abarth, for instance: heated seats are great in the winter, the stereo is OK, but I just don’t want the roof of my car to open. I could live without the leather (there were no cloth seat-equipped models in Canada when I was shopping), and the optional navigation system was a box I was happy to leave unchecked.
That said, it’s still a subcompact car that will pair with my phone and automatically adjust the air conditioning…in addition to a few features I don’t really need.
The 2CV, in comparison, was low tech to the point of being a place of happy isolation from technology; a small, cheerful, simple place where I could immerse myself in the sounds and smells of yesteryear—while watching drivers around me play 3D poker on their smartphones.
What technology are you glad that your car doesn’t have? Do you draw the line at a complicated touchscreen-based user interface, or does your ideal car have little more than a steering wheel and pedals?
Image Sources: autoneuroticfixation.com, porsche.com