Progress/Advancement of Car Design Stagnating?

[Truckosaurus]

now then.

Whilst on my lunchtime stroll today I passed an M-reg Subaru Impreza turbo estate that looked pretty tidy.

After a moment's nostalgia for the similar motorcar I owned at the turn of the century I realised the Scooby in front of me was seventeen (17) years old!

When it rolled off the forecourt new a 17-yr old car would have been from 1977, so something like a Morris Marina or a newly launched Cortina mk4, you could even buy an Allegro until 1983.

I would wager that if you put 99% of drivers on a typical commute in the 17yr Scooby and a 2011 model Impreza they'd not notice much difference in how they'd drive other than the newer car would have better standard equipment (my '94 Impreza was severely lacking air-con) whereas the difference between a mk4 Cortina (or even a sporty Ford such as the RS2000 or Capri V6 etc) and a mk1 Impreza would be like night and day.

So, I put up for discussion that since the mid-90s car design has stagnated. By then nearly all mass produced cars had power steering, slick 5-speed gearboxes, disc brakes & ABS, reliable engine electronics that prevented the car going off-tune between services, pretty decent reliability, resistance to rust that '70s car could only dream of and chunky alloys and tyres with safe handling characteristics on even the most basic of cars.

Off the top of my head the 'only' recent improvements have been behind the scenes in chasing lower CO2 figures or crash test results, improvements in higher output diesels (a mid-90s VW diesel would be around 100bhp now they are pushing 150+), 6-speed manual gearboxes (and 7- & 8-speed autos) and extra electronics for ESP/lane control/auto wipers/etc.

[kambites]

I think the focus is has turned to secondary safety features, which you generally can't see except in the subtle styling changes that it's necessitated; and fuel consumption.

[JohnnyRims]

Truckosaurus said:

Stuff

I agree with what you're saying.

MPG has increased steadily in line with increasing power outputs. As a aficionado of old barges - I'm getting fuel economy which would be roughly in line with an engine with 60% more power today. That's no mean feat.

Probably allied to the increasing concern with fuel economy is the shift in focus towards having a better quality interior. Whilst the Germans were back and, and still are knocking out well screwed together but bland interiors, the likes of Ford etc have really improved their interior quality. Sit in a 17 year old Fiesta and compare it to new and the interior quality is miles better.

[alephnull]

I'd more or less agree. The changes that have happened are much less visible - better crash protection, lower CO2, better fuel efficiency, maybe longer service periods.

If you look at performance cars, there seems to be a move towards more electronics. Ferrari, porsche and so on seem to be very keen on advanced stability management/e-diffs and paddle shift gearboxes. This is also probably less visible than alloys, air con and airbags!

To be brutally honest, I'm not sure I see the appeal of all the electronic stuff. I use to think Evos were awesome while I was studying a technical degree - the science behind the technology is amazing...however I have heard since Evos are quite boring (but fast) to drive. Since I was a student, I have driven a Caterham and a few Chims, as well as owning an mx-5 and I entirely see the appeal of raw, low tech cars. Maybe modern car design is geared heavily towards the shopping car and repmobile? Ease of use, reliability and safety...

[AlpineWhite]

alephnull said:

Maybe modern car design is geared heavily towards the shopping car and repmobile? Ease of use, reliability and safety...

Yes, because ninety nine in a hundred drivers are more bothered about the above items than they are about things like handling, steering feedback etc. Actually I'd wager that's always been the way they've progressed.