Anyone else lost interest in modern ICE cars?

[Fastlane]

Since getting an EV last December, I have completely lost interest in modern ICE cars. After over 20 years reading EVO, I have canceled my subscription. The reason - I can't help look at them and think that despite being brand new, they are an anachronism.

Anyone else feeling the same?

[TooLateForAName]

Yep.

Increasingly dont get all the people going on about the 'noise' as an essential part of thr driving experience. Maybe thats partly age but all the stupid pops/bangs/resonators/fake sounds are just polution.

[MrGTI6]

There are very few modern cars that interest me (the Yaris GR and Mustang GT being among the exceptions), but I'm interested in electric cars even less. A very unsuccessful attempt at a short journey in a Nissan Leaf earlier this week didn't help matters.

[jjwilde]

Fastlane said:

Since getting an EV last December, I have completely lost interest in modern ICE cars. After over 20 years reading EVO, I have canceled my subscription. The reason - I can't help look at them and think that despite being brand new, they are an anachronism.

Anyone else feeling the same?

Yep, I get this in areas of IT too. As soon as the more efficient, elegant tech is obvious then the old stuff is dead to me.

It drives me crazy that you can still get new laptops with old-fashioned HDDs in them, wtf. Gimme ARM CPUs in PCs too

[GT6k]

Absolutely. I sold my Cerbera in September and whilst I miss the drama of taking it out I don't see any prospect of me buying another ICE vehicle. I am just waiting for a better selection of sporty EVs to arrive.

[jjwilde]

GT6k said:

Absolutely. I sold my Cerbera in September and whilst I miss the drama of taking it out I don't see any prospect of me buying another ICE vehicle. I am just waiting for a better selection of sporty EVs to arrive.

I want a small, cheap, fun convertible. Something similar to the old smart roadster.

I know the new FiatEV is available as a convertible but it's not right.

Oh now I'm wondering about a Smart Roadster EV conversion.... you can pick up the Roadsters for £1000...

[rjfp1962]

Not quite... Have a Mazda MX-5ND2 and love it, though wouldn't mind at all if Mazda made the next version electric...
Emission regulations will eventually end the days of new ICE..

I worked for a BMW dealership back in 2016, and tbh I was impressed with the i3. Was very well suited to the grid-system and roundabouts of Milton Keynes.. Their performance is eager and fuss free... though lacking any drama or theatre..!

Edited by rjfp1962 on Sunday 13th December 19:00

[Goatex]

Fastlane said:

Since getting an EV last December, I have completely lost interest in modern ICE cars. After over 20 years reading EVO, I have canceled my subscription. The reason - I can't help look at them and think that despite being brand new, they are an anachronism.

Anyone else feeling the same?

I’d started to lose interest modern cars before getting an EV 4 years ago. There were very little stand out cars on sale within my budget. I bought a BMW M135i 5 years ago as straight 6 and rear drive was different from the norm...liked it but didn’t love it so sold it a year later for an i3 which, objectively, is an inferior car in many ways, but I vastly prefer it. Now today’s m135i is no different from the Merc and VAG offerings and i3 won’t be replaced much like other ‘ahead of their time’ cars like the A2 and Smart Roadster. If I had to sell the i3 now I’ve no idea what I’d replace it with although if anyone was to launch a small EV roadster I’d be down to that dealer in a heartbeat.

[300bhp/ton]

Fastlane said:

Since getting an EV last December, I have completely lost interest in modern ICE cars. After over 20 years reading EVO, I have canceled my subscription. The reason - I can't help look at them and think that despite being brand new, they are an anachronism.

Anyone else feeling the same?

That is quite an (odd) statement to make. Cars are such diverse things. And EV’s cover such a tiny fraction of what is on offer.

[SWoll]

The issue for me is that in the affordable end of the performance market everything has gone auto/DCT and smaller capacity with forced induction so offer little interest. I happened to be walking past an A45S as it started in a car park yesterday and not only was it horribly loud but it sounded sh*t.

EV's are perfect for making stealthy progress as a daily, and whilst I'd definitely consider an ICE car for weekend trips it would need to be something very special, lovely to look at and with an proper soundtrack like a maserati Granturismo or Aston V8/V12

[cerb4.5lee]

Driving is all about the emotion/noise and the connection to the engine for me. Plus I really enjoy changing gear and using a clutch pedal. Electric cars don't offer any of that, so I will be enjoying a ICE for as long as I can. I class going Electric as giving up on driving.

[Emeye]

I'm not really interested in any cars built since the mid noughties, but EVs have got me interested in modern cars again. I rented a Tesla S and loved it - you need to spend at least a couple of days with it to get it. I can't afford a new Tesla though and not sure I'm brave enough to buy a used one.

Someone mentioned IT, but having worked in the IT industry 25 years, I find that all we get is shinier and faster stuff, and the developers just get lazier and the software gets more and more bloated. In some ways I miss having to physical open up a huge box of components to build a server. It's so much easier but less satisfying to spin up a virtual machine is a data centre.

The last IT development that really excited me was multi-capacitive touch screens when I had a demo of the ipod touch when I was in Florida just after it was launched.

EVs may become the norm, but there will still be a massive interest in "classic" ICE cars in future - not the over complicated 21th century one without character, but the ones that get under your skin and you can fettle - a bit like the way people still love mechanical watches when they can have a more reliable cheaper quartz watch.

Harry went over this recently in a youtube video:

[kambites]

I certainly have no interest in owning the vast majority of modern ICE cars - as a family car, an EV would just make more sense for us, and for a toy I prefer older ICE. I don't think we, as a family, will ever buy an ICE car manufactured after about 2010.

As long as I'm driving I can't see myself ever being without an ICE car though, I just have no interest in it being a modern one.

Edited by kambites on Sunday 13th December 15:22

[CABC]

EVs are great and are here and getting better. However, they don’t tick all my boxes yet, so most of my garage remains ICE.
Certainly a role for one EV, but there are no EV sports cars yet.
PH is an odd place.

[ade73]

I have no interest in Electric cars but lost interest in modern Ice cars when they all became the same boring fugly SUV junk with touch screens and naff trim levels (S-line, R-line ect)

[aestetix1]

Pretty much lost interest in fossil cars, would only buy an EV now anyway.

[Fastlane]

300bhp/ton said:

That is quite an (odd) statement to make. Cars are such diverse things. And EV’s cover such a tiny fraction of what is on offer.

Not really odd, but rather logical given their inherent advantages as a daily driver.

cerb4.5lee said:

Driving is all about the emotion/noise and the connection to the engine for me. Plus I really enjoy changing gear and using a clutch pedal. Electric cars don't offer any of that, so I will be enjoying a ICE for as long as I can. I class going Electric as giving up on driving.

Your idealised and narrow view of driving is somewhat undermined by your current fleet - a city car, a soft top and an SUV! Do you enjoy changing gear in your diesel GLC or did you perhaps buy that because it is quiet, comfortable and easy to drive?

The vast majority of journeys for the vast majority of people are for mundane purposes like going to the shops, collecting the kids, driving to work or going to the tip - most of which will involve driving very slowly and spending time stuck in traffic.

For daily use, an EV is comfortable, quiet, easy to drive and incredibly economical means of transport. For those who haven't lived with one, I think you need to the future of "daily" driving is bright!

[AstonZagato]

I have an EV and a relatively modern V12 ICE (and some other stuff). They perform different roles. I don't ever take the EV out for a pleasurable drive - it is a tool. Equally, with the congestion, cameras, poor standard of driving, the fun car gets fewer and fewer outings.

I occasionally look for something that could replace the fun car but I can't really get excited by anything out there at the moment. The modern crop of hypercars leave me cold. I don't think that is an EV vs ICE thing - the supercar segments are just all OTT. I might add a convertible to the fleet - but I'm starting to think that convertibles are for wafting and coupes are for pressing on. I'd therefore be happy to have a big barge of a convertible - think Bentley Azure. If there were a electric convertible land yacht, I'd quite want it. I would even consider an EV conversion - a Citroen DS Decapotable would be amazing as an EV (the engine was never the car's focal point nor strong suit).

[cerb4.5lee]

Fastlane said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Driving is all about the emotion/noise and the connection to the engine for me. Plus I really enjoy changing gear and using a clutch pedal. Electric cars don't offer any of that, so I will be enjoying a ICE for as long as I can. I class going Electric as giving up on driving.

Your idealised and narrow view of driving is somewhat undermined by your current fleet - a city car, a soft top and an SUV! Do you enjoy changing gear in your diesel GLC or did you perhaps buy that because it is quiet, comfortable and easy to drive?

The vast majority of journeys for the vast majority of people are for mundane purposes like going to the shops, collecting the kids, driving to work or going to the tip - most of which will involve driving very slowly and spending time stuck in traffic.

For daily use, an EV is comfortable, quiet, easy to drive and incredibly economical means of transport. For those who haven't lived with one, I think you need to the future of "daily" driving is bright!

You do make some very fair points there. As much as I'm not a fan of Electric cars the Electric Mini does appeal to me. As you say for nipping about/short runs the Electric Mini would arguably be a much better proposition than my petrol one.

Also you make a good point about the GLC and it is very boring to drive, but it does do the easy and relaxing drive bit very well. I'm also a big fan of torque, so the Electric cars would certainly deliver on that front for sure.

[DoubleD]

cerb4.5lee said:

Driving is all about the emotion/noise and the connection to the engine for me. Plus I really enjoy changing gear and using a clutch pedal. Electric cars don't offer any of that, so I will be enjoying a ICE for as long as I can.

I'm the same. Electric cars are of no interest to me.