Great automotive ideas...at the time...
Discussion
What in your opinion have been good automotive ideas / products / breakthroughs that as time has gone on, may actually be having a detrimental effect on motoring.
For me, it has to be mass produced 300BHP+ 4WD hot hatches.
I'm looking at you Golf R - when first released it was somewhat of a game changer due to it's real world performance and relatively low entry and running costs.
Couple that with cheap finance we have all enjoyed recently and you get a serious weapon being driven by.... some right weapons!
The most idiotic driving I see on the roads is normally by a young male in one of these type cars..... and there are a lot of them out there.
For me, it has to be mass produced 300BHP+ 4WD hot hatches.
I'm looking at you Golf R - when first released it was somewhat of a game changer due to it's real world performance and relatively low entry and running costs.
Couple that with cheap finance we have all enjoyed recently and you get a serious weapon being driven by.... some right weapons!
The most idiotic driving I see on the roads is normally by a young male in one of these type cars..... and there are a lot of them out there.
I was just watching the video on the Top Gear channel from a few days ago where Chris Harris and another guy talk about hot hatches and the direction they've gone in over the last few years, and they were saying precisely this. Those things aren't really hot hatches anymore.
Still sort of new here, so not sure whether I can link it, but I believe I can as it's not my own social media / posted content:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-p2mAkTJns
edit: And there's this thing about it being more fun to drive a slow car fast, and being able to use all of its power and wring its neck etc than being constricted in a car that's literally too fast for the British roads, and even for the track tbh.
Still sort of new here, so not sure whether I can link it, but I believe I can as it's not my own social media / posted content:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-p2mAkTJns
edit: And there's this thing about it being more fun to drive a slow car fast, and being able to use all of its power and wring its neck etc than being constricted in a car that's literally too fast for the British roads, and even for the track tbh.
AllyBassman said:
The most idiotic driving I see on the roads is normally by a young male in one of these type cars..... and there are a lot of them out there.
That may well be true, but they were out there driving like total bellends in 200bhp Civic Type-Rs and Golf GTIs 10 years before the Golf R, and probably at near enough the same speeds.Stallzy said:
edit: And there's this thing about it being more fun to drive a slow car fast, and being able to use all of its power and wring its neck etc than being constricted in a car that's literally too fast for the British roads, and even for the track tbh.
James Hunt was famous for using an Austin A35 as his daily driver, which legend tells he absolutely drove the nuts off 
My 2010 Jaguar XJ has the ability to rip up to TEN CDs to an internal harddrive, as a replacement for a CD changer. That probably seemed like an absolutely boss idea in 2006 when they specified the system but was "lol" s
t by the time the car came out.
Luckily it can also stream bluetooth audio or use USB!
t by the time the car came out.Luckily it can also stream bluetooth audio or use USB!
austinsmirk said:
Leaded petrol.
Thread winner.Ironically the same w
kers whinging about EVs now, or efforts to control particulates from brakes and tyres were almost certainly the very same (or certainly the same sort of) wkers who got all huffy puffy about removing lead from petrol."Never did me any harm"
OK, lead addled boomer
stickleback123 said:
My 2010 Jaguar XJ has the ability to rip up to TEN CDs to an internal harddrive, as a replacement for a CD changer. That probably seemed like an absolutely boss idea in 2006 when they specified the system but was "lol" st by the time the car came out.
Luckily it can also stream bluetooth audio or use USB!
Ahh yes! My car has this feature, a good idea in theory until you see how long it takes to actually 'rip' a CD!t by the time the car came out.Luckily it can also stream bluetooth audio or use USB!
Pointless "safety" features in cars. Lane keep assist, rear view monitors, all that guff. Hundreds of wires, sensors, cameras, stuff to be calibrated and just not work. Make cars with good visibility instead, please. If you must have them, please program a technology that advises you to keep left when there's availability at least!
I agree with super hatches though. A lot of cars will be driven by morons in a moronic way. It doesn't help when they're now given 300+bhp and 0-60 times rivalling or bettering million-pound supercars. No amount of city braking assists and airbags on the bonnet are going to stop you becoming a pile of flying mince when some donut with a remapped RS3 nails you at 100 in a 30. How on earth did the Lotus Carlton attract such insane criticism in the mid 90's but 20 years later, car after car after car comes out with insane horsepower and 0-60 figures and nobody thinks twice about it?
I agree with super hatches though. A lot of cars will be driven by morons in a moronic way. It doesn't help when they're now given 300+bhp and 0-60 times rivalling or bettering million-pound supercars. No amount of city braking assists and airbags on the bonnet are going to stop you becoming a pile of flying mince when some donut with a remapped RS3 nails you at 100 in a 30. How on earth did the Lotus Carlton attract such insane criticism in the mid 90's but 20 years later, car after car after car comes out with insane horsepower and 0-60 figures and nobody thinks twice about it?
stickleback123 said:
austinsmirk said:
Leaded petrol.
Thread winner.Ironically the same w
kers whinging about EVs now, or efforts to control particulates from brakes and tyres were almost certainly the very same (or certainly the same sort of) wkers who got all huffy puffy about removing lead from petrol."Never did me any harm"
OK, lead addled boomer
"Back in the fifties we used to do that and it never did me any harm, im here to tell the tale"
Well, thats the point, it was, whatever it was considered dangerous enough to ban or prevent, because some people did get killed, and they arent there to say they did it but didnt live to tell the tale, thats kind of how it works.
All that says is by some miracle, you survived your own stupidity, not through guile, cunning and avoiding stupid stuff, just blind luck and strength in numbers.
Like seatbelts, I couldnt ever not wear one, but still see the odd one, remember telling my Grandad to put his on, no chance, his Princess had the modern marvel of a seatbelt on warning light, but could be circumvented by wrapping the belt round the back of the seat and plugging it in. He wouldnt have it and said would be alright, but I suspect my mate at schools dad thought that when they were in Wales and he went off the road as another car came round the corner using all the road, hit a telegraph pole in his Cortina and my mates sister ended up on the bonnet, she survived but was a close run thing.
Ah yes all those young lads my age driving Golf Rs. Amazing thing is at 27 I don’t know anyone under 30 who has had a Golf R.
I rock up to football matches and training and the only other hot hatches I’ve seen is one Cupra and one S3 and a referee with the new Fiesta ST.
Young lads don’t buy performance cars any more as they don’t have the money. Starting salaries for majority of graduates are £23K they aren’t getting a £40+ Golf R while saving for a house and getting married.
Used to joke when I had my GTI that all the other hot hatch drivers are like 40. Pretty sure I seen a survey once where it said less than 20% of Mk7 R owners where under 30.
I rock up to football matches and training and the only other hot hatches I’ve seen is one Cupra and one S3 and a referee with the new Fiesta ST.
Young lads don’t buy performance cars any more as they don’t have the money. Starting salaries for majority of graduates are £23K they aren’t getting a £40+ Golf R while saving for a house and getting married.
Used to joke when I had my GTI that all the other hot hatch drivers are like 40. Pretty sure I seen a survey once where it said less than 20% of Mk7 R owners where under 30.
CG2020UK said:
Ah yes all those young lads my age driving Golf Rs. Amazing thing is at 27 I don’t know anyone under 30 who has had a Golf R.
I rock up to football matches and training and the only other hot hatches I’ve seen is one Cupra and one S3 and a referee with the new Fiesta ST.
Young lads don’t buy performance cars any more as they don’t have the money. Starting salaries for majority of graduates are £23K they aren’t getting a £40+ Golf R while saving for a house and getting married.
Used to joke when I had my GTI that all the other hot hatch drivers are like 40. Pretty sure I seen a survey once where it said less than 20% of Mk7 R owners where under 30.
My eldest got a Golf R at 25, which replaced a Fiesta ST.I rock up to football matches and training and the only other hot hatches I’ve seen is one Cupra and one S3 and a referee with the new Fiesta ST.
Young lads don’t buy performance cars any more as they don’t have the money. Starting salaries for majority of graduates are £23K they aren’t getting a £40+ Golf R while saving for a house and getting married.
Used to joke when I had my GTI that all the other hot hatch drivers are like 40. Pretty sure I seen a survey once where it said less than 20% of Mk7 R owners where under 30.
CG2020UK said:
Ah yes all those young lads my age driving Golf Rs. Amazing thing is at 27 I don’t know anyone under 30 who has had a Golf R.
I rock up to football matches and training and the only other hot hatches I’ve seen is one Cupra and one S3 and a referee with the new Fiesta ST.
Young lads don’t buy performance cars any more as they don’t have the money. Starting salaries for majority of graduates are £23K they aren’t getting a £40+ Golf R while saving for a house and getting married.
Used to joke when I had my GTI that all the other hot hatch drivers are like 40. Pretty sure I seen a survey once where it said less than 20% of Mk7 R owners where under 30.
This is what makes me laugh about the Civic Type R, you would think the target market (in the U.K. at least) that would be most interested in it are too young to afford it. Maybe that’s why I hardly see any of the newer ones being driven around…I rock up to football matches and training and the only other hot hatches I’ve seen is one Cupra and one S3 and a referee with the new Fiesta ST.
Young lads don’t buy performance cars any more as they don’t have the money. Starting salaries for majority of graduates are £23K they aren’t getting a £40+ Golf R while saving for a house and getting married.
Used to joke when I had my GTI that all the other hot hatch drivers are like 40. Pretty sure I seen a survey once where it said less than 20% of Mk7 R owners where under 30.
Honourable Dead Snark said:
This is what makes me laugh about the Civic Type R, you would think the target market (in the U.K. at least) that would be most interested in it are too young to afford it. Maybe that’s why I hardly see any of the newer ones being driven around…
Completely agree. Couldn’t afford the FK8 when it came out despite being my favourite car.
Can’t afford the new one either unfortunately.
Not sure OP is on the right website. Mumsnet is that way ---->
I've lost count of the number of people on here complaining about drivers of a specific type of car. Reality is that idiots, the terminally thick, inattentive dolts and other poor drivers can be driving any type of car.
I'm on my second Golf R Estate and amazingly I'm still alive and haven't hit anyone else or even come close to it.
If cars that are too powerful for the road is your complaint, then there are a whole long list of cars that are equally fast, and a whole load more that are faster. Are you suggesting we should ban cars from sale if they're too fast? Or just for drivers of a certain age? Where would the cut off be? Just below your age no doubt.
Have one of your werthers orignial, put your driving gloves on and go for a cruise in your Austin Princess, maybe you'll relax a bit boomer.
I've lost count of the number of people on here complaining about drivers of a specific type of car. Reality is that idiots, the terminally thick, inattentive dolts and other poor drivers can be driving any type of car.
I'm on my second Golf R Estate and amazingly I'm still alive and haven't hit anyone else or even come close to it.
If cars that are too powerful for the road is your complaint, then there are a whole long list of cars that are equally fast, and a whole load more that are faster. Are you suggesting we should ban cars from sale if they're too fast? Or just for drivers of a certain age? Where would the cut off be? Just below your age no doubt.
Have one of your werthers orignial, put your driving gloves on and go for a cruise in your Austin Princess, maybe you'll relax a bit boomer.
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