Hot take: Modern cars are BORING

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Cars today are far better than cars of years ago. They are unbelievably smooth and quiet. They are incredibly fast... even Grandma's Camry has 300 hp now. They are amazingly fuel efficient, reliable, and durable. Today's automatic transmissions are so good that even driving enthusiasts are picking them over the manual option.

But they are boring. Horsepower wars... 500+ hp V8's out the door. Big whoop. Who needs to go 0-60 in under four seconds in a giant insulated barge? So it's fast, big deal. How much can you actually use that speed on the road?

Consumers are trending more and more towards crossovers and SUVs. Apparently, the public doesn't care about driving excitement. Maybe they see today's crop of amazingly competent yet uninspiring cars and just let out a collective yawn. How about you, are you yawning too?
 
Transportation from point A to point B of varying levels of interior luxury and smoothness of ride for the vast majority. Heated seats, automatic open and close rear lift gates, heated steering wheels, backup cameras, warning lights on mirrors for fast approaching vehicles in adjacent lanes. These are the things that get many buyers excited.

There are a few performance cars that are definitely not boring for the enthusiast that want more.

The marketplace has spoken.
 
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Originally Posted by brages
Cars today are far better than cars of years ago. They are unbelievably smooth and quiet. They are incredibly fast... even Grandma's Camry has 300 hp now. They are amazingly fuel efficient, reliable, and durable. Today's automatic transmissions are so good that even driving enthusiasts are picking them over the manual option.

But they are boring. Horsepower wars... 500+ hp V8's out the door. Big whoop. Who needs to go 0-60 in under four seconds in a giant insulated barge? So it's fast, big deal. How much can you actually use that speed on the road?

Consumers are trending more and more towards crossovers and SUVs. Apparently, the public doesn't care about driving excitement. Maybe they see today's crop of amazingly competent yet uninspiring cars and just let out a collective yawn. How about you, are you yawning too?


Gotta justify that price point some how.
 
So boring!

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Originally Posted by rooflessVW
So boring!



Pft...You probably have that outdated boxer engine (per Scotty Kilmer) and boring PDK slushbox as well..
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Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
So boring!

Pft...You probably have that outdated boxer engine (per Scotty Kilmer) and boring PDK slushbox as well..
28.gif


Bingo bango.

Scotty Kilmer is complete garbage. How anyone takes his trash seriously I'll never know.

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I just don't get the OP.

If you buy a boring car, yeah, you get a boring car.

But you can buy a Hemi Challenge with bright orange paint... Called Go Mango. What's boring about that?

Plenty of modern sports cars, muscle cars, and cool SUVs beyond the Rogue/Rav4/CRV.

There have always been boring commuter cars. They get lost to time and people always look back with rose-colored glasses.
 
Originally Posted by brages
But they are boring.
There is some truth to this, especially on the lower end of the market... I test drove Audi S6 and S5 earlier this year. In some ways they are so luxurious and refined that it detracts from the sheer driving thrill and excitement. So you have to dial down the refinement in order to gain some fun. That's how I ended up with a Charger SRT.
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Then again, one could argue that a Charger, despite being new, isn't exactly modern with its old school V8 without DI, without turbo, etc.

Now, if you go up to higher price brackets, I'm sure you've got cars like Lambo or Ferrari that can deliver on both fronts.
 
Originally Posted by brages
Cars today are far better than cars of years ago. They are unbelievably smooth and quiet. They are incredibly fast... even Grandma's Camry has 300 hp now. They are amazingly fuel efficient, reliable, and durable. Today's automatic transmissions are so good that even driving enthusiasts are picking them over the manual option.

But they are boring. Horsepower wars... 500+ hp V8's out the door. Big whoop. Who needs to go 0-60 in under four seconds in a giant insulated barge? So it's fast, big deal. How much can you actually use that speed on the road?

Consumers are trending more and more towards crossovers and SUVs. Apparently, the public doesn't care about driving excitement. Maybe they see today's crop of amazingly competent yet uninspiring cars and just let out a collective yawn. How about you, are you yawning too?

Don't have words for how strongly I agree.
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
you can buy a Hemi Challenge with bright orange paint... Called Go Mango. What's boring about that?

Basically everything else about it.
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by brages
But they are boring.
There is some truth to this, especially on the lower end of the market... I test drove Audi S6 and S5 earlier this year. In some ways they are so luxurious and refined that it detracts from the sheer driving thrill and excitement. So you have to dial down the refinement in order to gain some fun. That's how I ended up with a Charger SRT.
smile.gif
Then again, one could argue that a Charger, despite being new, isn't exactly modern with its old school V8 without DI, without turbo, etc.

Now, if you go up to higher price brackets, I'm sure you've got cars like Lambo or Ferrari that can deliver on both fronts.


IMHO, that's always been the MO of the the fast Germans. Autobahn rockets. Fast but still grown up. It just wasn't what you were looking for.

SRT cars are hilarious and I love how they're sprinkling the SRT love throughout the lineup. Durango? Hemi. Jeep? Hemi. Where's the Hemi minivan?
 
Yes, they are. They've gotten TOO refined. I actually have to DRIVE my '65 Nova with it's manual clutch linkage, 4-spd, Manual steering, etc. Might not be as fast as a modern muscle car, but there is just something about the feel, the smells, and the sounds of an old car that just cannot be replicated. A High-12second 1/4 mile feels scary fast in this primal machine.

Just my opinion.
 
Originally Posted by d00df00d
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
you can buy a Hemi Challenge with bright orange paint... Called Go Mango. What's boring about that?

Basically everything else about it.

Really.

So a 485 HP muscle car with a manual transmission, SHAKER HOOD, fat tires, and big Brembos is "boring?" It's available in colors like Lime Crime, Plum Crazy, and Go Mango...

What excites you?
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by d00df00d
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
you can buy a Hemi Challenge with bright orange paint... Called Go Mango. What's boring about that?

Basically everything else about it.

Really.

So a 485 HP muscle car with a manual transmission, SHAKER HOOD, fat tires, and big Brembos is "boring?" It's available in colors like Lime Crime, Plum Crazy, and Go Mango...

What excites you?
My guess is something that's about 1,500 lbs lighter.
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Yup.

The vast majority of vehicles owners look for other things. Driving enthusiasts* are a distinct minority.

On the bright side, it's easier and cheaper to turn to old cars to get what you crave.

But the thing that is most disturbing about the horsepower wars is that the disparity between driver skill and vehicle performance has not only grown, but spread to more segments.

Modern driver aids are very beneficial in providing a safety net fo the general public, but they can also give a false sense of security, and when turned off, some cars can be downright dangerous in most hands.

It will not get any better as electric cars proliferate, and off-the-line performance formerly confined to muscle cars spreads to the general public. Those will poor judgement and/or skill can lean on that performance to make up for their deficiencies and get away with doing stupid things. I've already seen it in action.


* One can be a car enthusiast without being a driving enthusiast. There is a distinction.
 
I would like to see cars from the 50's again. Maybe with modern safety built into them and with Electric or Hydrogen drive systems (depending on what ends up winning). I find cars today either boring or *****. Like designers have just given up.
 
I can see where modern cars could be considered boring. I also think there are some sharp looking models out there. For example, I saw a recent model Impala the other day that was baby blue, not a color I usually like, with just the right amount of chrome. It was a mature car with a light splash of sportiness. While it was not the most exciting car, I couldn't call it boring.
 
The most of them are as attractive as dog vomit especially the so called SUV and crossovers. This was voted by automotive experts as the best looking car of all time a few years ago, it doesn't hurt it had a 425 dual quad wildcat under the hood.
Bill Mitchell took Harley Earls Y job as inspiration a step further and penned the Riviera Silver arrow. Remnants of the Y Job could still be seen in the Boat tail Riviera.
IMHO these were the pinnacle of American cars until they gave the bulk of the market to the Japanese.






1-Riviera_Car.jpg


1938BuickYJob_01_3000-970x445.jpg


RivieraSilverArrow_1300.jpg
 
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