7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

As technology advances and tastes change, some of the things we love most about cars are dying out. Here are some of the things we'd like to see make a comeback
7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

1. Hydraulic steering

7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

The trend towards making cars easier to drive has meant that over-assisted steering has become the norm. Set-ups devoid of feeling are commonplace, and not just among commuter runabouts, unfortunately. But at least most cars still have a physical connection to the road.

Steer-by-wire is becoming more and more commonplace, and the result is that you have no true idea of what the wheels are doing. This is fine for some, but for people like you and I who enjoy pushing the limits, it takes a lot of the joy out of driving fast.

2. Five-cylinder engines

7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

Five-cylinder engines are really useful, because they generally mean you can fit larger displacement engines into bays that were designed for four-pots, without needing to get clever with a six-pot. Their inherent lack of balance means they’re typically characterful engines that have won many fans.

Volvo, leaders of everything quirky in the automotive world, ran five-cylinder engines for years, and Audi had great success with the odd-cylindered engines in motorsport. But, with the trend towards downsizing, the need for a five-cylinder engine has decreased to the point where manufacturers would rather place a small, turbocharged, cheaper to make four-cylinder engine in their cars. Both Volvo and VW have ditched their fives in recent years.

The Audi RS3 is one of the last cars to resist downsizing, which is a jolly good thing, because its 2.5-litre unit makes 362bhp and 343lb ft and is an absolute beast.

3. Big engines

7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

On the subject of downsizing, let’s take a minute to mourn the delights of a big displacement engine. I don’t really believe in the statement ‘there’s no replacement for displacement’, but even I can appreciate the satisfaction of knowing that bucketloads of fuel and air are being dumped into the engine when I plant my foot.

A big engine just gives you a constant, reassuring feeling that you have an endless surge of power beneath your right foot. And sometimes that’s all you really need in life.

4. Natural aspiration

7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

Initially, turbochargers were the preserve of performance vehicles, but these days they’re helping manufacturers meet stringent emissions test. The great thing from a marketing point of view is that smaller, more efficient engines can be placed in cars without sacrificing headline power figures.

The downside for enthusiasts is that the purity and instant throttle response that comes from a naturally-aspirated engine is sacrificed. Modern turbo setups are extremely clever and do away with a lot of the lag that used to be inherent in turbocharged cars, but they always lack that N/A immediacy.

5. Turbo lag

7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

Okay, so this might sound like we’re contradicting ourselves, but hear us out. There’s something exciting about turbo lag. For the most part, it’s great that manufacturers have worked to remove anything that can be construed as dangerous, but sometimes danger is exciting. Danger is fun.

A couple of years ago I was ludicrously fortunate to drive a Lotus Carlton, which delivers huge dollops of torque at what feels like an eternity after you’ve pressed the throttle. Could be annoying, but I drove it in the wet, and once I came to terms with its behaviour it was an absolute riot! Putting your foot down in a straight line, never really knowing when the back would kick out, keeps you alert, and roundabouts are thrilling at any speed. I wasn’t going fast, but boy was I having fun.

6. Big wings

7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

For the most part, technological advancement are a good thing. But sometimes, when you look at so-called advancements through the eyes of your nine-year-old self, it can feel like you’ve been short-changed.

The dark art of aerodynamics is becoming a lot less dark, and now many performance cars come with beautiful flowing lines that channel air across their surfaces to push the car into the ground. The Aston Martin DB11, for example, has an ‘AeroBlade’ rear spoiler, which channels air from the C-pillars to reduce lift without the need for an unsightly wing.

The thing is, unsightly wings are wicked. The Escort Cosworth’s whale tail is iconic, but that sort of thing has quickly been consigned to the history books.

7. Affordable performance

7 Things We're Sad To See The Car Industry Killing Off

You’ve always had to pay a premium to go fast, but the days of the working class hero cars is at an end. In 2016, your only really affordable options on the new car market are the Toyota GT86 and Mazda MX-5.

These cars are fairly inexpensive to buy and run, but in an economy in which the average car buyer doesn’t have a lot of disposable income, fun cars feel like an unnecessary excess. It’s a shame, because both those cars offer some of the best driving experiences money can buy.

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Comments

carsforcas

Agree with all of them #BigWangGang

03/15/2016 - 18:36 |
34 | 3

Theo would approve.

03/15/2016 - 19:14 |
5 | 3
Bernard Teixeira

#BringBackBigWangs haha agree with all of them

03/15/2016 - 18:40 |
0 | 0
Dat Boi

So you miss turbo lag AND natural aspiration??

03/15/2016 - 18:40 |
32 | 0

Contradictions, contradictions everywhere

03/15/2016 - 18:48 |
8 | 0

yes

03/15/2016 - 18:52 |
0 | 0
Hoon the Galaxy

In reply to by Dat Boi

Some people enjoy variety. For example I love an old-school Ferrari 3l V12 because of it’s pureness but I also adore a good Subie that good ‘’pfwishh’’ haha

03/15/2016 - 19:39 |
1 | 0
VöxTypeX

I agree with the 5 cylinder statement.

03/15/2016 - 18:42 |
7 | 0
DeLeon

Well NA has bad fuel economy.. My MX5 wants over 9l/100km.. Thats ridiculous for 130hp.. I mean I love this car but if you look at modern turbo petrol cars it has improved so much !

03/15/2016 - 18:43 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by DeLeon

Damn thats a thirsty engine. My 2.0 F7R achieves 7.3l/100km. But N/A is simplier and shows the engineering level in my opinion. Its hard to build N/A engine that ticks all boxes, but when it does it shows the effort engineers had put into it.

03/15/2016 - 18:55 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

And light weight cars w/ less electric things that nobody needs but just break after a while…evensports cars used to have way lese power because they weight like 2 thirds or so of modern fat cars

03/15/2016 - 18:46 |
15 | 0
Thunderlord
  1. MANUAL TRANSMISSION
03/15/2016 - 18:46 |
294 | 4

The reason they are killing off manuals is simple. Automatics are cheaper to produce and they shift faster and smoother than manuals, people want them. It’s going to be more cost effective to kill manuals and produce automatics or CVT’s.

03/15/2016 - 19:15 |
10 | 43

We actually discussed this and feel like although manuals have been dying out, a number of manufacturers are slowly bringing them back, that’s why we left it out - we’re seeing a bit of a manual comeback

03/15/2016 - 19:36 |
97 | 0

I feel sorry for the parts of the world where automatics are in majority. Here in Slovenia the automatics are rare, expensive and are considered a luxury. Im glad it’s like this since I love manual transmission (don’t we all actually?).

Just a little statistic: I drove in more than 40 different cars in my life and only one of them had an automatic transmission. And even that was because the guy had a permanently damaged right hand and could only drive an automatic.

03/15/2016 - 23:01 |
4 | 1

they are killing manuals because of
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.
.
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Lack of demand, like what did you expect?

03/16/2016 - 03:29 |
0 | 0

Manuals really aren’t all that

11/08/2016 - 18:36 |
1 | 0
Black Phillip

That was the essence of muscle cars back in the 60s early 70s, the golden age. Affordability and performance and practicality.

03/15/2016 - 18:52 |
3 | 0
Anonymous

8.

03/15/2016 - 18:52 |
0 | 2