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 What does a person need? (1)
For now, and thanks to the restrictions on our freedom of movement caused by the coronavirus a while back, we find it quite interesting to think about what people actually need, the opposite, so to speak, of a
retailer's list of surcharges. You might be surprised.
To do so, however, you would have to set aside your brand loyalty if the brand does not offer the vehicles that are the only remaining options. When you hear this topic, you might think of strict cost-cutting,
but that's not what we have in mind. Rather, we're looking for cars that meet as many needs as possible, and fuel efficiency is just one of them, albeit an important one.
And yet, we advise against it, at least under current circumstances. Because we are by no means looking for what is, quite mistakenly, referred to as a 'city car'. We want a real car, one that's also suitable for long
highway trips. And that's exactly where the little one, whether it's a Japanese car or a bumper car, gets chased like a dog the moment it shows up in the left lane.
So, for vehicles below the C-segment or even the B-segment, we won't be making any recommendations here. Yeah, where are you going? So definitely not above that, because even in the C-segment, costs are already
skyrocketing and then above, they're even still higher.
Unfortunately, this also excludes electric cars, which fall short of this goal despite the subsidy. You walk into the showroom with the idea of buying an ID.3 with a mid-range battery, and you walk out with a relatively well-
equipped ID.4. It's not that one couldn't understand something like that, after all, an entire corporation is working to make such behavior seem appealing.
If you ask me, the biggest mistake was essentially guaranteeing the bonus for five years. Of course, they could have let the coffers run dry, but that would have sparked a popular uprising. But it opened the door to people
who, of course, took a wait-and-see approach, kept driving their old cars, and watched to see how, for example, the charging infrastructure, both outside and inside the vehicle, would develop.
No, we're looking for a car for a family with two children; we know of cases where a Fabia station wagon (!) works for that. In general, the station wagon remains the solution to many transportation problems. And anyone
who drives at a moderate speed on their way to vacation might even be able to consider getting a roof box.
Yeah, a trailer hitch works too, but it's more of a hassle. Renting a trailer for a trip on vacation, I'm not sure about that. However, transporting heavy loads more frequently is also possible, provided the
towing capacity is properly registered and definitely a dual-axle model. Who says you absolutely need an SUV that costs at least three times as much for that? One horse is enough, right?
No, we certainly don't want to rule out recreational sports, and if the only way to reach the hunting cabin is by four-wheel drive, then so be it. But please try it with FWD first. What is, and will continue to be, important is the
principle: What do you need, and how often? After all, the internal combustion engine is essentially perfected just before its disappearance. Compared to the past, it requires very little care and maintenance.
Unfortunately, most features are only available in packages, and those are put together in such a way that they almost always lead to the next higher model. At least the air conditioning is usually included in the base
package. If not, then you should ask yourself the questions above again. Resale value isn't important because, given the time frame we're planning here, it'll be next to nothing anyway.
Fully automatic? Is it really that hard to come up with a modern clutch system where the vehicle is also automatically prevented from rolling backward on a hill by the brakes? But with a manual transmission, you get the
option to coast at no extra charge, even if the engine isn't turned off. Besides, five gears would be enough if only the gear ratios were long enough and if you could select the gears individually.
In the past, the assistant was called 'chauffeur'. The never existed for the vehicle category we had in mind. We don't associate driving pleasure with all sorts of distractions, but rather with focusing on what really matters:
driving.
And if the car isn't too big or hard to see out of, then you don't need a surround-view camera either. Well, a beeper for the back would be nice. Do you know what's really annoying about the new assistants? You can't rely on
them 100 percent. I have to stick up for the good old chauffeurs, though. Were there actually any women among them?
You can probably guess, I couldn't care less about wide tires or lowered suspensions, because they make the car even less suitable for winter driving, for example. But I wouldn't put the engine in my car without
direct injection and effective exhaust aftertreatment. Cruise control would be the ultimate in automation.
It's a good thing that, with a few minor compromises, I've had all of this for a very long time. So maybe I can really wait and see how e-mobility develops. In the automotive industry, it has never been the smartest idea
to jump right in with the first production run. And electric cars aren't any more environmentally friendly right now anyway, given the current electricity mix.
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