Automotive technology, A blessing and a curse

Anyone that has ever picked up a car magazine has read about how awesome new cars are, but has anyone ever stopped to ask why? What do new cars have that old cars lack? Are they truly better, or is it just really good marketing? With anything in the free market, the answer to that depends on the mindset of the consumer, but lets explore this topic a little closer.

If we were to use technology as the basis for how good a car is, than today's modern cars are better than they have ever been. They have anti-lock brakes, stability control, ipod connectivity, on star, the list goes on and on. I'm not going to say that I don't love the heated steering wheel in my Range Rover, or the self leveling air suspension, or the heated and ventilated seats, but how many gadgets do we really need?

 I personally like my daily driver to be plush and comfortable, and with that I am willing to give up reliability and gas mileage (yes all these gadgets add weight and complexity) I enjoy the security of all wheel drive in the Wisconsin winters (more gas mileage lost, more expensive to maintain) What I'm trying to say here is technology is great but it comes at a price, quite literally. What if you just want basic transportation? Short answer, "too damn bad"  because your Uncle Sam cares about your well being so much, he has mandated that car manufacturers protect you with a lot of this technology. That tire pressure light that annoys the hell out of you every time it gets cold is just one example of the government mandating what has to be in a new car. (I'll save this rant for another post)

What has technology done for us? I'm 29 years old, and if it weren't for my love of classic cars there is a good chance that I would have never experienced the joy of starting a carburated car in a Wisconsin winter. Modern EFI has made starting and maintaining a car so much easier. They start as good on a 100 degree day as they do in -10 they even compensate for elevation changes so they run good all the time.  Anti-Lock brakes and stability control have made cars much safer for the ordinary driver. Most of this sounds all well and good, but there is another factor that the majority of the population doesn't understand, and this is the other side of the coin when it comes to technology. Sometimes you just want the mechanical, unfiltered feeling of man and machine. Its a feeling that can never be replaced by electronics, it can't be simulated and there is no way for technology to ever replace it. Its the feeling of the mechanical linkage in a manual transmission, the feeling when the 4 barrels open, the feeling of your foot actually being connected to the engine. With all the technology today trying to get rid of noise vibration and harshness, its nice once in awhile to remember what a car used to be.