No right, Dacia? That new Sandero is not going to be a modern car, is it? I was still looking forward to gray chunks of Spartan plastic and the last window garlands of history. What am I reading? The Sandero gets a reversing camera, keyless entry, blind spot sensors and WiFi. The new Duster has already exceeded critical limits with Apple Car Play, LED daytime running lights and door sills illuminated on special request. Western decadence is demolishing Romanian thrift. The gentrification of a budget brand is a fact.
I am thinking of the last cars without a multimedia screen and active safety systems. You hardly come across them anymore. I found them, very happy, in the honestly simple Suzuki Celerio and more recently in the Morgan PlusFour, now also with air conditioning and ABS by the way. I enjoyed what was not on it the most. It is so incredibly relaxed not to have to search for anything. How do I pair my phone? How do I turn off that blaring job change indicator? How do I get the navigation person to talk? Where’s the volume rocker for that damn multimedia system? Oh yes, on the steering wheel, under the left spoke. Oh guys, don’t make it so difficult.
Is my penchant for simplicity the sadomasochism of an incurable young timer fanatic? I believe that is something else. Modern, digital luxury hinders. You have to be in a learning process every time.
As long as I’ve been writing about cars, I’ve advocated drastic austerity in technology and equipment. My sources of inspiration were the Saabs, Volvos and Mercedes of the sixties and seventies; high-quality, safe and simple cars without unnecessary bells and whistles. In my old Volvo’s and SL I cannot make calls or use the internet. The trips to and from importers take place in serene twentieth-century tranquility, with music from the radio and no telephone. As a result, I leave Drenthe – Raamsdonksveer reborn after two and a half hours. A person needs that. Wherever he goes or stands, he must and will communicate with the outside world. It sucks him empty and the modern car, with all due respect for the manufacturers, has a fateful share in this. Ho, the multimedia can also be switched off, right? Yeah, but you won’t. Connectivity is addictive. It adds fuel to your attention hunger. We are all ready for a solid round of detox.
I still believe that there is a market for a high-quality, unconventional car without any unnecessary luxury. It would of course have indispensable comfort and safety features such as air conditioning and ABS. It would be robust enough for five stars in the Euro-NCAP. But it has no screens, no bluetooth, no lane change indicators. Safety is not a blind spot sensor, but sufficient glass for real contact with the environment. The power is sufficient but not oversized. The operation is minimalist analog and accessible. All buttons are physical. He’s got a speedometer and a fuel gauge, basta. Furthermore, it sits and drives well and may cost quite a bit. Then let it be electric immediately. VW could have put such a car on the market with the ID-3. Remove all fault-prone, faltering digital junk and you have a real Volkswagen again, a car with the approachability of a bicycle.
I even already had a name for my dream project. The Dacia Offline. I fear that I can definitely write that dream on my stomach. Then I cling to the comforting prospect of a piece of authentic Romanian Sandero plastic. The investment costs for those gadgets will have to be recouped somewhere to keep the prices at Dacia level. Maybe the reunion will be a bit difficult, hopefully.