Eppie Hutchings has owned her Volkswagen Golf Mk8 for almost 10 months.
“It’s mainly the touchscreen [I hate], having to turn off functions you don’t want before you start off. There’s no button for the heated seats, for example, everything has to be done via the touchscreen.
“Every time I put my VW into reverse, it tells me to look and make sure it’s safe to move. It will not let me reverse into my tiny drive space (necessarily close to the hedge, as I have done with other cars for years) it slams on the emergency brakes at least four times. I’ve never in over 40 years driven into the back of anyone, or crashed after wandering into the wrong lane. The car has been christened Keir, as it clearly thinks I am an idiot and is on a mission to remove my autonomy and run my life.
“The fuel gauge is annoying; rather than increments, it changes colour – but I just want to know how many gallons I’ve got left.
“I dislike all the inbuilt stuff [included] for our safety. I’ve only been driving since 1984… It’s just another facet of modern life – but I don’t like being told what to do.”
Her neighbour Stuart Gould also owns a VW, a 2023 Touareg. He and his wife Mary share the car and have difficulty with configuring the screen to their driver profiles, the system not remembering their preferences – and always switching on the heated steering wheel and the air recirculation function regardless.
“It obviously knows our choices,” she says, “but it always takes three attempts to remember them. It’s such a lovely car, wonderful in all other respects, so this is a shame.”
“I wish I’d bought an old one now,” says Stuart.
‘The first thing I do is switch off all the auto functions’
Andrew Marchant, 2024 Range Rover
