For many petrolheads and driving enthusiasts, driving isn’t just a way to get from A to B—it’s a passion, a skill, and a source of engagement with the road and machine. The manual transmission, once a symbol of driver involvement and mastery, has been largely sidelined by automatic gearboxes. The charismatic roar and raw feel of a V8 engine has given way to the quiet, sterile, hum of electric motors. And now, with lane-change assist, attention monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and a suite of driver aids on virtually every new car, many feel the authentic driving experience is under siege.
Self-driving cars take this trend to the extreme. They promise convenience and safety, but at what cost? The more autonomous features intrude, the more drivers become passive passengers. Skills atrophy, attention drifts, and the visceral connection between man and machine frays. Suddenly, cars feel less like a thrilling tool and more like an app or gadget on wheels—designed for uniformity, compliance, and ultimately, control.
This has sparked a backlash among those who cherish the raw, mechanical, and unpredictable nature of driving. There’s a distinct preference for old-school vehicles, rugged and analogue—like classic Land Rovers—that place the driver front and center, not a complex computer algorithm. The current trend toward “woke,” sanitized, hyper-regulated vehicles with heavy electronic intervention strikes many as overbearing and alienating.
For the petrolhead, driving is freedom, skill, and enjoyment—not passive automation. They would rather wrestle a challenging manual gearbox, savor the growl of a combustion engine, and engage every sense in the driving task than surrender to technology that erases individuality and experience.
The automotive industry’s embrace of self-driving technology, electric powertrains, and driver aids is reshaping what it means to drive. But it’s worth asking: who really wants a future where driving is so dumbed down, overly managed, and filtered that it loses its soul? For many, the answer is clear—leave the passionate drivers and petrolheads to enjoy their machines, their manuals, their engines, and their roads, free from the intrusion of impersonal tech and overbearing automation. Keep driving alive as a craft and pleasure, not a mere app on wheels.
