We love older cars, but we’re not so naive to dispute that modern ones do most things better. Compared with a car from five, 10, 20 or 30 years, a 2024 model is generally faster, safer, greener and more relaxing over long distances. And we haven’t even touched upon the technology that lets us stream music and even videos to our cars, or enables us to use our smartphones to pre-heat them in the morning or remotely park them in a garage at night.
But are new cars really better in every respect than new cars? You can probably all think of some feature or design element that you loved about older cars, but which has disappeared on newer ones. Maybe it was something that made the a vehicle more fun to drive, like a manual transmission, or maybe it’s why the styling was better to your eyes, or the car was just easier to live with. We want to hear your thoughts on what old-car features need to be brought back, and to get you started, we’ve canvassed the Carscoops team and come up with a few of our own.
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Bench seats
Here’s one of the casualties of the car industry’s obsession with supposed ‘sportiness’ even in cars that aren’t remotely sporty and are never likely to be driven fast. Bench seats used to be standard fare in U.S. cars, with individual buckets that reduced the passenger-carrying capacity relegated to the options list. They’re rarely seen these days, but now that console shifters are disappearing and flat-floor EVs are become more commonplace, it’s the perfect time to bring the bench back.
Slim pillars, near-vertical windshields and tall side glass
Arguably the greatest thing about old cars is the incredible visibility they offered, albeit at the expense of 2024-grade crash protection. Slim – and upright – A pillars, and tall side windows resulting from low waistlines meant drivers got a great view out, so didn’t need the 360-degree cameras we all now rely on. Passengers also benefited because cabins felt light and airy and little kids could actually see more than a black door card for eight hours on a road trip. Oh, and while we’re at it, bring back window ledges that are at the right height for an elbow – some cars still have them, but many don’t.
Physical buttons and dials
Modern cars have so many electronic functions that it’s totally understandable that automakers would want to hide as many ‘switches’ inside infotainment screens. Try to give every gadget on a 2024 car a physical button and the dashboard would make an A380’s flight deck look like a paragon of minimalism. But audio volume and basic-level heating control should never be relegated to the screen, and since you asked, we want rotary controls for both, not push switches. Audi was still doing this well, long after it had begun fitting screens to cars, but not any more.
We could reel off a ton more features that some of us here would like to see make a comeback, including front quarterlight windows, tall tire profiles, yearly facelifts, real sports cars and er, those under-dash vents that blow cool air straight at your nut-sack. But we want to hear what features you miss on new cars, so drop a comment below and let us know.