Some of the most highly regarded so-called “driver’s cars” like the E39 BMW M5, NA Mazda Miata, and the Mk I Volkswagen Rabbit GTI earned that reputation by offering a sublime balance of day-to-day commuter comfort and scintillating corner carving charisma. They achieved said balance without requiring the driver to flip through 15 different drive modes, throttle maps, and transmission profiles to suit the specific driving situation at that very moment. They were simply engineered to strike a deft balance from the get-go, offering enough comfort and compliance to not break your back on real-world roads with bumps and cracks, but also keep things buttoned down when those roads went all twisty. That brings me to the point of this blog: I’m sick of too many drive modes.
I’m tired of getting behind the wheel of performance-oriented vehicles and being forced to sift through an endless array of nonsensical drive modes just to find the setting that lets me have fun without rattling my teeth out of my skull. We know that cars can strike this balance, so why overcomplicate things?
Everything is computer
Much to the dismay of automotive purists, modern cars are inundated with features. While some of these features are intended to improve the driving experience, many of them serve to further distance the driver from a direct mechanical connection to the vehicle, which isn’t ideal for those of us who enjoy the act of driving. In a weird turn of events, I actually agree with “Miss Universe” executive producer Donald J. Trump when he said, “everything is computer.”
The Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is an extreme example, but it perfectly illustrates my point. It’s the highest-performance C-Class you can buy, and yet it only allows access to its maximum performance potential when in the right drive mode. Its hyper-complicated powertrain is capable of producing a ridiculous 671 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque, but only if the driver selects Sport+ or Race, or if the driver presses the Sport Response button. Its maximum power output is limited in both Comfort and Sport modes, and when I was given a day to drive one, I, a relatively tech-savvy 29-year-old, failed to find a mode that felt good to me.
Three drive modes is plenty
I do not think that all drive modes need to go away, and nor do I intend for this gripe to apply to proper off-road vehicles that benefit from an array of specialized modes, but normal cars with sporty aspirations should be engineered to strike a balance.
The E39 BMW M5 had a single, easily accessible Sport button that livens up its engine, not some setting buried deep in a touchscreen that requires 20 taps to access. The Mazda Miata is proof that a car doesn’t need a suspension system that’s made from granite just to handle well. The legendary British automaker Lotus also strikes this balance every time, from the small, hardcore Elise to the new, comparably civilized Emira, Lotuses always handle brilliantly while maintaining a compliant and comfortable ride for day-to-day driveability. The Emira has three drive modes: Tour, Sport, and Track. They don’t adjust the suspension since Lotus tunes it properly to begin with, but they do adjust throttle progression, exhaust valving, and traction management. Simple, effective, and satisfying to drive and interact with — it’s as easy as that.
Volvo knows what’s up
I had the pleasure of driving a Volvo V90 Cross Country last year, and I was surprised to find that it didn’t have any drive modes aside from a dedicated off-road mode. At first I was a bit disappointed, but the longer I lived with the car the more I realized that it didn’t need additional drive modes to be good, Volvo engineered it right in the first place.
That’s why a few years ago Volvo stopped offering drive modes on its cars with the philosophy that cars should be set up correctly from the factory and customers shouldn’t have to fiddle with the settings. There are some exceptions for its off-roaders and some for its plug-in hybrids, but beyond that the sensible Swedes know what’s up.
As the search for the perfect do-it-all car continues, I implore more automakers to find that balance without the crutch of 15 different drive modes. Do you agree with my rant or do you think I’ve totally lost the plot?