Tangent: I can't help but feel like we're automating away the driving experience - although most people probably never appreciated it.
There's a magical zenlike state of flow that feels like a seamless merging of man and machine, and personally I think it's much easier to cultivate with analog features which force you to think carefully about control, and it is important that a driver is occasionally allowed to exceed the limits of control. That means standard transmission, no traction control, and arguably even ABS could be done away with. This goes for information display as well - it's hard to describe the qualia that comes from glancing at a purpose built, mechanical indicator, that you know will always be in the same place. These things together combine to give a car a soul. I'm no Luddite but I have no desire to drive what amounts to a high tech robot.
Where's the joy in pressing the gas and having a car simply drive itself? Sure, for the vast majority, a car is a tool for transport from A to B. But I think many of these people are missing out on a unique experience.
There's a magical zenlike state of flow that feels like a seamless merging of man and machine, and personally I think it's much easier to cultivate with analog features which force you to think carefully about control, and it is important that a driver is occasionally allowed to exceed the limits of control. That means standard transmission, no traction control, and arguably even ABS could be done away with. This goes for information display as well - it's hard to describe the qualia that comes from glancing at a purpose built, mechanical indicator, that you know will always be in the same place. These things together combine to give a car a soul. I'm no Luddite but I have no desire to drive what amounts to a high tech robot.
Where's the joy in pressing the gas and having a car simply drive itself? Sure, for the vast majority, a car is a tool for transport from A to B. But I think many of these people are missing out on a unique experience.