I used to think that ‘it’s better than the old one’ was one of the lazier tropes in this business.
New reviewers would get steered away from writing things like ‘they’ve improved it’, because if a company had spent a billion quid developing a new car using the latest technology, it would be fairly catastrophic if it wasn’t better than a vehicle they had designed a decade earlier.
So catastrophic that, with very few notable exceptions aside (such as Nissan’s 2010 Micra), it tended not to happen.
Last week, though, our cover featured one of those ‘man bites dog’ lines about the latest Mercedes-AMG C63: “It’s not as good as the old one”. Gulp.
This is worrying for companies that need to replace driver’s cars with ones that do the same thing but with powertrains they’re being manoeuvred into.
The old C63’s endearing V8 engine has been replaced by something with half as many cylinders, less charisma and more weight. And while I haven’t driven the new BMW M5 yet, it will come in at more than 2400kg.
We’ve got used to these cars being a certain way, and I don’t think it’s a guarantee that they will do the same thing, only better, in the future.
This brings me to cars like the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, of this week’s road test.
It doesn’t aim to do things better than were done by earlier hot Hyundais, like the i20 N and i30 N, because that’s no longer possible. Instead, it just sets out to do something entirely new, and it nails it.
I do wonder: if you can’t necessarily improve something, maybe you need to reinvent it.
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The Mk3 Golf GTI was famously much worse than the Mk2 Golf GTI. 1970's Mustangs were worse than 1960's Mustangs. Most enthusiasts think the 996 era Porsche 911 is worse than the earlier 993 generation. Also that the classic L-R Defender is much better than the new one. On the other hand, because they are developing so rapidly, the latest EVs are definitely better than the earlier ones. So it depends.
I am simply keeping my e39 sport 3.0 for as long as feasible because anywhere I go from there, I feel, is going to be retrograde for me in terms of driving, I can't see the upside in what I'd be buying from today's offerings. Some of the safety tech, navigational aids and built in entertainments are fine and dandy, but not essential for me. For example: The 520/530 4cylinder is not going to happen because it's not a six and the 540 is too much 'upmarket complexity' for a privateer owner buying used, allied to cars that are being made for the everyman driver with the steering mechanism deadened so they won't complain about the steering 'wriggling around' and being too heavy. It was always the case that I'd want the latest tech the carmakers offered now I'm dreading buying into it especially when they keep updating the version of the last, probably flawed and outdated operating system and such 'nonsense'.
Never mind the 2010 Micra, surely the Mk8 Golf would have been a better example of a car which is inferior to its predecessor, especially apt considering its importance to its manufacturer.