The SW20 MR2 is feeling left out :(

Citroën C6 2006-2012 also had such rear window.

If you consider that “a lot” of buttons, don’t get a pre-touchscreen modern car. This is the view in my Volvo.

This is all good data, but data doesn’t measure what we mean when we say that cars are stagnating. I mean, on paper, everything’s better. Even maintaining the same MPG after adding all that weight is an achievement.

But there is an emotional stagnation that’s hard to deny. We have trouble caring about these heavy,…

High beams or radio seek?  My 1967 Imperial had floor buttons for both.

In Germany I learned that if I got a couple of the key words right, and had enough hand gestures, people would get it. I wound up on an overbooked train, and didn’t know how to ask if seats were available, so basically pointed at seats asking “this is free?” in German and seeing if I got nods or shakes. Most people I…

I remember the transition from the 70s and into the 80s. There was a lot of hoopla, contrasted with a fair amount of disgust, that cars were transitioning to small FWD 4-cylinder econoboxes. It was also the era of the V6 engine and the idea that cramming them sideways into a small FWD chassis would bring in the…

Should have used the ever-changing Morgan 4/4 as a refernce.

Very good post! As a used car buyer, I am still stuck in the stagnant period. My 2002 Honda Stream is thus thoroughly missed, because it seemed to have been the zenith of automobile development: Spacious, tossable, robust, low fuel consumption. I'm currently stuck a little lower on the ladder, and that's a weird…

Actually what happened is that the Sprinter sister model got replaced by the Auris in 2006. For many years some of the Sprinter models were sold as Corolla’s in Europe, so that wasn’t anything new. In Europe we swapped the Corolla for the new Auris as buyers started to perceive the Corolla as boring and it was sold as…

‘Corolla’ will continue, as an electric. It’s un-Japanese to throw away one of your longest-running nameplates, especially the best-selling one in history.

Our family holds on to cars for a long time. We just upgraded our 2008 Subaru Impreza for a 2021 Subaru Outback.

I would argue that the Corolla is an imperfect way to see stagnation of design. Because Toyota missed two key things:

I think the world is changing so quickly around us, especially technology, we’re surprised that automotive doesn’t change at the same pace.

Weight is important, but not that important.

Modern engines have more torque so you move faster from 0.

Modern cars have much better brakes, so you stop faster as well.

Modern cars have way better suspensions, so you can take a turn and don’t
have to hold on to dear life.

Modern cars also have better tires (not thanks to…

THIS.. is good jello picnic. Thank you Torch.

The fact that a modern Camry can outperform the 80s supercars of my childhood supports your theory.

I grumble as much as anyone about trends in auto design and engineering, but there is absolutely zero doubt that cars today are better in virtually every way than they ever have been.

The main con for me is 2wd. It’s not like a tracker is tossable, so if it’s no good off road and it’s no good on road, it’s kind of just a novelty.

Very much a nice price. And even in the worst case scenario, there are plenty of these with dead engines due to neglected timing belts but good transmissions behind them. But having owned one, my bet is that it is an easy fix - mine had all sorts of issues that a PNP switch and a throttle position sensor sorted right…