Telegraph readers have simple tastes – or so it seems. One of the questions we’re most often asked in our Ask The Expert column is whether there are still any simple new cars on sale – whether you can still buy basic, four-wheeled transport, shorn of the gadgets we’ve come to expect in modern cars (and the potential for excessive repair bills that may come with them).
It’s true that such cars are getting more tricky to find in new-car showrooms. But not impossible. Even as touchscreens take over and electronic driver aids proliferate, a small but plucky group of hold-outs still celebrate bargain basement, no-frills motoring.
If you’re the kind of person who seeks to eschew the technological advances of the modern age and values simplicity above all else, we reckon any of these will be right up your street.
5. Citroen C3 1.2 PureTech 83 You!
This version of the C3 is the cheapest new Citroen money can buy; it’s been introduced relatively recently, to make up for the fact you can no longer buy the smaller C1 city car.
You still get LED headlights, cruise control and air-conditioning, and there’s a lane departure warning system (although not a lane keeping assistant). But the wheels are steel, the handbrake is manual and while there is a touchscreen on the facia, it’s a black-and-white system that’s simple to use and, if it ever fails, cheap to replace.
The engine is a simple, naturally aspirated unit, too, and the C3 is astonishingly cheap – a full £5,000 less than a similarly equipped Ford Fiesta, and almost as affordable as a Dacia Sandero.
How much: £13,995
What you get: Monochrome touchscreen, LED headlights, cruise control, electric front windows, remote locking, air-conditioning, lane departure warning
What you don’t: Colour touchscreen, electronic handbrake, electric rear windows, hybrid/turbo engine, lane keeping assistance, automatic headlights/wipers
4. Fiat Panda 1.0 Mild Hybrid
Once upon a time Fiat’s boxy little Panda was a byword for simplicity. But its technology has moved with the times – not only is there a touchscreen on board, but under the bonnet the engine is a mild hybrid, too.
So why is it here? Well, this generation of Panda has been with us since the dawn of time (more accurately, 2011) and that means lots of its technology is incredibly basic – other than ABS anti-lock braking and stability control, there are no driver aids; the handbrake is manual, while that touchscreen is a tiny five-inch item that’s very simple.
This most basic model doesn’t even have a name – it’s simply the Panda – and it’s pretty Spartan; electric windows and air-conditioning are really the only fripperies to speak of.
How much: £14,485
What you get: Touchscreen, hybrid engine, electric front windows, remote locking, air-conditioning
What you don’t: Electronic handbrake, driver aids, LED lights, electric door mirrors, cruise control, automatic headlights/wipers
3. SsangYong Korando 1.5 ELX
You don’t have to have a small car to have a basic one. If you crave simplicity but need to move a family, the Korando is the car for you.
Granted, it’s the most expensive here, by a long chalk. But your money is being spent on space – the Korando is vast inside by comparison with any other car in this list, and even by the standards of its rivals. It’s also being spent on the Korando’s whopping seven-year, 150,000-mile warranty.
The equipment list does include air-conditioning, cruise control, alloy wheels and automatic headlights and wipers, but that’s about it. There’s no touchscreen, there are barely any driver aids, and you even get an old-fashioned, non-turbo petrol engine, which should be cheap to maintain.
How much: £21,495
What you get: Cruise control, electric front windows, remote locking, air-conditioning, automatic headlights/wipers
What you don’t: Touchscreen, LED headlights, lane keeping assistance, electronic handbrake, electric door mirrors, hybrid/turbo engine
2. Dacia Duster TCe 90 Essential
The Korando isn’t the only simple SUV on the market. In fact, the go-to option for such things has long been the Dacia Duster.
It has even fewer fripperies than the SsangYong. For starters, there’s no touchscreen. In fact, there’s no visible radio unit at all; you operate it instead using buttons on the steering wheel and a menu on the screen in the instrument binnacle. The headlights and wipers don’t have an automatic function. The handbrake is manual and while there is air-conditioning, it too is of the manual kind. Driver aids are almost non-existent, apart from the basics.
In fact, the only area where the Duster doesn’t feel quite as simple as it could be is in the engine bay: the little petrol turbo engine is great to drive, but it’s a touch more mechanically complex than it would be if it wasn’t turbocharged.
How much: from £15,295
What you get: Cruise control, electric front windows, remote locking, air-conditioning, turbo engine
What you don’t: Touchscreen, LED headlights, lane keeping assistance, electronic handbrake, electric door mirrors, automatic headlights/wipers
1. Kia Picanto 1.0 1
This is more like it. The entry-level Picanto is truly pared back. There’s no touchscreen, for starters – just a simple digital radio with a monochrome display and two speakers.
Electric front windows and remote central locking are about as far as the fripperies go; air-conditioning and cruise control are both notable by their absence, while power comes from a mechanically simple 1.0-litre petrol engine with no turbos or hybrid features to worry about.
And while the Picanto is small, it’s spacious for its size. You get a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty, too, for even more peace of mind – making this the perfect no-frills new car.
How much: £13,400
What you get: Electric front windows, remote locking
What you don’t: Touchscreen, LED headlights, cruise control, electric front windows, air-conditioning, lane keeping assistance, electronic handbrake, hybrid/turbo engine, electric door mirrors, automatic headlights/wipers
"gadget" - Google News
June 20, 2023 at 08:36PM
https://ift.tt/YAfdJ3X
Five new cars that are gadget-free - The Telegraph
"gadget" - Google News
https://ift.tt/JplNjtE
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Five new cars that are gadget-free - The Telegraph"
Post a Comment