Probably an unpopular opinion. I think the idea is neat. I’m a car enthusiast and I own an EV. EVs are great, powerful, efficient and fun. But they are not the same type of fun as a manual car on a twisty road and I think Toyota is on to something in giving you the option. A car can be both a great commuter and a fun experience on a twisty mountain road without the need to own and maintain a additional “for fun” car.
Thanks for an alternate perspective! I’ve driven manuals before, but never would consider myself a manual enthusiast. It’s just hard for me to imagine that a joystick triggering sound effects would give enough of the feel of driving stick to make it fun.
It’ll take some clever programming to get the motors to behave “correctly” for the input, and some suspension of disbelief from the driver. But I can believe that manufacturers will be able to get close enough eventually.
Of course there will always be a sacrifice here. But if you don’t want to make a sacrifice on the experience then what you’re actually looking for is an EV for your daily driving and an actual stick ICE for fun. But most people can’t afford to keep an extra car around just for fun. So the compromises here are probably your best bet.
And for the environmental aspect, you aren’t going to get people who drive stick for fun to give that up. If you actually want to entertain the idea of getting 100% of ICE vehicles off the road, there’s going to need to be something for thr crowd who just enjoys cruising with their manuals.
Probably an unpopular opinion. I think the idea is neat. I’m a car enthusiast and I own an EV. EVs are great, powerful, efficient and fun. But they are not the same type of fun as a manual car on a twisty road and I think Toyota is on to something in giving you the option. A car can be both a great commuter and a fun experience on a twisty mountain road without the need to own and maintain a additional “for fun” car.
Thanks for an alternate perspective! I’ve driven manuals before, but never would consider myself a manual enthusiast. It’s just hard for me to imagine that a joystick triggering sound effects would give enough of the feel of driving stick to make it fun.
It’ll take some clever programming to get the motors to behave “correctly” for the input, and some suspension of disbelief from the driver. But I can believe that manufacturers will be able to get close enough eventually.
Of course there will always be a sacrifice here. But if you don’t want to make a sacrifice on the experience then what you’re actually looking for is an EV for your daily driving and an actual stick ICE for fun. But most people can’t afford to keep an extra car around just for fun. So the compromises here are probably your best bet.
And for the environmental aspect, you aren’t going to get people who drive stick for fun to give that up. If you actually want to entertain the idea of getting 100% of ICE vehicles off the road, there’s going to need to be something for thr crowd who just enjoys cruising with their manuals.