Why Driving Isn’t Fun Anymore

You remember your first real driving experience, right? Not the school run. Not cruising in your dad’s Camry. I mean the first time you were alone, late at night, windows down, music just right, and nothing but desert road ahead.

For me, it was my Subaru WRX, a manual in midnight blue with a turbo loud enough to scare stray cats in Al Ain. There was no traffic. No camera warnings. No screen yelling at me. Just the engine’s hum, my hand on the gearstick, and that feeling of freedom!

That’s the kind of driving we fell in love with. Sadly, that’s gone.

Touchscreens Have Replaced Touch

I sat in a new car last week—the kind with a digital cockpit, glowing interior, and zero buttons in sight. I spent 10 minutes just trying to turn the AC down. Had to go through menus, submenus, then some weird haptic slider that never listened.

Driving now feels like using a poorly designed app. Everything’s hidden behind glass. Cold and lifeless. I miss real buttons. The kind you could hit without looking. The click, the feel, the instant reaction. Now I need to scroll to change my drive mode. By the time I find it, I don’t feel like driving anymore.

EVs Are Fast, But That’s Not Enough

Don’t get me wrong, electric cars are impressive. They launch like rockets. But that’s all they do. They launch. I drove a Tesla Model 3 Performance. It was quick, but I didn’t smile. Not even once. No engine sound, no gear changes, just silence and screens. It felt like being inside a premium elevator.

Where’s the feedback?  The emotion? Where’s that sudden growl from the exhaust that reminds you you’re alive? Driving an EV is like eating plain hummus. Technically perfect with zero spice and no drama.

SUVs Have Taken Over

Every car on the road now looks the same: tall, heavy, and grey. Sedans are dying. Coupes are extinct. Hatchbacks? Hah. Everything’s a crossover now. Even the sports cars are lifting their suspensions and throwing in cupholders for strollers.

I get it, SUVs are practical. I own a Patrol myself—for the dunes, family trips, and hauling gear. But not every drive needs to feel like you’re piloting a yacht through downtown. Where’s the charm? When did we trade identity for “ground clearance”?

Modern Cars Don’t Trust You Anymore

I was on the Dubai–Hatta road a few weekends ago. It was a great drive—or it should’ve been. Every time I tried to take a curve, lane assist yanked the wheel like it knew better. Alarms blaring, the steering nudging, and the brakes tapping for no reason.

It’s like the car was having a panic attack. I didn’t buy a car to argue with it. I bought it to drive. These systems are meant to protect us, but now they babysit us—constantly watching and constantly interrupting. There is no freedom, no fun.

Designed by Algorithms, Not People

Look at cars today. Same shape, screens, same fake engine noises pumped through speakers. It’s all copy-paste, just with a new badge. You can tell the designs were tested by AI. “What will get the most likes?” instead of “What will make someone feel something?”

I remember seeing an old Alfa Romeo for the first time, and my jaw dropped. It was neither fast nor reliable. But it had a soul. Now? Everything looks like it came from the same factory that makes smart fridges.

The Flaws Are What Made Them Fun

You know what I love about my old 911? It isn’t perfect. The clutch is heavy. The radio barely works. The rear end would kick out if you looked at it wrong. But that was the point. You had to know the car, understand its moods, and work with it, not just sit in it.

Now, cars adjust themselves. They decide things for you. They isolate you from the drive. That might be progress. But it sure doesn’t feel like passion.

I still take my old Porsche out on Fridays. I still drive my Patrol into the dunes. Not because they’re better than modern cars, but because they’re alive. They talk back, misbehave, and surprise me. That’s what we’re missing. Not horsepower. Not screens. Just a connection. A heartbeat.

So if you see a dusty coupe weaving through Sharjah traffic, loud music, driver grinning like it’s 2008—that’s probably me.

Still chasing that feeling, refusing to let driving become just another task, and remembering what it’s supposed to feel like.

Thanks for reading till the end. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Keep following the Arabwheels Blog for more content like this.