APPLIANCE LIFE

Ialways thought it was funny that some people could view cars as a mere appliance — a necessity required to transport oneself and passengers from point A to point B. But, thanks to someone of low morals managing to hit my dailydriver while it was parked and then proceeding to make a run for it, I was recently left behind the wheel of one the most appliance-like vehicles possible. Sure, I was grateful that the panel beater had one available, no doubt about it, as the timing couldn’t have been worse with the toys off the road and one other car recently departed from the fleet. At first, I didn’t think it was too bad — and, in some ways, it wasn’t, for a courtesy car — the second fastest and most durable vehicles in the land after rental cars … if you’re that way inclined. For me, though, it was just the simple daily commute to tackle: slow, steady, and thankfully not very long. Day one was fine. It was a novelty, especially the CVT transmission — which, if you’ve never driven a car with one, is not dissimilar to a rubber band that just keeps on winding up; zero gear changes at all. But, by day two or three, the novelty had worn off, and I was bored. I could, however, see why people who’ve never driven anything different — anything with a bit of character or personality — could think that this is all that driving is about. It must be a pretty sad world if that’s all they know of driving. The fact that you’re reading this means that you know far more than that and that cars can be interesting, or at least have character, regardless of how old, new, powerful, or slow they are. I know that I was happy to get back behind the wheel of a car that, while by no means flash, or fast in the big scheme of things, gives feedback when you press the accelerator and has the ability to put a smile on your dial, even on the daily commute. With the electric-vehicle scene snowballing — and don’t get me wrong, I’m not against that at all — there are likely to be more and more bland consumer appliances on the roads and more mindless zombies behind the wheels. Maybe it’s up to us to take some of them out for a cruise, or a bit more of a spirited blast, to wake them up from a world of blandness … As you’d expect, there’s no blandness in this issue — far from it, with the gorgeous Dodge Challenger race-come-show car of the Ross family gracing the cover alongside the trophy-hauling pickup of Colin and Shelly Pope. Then there’s the long-term on-off Ford Mustang project of Marshall Gare, the blown Impala of Bevan Parker, and the VH of one of our youngest-ever feature car owners, Cam North — not an ounce of bland in sight. Catch you out there, Todd