Rediscovering the joy of ICE: A break from the EV craze
29 Mar 2025|3,787 views
I need a break from electric vehicles (EVs).
Sure, it's the future. It's the inevitable. As a matter of fact, it's perhaps the only thing that matters in the automotive world today. And I'm quite tired of it. Not sick, yet, but tired nonetheless.
I reckon in a world where hippies create trends and these trends create business cases, we all need to adapt because if we don't, we'll start losing touch. We'll start becoming our dads and the younger generation will start dubbing us "boomers". Not that I have a problem with that, really, but I just want to give the younger generation a tough time...
The Range Rover Velar reminded me about the joy of driving an ICE car once again
Speaking of tough
I recently did a drive with the Range Rover Velar, a model that's arguably the most contemporary and handsome-looking of the Rangie's lot. Tapered roofline, sleek headlamps, flushed door handles... you get my drift. Didn't drive as well as I wanted it to be, even though I genuinely liked the car.
The 3.0-litre in-line six is a gem, sounds great, has a lot of grunt to it when it's extended, but the ZF-sourced gearbox isn't really to my liking. A lot of reluctance at the lower end, but once you're up to speed, the modern SUV moves like a locomotive. I mean, you can't expect anything less from a car that's good for 394bhp and 550Nm of twisting force.
A petrolhead colleague said it's because the car was tuned for off-roading, hence the shorter gears at the lower end, but my argument was simple - since I'm on the Comfort mode and not the Off-road or Mud or Snow, it should adjust itself and work like, you know, a modern SUV.
Centre console of the Velar is now cleaner and clear of buttons - only a gear lever will be in place
Of course
Still, there is plenty to like about the car. For starters, well, it isn't an EV. What a breath of fresh air! I could almost forgive all of its flaws just for being a regular internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. To that extent, I could well be exaggerating so that you can read another line on this very page of my story, but the truth of the matter is that there is some actuality to this.
I'm not against EVs, mind. I am all for them, but when you get too many of them all at once, it leaves a numb aftertaste. Imagine having mala for the first time. We all had our oohs and our aahs. Try having it for lunch 3 times a week for the past 2 years...
Anyway and anyhow, as I was collecting the Range Rover Velar, I had a nice conversation with a fellow Rangie expert who shared several facts with me. Facts about how there are still some loyal customers. Facts about how people behind the scene are working hard and tirelessly to create cars that are seemingly unpopular, being ICE and all.
The Xpeng is yet another Chinese brand that entered our market last July
Then it got me thinking... I suppose the skeleton of car-making is in plain sight and yet unseen and arguably unknown. It's the designer working overtime to make sure the car has the appeal. It is the engineer ensuring the designer's work can come to live. It's the marketeers who do their strategic planning that assures the sales team that the car will be a success. They are the people who allow the car to happen in the first place.
But most don't know and they probably do not give a rat's behind about it. It's all about the now and the current. Hell, I don't even blame them because I could well be one of them. It's all about "what's the new EV", "what's the new Chinese brand", and "who has the best range of them all"…
What happened to the good ol' days of cars with a good soul and a clear mind that can make us all happy and kind? They sounded good, crappy, were new, were old, had a grunt, were squeaky, had a funky smell inside, had a freshener that was too strong for all but the owner, had a history, had headlamps that were getting far too foggy...
The 3.0-litre in-line six powerplant is a breath of fresh air and a genuine joy to behold
Sure, times have changed and I cannot agree any more than I already am that we have to change with the times as well. I mean, I'm even trying to be hip on Instagram, for crying out loud. But every once in a while, shouldn't we look back and remember how it all started? What the people behind the scenes did to make our souls stir? What cars really meant to us?
Absolutely, EVs are the future and they will continue to do so for the next five years or so, but believe me when I say this...
I need a break from electric vehicles.
I need a break from electric vehicles (EVs).
Sure, it's the future. It's the inevitable. As a matter of fact, it's perhaps the only thing that matters in the automotive world today. And I'm quite tired of it. Not sick, yet, but tired nonetheless.
I reckon in a world where hippies create trends and these trends create business cases, we all need to adapt because if we don't, we'll start losing touch. We'll start becoming our dads and the younger generation will start dubbing us "boomers". Not that I have a problem with that, really, but I just want to give the younger generation a tough time...
The Range Rover Velar reminded me about the joy of driving an ICE car once again
Speaking of tough
I recently did a drive with the Range Rover Velar, a model that's arguably the most contemporary and handsome-looking of the Rangie's lot. Tapered roofline, sleek headlamps, flushed door handles... you get my drift. Didn't drive as well as I wanted it to be, even though I genuinely liked the car.
The 3.0-litre in-line six is a gem, sounds great, has a lot of grunt to it when it's extended, but the ZF-sourced gearbox isn't really to my liking. A lot of reluctance at the lower end, but once you're up to speed, the modern SUV moves like a locomotive. I mean, you can't expect anything less from a car that's good for 394bhp and 550Nm of twisting force.
A petrolhead colleague said it's because the car was tuned for off-roading, hence the shorter gears at the lower end, but my argument was simple - since I'm on the Comfort mode and not the Off-road or Mud or Snow, it should adjust itself and work like, you know, a modern SUV.
Centre console of the Velar is now cleaner and clear of buttons - only a gear lever will be in place
Of course
Still, there is plenty to like about the car. For starters, well, it isn't an EV. What a breath of fresh air! I could almost forgive all of its flaws just for being a regular internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. To that extent, I could well be exaggerating so that you can read another line on this very page of my story, but the truth of the matter is that there is some actuality to this.
I'm not against EVs, mind. I am all for them, but when you get too many of them all at once, it leaves a numb aftertaste. Imagine having mala for the first time. We all had our oohs and our aahs. Try having it for lunch 3 times a week for the past 2 years...
Anyway and anyhow, as I was collecting the Range Rover Velar, I had a nice conversation with a fellow Rangie expert who shared several facts with me. Facts about how there are still some loyal customers. Facts about how people behind the scene are working hard and tirelessly to create cars that are seemingly unpopular, being ICE and all.
The Xpeng is yet another Chinese brand that entered our market last July
Then it got me thinking... I suppose the skeleton of car-making is in plain sight and yet unseen and arguably unknown. It's the designer working overtime to make sure the car has the appeal. It is the engineer ensuring the designer's work can come to live. It's the marketeers who do their strategic planning that assures the sales team that the car will be a success. They are the people who allow the car to happen in the first place.
But most don't know and they probably do not give a rat's behind about it. It's all about the now and the current. Hell, I don't even blame them because I could well be one of them. It's all about "what's the new EV", "what's the new Chinese brand", and "who has the best range of them all"…
What happened to the good ol' days of cars with a good soul and a clear mind that can make us all happy and kind? They sounded good, crappy, were new, were old, had a grunt, were squeaky, had a funky smell inside, had a freshener that was too strong for all but the owner, had a history, had headlamps that were getting far too foggy...
The 3.0-litre in-line six powerplant is a breath of fresh air and a genuine joy to behold
Sure, times have changed and I cannot agree any more than I already am that we have to change with the times as well. I mean, I'm even trying to be hip on Instagram, for crying out loud. But every once in a while, shouldn't we look back and remember how it all started? What the people behind the scenes did to make our souls stir? What cars really meant to us?
Absolutely, EVs are the future and they will continue to do so for the next five years or so, but believe me when I say this...
I need a break from electric vehicles.
Thank You For Your Subscription.
