Kia Says Too Much Technology Is Taking the Fun Out of Driving
Fun Daily Drivers
You don’t always need an overtly sporty car to enjoy great driving dynamics. Even regular cars can be fun behind the wheel, bringing some joy to one’s everyday commute. Some shining examples include the Mazda3 and Honda Civic, while moving up the price bracket, you have compact executive sedans like the Alfa Romeo Giulia and BMW 3 Series.
Still, the list isn’t long enough, reckons Kia, as its chief ride and handling engineer for Australia, Graeme Gambold, said driving enthusiasts are being overlooked. He also mentioned that technology, while good, has been taking away the fun element in cars.
2026 Kia K4 Hatchback
Gabriel Ionica
Intrusive Technologies
Speaking to Australian motoring publication Carsales, Gambold expressed his frustration towards some driver assist technologies. “It’s really hard to find a car that drives nicely. It’s really hard to find a car that has all the features but none of the safety intervention, as I don’t need it,” said the engineer.
Now, that’s a pretty bold statement from a company chief, especially since automakers are committed to advanced driver assist technologies. He’s not saying that those should be banned altogether, as there have been instances wherein these were genuine lifesavers. Instead, it’s the intrusiveness of these systems that annoys instead of giving joy.
Carsales also asked Gambold if fun cars are a dying art. While he said it wasn’t necessarily the case, he stated that current market priorities have put enthusiasts aside. It’s one of the reasons why Kia (along with Hyundai) still has ride and handling tuning divisions in its major markets. In an age where everyone is trying to shave chunks of cost, the South Korean automaker is more than willing to spend on catering its chassis to specific markets.
Kia
Is China Speed Hurting Chassis Dynamics Development?
Right now, the main priority seems to be pushing out new models at lightning speed. It’s something that the Chinese market has effectively pressured legacy automakers to do, particularly in the fields of technology and electrification. But while higher-end models come with tricky suspension arrangements, one has to wonder how these cars would actually fare without these. It’s possible that electronics could be masking what are, otherwise, shortcomings in basic chassis tuning.
That’s the rub of the more widespread availability of active and adaptive suspension systems. While it’s good that the trickle-down effect has made these reasonably-priced options, it does make chassis engineering more tech-dependent, which also adds a layer of complexity to any vehicle. As China has effectively pressured the world into developing cars faster, and a majority of car buyers simply want point A to B transport, it doesn’t really encourage automakers to add a little zing to their mass-market models.
Of course, there may come a time when cars can be completely software-defined. Many automakers aren’t exactly shy about going in that direction. Still, at least we know some brands still see value in proper chassis tuning and calibration rather than just letting active systems and software development do a good chunk of the work.