‘Like Tinder’: Huge problem with Aussie cars

For an industry worth $200bn a year, there’s not a lot of love out there for us Aussies when it comes to our cars.

A test drive is like a first date isn’t it?

You’ve seen something that you might like. Maybe on the motoring equivalent of Tinder. You’ve done a bit of research or backgrounding and you’re willing to roll the dice.

You just have no idea how it is going to go.

And then … it’s awkward at first, you’re feeling things out, trying to be polite, to get a rhythm happening. Gauging reactions.

But at some stage you want to open the throttle, you want to push the limits, to see if this thing has a future.

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When it comes to cars, it’s becoming increasingly hard to find ‘the one’. Picture: Supplied

Is 15 minutes really enough to find that out?

In (very) short: No.

But that’s all I was granted to shake out News Corp’s Car of the Year, the BYD Shark 6.

After waiting for a while simply to start driving the thing, -waiting for other prospective buyers, getting an extended run through of what was what – it was certainly a matter of the foreplay lasting longer than the real thing.

WHY OH WHY?

It got me thinking; in an industry that is so competitive, that makes so much money (around $200bn a year), that is constantly hitting you up with ads and incentives, why can a test drive be such a deflating experience?

One that makes you feel like you’re getting in the way of something. Like the saleman’s lunch or his shot at a new high score on Candy Crush. Or the fact they just want to tell you how it is.

Maybe I’m being a bit harsh.

But when you are looking at buying a new car and think you have found something you like, it should be easier and more accommodating.

After all it’s the second biggest splurge most of us will make after a home and around 80 per cent of Aussie car buyers take out a loan for a new set of wheels.

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15 minutes is all you’re getting with this baby. Picture: Supplied

It’s like you’ve finally found that dream match on Tinder or Hinge or Bumble or eHarmony or shock, horror you’ve actually met someone in the flesh, and you’ve sat down at the bar together. Before the barman tells you they are closing in five.

Where do you go from here?

Perhaps it’s that customer service has almost completely evaporated in this digital age that we are continually told that doing everything online is so undoubtly wonderful. Just ask ChatGPT if you don’t believe me.

You can book that test drive online in a minute or two. Then the drive itself doesn’t last much longer.

When you can gleefully order a $125k car online with a few clicks just like you’re ordering Uber Easts maybe it doesn’t matter to the car companies so much what the 360 degree in-person test driving experience is like.

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Can you see your future with the updated Tesla Model Y? Picture: Mark Bean

But it should.

TAKE THE LONG ROAD HOME

The much-hyped BYD Shark doesn’t take a lot of introducing, unlike a Telsa with its ‘everything is on the touchscreen approach’ but you still have to learn a bit about how to drive it.

And while the BYD salesman was a very nice and knowledge guy, I was rather surprised/annoyed when he said after giving me the keys – “see you in 15-20, that’s the usual time”.

Luckily it was a slow Saturday afternoon and having once worked in the area where the test drive was I knew the roads well and was able to use that time wisely to work the ute through the suburban streets and give it some on the motorway.

But to me 15-20 minutes often means double that, and just as well because as I was returning to the dealer I realised I hadn’t toggled across to EV mode to try it out. So that meant, another five to 10 cruising around.

To be fair though, it took my seven-year-old son all of three minutes riding high in the back seat to declare: “we should buy this”.

However it only took for me to tell them we were going to test drive the new updated Tesla Model Y for them to translate that into the fact we were already buying one.

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EV or not EV? That’s at least one of the questions. Picture: Daily Telegraph / Monique Harmer

ALL HAIL THE CYBERTRUCK

The halo effect of the Cybertruck on display at the dealership – my 7-year-old and 10-year-old (and dog) climbed all over like it was a kids’ playground – further sealed the deal before we even got a look at the Model Y.

Tesla is a very slick and very friendly and very accommodating operation, even if their reps seemed somewhat short on product knowledge unlike the BYD blokes I dealt with.

I got an hour with my boys (minus the dog) to test out the Model Y. To get a decent feel for how you operate it. How it works in a suburban setting and how it cruises on the highway.

Just cough up for the new wheels already will you dad?!

Was this really a car I wanted to blow $80K on? (Are you kidding it does 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds of course I want it.) You shouldn’t often listen to that mischievous little voice inside your head. But on this occasion it was commenting in unison with my sensible side and most importantly my wife’s point of view.

The Tesla blew me away, for ride and comfort and the cutting edge tech. I had to have it and thanks to financing I could and I don’t regret the buy for a second.

Apart from when I wonder if I should have spent $1600 more and got the white seats.

But that’s just that little voice again.

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Date night. Picture: Mark Bean

COMMITMENT ISSUES

But even then my time with the Tesla felt like a short stay at the crease.

In the end it was recommendations from people I know who know what they are talking about and the endlessly reading and watching of reviews that confirmed it was the car I wanted.

But still I wondered, can I know if I want to spend the rest of my life with this car from such a short date?

I get that the path to true love is never smooth but it just didn’t seem right.

That was confirmed for me when my brother relayed his experience in buying his new car. He visited a large dealership, which offered a number of different car brands, – a one-stop car browsing shop if you will.

Speed dating kinda thing but with quite a bit more to it.

Let love rule – the 2024 Skoda Kodiaq. Photo: Supplied

One of those brands was Skoda, a brand he was considering.

When he asked the car dealer how long could he have the car for, the dealer replied: “well we close at six, just make sure you have it back by then”.

My brother looked at his watch, it had just gone 2pm.

He drove three cars that afternoon for as long and as far as he wanted.

Do you need to guess where he bought his new car from?