Walking around a museum with 21 five-year-olds could be a form of torture. But when it is accompanied by the “bbbrrrms!” and “neee-ows” they blurt out after clocking crazy cars from the history of motoring, it would take a real grump not to enjoy the experience.
Going on a school trip to a motor museum with my young son recently was a revelation. Not just because I spent a few hours viewing cars through a child’s eyes – yes, three-wheelers are cooler than stuffy big limousines – but because I went home with a deep understanding of how amazing today’s vehicles really are.
There were fits of giggles over the antique cars a century old, whose bone-rattling cart wheels would have made a ride over cobbles much less attractive than a long walk in hand-me-down shoes. How incredible that today, an SUV like the SEAT Ateca will take you from the smooth roads outside your city home, and up a muddy hillside to a forest.
The lack of a steering wheel on the oldest cars was something the kids picked out straight away, with a tiller (the original way of steering) offering far less prospect of fun for the driver. Technology has come so far since. My boy gazed at me in wonder when I told him that the SEAT Ateca will automatically slow down to a standstill, while staying in lane and activating the hazard lights, if the driver falls unwell thanks to its “emergency assist” technology.
We looked at the old automobiles with space for just one wicker basket behind the seats, which might squeeze in some waterproofs, driving goggles and a sandwich, compared with the Ateca with its 510 litres of space in the boot and room on the roof for skis, cycles or surfboards. How much more exciting life is today when you can travel anyway, do anything.
The biggest gasp came when we tried to pick up a vintage car key – otherwise known as a crank. The thought that today, a SEAT Ateca can be started automatically if the key is in your pocket, is mind-blowing. From the exertion of the crank to the ease of Kessy – the Ateca’s keyless system – the leap in technology is incredible.
I see now why SUVs – sports utility vehicles – are the big growth area for motoring. A five-year-old wants the freedom to let their imagination run wild, to seize any chance they have to get out and explore the world. With an SUV, the grownups can let them do it – and have just as much fun along the way themselves.