Lead With Your Heart

Sometimes, in the right car and the right surroundings, driving is about much more than just getting somewhere

- Kieran Rennie

A popular motor industry WhatsApp group topic at the moment is autonomy. Self-driving cars. Know this: it is going to happen. A certain German manufacturer is planning on launching a fleet of autonomous taxis, in Berlin, as early as 2020. For me, it’s almost like someone’s about to ban cheesecake, or Ferrero Rocher, or John Mayer. Being told I’m not going to be able to drive my own car? You may as well harvest my organs right now and sell what’s left of me for scrap.

Intellectually and logistically, I can see the advantages. I would love a car to be able to safely navigate morning rush-hour traffic while I catch up on emails. Or John Mayer. Emotionally, however, for me, driving is life-blood.

Why do I love it so much? Apart from the fact that I’m a dyed-in-the-wool petrolhead, it’s the freedom. The ability to, at a fairly affordable rate, jump into your own machine and go somewhere else. To escape. To discover.

Now, when that machine is a Subaru Forester and the intended destination is the Kruger National Park (KNP), the purveyors of the aforementioned autonomous driving systems are going to have to prise that attractive-looking, leather-clad steering wheel from my Kung-Fu grip.