Drive Modes are Getting Weird, and Not in a Good Way

There’s a driver out there who wants to make every driving experience the best possible.

“Oh yeah,” he says while he approaches the sole corner in his daily commute. “This calls for sport mode.”

He flicks the switch on his car, and the lights inside turn red. Obviously, red represents raw emotion, and this 150-metre, slightly curving patch of pavement calls for emotional synergy between man and machine. The car becomes noisier when sport mode is engaged. The buzzing being pumped into the cabin makes him feel alive and human. The corner approaches, and a bead of sweat forms on his brow.

This is an intense 50 km/h portion of his journey, and our driver attacks it with purpose every day. As the road straightens out and he approaches a traffic light, he can finally exhale. His exhilaration has ended, and it's time to return to reality. Another brilliant day behind the wheel of a Honda CR-V, clearly one of the most thrilling cars on the road.

Back to Reality

Does that experience sound normal? I imagine this is what automakers expect from drivers, seeing how much they believe a drive mode can add to the motoring experience. Almost every new car comes with the ability to change its driving mode these days.

Drive modes are nothing new, and they typically adjust a few elements of a car’s driving experience. Eco modes strive for efficiency by limiting acceleration and upshifting as soon as possible, while sport modes do the opposite, holding gears for longer and even adding more resistance to the steering to make it feel like you’re a more decisive driver in need of immediate response. Snow modes dampen the throttle input, and some start the car in a higher gear to prevent wheelspin off the line. Other modes adjust traction control to allow more wheelspin to handle off-road situations better.

In many cases, drive modes straddle the line between being gimmicky and useful. They’re not necessary, but kind of cool in the right situation. Unfortunately, it feels like the automotive industry has lost its restraint when designing drive modes, and some really feel unnecessary and weird. I don’t mean weird like a 400-horsepower performance car featuring a sport mode (what else would the car need?). I mean weird like “How did this even get approved?” kinds of modes or names for modes. Let's get to the first one and see if you get my drift.

Baby Mode

Found on a few Hyundai models, including the Tucson Hybrid, Baby Mode is the first entry on this list. Is Baby Mode the answer to getting your baby to drive? Does it help them reach the pedals? No, nothing that interesting. Baby Mode is described as a powertrain mode that is optimized for driving with a baby or child in the car. It’s designed to help your baby fall asleep or stay asleep by smoothing throttle inputs and enabling gentler stops.

I’m not an expert parent, but I know there are numerous other things that deter my child from falling asleep. For example, is the child being bothered by a sibling or grandparent next to them in a car? Am I singing “Let it Go” at full tilt, or rapping Moana’s “You’re Welcome” as accurately as possible? Am I driving through a pothole-riddled street? If so, then no drive mode will make a difference and my kid isn’t going to fall asleep. Sorry, Hyundai, Baby Mode won’t work miracles.

Dog Mode

I’m firmly a cat person because “cat” is one letter away from “car.” Regardless, there are dog people out there who might appreciate this driving mode (more accurately, a parking mode) pioneered by Tesla. Users activate Dog Mode when they have to leave their pet in the car. We’re taught that leaving people or animals in a car is dangerous, but Tesla owners love putting their faith in technology. (I swear, if I hear “Hey, check out this full self-driving mode” one more time...)

Dog Mode keeps the cabin at a set temperature and can run the air conditioning or heater as needed to keep the pet comfortable and safe. The car also displays a message on the central screen indicating that Dog Mode is on, that the owner is returning soon, and that the pet is not in immediate danger, in case anyone passes by and wants to save the stranded pet by smashing the window. Unfortunately, the car doesn’t clean up any messes the dog makes in the car; that’s still the responsibility (and consequence) of the owner.

Drift Mode

A few cars come with a Drift Mode, which adjusts the drivetrain and traction control to make it easier to initiate and sustain a drift. It’s meant to be fun, but really, it’s like the auto-aim function in a video game. Do you think five-time Formula Drift winner James Deane puts his RTR Mustang into Drift Mode to rack up the wins? No, drifting is a motorsport that requires practice and skill.

Firing up Drift Mode on your Volkswagen Golf R doesn’t make you a drifter as much as wearing Air Jordans makes you a basketball player. If you can’t be bothered to learn how to drift, then maybe drifting isn’t for you, regardless of whether or not you have Drift Mode. It’s hard to imagine relying on electronic nannies when powersliding towards a guardrail or light pole, rather than understanding the actual elements of car control.

Several electric vehicles (EVs) also boast a Drift Mode, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Kia EV6 GT, and Ford Mustang Mach-E Rallye. Among their many compromises, EVs are heavy, which makes competing in various motorsports, including drifting, more difficult. In the history of Formula Drift, just one EV has competed, a specialized, Tesla-powered Chevrolet Camaro dubbed the EL1. I’m not certain, but I doubt that driver Travis Reeder had to use a Drift Mode to turn the rear tires to smoke.

Sport vs. Sport Plus

Sport and sport plus modes are a pet peeve of mine. When do you decide to use one over the other? Let's look at BMW for this example, though automakers like Lexus, Mercedes, and Porsche also offer cars with both settings.

Traditionally, sport mode heightens the vehicle's responsiveness, making it feel livelier and more engaging. Throttle response is more immediate, the transmission shifts quicker and more often, and even the suspension and steering feel can be adjusted to deliver a more immersive experience.

Then what does sport plus do? It apparently takes it a notch further, but in many cases, especially when there are electronic adjustments to the chassis, it can make the ride choppy and uncomfortable. Sport plus will adjust the traction control, too. Is it fun? Sure, but does it need a totally separate, uncomfortable mode? Not really.

It’s also unclear when to use one sport mode over the other. Is sport plus only for closed courses? Then why not call it track or race mode? Why do Mercedes-AMGs have all of these modes (Sport, Sport+ and Race)? Will the questions ever end?

Excite

When you think of exciting cars, you think about Lincoln, right? Because instead of a traditional sport mode, its cars use a different verbiage, with the “Excite” mode being the more performance-oriented setting.

Yes, we’re talking about Lincoln, the brand probably best known for its Navigator full-size luxury SUV designed to usher occupants away in class and luxury. Even though the Navigator boasts 440 horsepower, it’s far from exciting to drive. The brand’s other vehicles, including the Aviator, Corsair, and Nautilus, also feature the Excite setting, but again, Lincoln isn’t known for raising pulses. Put down the thesaurus, Lincoln.

Dirt, Mud, and Sand

Growing up, my mom would call everything I played “a video game on a Nintendo.” She didn’t care about the nuances of Sony, Xbox, Sega, or even my PC; it was all a Nintendo. Did I really care? No.

Today, I found the opposite experience in several Toyota trucks with the Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) feature. MTS actually makes sense, as these Toyota trucks feature advanced drivetrains that can adjust the power, locking or limited-slip differentials, and traction control to conquer all kinds of non-paved conditions. Drivers can pick between Dirt, Mud, or Sand (and others like Rocks or Snow).

But aren’t mud and sand two types of dirt? If I find sand or mud in my house, I’d consider my house dirty. Maybe I’m not savvy to the chemical makeup of detritus, but I’m starting to think that Toyota may just be padding the number of drive modes in its off-roaders.

Dynamic

The Range Rover Sport is designed and engineered to be a jack of all trades. It acts like a family hauler, an off-roader, a performance vehicle, and a designer showpiece all at once. It has a curiously named “Dynamic” drive mode. What does dynamic mean? In the case of the Range Rover, it is meant to be used like a sport mode, and the SUV will become more responsive and aggressive.

But why not just call it sport mode? Automakers will do whatever they can to stand out, and breaking out the thesaurus is the oldest trick in the marketing handbook. Or maybe I should say it's the tried and true, old faithful, reliable, and failsafe way of standing out. Simply put, the car should do the talking, not its drive mode.