Why do some reviewers keep saying there are no cars?

In previous sims games cars were functional: 

Sims 1: cars are the only way to leave the lot 

• to leave the lot your sim had to call a taxi, wait for the taxi to arrive in front of the lot and walk up to the taxi to get in (no animation)
• Your sim would be picked up by a carpool car to go to work . If they miss the time window of the car, they miss work . 

Sims 2: again cars are essential to leave the lot. A later expansion added the option to walk of the lot 

• taxi, same as sims 1 but with an animation to get in
• All NPC would arrive with their own car 
• Carpool to get to work 
• Nightlife and free time added cars your sims can own. No more waiting for a taxi, just get in and go with their own car 
• Woohoo in cars
• Freetime also added the possibility to work on a car

Sims 3: the open world made cars feel even more useful 

• sims can call a taxi and you can see the taxi driving to the destination on the map
• Sims can own a car and you can follow the car on the open world
• Adults can teach teens to drive 

Sims 4

Cars are moving neighbor decorations only with no way to interact with them and no purpose or effect on your sims life. Sims just teleport on and off lots.

Controlling and driving a car like in GTA is obviously not in the sims but for realism many simmers want some sort of functionality