thats hidden nowadays and its a light vs a gauge but agree

Only if towing

I have needed more than the light on at least two occasions, neither towing.

A modern vehicle overheating? Like did you need to limp it home or something

Absolutely limping, both cases. The gauge let me judge exactly how far I was pushing it in my limping, and gave me an idea of whether and how soon I needed to find a place to stop for a while.