Using Code Igniter without the $ this - > load() pattern?

[eluser]TheseAreTheFables[/eluser]
I really like Code Igniter, mainly for its ease of use and clear documentation. I tried Kohana as well but I don't quite trust it since the documentation is so incredibly poor. It makes me feel the developers lack motivation or support, and that the whole project won't last.

So I want to use Code Igniter, however the one thing I don't like about it is the way classes are loaded. The $this->load() pattern seems a bit hackish and cumbersome. So I was wondering, is there any known way to load class in a "normal" way. i.e. $test = new Class() ?
Perhaps some library or plugin that would enable this on CI? If not, any suggestion on the best practice to use "new" operators in CI instead of $this->load?