Engineering Explained: 5 Modern Car Options We Can't Live Without

In the past 10 years, cars have undoubtedly inflated in weight, price and features as competition and safety regulations force innovation within the industry. It’s also worth mentioning that many of these features are frustratingly terrible and aren’t worth even considering. Throughout the hundred or so cars I’ve tested in the past couple years, these are the five features which have stood out to me as the most enjoyable:

1. Downshift Rev-matching
   
2. Heated Everything
2. Adaptive Cruise Control
3. Smart Door Entry With Push Button Start
4. Apple CarPlay/Android Auto

Car lovers have a common problem where we’re not willing to admit that we’re not actually race car drivers. Most of us have day jobs, and cars are our toys to play with after a nine-to-five. Because of this, many aren’t willing to admit that features like automated downshift rev-matching are actually amazing driving aids. Sure, I get it, it’s not the purist’s way of downshifting while braking hard into a corner, but it’s a feature that can enhance your driving (and save your clutch) while still allowing for the joy of a manual transmission. I’ve never driven any manual transmission where there wasn’t the ability to disable this feature, either. Pull out your ego, turn on downshift rev matching, and amaze yourself at how fun driving can be with such a simple yet brilliant tech feature.

2. Heated Everything

I’m not just talking seats here. Technology has moved on. Now we have the ability to warm our hands while we drive, as well as the outside mirrors. If your arms are six feet long and no wider than a Honda Civic’s exhaust, you’ll know that blood flow at your hands has already been chilled to room temperature. Heated steering wheels are a ridiculous first world luxury, but after driving with this feature on a cold winter morning, you’ll be surprised how much it will influence a future buying decision. Heating the outside mirrors is great as well since you can remain in your car, hands on the toasty wheel, while your mirrors do the ice melting for you.

Cruise control is an amazing feature for long road trips, but it becomes worthless in city-based highways where drivers endlessly change their mind about what speed is appropriate while a seemingly meaningless sign keeps reminding them. That’s where adaptive cruise control comes in. Rather than frustrating yourself with a driver ahead who can’t decide if they want to go 10 over or five under, the car lets you relax while the onboard computers attempt to understand the logic of the vehicle in front. While I certainly don’t condone distracted driving, it also helps you eat that burrito without putting quite as much mental effort into maintaining a safe following distance. Though neither of my personal rides have this feature, I’m always thrilled when a press car comes in with it.

4. Smart Door Entry With Push Button Start

If you’re as lazy as I am, you’ll love this tech. With everything in my life, I aim to reduce the amount of time it takes for trivial tasks. That’s why I don’t own a dresser with drawers for my clothes - instead I store it all on a bookshelf where everything is visible and easy to access. I’ve removed the cabinet doors in my kitchen so I don’t need to open them to grab a pot. Yes, it’s unsightly, but if you’re going to judge me based on the appearance of my kitchen, we probably wouldn’t get along anyways.

This is why smart door entry with push button start is amazing. You put the key in your pocket, and then you forget about it. You walk up to your car, and it unlocks as you grab the handle. After getting in, you press a button and off you go. There’s no hassle of using a key to open the door, no reason to touch it in the first place. Volvo’s even talking of replacing the key with an app on your phone. I’m all for it! Is it ridiculous to value saving at most a few seconds? Probably. Does the thought of “another feature to fail” linger in my head just to save the amount of time it takes to change an F1 tyre? Not at all.

5. Apple CarPlay/Android Auto

If you ever read that a car has an amazing infotainment or navigation system, nine times out of 10 you’re being lied to. I haven’t driven a single car where I thought “wow, this is just as easy as my phone!” And though I certainly haven’t driven every vehicle, I’m convinced that they’re all awful. The car world needs Apple CarPlay/Android Auto because car makers don’t know how to make a simple and intuitive touch screen, unlike the phone world where that’s literally their job. While a host of reasons prevent all the car manufacturers from adopting these systems (including legal contracts and business relationships with worthless infotainment companies), if you get a car with the feature you’ll be glad you did. Google Maps is reason alone for Android users. Now if they could just get the system to work over Bluetooth…

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