Car Features We Can No Longer Live Without

Let’s face it: drivers these days are spoiled. Today you can buy a car with climate control and massaging seats that can practically drive itself, whereas luxury a few decades ago meant digital gauges and velour seats. Cars have come so far these days that getting in something that’s on the rental-spec side can be jarring, especially when it doesn’t have the few basic features we’ve all come to rely on during our daily commute. This is why we’ve compiled a list of 10 automotive features we feel we can’t live without these days.

These features include everything from everyday necessities to enjoyable luxuries, but the idea of forgoing them in a future car is almost unimaginable. As time progresses, we have no doubt some of these options will become obsolete in their own rights, but until then we plan on enjoying every minute of them, and if you have any favorites of your own, feel free to let us know what they are in the comments section below.

1 Bluetooth

The first entrant on the list is a heavy hitter that almost all of us couldn’t fathom living without. The technical term for the technology is that it’s a short-wave system that uses frequencies to allow one device to connect to another. There are many uses for it, but by far the most common is connecting your phone to wireless headphones, a speaker, and your vehicle. This allows drivers to transmit their music and conduct phone calls through their vehicle without the need for a wired connection, allowing you to more easily keep your eyes on the road while driving, and causing less hassle when entering or exiting the vehicle. It’s so commonplace these days that it’s unfathomable to think a new car would ship without it, and car companies keep finding new ways to utilize it.

2 Backup Cameras

To say a backup camera is something we can’t live without may be a bit arbitrary given it’s legally required, but it’s still one of those tools that truly is a game-changer. While concept cars with such a system have been around since the ’50s, the first production car to use it was the 1991 Toyota Soarer, more commonly known as the Lexus SC outside of Japan. This system was only featured in Japan, and it wasn’t until the 2002 Infiniti Q45 that the technology made its way stateside.

A little over a decade later, the US government passed a law that would mandate technology for future vehicles, and the rest is history. It’s such a simple system compared to the technology today, but it’s saved drivers and pedestrians countless times at this point, and it makes driving your 17-foot lifted truck a whole lot easier too.

3 Cupholders

This list isn’t a ranking, just a list of different vehicle features we can’t live without, but if we were to rank them, the cupholder would be number one. Such a simple invention feels like it must have existed since the very beginning of automotive design, but many are surprised to find out that the feature didn’t proliferate until the mid-80s with the introduction of the minivan.

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Chrysler was the first company in the US to install what we know as the modern-day cupholder in its K-series vans, but the concept went back decades and had the proliferation of drive-in and fast-food restaurants for its proliferation. The idea of not having a place to set your drink down in your car is ridiculous to anyone under the age of 50, but for most of automotive history that was the case. Sometimes the future is better.

4 Heated Seats

Whereas a heated steering wheel and ventilated seats may be a bit superfluous, we say the heated seat is mandatory anywhere where the temperature drops below 20 degrees regularly. Disagree? Well, you’ve obviously never woken up at the crack of dawn on a single-digit-degree day, spent 10 minutes excavating your Toyota RAV4 from the recent snow, and then sat down in the driver’s seat only to have freezing cold air blasted in your face. A heated seat is a godsend, a genuine revelation in moments such as these, and we wouldn’t trade it for the world. All we can say is God bless the invention’s creator, Robert L. Ballard.

The next big step in this department will be the heated seatbelt, keeping your entire body and not just your bottom warm.

5 Wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto

After decades of allowing car companies to fumble about with in-car operating systems to varying degrees of success, it was about time companies like Apple and Google jumped into the fray. It makes perfect sense: automakers focus on building the best car, while software companies focus on building the best in-car software.

Integrating the two creates a seamless experience that connects your vehicle to yourself, which not only makes you less likely to look at your phone while driving but gives you the ability to use many of the apps you’re accustomed to without any complicated steps. On top of this, ensuring the system is wireless will save time, and won’t lead to a broken cable ruining your road trip. While it’s valid to be wary of the growing influence specific companies have over your daily life, it’s hard not to appreciate just how much they help in our daily lives.

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6 Remote Start

Similar to the heated seat, the remote start is amazing if you live in a cold climate, but it has the dual benefit of also being a fantastic benefit if you live in a hot area. Another system that can trace its roots back decades, the first company to release the system from the factory was General Motors in the early 2000s, but aftermarket solutions have been available for years. Whereas systems in the past weren’t able to bypass the vehicle’s anti-theft system, modern ones have found ways around them given their factory integration. This is good for the use of the system, but opens the doors for less-than-scrupulous individuals to spoof your key and easily steal your car.

7 Cruise Control

As far as automotive technology goes, cruise control is easily one of the oldest. It goes back to the early days of the automobile around the turn of the century, as the idea of implementing a governor that would allow the driver to maintain a specific speed wasn’t all that complicated. The invention as we know it today was created by a blind inventor called Ralph Teetor in 1948, and the 1958 Chrysler Imperial was the first car to come with it from the factory, calling it “auto-pilot”, whereas Cadillac soon after debuted it as “cruise control”.

The system today has reached a point where it can even regulate your speed relative to other cars or objects in your way, allowing you to not have to focus as hard while cruising down the highway. This doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay attention, but it’s invaluable on long trips, and a truly necessary piece of automotive technology.

8 Parking Sensors/Blind Spot Monitoring

These two go hand-in-hand with a backup camera, but their uses also transcend it. These sensors either use ultrasonic or electromagnetic systems to determine objects in the path of the vehicle and either alert or initiate emergency braking to avoid a collision. While using your eyes is your first line of defense against any crash, sometimes a vehicle, biker, or pedestrian is perfectly in your blind spot, and here it’s extremely beneficial to get a warning chime or flashing light on the dash to let you know something is in your way. It’s a simple yet effective system and immediately makes traversing something like a busy parking lot much safer.

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9 Heads-Up Display (HUD)

General Motors really used to be one of the most innovative and powerful companies on the planet, so it’s no wonder the company was the first to introduce this state-of-the-art aircraft technology in its vehicles with the introduction of the 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Soon after, technology started exploding in popularity, and today, many vehicles can be optioned with the technology.

The main benefit of it is that you don’t have to take your eyes off of the road while driving and have access to important vehicle information like speed, direction, range, and more. It’s one of those things that once you start using, you’ll never want to go back to not using it, but keep in mind it’ll be much harder to lie to the Officer the next time they ask you if you knew how fast you were going.

10 Keyless Entry/Push Button Start

The final entrant on the list is the double whammy of having keyless entry and a push-button start. We mean true keyless entry too, not just the Ford touchpad you can get on your Bronco (although this still has its perks). This technology gives you the capability of simply walking up to your vehicle, unlocking it with either a touch of the handle or simply with proximity, getting in, and then clicking a button to turn on the car. No more fumbling around with your things to find your keys and then struggling to get them into the ignition. Just a seamless process that makes driving your vehicle just that much easier.