My kids saw an executive function coach when they were nearing driving age and she drilled into us to get an older car without all of the distractions. They ended up with a 2005 Corolla and after driving with my daughter, I’m glad we made that choice. Now that they are driving further than just around town, I was thinking of getting them a new Subaru CrossTrek as it had all of the newest safety features but a simple interior. Unfortunately, the 2024 version now has a huge tablet rather than the buttons and dials of the previous versions.
1 Like
I like
*automatic high beams
*lane departure (only use it on trips or dark rainy nights)
*apple car play
*blind spot monitor
*alert to approaching vehicles or pedestrians
*brake if I get too close to vehicle in front
*heated seats
*adaptive cruise control
*heated steering wheel
*readout of gas mileage per trip
*bird’s eye view camera
I don’t like
*rear camera (I’m only starting to become comfortable with it after almost six years)
Love:
backup camera
heated seats (a must in New England)
leather seats (a must with a dog that is a massive drooler)
Apple Car Play
Memory seats
Blind Spot monitoring. Unfortunately, my car came with a camera instead that turns on when you put your right blinker on (for some reason only the right side). I hate it and turned it off because every time I used my blinker Google Maps disappeared from my screen. Good thing I never loved it as I ended up knocking the camera off less than a year after buying the car and never spent the >$1,000 to fix it.
I’m not too picky on anything else and wish they didn’t make you buy the top of the line package to get the few features I want.
I’m too much of a control freak to use cruise control and I find my oncoming traffic warning annoying.
Things I’d like in my next car
I’d prefer the 360 car surround over blind spot monitoring, but I’d love to even just to go back to my old light on the rearview mirror monitoring system
Wireless Apple Car Play. I don’t need wireless charging as the phone case I prefer doesn’t support it.
I don’t think I’ll be buying an Outback but I just went somewhere in my cousin’s new fully loaded 24 and I didn’t want to get out of the seat. It was the most comfortable passenger seat I’ve ever sat in. Cushy, but with support in all of the right places.
My Prius is no longer new, but I continue to be low-key annoyed about the fact that it beeps when I put it in reverse, but only inside the car. You can’t hear it from outside, where a person might legitimately need to be warned about a car backing up (with no engine noise, because reverse is all-electric). But no, you’re only warning the one person on earth who ought to already know that the car is in reverse! If the day comes when I need my car to notify me that I just put it in reverse, take my keys and we’ll call it a day.
5 Likes
I drive a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV. I think newer models have more features but I love the heated seats (front and back), heated steering wheel, Apple Car Play, rear view camera on the infotainment and also I can flip down the rear view mirror and get a rear camera view too. I also like that the rear view mirror automatically adjusts for headlights blasting in the mirror. I also love the 360 overhead view in reverse. Makes parallel parking so easy.
1 Like
One thing I don’t care about in my car, but always end up with, is a premium stereo system. I really don’t need 41 different speakers to listen to NPR.
3 Likes
For driving modes that affect fuel economy, all of those which persist through off-on cycles must be tested and averaged for EPA fuel economy ratings. The engine stop-start on mode is the most fuel efficient mode, so that it the motivation to make it the only mode that persists through off-on cycles.
I did drive someone else’s 2004 Toyota Prius, and its engine stop-start was not annoying. If Toyota could do it two decades ago, why would any very new car be an annoyance in this respect?
Touch screens are both good and bad.
Good: many controls that are used once when you get home with the car to customize settings to your preferences can be put in the touch screen instead of having dedicated dials or buttons that clutter the control panel after being used once. Big screens can also be good for various displays.
Bad: when controls that are frequently used during driving (e.g. HVAC, wipers) are put there instead of being given dials or buttons that can be used by feel without looking, that is annoying.
4 Likes
After buying a new car for the first time in ten years and a high trim line to boot, I love:
Ventilated seats
Heated steering wheel
Drivers seat that automatically moves when you enter/exit to make getting in/out of the car easier
App that shows the car status and allows control of certain actions
Great safety feature as some cars have mistaken dark underpasses for objects which triggered the automatic braking feature.
In my opinion, rear view cameras and blind spot warning features should be mandated by law.
But not good enough as I remember news reports of toddlers run over by a parent backing their car out of the driveway. In addition to the death of the child, these cases always seem to result in divorce resulting in lots of lives destroyed unnecessarily.
1 Like
I had a heads up display (that hologram on the drivers window) in my 2010 Lexus and absolutely had to have it again! Priority!
I like that there’s a wireless charging pad for my phone. So nice to just toss it there, particularly on way home from work.
DH has an overhead of the parking space as well as the normal backup view. I really love that and would love to have that feature.
The voice activated commands are nice as touching a screen or knobs feels really distracting…
I no longer have seat settings for different drivers, and I liked that (in spite of the fact that DH often “un-set” mine while electing his.
Like heated and cooled seats and steering wheel.
Also like that I can swing my foot under the back and the trunk/natchback door opens. Great if my arms are full (although I still don’t always get the kicking motion right and often look remarkably foolish!)
1 Like
Got a definite don’t like—cars without spare tires!!
D has a 2021 Corolla hybrid, guess what----all 2021 Corollas come with a spare EXCEPT THE HYBRID!! When she had a flat, a call to AAA that should have been an easy-peasy tire change became a tow and a half day off from work to get the tire repaired!!
I’ve looked online to see what’s available (a really not-fun-but-necessary bday gift idea) but am not finding much. I plan to visit the big tire chains and see what can be ordered.
If they are crazy expensive, the solution might be to buy a rim and a super-cheap tire.
4 Likes
I’m probably jinxing myself here. I have owned a car since 1973, and used a spare tire exactly twice …used the full slate in that first car, and about 20 years ago, used the small donut thing to get us to a tire place off the highway.
I think that’s why spare tires aren’t around much anymore…seldom used.
1 Like
This card didn’t even come with a donut spare, and I can’t seem to find any for sale (Amazon wants $350!)
Did it come with that can of stuff? That’s what is in my cars. There isn’t even a wheel well for a spare tire. It would have to sit in the trunk.
1 Like
Many cars come with run flat tires. Meaning if the tire is intact and just lost air due to a hole form a nail etc., it can be driven on such deflated tire for a few miles at street speeds.
2 Likes
The well for spare might have been populated by a battery or some drivetrain stuff (not a mechanic so this is just a guess lol).
Also, we were told that car makers stopped using donuts because people would drive on them much longer than they should. Damage to the car and accidents can easily happen.
This small car has a HUGE trunk, plenty of room for a spare. A flat should not become a big deal, missing work, etc.
1 Like