If you want to buy a modern car nowadays, get ready for an array of technical terms describing vehicle technologies that come as packaged features, often optional, for you to choose from. They may leave you confused, but don’t be fooled. Some of them could be as important as your car’s engine and other
critical parts.
Today, vehicle technologies are key to your car’s safety, security, connectivity, and communication capabilities. They have become more sophisticated and advanced. Because of this, it’s common for car buyers, especially first-timers, to grab most of them. Of course, they realize too late that the added costs can be costly.
Knowing this, you should know which vehicle technologies to choose when buying a modern car. In fact, according to the 2021 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study conducted by J.D. Power, a global leader in
consumer insights, 51% of new modern car owners don’t need technologies that came with their vehicles, while 61% never used them.
It would be a waste not to use something you spent money on. This guide aims to help you understand key features you should get and which ones you can opt-out of when buying a modern car, so you don’t have to squander away your hard-earned cash.
Necessary Vehicle Tech
When technology is useful, providing safety and convenience, it positively influences a buyer’s decision. This means that you should opt for technologies that you can find useful in your driving experience. According to Consumer Reports, you should choose a car that has such technologies as standard features. If a car doesn’t have them, inform your dealer what you’re looking for.
At the top of the list of necessary tech, and as recommended by Consumer Reports and J.D. Power, are safety and convenience features. Safety features include automatic emergency brakes, forward collision warning systems, and blind-spot warning systems.
Automatic emergency brakes can sense a vehicle or person in its way. To prevent a collision or running over someone, it applies the brakes automatically. This helps minimize the force of an impact.
A forward-collision warning system provides a visual or audible warning, sometimes both, to a driver as a warning for an imminent collision, which can help you and your passengers brace for an impact.
Meanwhile, a blind-spot warning system can alert you through a visual or audible warning when a vehicle or a person is alongside your car’s blind spot. This warning system is often equipped with a rearview mirror camera to help you see your car’s blind spot.
For features that add convenience, you should choose easily accessible controls for climate and audio systems and auto car play.
Having easily accessible dials, buttons, knobs, or switches for climate and audio systems can avoid those instances when you get distracted adjusting your car’s interior temperature or radio volume.
Moreover, an auto car play feature can add your smartphone’s apps and interfaces to your car’s infotainment. This also helps you avoid getting distracted while driving. It encourages you to interact with your car’s built-in screen instead of your phone, giving you more chance to pay attention to your driving.
Optional Vehicle Tech
You can use other safety and convenience features but should be considered optional. They could be useful, but you could still opt out of them.
Rear cross-traffic warning systems and automatic high beams are optional technologies developed to provide additional safety. However, rear cross-traffic warning systems act like blind-spot warning systems. You should only choose one of them, although a blind-spot warning system can alert you from
whichever blind spot in your car. A rear cross-traffic warning system can only warn you from your car’s rear.
On the other hand, automatic high beams detect when there is no oncoming traffic while you’re driving on a dark road. It turns on your headlights in high beams but switches them back to low when it detects oncoming vehicles.
According to Consumer Reports, other convenience features that can be useful, but are still optional, include 360-degree surround-view camera systems and auto-dimming mirrors.
Unnecessary Vehicle Tech
There are, however, some vehicle technologies that you can do without. Often, these technologies can be found on your phone. They include built-in navigation systems, rear entertainment units, and lane-keeping assistants.
Hope In the Future
Technology is important for vehicles. They provide safety and improve convenience. Hopefully, car manufacturers will use a general naming convention for their technologies, so customers like you don’t have to be confused. If there’s a uniform name for everything, it will benefit buyers in two
ways.
It would be much easier to bring cars for auto repair because mechanics would know what problems they’re up against, which helps them prepare for the work they have to do on your vehicle. Two, and most important of all, it would be easier to buy modern cars. For now, consider the tips below when looking for technologies that come with modern cars.
