Let’s face it people, classic cars are great, but the modern automobile has afforded our lazy selves with so many conveniences it’s hard to imagine life without them. With the Thanksgiving holiday finally here, we begin to prepare ourselves for the impending inhalation of Turkey legs, candied yams, pumpkin pie, and the resulting mixture of shame and lethargy. But before we do all that, we figured we’d give thanks by looking at all the wonderful car tech that makes our morning commutes a little more bearable, our family road-trips a lot more tolerable, and our daily lives that much easier.
Nobody likes having to fiddle with their keys in order to open their car door – especially when it’s cold and raining outside. Keyless entry eliminates the hassle by allowing a simple press of the button and is one of the most useful automotive innovations of all time.
With the implementation of GPS systems inside vehicles, couples no longer need to argue over asking for directions. Whether it’s on your smartphone or integrated directly into your vehicle, navigation is a true life saver and has made exploring the open road a lot less scary. The flip side: you can’t get out of going to the in-laws by pretending you got lost.
Generally, we’re thankful for anything with the word automatic in it. So instead of having to exert our own physical energy to open up the trunk, a simple push of a button gets the job done for us. The 2013 Ford Escape introduced what’s called a Power liftgate that will simply open up your trunk with a simple kick of your foot underneath the rear of the car. That’s not only convenient, it’s awesome, and exactly the type of tech we’re thankful for.
We’ve said it time and time again: we’re suckers for shiny LED lights. Not only do they look super sleek, but they last longer and carry with them a real safety component by illuminating faster than standard light bulbs. Generally LEDs have been used almost exclusively in luxury vehicles, but that trend has started to trickle down to consumer cars as well.
One of the greatest modern automotive innovations, and one we’re extremely thankful for, is Bluetooth audio streaming. By pairing a smartphone to a car via Bluetooth, users can stream music from their devices directly, or make use of streaming apps such as Pandora and Spotify. Meaning an endless supply of music is always nestled awkwardly in our car’s cup holder.
We can’t all live in sunny California, so for those of us relegated to colder climates we have no problem thanking the automotive gods on behalf of our frozen mitts and freezing butts for the wonderful bounty that is heated steering wheels and seats.
In what is perhaps the most blatant blend of convenience and laziness, proximity entry technology allows drivers the ability to forgo the laborious effort that is pressing a single button on their key fob and enter their vehicle with said key firmly in pocket. We’re definitely thankful, but ever so slightly ashamed.
Pushing a button to start your car is undeniably cool, and while purists might prefer the old brick and mortar method of inserting a key and turning the ignition, more and more cars are turning to this sleeker, more sophisticated way of firing up your ride. This is one instance where we’ll happily side with form over function.
One of the handiest automotive technologies developed in the modern era is without question the backup camera. Not only are they often accompanied with sensors that detect other objects, like cars, walls, and people, but they often feature trajectory lines that show exactly where your tail end is going. After all, not all of us are blessed with automotive talent or the proper awareness to operate a motor vehicle. And yet, nearly all of us have licenses and are out there on the road. Suffice it to say we’re not so thankful for that.
Hands free calling has been around long before lawmakers starting cracking down on mobile phone use in cars. Nevertheless, automakers – thanks to Bluetooth technology once again – have been able to integrate this handy technology in most vehicles, meaning staying in touch while on the road is easier, safer, and much more legal than ever before.
