85 Toyota Cressida had automatic seatbelts and adjustable ride control.
Just went to a buds house yesterday, got a door ring from a neighbor wanted to use the kick starter, whatever that jump start thing is called. We were just visiting,had to undo the deadbolt, then figure out how to unlock the screen door, thinkingI wish the locks on my house worked like the Toyota, keyless start, touch the door handle when fob is in your pocket, and it unlocks. I want that for my house!
Are those the type that have an electric motor-drive that slides the seat belt into position? My 30 year old Corolla has automatic seatbelts, in a fashion. Not motorized, but they can be configured for the front seat so they automatically wrap around you when you close the door. You still have to fasten the buckle. Awkward, Iāve never used that feature; I just pull them out from the winder, and buckle them the normal way. One good thing, I get a small āautomatic seatbeltā discount on my car insurance.
Reminds me, my 68 dart had clips in the headliner that you were supposed to clip the shoulder harness back into out of the way, then take it down each time. So that never happened and the harness just hung there until you buckled it. I guess the engineers figured it would only be used for high speeds or hazardous conditions.
My '71 Charger had those same clips. When I first got the car, I thought that I would use the shoulder harness, but there was anotherāmore importantāissue beyond the inconvenience of having to stow the harness with those clips. I quickly realized that, if the shoulder harness was used, it was not possible for me to reach the e-brake release, which was located under the instrument panel. So, I only used the shoulder harness on rare occasions when travelling long-distance on interstates.
Yes. The mid-80ās Cressida, as well as the 1987-1991 Camry were equipped with motorized front shoulder belts and manual front lap belts. I liked this feature, but apparently many people did not. A lot of cars sold here from 1990-1994 were designed this way.
In those days, there were no seat occupancy sensors. When you started the engine with both front doors closed, the front shoulder belts would move into place. If either door was still open, the belt did not move until the door was closed. When you opened the driverās door, the belt automatically retracted. Same with the passenger side door. If no one is sitting there, the belt just stays in the āonā position until someone opens the door.
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Oneās I really liked;
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Proximity key : As long as you have the key on you, you can just in and drive, the door will unlock automatically, and you just push the start button and away you go. My Mustang has this feature, my newer F-150 does not (itās available on the higher end trim levels), I ask myself why I didnāt spring for the Lariat trim frequently.
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Capless fuel fill : It just works, and even the additive bottles (Techron, etc.) have been changed over the past few years to work with them.
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Active exhaust: My car doesnāt have it, but my next one will. Seems to be fine compromise of satisfying noise when itās appropriate, and nice and quiet when itās not.
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Rear view camera: Not something that rely on exclusively, but itās an excellent safety feature.
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Line lock : S550 Mustangs have it, and yeah, itās a fairly ostentatious feature, but it makes performing heroic burnouts easy.
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HVAC vents for the rear seats: Seems common in most mid-sized and larger vehicles these days, even sedans. Not sure why this took so long to catch on.
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GPS : No more writing down directions and following them like a pirate in search of buried treasure every time you wanted to visit your relatives that live two states over.
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HID headlights: They work well. Even on vehicles with small headlights.
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Yeah I like most of those. Iām not into burn outs and exhaust noise though. I will just mention that my 59 Pontiac had rear seat heat plenums. It was sheet metal under the seat though. Just heat, no air conditioning.
Last night, for the first time, I used my adaptive headlights. By putting the lights into that mode, they will automatically switch to high beams when there is no traffic in front of me, or coming toward me, and then back to low beams when appropriate. I was skeptical about how well it might work, but it turned out that it worked flawlessly, and I was very impressed with how it helped me on the unlit rural roads in my area, without me having to do anything other than to push one button at the start of my drive.
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I think that was only a caddy feature back in the 50s. Patent must have run out.
Better than line lock is āLaunch Controlā. When working correctly, there is no burnout, just a fast takeoff. Tires are expensive.
https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-is-launch-control-and-how-does-it-work
Even better still is to let the car accelerate gradually, in order to maximize fuel economy and prolong the life of the transmission. If I am accelerating from a standstill, I take my foot off the brake, let the car creep forward a few feet, then push the accelerator about 25%, once I feel the transmission shift from first to second, then I press the accelerator a little more, once it upshifts again, then I push it a little more. In this way, the transmission gets to shift through all of the gears, and the best fuel economy and reduced wear-and-tear are maintained.
0-60 in 2 minutes. I shift my own car. Iām sure I will want to get around you.
I really do not want to be behind you in heavy traffic or anywhere for that matter.
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You might be asked to leave the racetrack, there is a time and a placeā¦
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And neither myself or @FoDaddy suggested using LineLock or Launch Control where inappropriate. We both suggested these are āGimmicks/Features that you actually likedā as the thread topic suggests.
I think Nevada was commenting on the snails pace by bcohen . Which might be an invitation for Road Rage in some places.
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Missed that. Thanks.
Now that we are talking fun, I like to take it easy on the trans. But if Iām on a ramp and some jerk has been following me close, I like to hit the gas and go from 40 to 70 in a few seconds, leaving the guy in the dust. V6, small car but fast.
The thing I hate about gps is the expense to upgrade the maps. Toyota wants $200 plus for the chip and the 2017 gmc no update available. A few of the interchanges I use have changed configurations, so I like my old Garmin with free lifetime updates.