A display acreen in the passenger cabin that would display trouble codes and their meaning without having to hook up a scanner and look up the codes!
Hasn’t technology really gone beyond a simple CEL light?
Good Idea. That’s What I Have To Do With Our Other Cars.
CSA
Why not make the MFD also tell what maintenance is due, and when something goes wrong, say whether the driver should pull over now, pull over within a few miles, or see a mechanic at earliest convenience? Oh wait, I think this was another thread. 
Scrabbler
You got me started here.
Matching bumper heights for everything! What good is a bumper on a large truck that would smash my car’s trunk? This would need to be reinforced with laws forbidding changing bumper heights. You want big tires? Fine; put them on and lower your bumpers to the standard height.
Get rid of Day Time Running Lights.
Naah, just the idiot ones with the lit dash lights so the driver drives for half an hour after dusk with no headlights because he thinks the lights are on.
Shatto, Which Cars Have That?
My GM car has two automatic headlight modes.
If the dash lights are out (except radio, warning lights, etcetera) the DLRs are On.
If the dash lights are on then all the car’s lights are on, no exceptions.
You can’t have dash lights without headlights and tail lights. That’s how she’s wired. Aren’t all cars like that?
It is so sensitive that if I travel in the bright “overcast” of tree shadows or it clouds up and rains for several seconds the system turns on all my lights (night mode). It will revert back to DRL (day mode) when I break out of the shadows or clouds. I love it.
Shatto, specifically name the cars (an example of makes, models, years) you’re talking about, please. This is interesting and sounds dangerous. Let’s talk about it.
CSA
Decent seats!!!
Same with my 2003 Acura TL. I even added remote start so it would start to cool down before I got in (Phx summers, y’know).
Nash Rambler? Studebaker Lark? Are we related? How about a Studebaker Champion?
I agree with ABS and Stability Control. But the thing that made me buy my Acura was that all the niceties I wanted that were options on other cars were standard equipment on the Acura.
As for optional equipment breaking, I keep my cars for 10 years or more, but I keep them well maintained. Never had any more problem with any of those things than with anything else on a car.
My Dad purchased the Rambler because he didn’t like the design of the GM cars. He had a 1954 Buick which he really liked. However, he didn’t like the seating position in the 1959-60 Buick. The seats were hard in the middle and the cars were essentially 4 passenger cars. The seats were much more comfortable and trunk much roomier in the Rambler. He bought the Studebaker from a DeSoto-Plymouth dealer where he bought a used DeSoto and had the Dodges serviced that he owned before that time. The dealer lost his franchise when the DeSoto line was phased out and later picked up the Studebaker line. The Studebaker had a V-8 engine, standard shift, and the normal accessories and cost $2200 brand new in 1963.
You’re right, csa. On cars with daytime running lights, the dash lights are on BRIGHT as soon as you start up the car. That’s so they are visible in the daytime, since many are not gages anymore. My radio control lights would be hard to read in the daytime if I turned on the headlights, since the dash lights DIM when you do that.
When you switch the headlights on, the dashlights actaully dim, since you don’t need all that brightness at night. The manual dash control allows you to adjust the brightness when the headlights are on.
Shatto is confused as to when these dash lights come on.
In addition to decent seats I would vote for folding head restraints for all passenger seats. Today’s cars have the high head rests making the interior claustrophobic and making parking and backing up a chore.
Mercedes has some models with disappearing headrests, but that might be a little too expensive.
I remove the 3 headrests in the backseat and put them back in when I have backseat passengers (not often).
In cold areas, block heaters should be standard equipment.
probaly wouldnt hurt,pretty disconcerting coming off a steep hill backwards after the tractor hangs up(those things dont handle good at speed backwards)anyway I would love backhoes and farmtractors with 4 wheel discs-Kevin
I’m a cheapskate and really don’t care for many of the items on cars. However, one feature I’ve had on some vehicles, but I don’t have on my 2006 Chevrolet Uplander is cornering lights. I had them on my 2000 Ford Windstar and miss them on the Uplander. They do help one see around corners at night. These have been around for a long time. My Dad had them on a 1963 Buick LeSabre.
You keep your cars for more than ten years, but you have never had a power window fail? I find that hard to believe.
Our 97 Intrepid Has Never Had A Power Window Or Power Lock Fail In Over 250K.
CSA
Not standard with BMW. Waited 5 years for a Bentley Manual for my Z3 to be published and even it’s not great an wasn’t cheap. Nobody wants you working on your own car. They make too much money on service to encourage folks to do their own work.
Faraday Cages so cell phones won’t work in the car!
Fuel mileage meters avg + realtime that are as prominent as any tach. Constantly remind gas guzzlers of their sins.
Electric drivetrains (ok, so that’s a future one, but it takes time to set a standard, so I wanna get a jump on it)
#1 - Driver Training for a new vehicle. Users should know where the limits of their vehicle are - before finding out the hard way on the street.
#2 - Documented computer interface. Proprietary codes should be illegal - so that dealers can’t hold a monopoly over software-setting car repair.
#3 - Parts catalog and service manuals.
#4 - (for fun) - A better connector for 12V accessories than a lighter plug! Talk about a junk “standard” connector.
I’m fortunate for 2 and 3 since I have a VAG product car. VCDS lets me program the car settings nearly to the dealer level, and ETKA provides part numbers. I use a Bentley manual (reasonably good) for repairs.
Number 1 - suggest AutoX and HPDE since manufactures (other than maybe high-end sports cars) don’t do this.