I would like them to bring back those little triangular windows-within-the window in the front seats. Those were great.
A purse holder would be nice.
The car talk guys riding in the back seat.
A crash reporting system in every car (a la OnStar) should definitely be standard.
Sounds backwards. Donât you mean either:
- ââŠjust like my car.â
- ââŠas does my [Amphicar, etc].â
Running the AC compressor in the âdefrostâ mode is essential to quickly clear condensation from your windshield, improving vision and safety. Without it, it can take quite a while to clear the glass, and you either put yourself and others at risk with poor visibility, or you wast gas idling in your driveway for long periods until the warm air does the job.
I drove a rental car in 1994 (a Chevrolet Corsica) which would illuminate the DRLâs and the dash lights every time you drove (but not the taillights). This led to me driving it on the freeway with no taillights the first nightâpeople were honking at me and I had no idea what was wrongâtill I stopped the car at a destination to drop something off and caught a glimpse of the back of the car. I had to be vigilant each night because of the DRL/dashlights coming on automatically. I hated that car because of this and vowed to never buy a car with this setup. When I rented a GM car several years later I was happy to discover that ALL the lights illuminated when it was driven.
Thermostatic climate control is a PERFECT match for a car.
Can you imagine a house without a thermostatic climate control? No.
This is exactly what machines are for. Every opening/closing of a window or door lets in huge amounts of wrong temperature air. The driver and passengers immediately wish that the system would sense this and go on full heat or full cool until comfort temperature is reached. The simple device called a thermostat accomplishes EXACTLY what is necessary.
But NO. It is deemed too expensive to be standard and hence has always been a luxury option. This is flat out wrong. No one wants to repeatedly twiddle with a regular dumb Heat knob or dumb Cool knob. Itâs not that theyâre not calibrated in degrees, which they are not. It that it is near impossible to find the ideal equilibrium spot on such a dumb control! Feedback systems work.
Set your comfortable winter or summer interior temperature and drive in peace.
Feel free to open and close doors and windows in winter without having to choose between slow re-heating or getting broiled if you turn up the heat and forget to turn it down once the car is warm again.
This should become a full-fledged rant!
Every car should have as standard an interior temperature thermostat calibrated in degrees. We deserve it. Machines are there to serve us, not the other way around!
Please tell me practically everyone agrees!
SAFETY FEATURE - Turn signal shuter-offer.
If you havenât turned in, say 1/4 mile, it shuts off the blinking light automatically. OR at least gives a LOUD warning.
SAFETY FEATURE - BETTER windshied wipers.
Mine always streak right at eye level. This has been true for the 50 years Iâve been driving. Every Car and even with NEW wiper blades.
ONE: Options to TURN OFF annoying âstandard featuresâ, or to enable others.
TWO: Customer-designed intelligence tests for automotive engineers.
I was in England last summer and rented a Ford Focus. It had a lane change feature on the turn signals much like I have on my windshield wipers- I could bump it once when changing lanes and it would blink for three cycles. It was so convenient when changing lanes to not have to hold it for the duration of the change. Maybe if we had one of those features, we would use 'em more.
I donât think they should offer daytime running lamps without automatic headlights. Iâve seen a LOT of cars driving at dusk using only their DRLâs and no headlights, so there are no taillights or clearance lights. Very dangerous.
Really? My '96 Olds 88 has VERY comfortable seatsâŠ
My 70 Olds Cutlass did not come with a passenger side rearview mirror.
Something that should at least be available? Telescopic steering wheels.
Something that should be standard? Tilt Steering.
Rear brakes only do 25 percent of the stopping. Drums are suitable, so long as people know to adjust them now and then. The one car I had with rear discs constantly had problems. Theyâre much easier to change, though.
Electric rear window defroster.
Auxiliary oil cooler & filter placement (for vehicles with hard-to-reach filters)
DIY friendly underhood arrangement. Some things that once were simple are impossible to perform now.
Turning lightsâŠmy momâs '78 LTD had a light that would come on when you turned on your directional that would illuminate the corner you were turning into.
Tilt Steering-- Steering wheels have become too fat. I prefer my old '86 Olds with a dime-diameter steering wheel I can wrap my hands right around.
I tend to be a minimalist so my idea of standard equipment is pretty basic:
4 cylinder engine
5 speed manual transmission
hydraulic clutch
manual steering
manual brakes
AM/FM radio
manual windows
manual locks
vent
heater
defroster
Oh yeah,
headlights, dim and bright
tail lights
brake lights
reverse lights
turn signals
I think tire pressure and/or overheating of tires monitoring system would be a good safety feature. Nothing more hazardous than having a blow-out at 65 mph. These days with self-service gas stations with no decent or accurate gauges available, I think too many people ignore the pressure in their tires.
I agree whole heartedly, however, alcohol is only the tip of the iceberg. Marijuana and other misuse of prescription drugs impairs judgment and driving skill. Every time I go out on the road I worry about some idiot taking me out. I survived a T-Bone crash to the right passenger side of my 318i BMW with the guy under the influence of meth going about 40 mph. I was lucky and escaped without as much as an pulled or twisted muscle. I guess the âintoxilyzerâ will have to take a blood sample rather than just a âbreath-a-lizerâ but at least thatâs a good start.
All HVAC systems should include the combination of windshield defrost and dash vent for us middle-age women who have hotflashes. Right now, when I have the vent blowing on me, the windshield fogs up, and when I put it on defrost, I burn up all over again. They provide for every other combination, I donât see why they canât go one more step and add this one too.
A spare tire! I used to loathe âspace saverâ spares, but they are still better than none. Run flats die once punctured, cost $$$ to replace (perhaps prematurely based on tread ware), and are limited as to who can mount them.
This is perpetrated by manufacturers as an energy savings (through weight reduction), but saves them money and they can claim more cargo space. Owners can obtain the same space advantage (if crutial occasionally) by simply removing the spare.