8
 min read
March 24, 2022

Must-Have Tech Features for Your Car

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Think cars can’t get any smarter? Think again!

Whether you’re a techie at heart looking for the latest bells and whistles, or you’re safety-conscious and want extra driving assistance, the newest car models are full of amazing features for everyone. 

When cars first came on the market, their sole purpose was to bring you from point A to point B. But nowadays, the ability to get around is not the only thing we’re looking for when buying a new vehicle. With the rapid evolution of tech in the automotive industry, we want comfort, entertainment, and assistance all at the touch of a button. 

And year after year, car companies raise the bar on innovation. 

Here are 5 smart features that get our inner tech geek going. 

Credit: bimmer-tech.net

Integrated Dash Cam

Mounted on your car’s dashboard, the camera is designed to capture the unexpected and hazardous events that may occur on the road. Because they’re so helpful in insurance claims, dash cams are the best sidekicks to have on your trips to the city or the open road. 

The best dash cam systems on the market are much more than just cameras; they offer such features as night vision technology, parking mode, loop recording, 360-degree surround-view, AI driving assist, blind-spot detection, GPS tracking, lane keep assist, and lane departure. We love Subaru’s EyeSight as an extra set of eyes on the road. 


Multimedia Interface

Credit: Tesla

Sleek, eye-catching, and easy-to-use, the next-gen interface uses enhanced technology that reduces the number of buttons to augment the user experience. Touch screens feature modern designs with cloud capability, more accurate directions and mapping, and enriched media that level the smartphone entertainment experience. While many vehicles already feature head-up displays that project vehicle information on the windshield, some luxury cars took it a step further and use augmented reality by overlapping navigation arrows on top of a real-time camera view of the road. 

Credit: www.synopsys.com


Advanced driver-assist 

With all the gimmicks offered by car companies these days, driver assistance systems stand out among the next-gen technologies as the ultimate game-changers. A 2016 study by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that approximately 94% of car accidents were due to human error. With the potential of driver-assist technologies to reduce that factor by minimizing traffic crashes and saving thousands of lives, the implications of these applications are groundbreaking. 

These are the ones we’re the most excited about:

  • Adaptive cruise control 

   Maintains a set speed and automatically adjusts to keep a safe distance from the car ahead.

  • Forward collision and automatic emergency braking (AEB)

Detects, warns the driver, and applies brakes automatically in the event of a possible collision ahead. 

  • Lane assistance (departure, center, and assist)

Keeps car centered in its lane, alerts the driver if the vehicle is close to lane markers, and automatically steers to prevent the car from lane departing.

  • Cross-traffic warning

Warns the driver of a potential collision.

  • Blindspot warning 

When a driver begins to change lanes, and a vehicle is detected in the blind spot, the car will brake or steer away. 

  • Pedestrian detection

Automatically breaks if a collision with a pedestrian is imminent.

  • Automatic high beams 

Automatically alternates between low and high beams depending on lighting and traffic conditions. 


Smart fuel-saving tips 

Gas prices giving you nightmares? You might not be in the market for an electric car just yet, but with fuel prices getting higher and higher by day, these smart fuel-saving tips will at least help you sleep better. 

Often overlooked, the right fuel-saving technology is great for your wallet (and the planet). Innovative features like the stop/start technology automatically stops and restart your vehicle when it comes to a rest at a light for more than five seconds. In addition, some automakers have turned to continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) to maximize engine efficiency, while others offer fuel-efficient sailing modes (a throwback to when drivers with manual transmissions would drive the car in neutral as a way to save gas). Automakers mimic this idea by decoupling the engine from the transmission when the driver’s foot is off the accelerator. 

Wireless smartphone connectivity and charging 

More and more in-demand, wireless charging lets you charge your smartphone while driving. No annoying wires needed. 

Credit: bmw.com

As smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives, so has the need for chagrin at a moment’s notice, in the comfort of our car, without the hassle of plugs that don’t fit, lost adapters etc..While the technology behind it is not new (thanks Nikola Tesla), it is only now making its way into the automotive lexicon, with the most popular brands ruching to the market with various options.

With car interiors being transformed into computer consoles worthy of a spaceship, safety advocates assistance for drivers. 

Pros and cons apart, these high-tech cars are the closest we’ll ever get to driving a rocket, so colour us excited. 





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