It doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles your car has on it – there are some features that you’re never going to use. After having my Hyundai for a year and a half, I’ve gotten into a groove with the features that I access on a daily basis. I know other people do the same thing. That got me thinking about some of the features people in my life don’t or will never use. And now I’m wondering: Do you ever use any of the conveniences below? If you don’t, please tell me why in the comments below.
Soft-close Doors
Every time I get a press car to review that has these, I always make sure to tell my wife she doesn’t have to close her door all the way because it’ll take care of that for her. And each time she gets in the car, she closes the door the same way she would in a Chevy Cavalier. She’s just so used to regular car doors. Plus, it takes a certain conscious effort to bring the door to the starting point, then let it take over. I’m somewhat used to soft-close doors because of my line of work, but even I forget to take advantage of them from time to time. For those of you who have them on your vehicle, do you let them do their job or do you just slam your door closed and get on with your life?
Rear Wiper
I can probably count the number of times I’ve used a rear wiper on two hands. Granted, not every vehicle has one, but when I’ve driven one with a rear wiper in the rain, I’ve rarely turned it on – and even then, I let it do a swipe or two before shutting it off. How much time does the rear wiper on your vehicle spend in motion?
Hands-free Liftgate
The idea behind this convenience is simple: If you have your hands full and need to load what you’re carrying into the back of your crossover or SUV, just wave your foot below a sensor in the rear bumper and the liftgate will open. But some vehicles are easier to do that with on the first try than others, which leave you looking like a lunatic doing a solo version of the Hokey Pokey. That’s not you, is it?
Sunroof
I love the panoramic sunroof on my car – when the sun’s down here in Arizona. My wife and mother-in-law have a conventional sunroof in their crossovers, which I’ve seen them use a combined total of probably one time, even at night. Under the right conditions, the view of the sky above can make any drive just that little bit better. Do you agree?
Paddle Shifters
Paddle shifters seem to be in or at least available in almost every kind of vehicle these days. I can imagine their instant access and clutchless shifting appeals to a lot of enthusiasts out there, but even they might only use them every once in a while. If you have paddle shifters in your vehicle, how often do you change gears with them?
Auto Start/Stop
If there’s any answer that’s going to noticeably skew a certain direction, it’s this one. To save gas, some automakers equip their vehicles with auto start/stop, which shuts off the engine when you stop at a red light or stop sign, then fires it up again once you take your foot off the brake. But not everyone loves the technology because they find it annoying or worry about the damage it’s doing to their engine, so they either shut it off every time they start their vehicle or use an aftermarket solution to defeat the system entirely. What about you? Do you use it or would you prefer to lose it?