The Convenience Features Our Readers Say Are So Useful, They May As Well Be Necessities

The fact that something isn't necessary doesn't make it wrong to appreciate or even enjoy that thing. Pretending otherwise is just dumb. There's more to life than pure survival, and if there wasn't, why would ancient hunter-gatherers bother making art? Sometimes it's just nice having nice things, but sometimes, things you don't technically need make your life so much better, it's hard to imagine choosing to live without them. Even when it comes to cars. 

That's why we recently asked you which car convenience features ended up being so useful, you feel like they're now necessities. There were, of course, a few comments that took a more literal approach to the question, but for a bunch of car enthusiasts posting comments on the internet, there was a lot less, "I guess some kind of suspension and perhaps an electric starter would be nice," than could be expected. Let's take a look at some of the most popular answers.

Backup camera. Not sure if it's more convenience or safety, but I used to think those things were useful maybe for just people who can't drive. These days I wouldn't want a car that doesn't have one. Have saved me from more than one parking lot fender bender.

Suggested by: David Flores

I know a lot of people don't like it, but adaptive cruise control has made my twice-a-year 1,300 mile summer-winter migrations SO much less tiring (not to mention other long-distance jaunts...)

Suggested by: JimmyG

For me, it's definitely Apple CarPlay. Once you get used to having navigation, music, and calls all in one place, it's hard to imagine driving without it. That said, a good backup camera is a close second, especially in busy parking lots. Great question!

Suggested by: Stallion Auto

and

Android Auto. That in combination with the voice-activation toggle on the steering wheel makes navigating, playing music, responding to messages etc, a breeze.

Suggested by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

Air conditioning is right up there, but as someone who lives in New England, it has to be heated seats. After 40+ years of driving, a few years ago I got a car that finally had built-in heated seats and I don't know how I lived without it for so many winters!

Suggested by: ZenMaster

and

Agree with others re CarPlay etc.

Ventilated seats- While I love heated seats for about 4 days a year in the South, the other 361 I have the seat blowing a/c on my backside because wearing a suit (I don't care if it's summer weight) in July when it's 95 degrees with 90% humidity is torture on the nether regions.

Suggested by: CarEsq

Keyless entry and start. Just stick your keys/fob in your pocket, walk up, tap a button on the door to unlock, jump in, clutch, start button, and go. Had what I still believe is the perfect implementation in my '13 Mazda3 6MT (RIP), but then I got a '22 Tacoma 6MT and found out that Toyota for some reason didn't allow that to be an option on the manuals. It irritated me every time I got in the truck, just like the garbage ACC it had that you couldn't permanently bypass in favor of Cruise Control Classic.

Suggested by: Chase

Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH). I first got it on my 2020 Subaru Outback and have been spoiled by it ever since. In a long drive thru line? Turn on the feature, apply the brake, and take my foot off of it. Car stays still & I'm saving myself for leg day at the gym. It may not be the fanciest for flashy feature, but I find it to be the one that was a pleasant surprise.

Suggested by: Quartermouse

There are many but this one is highly nuanced. Automatic headlights that respond quickly. On a bright day when I drive into a tunnel or long underpass, I want the headlights to turn on within 1-2 seconds. My 2004 BMW did that very well, and my 2017 Mazda and 2021 Toyota do not. It feels like 10 seconds before the car recognizes the darkness and decides to turn the headlights on. This is stressful since my eyes don't quickly adjust to the low light. Frustratingly, when exiting the tunnel it responds almost instantly to the daylight (lights turn off).

Suggested by: Stephen.

Power opening and closing trunk/tailgate.

Now, it's not a dealbreaker for me if the vehicle doesn't have one. But the convenience of not having to either

1) do the awkward pull on the interior handle and hope you built enough momentum for it to latch or

2) put your hand on the dirty outside of the car

is really convenient. Add in the ability to open and close them from the inside of the vehicle, which was really useful when I was doing rideshare.

I know, I know, more stuff to break, and since it has moving parts and isn't something like Apple Carplay, it is more likely to break. But, knock on wood, after 80k+ miles on my current vehicle, it still works like a champ.

Suggested by: DynamicPresence

Audio controls on the steering wheel. A CDJR thing, but now I can't go without it. I know other companies have them now though so that's a start.

Suggested by: Someone Else

Honestly, a head up display. Once you live with it for a few years, you have to sort of re-learn when you drive a car without it. Plus Mazda made the genius design that shows blind spot monitor notifications in the HUD so you never need to turn your eyes away from the road.

Suggested by: seaweedin