The features you don't and do need from proximity unlocking and wireless charging to vibrating seats and glass roofs | Opinion

What feature of your car annoys you the most? I’ll go first. Our eight-year old Skoda locks itself after about 30 seconds. Sounds good, but it isn't. It’s led to all manner of annoying moments, but locking itself while the keys were inside the car probably wins — don’t ask.

Not all features are bad, some are very great. So here are some of the best and worst features I’ve seen as a car reviewer.

This sounds ridiculously obvious but car companies put newer and fancier features in their cars to sell cars, specifically to tempt you away from their competitors’ cars. They’ve been doing it forever. I’m telling you now there was no reason for the 1941 Packard 180 to have power windows other than to stop customers from buying a Cadillac instead.

Add CarsGuide as a preferred source in Google Search

Add CarsGuide as a preferred source in Google Search

And it worked, until Cadillac lifted its game and started using power windows, too. And that started the fancy features arms race. So the car companies are at war with each other to put more and more dazzling features in to make you buy their car.  It’s also very democratising in a way, because now all new cars in Australia have power windows. 

Really power windows are a feature that’s a totally unnecessary necessity. Unnecessary because a winder handle works perfectly fine (in what other setting do you press a button to open a window?) but also a necessity because the competitors have power windows.

But most features aren’t necessary, they’re just nice. To be honest I like power windows a lot. And over the 15 years I’ve been reviewing cars there have been some equally loveable features that I would insist on when buying a new car. But there are also the ones I would avoid.

Without a doubt the number one feature I wouldn’t want to live without would be a proximity unlocking key. It's simple but wonderfully convenient. The car detects the key coming with range and unlocks itself as you touch the door handle. Most cars over $40K have these now, from the Toyota Corolla to Hyundai Kona. Some don't even need you to touch the door handle and many electric cars such as the MG 4 or Zeekr X even switch on when you sit in them, too. And I love that.

Toyota Corolla

What other features are musts? Yes, heated seats, heated steering wheel, power adjustable seats are all nice and you’ll find all of this on even a Kia Stonic, but I’d trade all of that for a wireless phone charger, which is a gift for somebody like me who’s always on 20 per cent.

Leather seats over fabric always, but only because it’s easier to keep clean. Even a Nissan X-trail and Santa Fe has luxurious and (wipe-clean) Nappa leather seats these days, too.

Big screens in the back? Forget it, kids want tablets. Big screens in the front? Yes, but not if it means I have to use it to do things a physical dial can do much more easily, like turn the volume down. A dashboard screen for the front passenger? Porsche and Audi are doing it but why?

Head-up displays are absolutely worth it and the Mazda CX-70's and CX-90's version is probably the best I’ve seen — speed, navigation, music all there without having to look away from the road.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are life changing and life saving, and you’ll find this even on a Suzuki Jimny.

Push button start is a must because having to stick a physical key into an ignition is a pain. And if you're a parent then pull-up sunshades on the rear side windows like in the Kia Carnival are a must.

And paddle shifters are a guilty pleasure for me and these days they’re on everything.

Apple CarPlay in Suzuki Jimny

There’s all the safety features, too, such as blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert, which are thankfully standard on most new cars now.

As for the features I don’t like, there’s loads. Panoramic glass roofs make you feel like an ant under a magnifying glass in the Australian summer; camera wing mirrors are next to useless and so too are voice assistants or any kind of voice command system.

What else, oh there are many. Gesture tailgates would be great if they worked every time and didn’t leave you balancing on one foot. Seats that vibrate with parking sensors, no thank you; and buttons instead of door handles are ridiculous.

Panoramic sunroof in Tesla Model Y

As we head into the future car makers are going to wow us with features we never thought we needed and self-driving tech will be in there for sure. Car makers are beginning to bring autonomous systems to Australia and you can guarantee that this will make the other brands do the same. 

I’m not that keen on self driving cars. I worry that once it's proven to be safe we may lose the right to drive ourselves. Although, it could be handy in some situations though - like have you ever tried to do your shoe up while driving? It’s almost impossible ... so I’ve heard.