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The annals of automotive history are filled with innovations that literally changed the way motorists and passengers interact with their vehicles. A labor-intensive hand crank gave way to the power-operated engine starter. A clumsy steering column-mounted shifter and clutch was supplanted by the automatic transmission. What was initially a behemoth tube-based in-car radio morphed into an in-dash unit that evolved into eight-track and cassette tape decks, compact disc players and finally smartphone connected digital infotainment centers.
Of course not all automakers’ inventions have proved to be
successful. Chrysler skipped a beat (literally and figuratively) with its
ill-conceived dashboard mounted record player in 1956, while Chevrolet took a
slide with its short-lived “liquid tire chain” option in 1969 that sprayed what
surely must have been an environmentally unfriendly resin onto the rear tires
to help improve their traction on ice.
What were once high-end novelties, like air conditioning,
power locks and windows, steering wheel-mounted controls and even Bluetooth
hands-free phone interfaces have become standard equipment virtually industry
wide. Amenities like heated seats and steering wheels are becoming common among
cars in most classes these days, while sophisticated accident avoidance systems
like forward collision, blind spot and lane departure warning systems have
migrated from top-shelf luxury models down to proletariat midsize and compact
sedans.
That leaves automakers – particularly those at the opulent
end of the spectrum – with the challenge to develop increasingly fanciful
features that help their premium motor cars stand out in a crowded parking lot.
How else to explain way-over-the-top
accessories like the backseat champagne cooler offered in the Hyundai
Equus or the roof in the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe that’s able to give the
illusion of a top-down convertible on a starry night, thanks to a series of
1600 pinpoint fiber optic lights hand-sewn into the headliner.
The 2014 model year brings a fresh assortment of new
comfort, convenience and safety-oriented features to consumers, with some
destined to be the proverbial Next Big Thing while others will likely languish
as novelties. We’re featuring the most innovative of these below and in the
accompanying slide show.
In Pictures: The Hottest New-Car Features For 2014.
As before, the most intriguing of these reside in the luxury
segment, with the redesigned-for-2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class offering an amazing
assortment of amenities few of us imagined we could ever live without. It may
be easy to dismiss decadent frippery like heated armrests on the doors and
center consoles, seats that give the automotive equivalent of a shiatsu hot
stone massage and a fragrance dispenser that sends a choice of ambient scents
throughout the passenger compartment, but one new feature stands out as a bona
fide harbinger of the future. Also offered in the latest Mercedes E-Class, with
a similar system available in the new Infiniti Q50 luxury sedan, cameras and
sensors to keep an electric eye on the road ahead and can automatically make
minor steering adjustments to help keep a car centered in a lane. Combined with
the latest adaptive cruise control systems that can operate in stop-and-go traffic, these cars are inching one more step
closer to enabling autonomous driving, at least on the highway.
Likewise leveraging an array of imaging devices, the latest
safety systems can automatically slam on the brakes to help avoid or at least minimize
the effects of both forward and reverse collisions with other vehicles and
obstructions in a car’s path. Available on the S60 sedan and XC60 crossover,
Volvo ups the ante for 2014 with a feature that can help prevent unfortunate
encounters with those on foot and riding a bike. Aptly, but not particularly
creatively, named Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with Full Auto Brake, the
system alerts the driver if a bicyclist or pedestrian suddenly appears in the
vehicle’s path in city traffic, and can automatically apply the brakes if the
motorist isn’t reacting quickly enough.
With gas prices remaining costly, and federal fuel economy
regulations ramping up in the coming years, automakers are looking to new ways
to help boost their cars’ mileage without adversely affecting their
performance. Already many models are borrowing the so-called stop/start system
from hybrid cars that shuts down the engine while at idle to avoid a situation
in which the car essentially gets zero mpg. Mazda borrows another mpg-boosting
system from hybrids in the 2014 Mazda6 it calls i-ELOOP (the name is short for
“intelligent energy loop”). Part of a $2,000 option package on the car’s top
model, it recovers kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost via braking and
stores it to power the vehicle’s electrical components – including headlights,
climate control and audio system – bypassing an alternator to reduce drag on
the engine and thus save a nominal amount of fuel.
Some new systems are destined to find their way into
mainstream models within a few years if only for their sheer convenience. For
example, the new Kia Cadenza full-size sedan comes with specially treated side
“hydrophobic” side windows that shed water to help preserve outward visibility
in a downpour. The aforementioned Infiniti Q50 offers a so-called i-Key
function that allows up to four motorists to customize a wide range of
operating parameters, recognizing a user via his or her keyfob and
automatically adjusting everything from seat, mirror, and climate control settings
to radio presets and stored navigation destinations.
And as is usually the case, a few of the oddest new-car
features seem to come from the “we did it because we can do it” school of
automotive engineering. As an example, the new Acura RLX luxury sedan is able
to keep the brakes engaged at a stoplight or train crossing for up to 10
minutes without the driver having to keep a foot on the pedal. Handy? Perhaps,
but simply shifting the transmission into neutral or park has the same effect,
and with no time limit.
In Pictures: The Hottest New-Car Features For 2014.
Similarly, the new Jaguar F-Type sports car features door
handles that remain flush with the bodywork and deploy when touched or the car
is unlocked via the key fob. Once the car is driven off, the handles retract
back into the doors to leave a sleek aerodynamic surface for the sake of
“design purity.” What happens, we might ask, should the car become snowed or
iced over and the door handles remain retracted?
And then there’s one of the most buzz-worthy new features
for 2014, the HondaVAC, which is a built-in vacuum cleaner that’s housed in the
rear cargo area of the Honda Odyssey minivan (specifically, the $45,000 Touring
Elite version). Developed in conjunction with the makers of the Shop-Vac, it
comes complete with a replaceable filter, canister bag, attachments and an
integrated hose that’s said to reach into every corner of the cabin. It’s able
to operate continuously when the engine is running, and continue to work for up
to eight minutes when the vehicle is turned off.
While we acknowledge that having an integrated vacuum
cleaner can be handy, especially in a family minded model like the Odyssey
that’s destined to become cluttered with candy wrappers and cookie crumbs,
unlike amenities like the Mercedes S-Class’ hot stone massaging seats and
heated armrests, this feature can largely be duplicated – albeit not as
elegantly – by a 12-volt wet-dry vacuum from Wal-Mart for under $30.
Article Credit: http://www.forbes.com
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