A Lesser-Used Vehicle Feature or Option You Most Cannot Live Without?

[kphoger]

A full-sized spare tire!

[Max Rockatansky]

A full-sized spare tire!

I have had to build one for my last three daily drivers.  Absolutely worth taking up extra trunk space for the convenience of being able to quickly change and keep moving.

[abefroman329]

SXM radio.  I assume that the service will die out, as the cost of replacing the satellites will be greater than the return.  As long as you stick to places with good cell service, and mostly I do, you can get the same with car play/auto but I just like the simplicity of the SXM.

It's the opposite for me - I prefer streaming it via CarPlay because, if I'm getting it via the car stereo, then I have to back out of CarPlay to do anything other than flip through my presets, and if I do that, then Google Maps won't tell me if I have a turn coming up.

To answer the original question, CarPlay.

[J N Winkler]

One that hasn't been mentioned yet is an oil pressure gauge, not just a warning light.

I used to have a 1986 Nissan Maxima with both a voltmeter and an oil pressure gauge.  No vehicle we've had since has had either, and to be frank, we haven't really missed them.  Issues with the electrical system really need a measuring device with more precision (like a DVOM) for diagnosis (especially since the difference between fully charged and empty is on the order of 1 V for lead-acid battery chemistry), and the oil pressure gauge in the Maxima turned into a repair liability (the oil pressure sensor needed to be replaced at least once when the gauge was found to be pinned to zero despite there being no other signs of deficient lubrication).

Oh, I got another one:  A temp gauge!  I have been in too many recent compact or subcompact cars that don't have one due to manufacturers saving space on the dash.  Very annoying come winter.

I suspect widespread adoption of variable-speed cooling fans has made them an easy target for elimination.  My current daily driver has an old-school hard-start fan, meaning the temperature gauge is exciting to watch when the car is idling in heavy traffic--the needle goes almost all the way to the red until the coolant reaches the trigger temperature for the fan, and once the fan turns on, the needle sinks like a rock to just above the thermostat opening temperature.  Newer cars have soft-start fans, so essentially all the gauge shows is the needle moving gradually to just above thermostat opening temperature, where it stays pinned.

As with volts gauges, temperature gauges don't really have enough precision to inform a yes/no decision as to whether the thermostat needs to be replaced.

[kphoger]

One that hasn't been mentioned yet is an oil pressure gauge, not just a warning light.

I used to have a 1986 Nissan Maxima with both a voltmeter and an oil pressure gauge.  No vehicle we've had since has had either, and to be frank, we haven't really missed them.  Issues with the electrical system really need a measuring device with more precision (like a DVOM) for diagnosis (especially since the difference between fully charged and empty is on the order of 1 V for lead-acid battery chemistry), and the oil pressure gauge in the Maxima turned into a repair liability (the oil pressure sensor needed to be replaced at least once when the gauge was found to be pinned to zero despite there being no other signs of deficient lubrication).

Oh, I got another one:  A temp gauge!  I have been in too many recent compact or subcompact cars that don't have one due to manufacturers saving space on the dash.  Very annoying come winter.

I suspect widespread adoption of variable-speed cooling fans has made them an easy target for elimination.  My current daily driver has an old-school hard-start fan, meaning the temperature gauge is exciting to watch when the car is idling in heavy traffic--the needle goes almost all the way to the red until the coolant reaches the trigger temperature for the fan, and once the fan turns on, the needle sinks like a rock to just above the thermostat opening temperature.  Newer cars have soft-start fans, so essentially all the gauge shows is the needle moving gradually to just above thermostat opening temperature, where it stays pinned.

As with volts gauges, temperature gauges don't really have enough precision to inform a yes/no decision as to whether the thermostat needs to be replaced.

Oil pressure gauge – This has informed me more than once that I was running dangerously low on motor oil, as I began to see the needle dip while idling at red lights, but I was able to add oil before reaching the really critical point of a warning light coming on.

Temp gauge – This has informed me more than once that I was running dangerously low on coolant, as I began to see the needle rise while driving at moderate speeds, but I was able to add coolant before damage was done to the radiator.

Volt gauge – Because of this, I know that my current battery will be due for replacement before too long, as I'm seeing the needle dip more often than it used to.  The alternator still gets it charged up while I'm driving, but it seems to need that charging-up more often than it used to.

[Ned Weasel]

I'd be inclined to say automatic transmission.  Yes, I can drive manual, but personally, I find it more of a pain in the ass than something that adds enjoyment to the driving experience.  But since that's a standard feature on almost all cars these days, I'll go with this one:

CD player.

[Takumi]

Every car I've owned has had a sunroof. I think it'd feel a bit odd if I ever got a car without one other than a dedicated track car.

[kkt]

Standard Transmission.
I guess I better not crash my current car.

[zachary_amaryllis]

SXM radio.  I assume that the service will die out, as the cost of replacing the satellites will be greater than the return.  As long as you stick to places with good cell service, and mostly I do, you can get the same with car play/auto but I just like the simplicity of the SXM.

I also love it. Driving in the mountains, there are lots of times where there's no data, and sometimes I forget to download stuff to my phone before I leave.

i'm decidedly old school about music. my car has cd and tape (99 camry), though the tape deck long ago went 'glup'. and i live in the mountains, so the last 10 miles of my drive home has no cell service. 256 gb sd card in the phone with like 10,000 songs on it, and a bluetooth-fm doohickey does me just fine. my co-workers give me a hard time about it, but i'm also not burning up my 4g in town, either.

[kkt]

Some sort of recorded music.  I like the ability to read a flash drive on my current car, I can carry all my albums that I've bothered to digitize and still have room for more.  But if it was CDs or tapes, I could like with that too.

[jakeroot]

A full-sized spare tire!

I'm happy with a donut. Fix-a-flat ain't cutting it for me!

If I had to pick a more original answer, heated side mirrors. Apparently this is standard-issue for all Volkswagens, and I pretty much keep it on 24/7 with my Golf. Keeps them completely clear of rain.

[interstatefan990]

Call me a millennial, but Apple CarPlay. Save me all the trouble with a lot of automakers' wonky and slow default infotainment systems and the never-ending plethora of different phone mounting gadgets out there. It's pretty convenient to have the phone apps you use every day displayed on your car's screen, too.

[kphoger]

A lot of our answers have not been lesser-used options.

If I had to pick a more original answer, heated side mirrors. Apparently this is standard-issue for all Volkswagens, and I pretty much keep it on 24/7 with my Golf. Keeps them completely clear of rain.

In my previous car, it came on automatically with the rear defrost button.  I didn't know that for several years (apparently my wife did but just assumed I did too), at which point I realized I had unnecessarily spent a bunch of time (cumulatively) scraping ice from the side mirrors.

[MATraveler128]

If I had to pick a more original answer, heated side mirrors. Apparently this is standard-issue for all Volkswagens, and I pretty much keep it on 24/7 with my Golf. Keeps them completely clear of rain.

Heated mirrors are so useful. My 18 year old Subaru has them and I found myself using them throughout the winter.

[formulanone]

My personal vehicle is bereft of many modern options, but it also has just enough which I use for any drive lasting an hour or more, so it's tough to think of one that I don't use frequently. Putting down all four power windows is a feature I don't use much, but it sure beats using window cranks...but that's essentially standard now.

The ability to raise/lower a window for 45 seconds after the ignition is off is another one I don't use to often, but it's handy. On hot days while my car sits in a closed garage, I tend to lower the driver's window. Or if the car just needs to "air out".

I miss having some sort of center console storage; I don't use it frequently in every weekly rental, but sometimes it's handy to collect/store a bunch of things for a long drive.

[kphoger]

The ability to raise/lower a window for 45 seconds after the ignition is off is another one I don't use to often, but it's handy. On hot days while my car sits in a closed garage, I tend to lower the driver's window. Or if the car just needs to "air out".

Yep.  Sometimes I forget that I've left some windows cracked until after the key is out of the ignition switch.  It's handy to not have to fumble with the key again just to put the windows up.

[SectorZ]

If I had to pick a more original answer, heated side mirrors. Apparently this is standard-issue for all Volkswagens, and I pretty much keep it on 24/7 with my Golf. Keeps them completely clear of rain.

Heated mirrors are so useful. My 18 year old Subaru has them and I found myself using them throughout the winter.

Insane that an 18 year old Subaru can have them yet so few modern vehicles have them. Subaru definitely understands northern climates.

[abefroman329]

Call me a millennial, but Apple CarPlay. Save me all the trouble with a lot of automakers' wonky and slow default infotainment systems and the never-ending plethora of different phone mounting gadgets out there. It's pretty convenient to have the phone apps you use every day displayed on your car's screen, too.

And for navigation, the giant screen mounted in the dash is light years better than getting your directions on the tiny phone screen.  Plus we don't have to go through an endless array of dashboard phone mounts before we find one that works.

[1995hoo]

Something I like a lot now that I've become used to it is an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

I also like how two of our Acuras' memory-seat functions (the third Acura doesn't have that feature) apply not only to the driver's seat, but also to the sideview mirrors and the radio presets. I'd like it if the rearview mirror could be linked to that system as well. My wife is a good foot shorter than I am, so regardless of adjusting the driver's seat, we still wind up adjusting the rearview.

[Rothman]

Call me a millennial, but Apple CarPlay. Save me all the trouble with a lot of automakers' wonky and slow default infotainment systems and the never-ending plethora of different phone mounting gadgets out there. It's pretty convenient to have the phone apps you use every day displayed on your car's screen, too.

And for navigation, the giant screen mounted in the dash is light years better than getting your directions on the tiny phone screen.  Plus we don't have to go through an endless array of dashboard phone mounts before we find one that works.

Nah.  I don't like looking down away from the road. 

[skluth]

I like to have some sort of control over what I'm listening to. I don't care for radio and only listened to it when I needed it for traffic conditions. I've gone from cassettes to CDs to iPods to my phone for playing music (and more recently podcasts) over my car stereo systems over the years.

[kphoger]

I like to have some sort of control over what I'm listening to. I don't care for radio and only listened to it when I needed it for traffic conditions. I've gone from cassettes to CDs to iPods to my phone for playing music (and more recently podcasts) over my car stereo systems over the years.

We use the radio to help wake us up if we're felling groggy, so not being able to control what's on actually helps.  Flipping through the radio stations and then finding a new one when we get out of range:  that's part of the experience for us.

[oscar]

CD player.

I used to think that was indispensable. Many of my older cars had six-disc CD changers. But nowadays your choice for new cars is a single-disc CD player or no CD player at all. My newest car has a single-disc player. All the other songs I want to play are now on my iPhone, to be played through my car's entertainment system. Ripping your favorite songs onto an MP3 player is an option I haven't tried out, but one of these years ...

A full-sized spare tire!

I'm happy with a donut. Fix-a-flat ain't cutting it for me!

I'm not happy with a donut. Both my cars have mounted full-size spares in their trunks, much as I dislike how much trunk space they hog:

-- For front-wheel drive vehicles, donuts aren't recommended on drive axles, but rather the recommendation is the PITA option of moving a rear wheel to replace the deflated (or worse) tire on the front axle, then putting the donut on the rear axle. When I didn't do that after one of my front tires was shredded, mounting the donut on the front axle caused hideous sounds from strain on the FWD system.

-- Donuts are pretty worthless for unpaved roads, especially if you get a flat a long way from pavement or from home, since gravel does a number on the not-great-to-begin-with donut tire tread life. Both of my cars have been on long trips on gravel roads.

[Dirt Roads]

If I had to pick a more original answer, heated side mirrors. Apparently this is standard-issue for all Volkswagens, and I pretty much keep it on 24/7 with my Golf. Keeps them completely clear of rain.

My wife has back issues and needs power retractable mirrors to deal with the various drive-thru facilities.  You can now get them on more SUVs and XUVs, but we've given up on those because (yup!) my wife has back issues.  There is an aftermarket for power retractable mirrors, but they are usually a few years behind the new car market.  And unfortunately, those cars and minivans that can be upgraded are nearly impossible to find in the used car market.  I've been trying to suggest that we purchase a suitable vehicle a few years in advance and let me drive it until we can get it upgraded.  Otherwise, we are looking at an add-on package that nearly doubles the sales price.  All of which means that we get heated side mirrors in the deal!  (We only need that three or four times a year here in North Carolina).

[interstatefan990]

Nah.  I don't like looking down away from the road.

That's going to happen regardless of whether you use a mounted phone or CarPlay. Unless maybe you have one of those fancy head-up projector displays, but that's still a relatively rare feature in cars today.