What features, for you, make a modern car feel modern?

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leftlanespawncamper@reddit

On my speed3 I swapped in a headunit that gave me Android Auto/Carplay and a backup camera, and that transformed how modern that car felt.

The Stinger has adaptive cruise and lane departure warnings and I've never used either. Cruise control is something I've just never cared about and it's odd to me that it's such an asked-for feature by pretty much everyone I know (which means I'm the weirdo here, and I accept that).

Now what the Stinger does have and I don't know that I'll be able to go back from is ventilated seats. THAT's a technology that needs to trickle down to everything, and it's not something that's going to be an easy aftermarket upgrade.

Blind spot monitoring is pretty dope, too (especially with how bad rearward visibility is in just about every modern car). All the more so when the blind spot alerts pop up in the HUD.

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tobyhatesmemes2@reddit

You’re that weirdo that passes me at 85 mph then slows down to 60 once you’re past me, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over

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UncleFumbleBuck@reddit

I normally use a different word than "weirdo" when I deal with guys like this on the highway

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trail-g62Bim@reddit

Now what the Stinger does have and I don't know that I'll be able to go back from is ventilated seats. THAT's a technology that needs to trickle down to everything, and it's not something that's going to be an easy aftermarket upgrade.

About 10 years ago, I drove a car on a long trip with ventilated seats. I promised myself my next car would have them. But when it was time to buy my next car, that particular feature was still gated behind the really expensive trims. It's the one thing I wish I had.

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392_hemi@reddit

Yeah dude, i have never used cruise control even once in my 11 years of driving. I mean doesn’t it kind of slow down your reaction time to brake since you leave your foot on the side to relax? Or i don’t know how to use cruise controls

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trail-g62Bim@reddit

Adaptive cruise brakes for you.

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SoupPot23@reddit

Foot can stay on brake because you can control the speed from the steering wheel.

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Makeitquick666@reddit

I just keep my foot on the brake since cruise control does the throttle for me :v

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Motorsport-@reddit

For me it use to be heated steering wheels, or heated windshield, now it’s the ventilated seats I can’t live without. Really wish my car could had it all. Like Audi why doesn’t my newish Audi have heated windshield strip for the wiper blades?

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t-poke@reddit

Heated seats, heated steering wheel and ventilated seats are all must haves for me now. I won’t consider a car without them. I’m completely spoiled.

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sigurd197@reddit

I’m old. Anything newer than 1996 feels modern to me.

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Techmej@reddit

I honestly don’t care about any ADAS aside from BLIS. That and the bare minimum of Bluetooth 5.0 makes me perfectly happy. I’m a man who uses vehicles made for WORK, not luxury or even economy

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MarcusSurealius@reddit

Instant acceleration as far as feel. A cut down steering wheel is another.

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L3monGr3nade@reddit

XM radio

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hx87@reddit

My 2019 Chevy Cruze Diesel is about the perfect level of modernity for me.

9 speed automatic transmission that shifts down (with the revs blipping as it does so) instead of going into neutral as you slow down. It's a surprisingly modern feature given its simplicity.
Manual HVAC because humidity control is very important to me, and auto HVAC systems don't have a user-settable humidity level
Android Auto with 7" screen and backup camera. No, GM/Toyota/MB/etc, you're not a consumer tech company and never will be. Leave the infotainment to the experts.
USB-C and PD would have been nice, and would have saved me the effort of hacking together a USB power injection dongle (I do not want to go wireless, as several police stations in the area are apparently transmitting signals that fuck with it), especially since the infotainment system was specifically updated for 2019
Heated seats and steering wheel. Ventilated seats would have been welcome, but $50 ventilated seat covers take care of that.
Safety systems (such as BLIS) that warn me but don't actuate controls. I really hate systems that steer for you.

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Mercurydriver@reddit

Touchscreen radios.

I know it’s something this subreddit hates, but touchscreen radios do make car interiors look more modern. They’re clean and there’s no excessive clutter on the dashboard. It’s why most customers love it.

If you get into a car and the radio is just a mish-mosh of plastic buttons and dials, it’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time to 2006. Nobody wants that anymore.

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hx87@reddit

2006 radios were fine as long as they had 3.5mm jacks or tape decks (Lexus is just old school like that) so you can bring your own phone/bluetooth/Chinese Android Auto screen. The ones with only CD and Am/FM radio can fuck right off though.

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ZZ9ZA@reddit

No, I absolutely want that. My dad’s SUV only has a tiny volume lnob, no way to turn the radio, which hands, or presets or anything without using the touchscreen. It is the absolute fucking worse and honestly dangerous.

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guy_incognito784@reddit

I can't recall the last time I've been in a car where I couldn't do any of those things from the steering wheel.

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trail-g62Bim@reddit

Some of those aren't even buttons tho

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guy_incognito784@reddit

Which ones? I’ve been able to control all those things from the steering wheel for at least the last 15 years or so.

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trail-g62Bim@reddit

I believe VW put haptics in a lot of their steering wheels instead of real buttons.

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T-Baaller@reddit

I think the touchscreen radio is mostly accepted here, it's when you blend the climate controls into the screen people start having problems with the vehicle.

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andrewia@reddit

I agree. I think most car buyers are okay with less common buttons going away, but important stuff needs to be intuitive. Tesla's screens are a mixed bag because they have no buttons but have intuitive menus. Other manufacturers like Ford have struggled with that, which makes all the settings annoying to navigate.

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Setanta68@reddit

Actually, most people I know want cars to shift from the dangerous trend of screens replacing tactile buttons. Car designers seem to be responding to it as well. We need to go one step further and reduce safety ratings when necessary elements (HVAC etc) are integrated.

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LBTerra@reddit

The key is nice integration that isn’t just a tablet stuck on the dashboard.

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Far_Chocolate_8534@reddit

100%. I’ve never understood Mazda’s logic there (okay yeah beancounters and such but still). My wife’s 2018 accord is borderline but not terrible.

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LBTerra@reddit

The new CX-5 looks really nice on the inside, but the giant tablet is a bit of a letdown. Mazda has recently had really nice interior quality and design for the dollar and punched above rivals for years. It sucks to see them go the Tesla tablet route when it could’ve been much more nicely integrated and kept HVAC controls to physical controls.

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PolarWater@reddit

Look how they massacred my boy

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PolarWater@reddit

Look how they massacred my boy

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Makeitquick666@reddit

It looks nicer if cleaned an not used, that's for sure, but the moment you touched it the fingerprints are there, and they're harder to operate on the go

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Bingo1dog@reddit

Touchscreen radios I'm fine with. The issue is most look like an afterthought that wasn't planned on being in the car or they also have hvac and other stuff on the touchscreen. Hvac will (probably) always be best as a dial

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No-Pipe4332@reddit

This I would say is the best take, also cars from the mid the later 2010’s had the best mix of physical dials along with a touchscreen that wasn’t too complicated.

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turbo-toots@reddit

If it's just aesthetics, there are cars without touchscreens that have very minimal and clean dashboard designs.

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fuzzylogicIII@reddit

It’s a balance for sure

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Unique-Egg-461@reddit

adaptive cruise control and adaptive headlights (slightly move left and right as you steer)

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spicy-mayo@reddit

last year I bought a new 2024 car, before that I was always in 15+ year old cars.

For me proximity key with push button start is my favourite feature. Being able ot just walk up to your car, grab the handle, have it unlock and enter the car never needing to touch the key fob is such a big connivance.

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Crazy95jack@reddit

My 2010 Ford focus had that!

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WyrdHarper@reddit

So does my 2009 C30. Definitely not a new feature, but I am surprised it hasn't become more "standard."

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weristjonsnow@reddit

It should be for me, but since I'm so trained on old keyed cars, I have a terrible habit of tossing the keys in the cup of keyless cards when I get in and then, because I'm dumber than a box of rocks, leaving them there when I get out.

My car was stolen in 2020 because of this

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Dayv1d@reddit

Right, putting the key down while driving is just a mistake. They even write in my cars manual not to do that. I bury it deep in my pocket and THEN forget about it. Key goes where i go, even if its just for a coke.

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AwesomeBantha@reddit

Yeah, I like wearing sweatpants, so keys fall out if I sit down. I like having a dedicated place in the car to put the keys while I’m driving, that makes it borderline impossible to forget the key when you’re done.

My boss rented a late model BMW X3 and it was borderline impossible to figure out at a glance whether the car was locked and turned off. The damn door handles would auto unlock every time I got close, and when I pressed the “start” button to turn the vehicle off, I guess I did it wrong, because the vehicle was still running on the other side of the street 5 minutes later, even though I’d taken the keys with me.

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bc10551@reddit

My wallet and everything else in both pockets thank me for not having keys lol

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Mustang1718@reddit

I went from a 2014 Scion xB to a 2023 ID.4 and this is probably one of my favorite features! Especially since my electronic locks stopped working in my xB, and my key was bent after trying to turn it when the lock was frozen.

This is also paired well with the kick-to-open rear hatch. It means I can carry equipment at work that I am moving without putting anything down to get my keys from my pocket.

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asamson23@reddit

With proximity key, I like the feature of the interior lights that turn on on approach at night too, makes it feels luxirious

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rob_s_458@reddit

I otherwise like my Maverick but needing to dig the key out of my pocket to hit the unlock button and then insert it in the ignition is such a step backward from my 8-year older Mustang

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josephrehall@reddit

And when you add in proximity lights? Makes you feel like your 2021 Altima was manufactured in Goodwood, England at a certain Rolls Royce factory

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Dopplegangr1@reddit

I first experienced that like 20 years ago in my grandmother's Cadillac and it was probably the best feature I had ever seen. Never having to get a key out of your pocket is so nice, I have a smart lock at home for the same reason.

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avboden@reddit (OP)

Oh good one, proximity keyless entry or whatever you want to call it certainly became more standard in the 2010s+. Absolute a must to feel modern.

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mada447@reddit

I've only had 2 cars in my life. A base model 2007 and a base model 2018 that I drive today. The only difference between them two is my 2018 now has automatic AC, where I can just set the number and it does its thing.

So that.

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united_7_devil@reddit

For me it’s the following in no specific order

Seat position/mirror memory.
CarPlay

Everything else is nice to have. The above two is a must for me.

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KSoMA@reddit

Adaptive cruise is number one obviously, but something that feels oddly modern is a lack of bezels anywhere. Obviously that means in the displays (especially considering many mid-2010s cars had chrome bezels around their screen for some reason), but I have a frameless rear view mirror in my car and despite it being something so simple in concept, it feels fairly modern compared to most other cars having visible edges in their mirrors.

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GeneralCommand4459@reddit

Somewhat like houses good newer cars seem to have better insulation with less NVH and you can feel and hear the difference

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zarif2003@reddit

adaptive cruise is really it, carplay was already pretty much on every nice car from 2016 onwards. I really like Heads Up Displays, which seems like only now has gone from a General Motors thing to a lot more cars now (Mazdas for example)

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aprtur@reddit

I really like Heads Up Displays, which seems like only now has gone from a General Motors thing to a lot more cars now (Mazdas for example)

Tons of Nissans in the 90s had them - they implemented them before GM in '88. I still remember my mom's 1993 Altima having one. I also had one in the 1994 Toyota Crown Majesta I imported a long time ago. They've never really been rare - just expensive, and a PITA to fix (although the last part is still true).

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zarif2003@reddit

Small world! My dad’s Crown royal saloon G had one, however, since then, the next time I ever saw one was in America on corvettes. Nobody ever seems to option them out as it seems like a gimmick to most.

I was surprised when I got in a rental CX90 a few years ago and it had the feature, hence the post.

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aprtur@reddit

I don't know what it is about Crowns from the 80s to the late 90s, but they really did seem to have pretty much every luxury option available - reclining rear seats on my Majesta were awesome (and I'm guessing your dad had them, too, if he had a G package). Were you in Japan, or another country with the Crown? I know they were popular in the middle east, as well.

Here in the US, I would generally say you're right that it was seen as more of a gimmick - but my parents did love them on the Nissans they owned through the 90s. I'll always remember the green glow and the little film strip on the windshield that they needed back in those early days of the tech.

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zarif2003@reddit

Close! I grew up in Bangladesh, every car was a JDM import (still is a majority I think) due to RHD and not enough volume for companies to set up shop.

I think Majesta was a tier above the royal saloon so it probably lacked some features compared to it.

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aprtur@reddit

Oh, cool - I'll be honest, I haven't heard about car culture there before, so that's something new to me!

Correct, the Majesta is another step up, but still, the G grade of the Royal Saloon got a ton of luxury features the lower grades didn't, and they were fairly rare compared to the rest of the lineup. I'll always respect that gold G badge 😁.

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trail-g62Bim@reddit

Adaptive cruise and backup camera are the two best things to happen to cars since I started driving, imo.

I really don't like heads up displays, but it has been a while since I have used one so it might just be the old ones I saw were terrible and they have gotten better.

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SuperSmashedBro@reddit

I would add Blind Spot Monitoring and parking sensors to that list.

For the HUD, I think my favorite part is knowing what song is playing without having to look at the infotainment

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Misses_Ding@reddit

The heads up displays are amazing. They really saw games and thought hey! We can put that on real life vision too

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Schnitzengiggel9@reddit

100% yes. Adaptive cruise control has to be one of the greatest "modern" features of any vehicle. You're still in control of the vehicle, but you aren't constantly trying to adjust your speed in regular traffic. It would be nice if everyone would just maintain speed and/or get out of the way, but apparently that's to much to ask. At least in the US it is.

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josephrehall@reddit

Agreed, and when you add in a good lane centering system (not lane change avoidance, not lane change alerts etc.) and stop-and-go abilities, it's game changing.

I used Hyundai/Kia's greatest version of what they call "HDA" for my 100 mi roundtrip commute to work for about a year, and probably 80%+ of my first 25k miles were done by HDA.

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DisasterEquivalent@reddit

I pretty regularly use Subaru’s EyeSight on 2000+ mile drives.

It really changed the game for long trips. I won’t buy another roadtrip car again without it.

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03Void@reddit

VW temporarily disable the cruise control when you shift and automatically resumes it once the shift is complete.

If the car has to brake to a speed too slow for a gear the cruise control gets disabled as well.

So there are ways around the problem of the manual transmission and assisted driving.

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coldpan@reddit

Honda does this too for their adaptive cruise, and it's alright enough. Hyundai's is very good though.

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josephrehall@reddit

That's pretty neat, I didn't know that, thank you for sharing!

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M4roon@reddit

I've never used it once lol, even on road trips. I'm actually surprised how popular this is. Also my lane assist never goes off so I never notice it. I did try my gf's mom's SUV and everything was binging and bonging, so maybe supras are just bare bones.

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darkhelmet1121@reddit

I don't want or need a built in cellular modem in the car. I don't trust the government or the auto manufacturer that much.....

Also if you give the. Government or Hackers an attack vector, it will be exploited.

Ford already patented the idea of having a vehicle drive itself back to the dealership if the owner fell behind on payments.

I don't trust this dystopian world of Ai and Palatir and oracle to not turn into Skynet from the Terminator series.

So newer isn't better. If that makes me a Luddite, so be it.

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andrewia@reddit

You can just yank the cellular antenna and not give it your Wi-Fi password. It's what I did with my Hyundai since it runs an ancient version of Android. Other modern features are very useful and don't require an internet connection. Like 360 cameras, adaptive cruise, lane centering, passive entry, etc.

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Ecks83@reddit

I think it is a lot of little things for me. Carplay is pretty big for a lot of people but I've been plugging media players into my car stereo since the method to do that was a cassette tape adapter with a 3.5mm jack hanging out the back of it so carplay/android auto just feel like a logical extension of that.

But some stuff that feel really recent/modern to me off the top of my head:

Automatically turning on the heated/cooled seats depending on the outside temperature.
Touching the door handle to lock, putting my hand in the door cup to unlock, and the proximity key are insane to me. I still have the reflex to grab the key out of my pocket when approaching the car even though it doesn't need me to do anything at all.
The digital gauge cluster and the ability to customize it.
I personally still prefer the big lever but electronic parking brakes is another thing that seems like a really recent innovation.

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Dima_1991@reddit

For me, these features:
- Keyless entry
- HUD
- 360 camera
- Carplay

That's considering that we exclude hybrid technology from feature list. Otherwise I believe all future cars will be either EVs or PHEVs. I think Western countries will come up with some regulation at some point which will require every car to have a minimum electric range.

It may be unpopular - but I hate all types of cruise controls, lane assists, etc.

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gsasquatch@reddit

Fuel injection, power brakes, AC and power windows make a car feel modern to me.

Those new keyless start things are probably the best feature new cars have. Not having to take the key out of my pocket is gucci, and makes the car a bit faster and easier.

Bluetooth radio is nice, or at least an aux port so the adapter works better. I could do without the touch screen, so I probably won't do a car newer than 2010 or so. Late 90's to early '00 are peak, with OBD2 and no spy radio or touch screens. Aside from the keyless entry, not sure there's a feature after 2010 or so that I'd miss.

ABS is ok, traction/stability control is a bit annoying, the one car I have with traction control just keeps me from being able to go up hill until I turn it off and I don't really notice it otherwise. Not sure I like the lane assist on my company car. While I thought I'd like radar cruise, having used it on a couple long trips, I don't think I like it. Driving that car with its gizmos and screens is a bit distracting, esp. the first few hours.

Hybrid is nice, more of the instant throttle response like a manual vs. the lag and drama of an automatic along with the smoothness of no shifting and of course more mpg is always better.

More than 4 speeds in an automatic are annoying, although in theory better on gas, I don't know if it is worth it. 5 is good for a manual, mainly because 3s and 4s tend to not be tall enough for highway cruising. Adequate torque lessens the need for more gears.

My daily is a low end 2006, the other is a mid range 2016. I prefer the 2006. Other than the cool key and the hybrid, the 2016 doesn't offer much extra except annoyance, like with the traction control and the touch screen.

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InfinitePossibility8@reddit

Numb, bloated, a bunch of annoying and intrusive nannies, poor visibility.

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elmz370@reddit

Good handling and suspension.

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jrileyy229@reddit

Uhh... People are not keeping their cars longer than before. With repairs getting so crazy expensive, all the issues with CVTs and turbos etc etc, your typical economy car actually getting mechanically totaled earlier than ever.

You're just referring to that nonsense clickbait article that made its rounds a few months ago that claimed this... But all it did was parse registration/insurance data to make an unfounded claim. What it did not account for is the 30-40 million classic cars registered and insured in the US.

Guess what, old cars are getting older. They are skewing the average more and more every time someone does this "study".

When most people are driving cars 1-10 years old... And the classics and muscle cars go from being 50 years old, to 60, to 70... And they make up 15% of the data points... They just continue to weigh the average.

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The_GeneralsPin@reddit

The more it wants to treat you like an incompetent fool, the more modern it is.

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GStarOvercooked@reddit

Basically this.

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badadvicegoodintent@reddit

Am I the only person that doesn’t like adaptive cruise control?

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GStarOvercooked@reddit

Join the (small) club. Adaptive cruise sucks for actual drivers. I don't need my car to slow down, I just need to change lanes.

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GStarOvercooked@reddit

360 camera is it. Everything else is not needed.

Radar cruise control sucks, it slows you down way too much when all you really wanna do is change lanes and pass the slower drivers in front.

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jordyb3231@reddit

I mean the most modern thing I've driven was a 2019 Sante Fe, so🤷

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Aware_Apartment_8959@reddit

Level-2 ADAS is apparently becoming a standard feature in modern cars, combining safety and automation like lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control. It’s like having a co-pilot for daily driving! Found this while reading about [must-have car features for 2026](https://www.timesnownews.com/auto/car-news/buying-new-car-in-2026-5-must-have-features-you-should-look-for-article-153933934).

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Gubbtratt1@reddit

When I look at a car and my first instinct is that it's surprisingly good looking for something made after 1990, but then I realise it's all plastic and it's about 3x as big as it needs to be.

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JBH68@reddit

For me having a conventional geared transmission (since there's so many with CVT type), backup camera, upgraded audio system, simple infotainment system, heated seats and steering wheel are about as much as I need. Don't care much for today's safety tech. The other part that makes a car feel modern is wheel design

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Wiseguy_7@reddit

Soundproofing and interior quality in general. A modern car feels more insulated from the outside world. An old car you are very aware in and operating a machine.

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Dunaii4@reddit

Built-in satnav.

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dissss0@reddit

Going from a 2006 car to a 2016 car was absolutely revolutionary in the tech the car would have. But going from a higher end 2016 car to a 2026 car? Not nearly as big of a jump.

Not sure I really agree

I'm looking out the window at my neighbours mid-00s Lexus GS430 and I think it has most of the modern features people have mentioned in this thread such as adaptive cruise, keyless, touch screen etc

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andrewia@reddit

I think the implementation has improved for many of those. Adaptive cruise has become a lot more smooth, and has added lane centering. Sensor fusion with cameras is much better at picking which car to follow in curves, and identifying when to auto brake. Touchscreens have more functionality and less lag (for the manufacturers who bother to invest in good design). And keyless entry has added walk-away lock and smartphone keys for more convenience and easier sharing.

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dissss0@reddit

Sure but that sort of thing also improved between 2016 and today

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andrewia@reddit

Yes, that's my point. You seemed to be saying the opposite in the last paragraph of your comment.

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neueziel1@reddit

Car play.

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PRSArchon@reddit

Any car play can be turned wireless for 10$, did it in both my cars and have no issues.

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J50GT@reddit

Adaptive cruise, Lane centering, 360 cameras.

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andrewia@reddit

I'm surprised to see so few mentions of 360 cameras. They make parking between the lines, and avoiding the curb, much easier.

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Setanta68@reddit

Adaptive suspension and multiple airbags.

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turb0_encapsulator@reddit

A good steering wheel that doesn’t fly off while you driving.

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chultine95@reddit

I bet you love your mother in law

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turb0_encapsulator@reddit

Stinky!

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Lower_Kick268@reddit

A big touchscreen that is responsive and customizable

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mmk61@reddit

Blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise

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I_love_quiche@reddit

500+ HP in a 3.0 turbo.

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Lipstickquid@reddit

Torsional rigidity.

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Astramael@reddit

This is a big one. Old cars feel like driving a wet noodle. Good modern car platforms are so much more rigid and composed.

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FeldMonster@reddit

All of the features that I hate with a fiery passion, like Adaptive Cruise Control, Carplay, Start-stop, lane centering, screens for everything.

Driving a rental car these days is awful with all of this junk in the way of actually driving.

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eh_itzvictor@reddit

all things that are optional to use btw, besides the screens ofc.

But what makes you hate carplay/android auto?? It instantly let's you give a car navigation pretty much as long as it has a screen.. that seems like a weird thing to hate when its revolutionized the way we use cars.

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eh_itzvictor@reddit

Handsfree walk-away lock Heads up display Adaptive cruise

All things I love on my Mazda 3, and am glad have become more standard across regular cars.

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AnalBroFisting@reddit

As someone who has never owned a car with any form of apple car play or Android Auto, that.

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acEightyThrees@reddit

Wireless carplay/android auto, radar cruise. If my 2017 had those, I would likely still be driving it.

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WhiskeyWatchesWine@reddit

Heads up display. 360 camera. I’ve had keyless entry/stsrt since 2007 and even my son’s 2009 Rogue had it, but that’s another one.

CP/AA could be going away. I have radar cruise that even steers a little but rarely use it.

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ImALeaf_OnTheWind@reddit

I love starting my car remotely w the AC on full blast from my office so by the time I get to it (and it’s been triple digit heat all day) it’s nice and cool from seat to steering wheel. I know the UV and IR rejecting glass around the car cabin helps with this.

Alternatively, the remote start w heated seats and cabin + 360 window defroster from my bedroom as I’m getting ready on freezing mornings is the other satisfying flip of that coin.

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Makeitquick666@reddit

CarPlay for me is the thing that made older cars feel way more modern than they really are.

The thing that separates them? Hmmm, probably the whay the drive. Just because they're older and more tired, unless expensive (which is out of the scope me thinks), they're just looser and feel more tired. Less precise somehow. The steering assistance, too, if it an old car has a good steering assistance, it's probably hydraulics, if it's electric then it's probably not every good. Newer cars I find to have better electric assistance

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r00000000@reddit

I think I'm younger than most people here but experienced a lot of cars for people my age so I have a pretty large list:

Blind spot monitoring that isn't just the thing in the corner on the mirror which can get obscured by bad weather which you'd want it in more, safety pillars are getting bigger and it's creating more blind spots, especially in coupes and convertibles.

Large, HD touchscreen, placed in a spot that's visible and not obscured with wireless android auto and carplay and a place to put your phone where it doesn't move too much while driving.

Gauge cluster that isn't something like O[]O, because that reminds me of a time when they just started to add digital screens to cars

Better rustproofing, adaptive cruise control, matrix headlights that move with your steering wheel, rear view camera instead of mirrors, and dimming side view mirrors, no wood in the interior, makes it look an old person's car from back in the day imo, auto stop start is also something that gives away a modern-ish car.

More specifically for luxury cars, more interesting interiors than just black leather, in terms of materials and colour palette, coloured stitching, some kind of self driving tech beyond adaptive cruise control, dimming sunroofs, interior ambient lighting but that's starting to make it to economy cars too

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mcorliss3456@reddit

CarPlay and Adaptive LED Headlights are modern enough for me. Anything more than that like large touchscreens or controls are absolute car buying repellent for me.

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fuzzylogicIII@reddit

Backup cameras Bluetooth, but also aux and usb and CarPlay Ventilated seats sound like a dream Other than that, good storage, good driving and good buttons make me a happy clam

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avboden@reddit (OP)

Backup cameras

another good one. Mandatory after 2018 and anything without one sure won't feel at all modern.

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TheOsirisOfThisShit_@reddit

Currently modern cars have an overhead view camera system. It makes parallel parking a million times easier and also nice for normal parking. My $28k Nissan from 2020 includes it, but Tesla doesn't offer it at all and it's an expensive upgrade on a lot of high end cars.

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Bixmen@reddit

Good adaptive cruise control. If I can feel it slow down, it’s not good enough. If it’s abrupt, it’s last gen tech.

Good lane centering. If I can feel it ping pong in the lane, it’s last gen tech.

My 9 year old Volvo meets these criteria. The Kia K4 I just rented meets these criteria. The 3 year old Audi S3 I test drove does NOT meet this criteria.

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Motorsport-@reddit

Serious why doesn’t Audis lane centering work? Enrages me.

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SophistXIII@reddit

It's so bad lol

My wife's Pilot has better lane keep

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avboden@reddit (OP)

Yep, my Volvo is a big reason I started thinking about this. My car is 7 years old and it still does absolutely everything I could want. It's pretty crazy how good pilot assist gen 2 was after 2016.

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durrtyurr@reddit

It keeps you too far to the right side of the lane in my old '23 S90. Like actively trying to pull against it level of too far over.

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avboden@reddit (OP)

Hm, if anything i'd say mine favors the left slightly but not enough to complain about. I've always felt there's some slight calibration variation between cars. The 2023

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Saskatchewon@reddit

It is wild how good the lane centering and adaptive cruise control in Kia/Hyundai vehicles is, actually. My mother bought a 2024 Forte, and it's auto lane centering and adaptive cruise control is the best I've experienced outside of Tesla's personally.

It's something that doesn't get brought up as much as it should, honestly. I'm not a huge fan of Kia/Hyundai, but that honestly is a feature that they do better than every other entry level manufacturer, and better than most of the premium manufacturers.

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Available_Quote_5567@reddit

My current car is a 2010 Volvo S80 Executive. I test drove a new S90 a while back. The only thing the new car had over my current car was a large screen with CarPlay. Both had heated and cooled massaging seats, heated rear seats, a great radio, adaptive cruise. In fact I went to the dealer with every intention on trading but the S90 just didn’t feel as good as the S80. Plus the S80 makes lovely V8 noises

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NotRustyShackleford_@reddit

Quiet and smooth. The cars I used to drive were not well insulated for road noise and shook over 50 mph. Cars now can drive 80+ without spilling the milk in your cereal bowl.

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Jameson-Mc@reddit

A naturally aspirated V6 and analog gages

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hy2cone@reddit

The annoying e handbrake

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GaroldWilsonJr@reddit

Lane tracing and Apple car key

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0992673@reddit

When it beeps too much for safety.

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earoar@reddit

Keyless entry/start, Bluetooth that quickly and reliably connects every time you get in the car, adaptive cruise, good headlights.

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Alive_Internet@reddit

I went from a 2003 to 2014, then to a 2025. The 2003 to 2014 felt like a much bigger leap forward. Both the 2014 and 2025 have a backup cam, touchscreen infotainment, push button start, and heated seats/mirrors, all of which help make the car feel modern. The 2003 had none of those.

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Saskatchewon@reddit

How's your 2025's adaptive cruise control, and automatic lane centering? Some manufacturers (Hyundai/Kia) have genuinely fantastic set-ups that work really well, while others (Mazda, VW/Audi) will have your car ping-ponging back and forth across the edges of your lane.

Blind spot monitoring? Front/rear traffic alert? Cooled seats? That's all stuff that separates a lot of cars of today from the cars of ten years ago.

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Alive_Internet@reddit

Adaptive cruise works great, and lane centering does not ping pong my car. However, I prefer steering myself because even with lane centering on, the car requires you to grab the steering wheel every 10 seconds or so.

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Huge-Net2343@reddit

Apple car play

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costafilh0@reddit

Blips and bips. It's glorious!

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keklol69@reddit

It’s got to be adaptive cruise control, it makes long journeys so easy.

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DyspepticDingo2@reddit

Everthing electronically modulated in such a way that it feels like every generic car with no personality at all.

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IMA_5-STAR_MAN@reddit

Android Auto and auto high beams.

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Porshuh@reddit

Terrible visibility and poor accelerator and brake pedal calibration.

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jawoosafat@reddit

Volume and stuff on the steering wheel have been around for a while now but it really is a great feature

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really_original_name@reddit

I really dig the digital dashboards. Not the big screens that span the whole front of the car but rather a modest one just where the gauges go.

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localtuned@reddit

Heated seats.

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ymjcmfvaeykwxscaai@reddit

If I bought a car today I would expect it to have radar/camera assisted cruise at the very least and some of them do not.

Optionally, I also think some sort of parking assist is necessary on these larger SUVs and cars that are hard to see out of. New cars don’t feel modern without it.

Eventually I’d like to see BLE/UWB phone key entry on everything. It’s not super reliable though so I’d say we’re a ways off. I don’t like keyed ignition and keyless entry with a fob feels silly.

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Ancient_Persimmon@reddit

Not needing a key.

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PNWrowena@reddit

My last car before the 2025 I got last September was a 2008 Honda Fit, so needless to say, the new one has all sorts of features that are probably old hat to others. Heck, keyless entry is a favorite feature now, but until I got the new car I didn't know what it was. I did know about keyless ignition, wasn't sure how I'd feel about it, but it's good.

I went through the car's manual and tried everything. As a very senior person, I don't live and die by my phone, don't care about having to coordinate with the car, and haven't done it. I've never been a big user of cruise control, tried adaptive cruise control and didn't like it. It offends my control freak self. Same for lane keep assist, I left that on for the first couple weeks and then turned it off. Maybe they'd be okay on long highway drives, but those are rare for me these days. I have to turn off the start/stop feature every time I start the car, and I'm going to look into getting it deactivated permanently now that the government isn't requiring it.

So the features I like are everything that the backup camera enables. The rear cross traffic warning is IMO even better than the blind spot warning. I love the auto feature for the headlights. The car can dim high beams faster and more consistently than I ever did. The temp control is great. I always thought heated seats were a stupid luxury, but yeah, on a cold morning when they heat up faster than the engine reaches temp where the heater can blow warm air, I have to concede they're nice and so is the heated steering wheel.

There are probably other things I'm not thinking of at the moment, but I'm really taken with a lot of the new-to-me techie things this car can do. I feel like it has all I could want and then some.

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avoidhugeships@reddit

Only tech features I was are a backup camera and android auto. After that I want buttons and a simple car that is fun to drive. All the other tech stuff is a detriment to me.

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MRDR1NL@reddit

What makes a car feel really modern to me is when there is an error and the dealer just updates the software and says it's fixed, but it's not fixed. And when you go back and they just do the same thing again.

I drive an old shitbox now. It's far from perfect, but at least all problems have solutions.

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NoWitandNoSkill@reddit

Front cameras activated by proximity. While it is a little annoying that my 2025 Mach E beeps at me when I pull out of my cramped garage, knowing it's because I'm close to the door and not because my 2 year old ran in front is 100% worth it.

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turbo-toots@reddit

Sign readers. I don't think they were all that common just a few years ago, but my Mazda and my mother's Toyota, both 2026 model years, have that tech.

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s3cf_@reddit

as long as it has bluetooth connectivity

rest is i dont really care

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MickyMommsen@reddit

Just look at the new and cool features a Mercedes Benz S-class W 222 had back in the day. The W222 was introduced in 2013. The tech features trickled down, today you can have most of those gimmicks in a VW Passat or a Mazda 6. The Mazda is considered ancient by todays standards, but even those can be retrofitted with apple car play going back to model year 2013 or thereabouts, without changing the original head unit.

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jukaforever@reddit

Just rear back up camera. I am good with bluetooth and don't really need AA/Carplay but it is fine if navigation isn't available.

All other driver assists and fuel economy tricks(auto start stop/rev hang) are modern but annoying when you can't opt out of it.

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Gorgenapper@reddit

Blind Spot monitoring, and by extension rear cross traffic alert.

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Kindly-Emergency-514@reddit

Probably lane centering and ambient lighting, though I wouldn't say a car is not modern if it doesn't have those features.

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strongmanass@reddit

Remote start, hands-free driving, the latest adaptive suspension systems are the features that initially come to mind. Then details like screen resolution and refresh rate which are continuous improvements.

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sfd_delu@reddit

For me, it's like this: if it has CarPlay, adaptive cruise control, and no unusual noises or warning lights, it's already a winner over half a new car. Why would I need to upgrade? 😂

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Professional_Fix4663@reddit

At least 8 airbags.

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bikedork5000@reddit

All LED lighting, inside and out.

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avboden@reddit (OP)

Crazy how long that took for so many manufacturers. Feels like only 2023+ has LED interior lighting become completely the norm for even basic vehicles.

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Dopplegangr1@reddit

Mostly things I dont like. Weird shifter designs, aggressive driver aids like crash detection or lane keep, auto start stop, massive screens, capacitive buttons, pop out handles

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