What's the Coolest New Car Feature? Cars.com Lists the 10 Best Car Features Introduced in 2007
December 03 2007 - 2:20PM
PR Newswire (US)
CHICAGO, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The automobile industry continues
to make great strides, bringing new, creative features to market
each year. Whether related to safety, comfort or convenience,
carmakers develop a wide variety of new features to attract new-car
shoppers. With countless hours behind the wheel of new vehicles,
the Cars.com reviewers identified what they consider the 10 most
notable features that debuted in 2007. "We're impressed every year
with the new features that show up in cars, but this year the 2008
Infiniti EX35, which goes on sale at the end of December,
definitely offered the most," said Cars.com managing editor Patrick
Olsen. "It has our favorite new feature, Lane Departure
Prevention." The Top 10 new car features according to Cars.com
include: 1. Lane Departure Prevention Where you can find it:
Infiniti EX35 Infiniti's Lane Departure Prevention builds on
conventional lane-departure warning systems, which detect lane
markings and sound a chime if you drift astray. LDP goes one step
further by gently applying the brakes to certain wheels to nudge
you back on course. Sound too intrusive? Cars.com tried it out in
the EX35 and it keeps a remarkably low profile. Hit the turn signal
or steer the wheel slightly, and the system deactivates. On
straight roads, it intervenes with just a hint of deceleration, and
the dashboard chime alerts you of its actions. For its
effectiveness and low profile, LDP is the winner. 2. Scratch Shield
Paint Where you can find it: Infiniti EX35 The crusade for
city-friendly transportation began years ago with plastic bumpers
and dent-resistant doors. It reaches new heights with Infiniti's
Scratch Shield paint. On the EX35, Scratch Shield combines a highly
elastic resin with the clearcoat finish. The resulting surface is
said to maintain a glossy appearance over the years, and it can
actually undo minor damage in the course of a few days. While
Scratch Shield won't repair dents or gashes, Infiniti says it can
restore things like fingernail scratches under the door handles.
Cars.com hasn't had a chance to see it in action, but is intrigued
by the prospects. 3. Around View Monitor Where you can find it:
Infiniti EX35 Let's be clear on one thing: Infiniti's Around View
Monitor isn't pretty. With cameras mounted on each side of the car,
its fish-eye, top-down view distorts any three-dimensional object
nearby. But is it effective? You bet. With a 360-degree view of
exactly what's around your car, it reduces getting into narrow
parking spots and crowded alleys to a science. Even the best
front-and-rear sonar systems can't replicate this. You have to see
it -- and park it -- to believe it. 4. Full-Size Hybrid SUVs/Trucks
Where you can find it: Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado,
Chevrolet Tahoe, Chrysler Aspen, Dodge Durango, GMC Yukon To date,
hybrid technology has graced only compact and midsize SUVs Sharing
a new 2-Mode Hybrid system, several GM and Chrysler Group full size
SUVs and a pickup truck deliver significant mileage gains -- if
early estimates prove accurate. Some environmentalists cry heresy
over this development, but Cars.com can't see how fuel economy
improvement in the vehicles that need it most could be a bad thing.
The trucks give up almost none of their hauling and towing
capabilities, remaining useful to the people who really need them
and would buy full-size anyway, hybrid or not. 5. Integrated
Booster Seats Where you can find it: Volvo V70 This is one of those
simple features that make so much sense you wonder why they're not
present on more cars. In the new V70, the cushions of the outboard
rear seats can easily be raised to one of two levels to better
accommodate children, which means no more fumbling around with
aftermarket booster seats. What's more, Volvo says the side curtain
airbags in the V70 extend lower, which in conjunction with the
raised seating position gives a child's head greater protection in
a side-impact collision. 6. Heartbeat Sensor Where you can find it:
Volvo S80 Cars.com is dubious about the usefulness of a heartbeat
sensor, but we were won over by the fact that such a futuristic
feature is available in today's cars. The heartbeat sensor, which
Volvo says can help you determine if someone is lying in wait
inside your car, is part of the S80 sedan's Personal Car
Communicator fob that can also do other things, like tell you if
your car is locked or unlocked up to about 300 feet away. 7. Easy
Third-Row Access Where you can find it: Hyundai Veracruz Getting
into the third row in SUVs has gotten progressively easier in
recent years, but the Veracruz has a three-step system that
outshines the competition. Each part individually doesn't seem like
much, but put all together it's a wonder no one else has thought of
it. First, there's a one-hand release latch that moves the
second-row seat up, sliding it forward on rails. Secondly, there's
a cubbyhole tucked inside the Veracruz wall, right where little
ones will need it to help themselves into the car. Finally, the
second-row seats come with a handle that lets third-row occupants
pull the seats back toward them, helping kids trying to get into
the second row. Simple ideas, but great implementation. 8. Sirius
Satellite TV Where you can find it: Chrysler minivans Any parent
can tell you that one of the big drags about taking kids on long
trips is all the stuff you've got to carry with you. Chrysler's new
Sirius Satellite TV makes this a bit easier by removing your DVD
collection from the list. Your kids can watch one of three channels
(the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network) on one or
both of the rear swing-down screens; if it's just one, the other
can show a DVD or video game. Given these three channels offer
programming that can satisfy kids from infancy through their teen
years, this is a big step forward. 9. Sync Hands-Free System Where
you can find it: Various Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models Ford has
addressed driver distraction with a voice activation system that
takes the fumbling out of using cell phones and digital music
players. Sync allows drivers to control Bluetooth phones and MP3
players and storage devices that have a USB input using simple
voice commands -- it even reads text messages from compatible
phones. Sync is standard on most uplevel trims in a dozen Ford,
Lincoln and Mercury models; it's a $395 option on base trim levels.
That's a lot of tech for not a lot of dough. 10. Volvo Blind Spot
Information System Where you can find it: C30, S40, S80, V50, V70,
XC70, XC90 Volvo prides itself on safety innovations, and this is
the latest. The new S80, V70 and XC70 have an optional blind spot
information system that alerts drivers to cars that are hard to
spot using mirrors. Two cameras are attached to the side mirrors,
and a pale orange light illuminates whenever changing lanes would
lead to hitting someone in the dreaded blind spot. A single button
turns the system on and off if you're in heavy traffic, but the
faded hue of the lights doesn't distract from driving It's a clever
heads-up for the safety conscious. About Cars.com Cars.com is the
most comprehensive destination for those looking to buy or sell a
new or used car. The site lists more than 2 million vehicles from
more than 15,000 dealer customers, classified advertisers and
private parties to offer the more than 8 million unique visitors
who log on to the site each month the best selection of new and
used cars online, as well as the content, tools and advice to
support their shopping experience. Cars.com combines powerful
inventory search tools and new-car configuration with pricing
information, photo galleries, buying guides, side-by-side
comparison tools, original editorial content and reviews to help
millions of car shoppers connect with sellers each month. Launched
in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC,
(http://classifiedventures.com/), which is owned by leading media
companies, including Belo (NYSE:BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI),
The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB) and
The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). DATASOURCE: Cars.com
CONTACT: Jackie Brennan, Public Relations Specialist,
+1-312-601-6229, mobile, +1-219-577-6106, , or Steve Nolan, Public
Relations Manager, +1-312-601-5163, mobile, +1-630-310-2468, , all
of Cars.com Web site: http://www.cars.com/
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