Not content with vying for the 10 best 10 best cars award for 2007, cars.com has released their list of the "Top 10 New Features of 2007." While you might think their eds would be weighing the pros and cons of innovations that improve performance, handling or enhance the enthusiast's driving experience, you'd be mostly wrong. Cars' list is chock-a-block with features of dubious value, like Volvo's heartbeat sensor, Infiniti's scratch shield paint and Chrysler's Sirius satellite TV. Their "Best New Feature?" Infiniti's Lane Departure Warning Prevention system. The gizmo applies the brakes to certain wheels to nudge you back into your lane if you start drifting. (Which would have rendered The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift even more of a moot point.) Here's the complete list:
Lane Departure Prevention – Infiniti
Scratch Shield Paint – Infiniti
Around View Monitor – Infiniti
Full Size Hybrid SUVs – GM, Chrysler
Integrated Booster Seats – Volvo
Heartbeat Sensor – Volvo
Easy Third-Row Access – Hyundai
Sirius Satellite TV – Chrysler
Sync Hands-Free System – Ford
Blind Spot Information System – Volvo
Full size hybrid SUVs — just what we need: $50K SUVs that “get better mileage in the city than a 4-cylinder Camry or Accord.” Never mind that said SUVs’ highway mileage that is the same or only 1 mpg better than the city mileage.
Heartbeat sensor — like how often do thugs break into your parked vehicle and wait for hours for you to come back to your car?
Sat TV — another needless distraction to the driving task (I know, it’s not supposed to be visible to the driver).
Sync, schminck — I guess I’m too “old school” to give a damn.
Intergrated booster seats? Didn’t Chrysler put those in their minivans about 10 years ago?
RE: Booster seats — yes Chrysler pioneered them in about 1992, but Volvo’s have two height settings, so you can use them for toddlers and older children.
I don’t want any of these things. What I want is for auto engineers to focus on developing the best vehicle possible at the lowest possible expense.
210delray :
Full size hybrid SUVs — just what we need: $50K SUVs that “get better mileage in the city than a 4-cylinder Camry or Accord.” Never mind that said SUVs’ highway mileage that is the same or only 1 mpg better than the city mileage.
All the hybrid engineering wizardry in the world cannot overcome crappy aerodynamics, which matter much more at highway speeds.
Big square front ends are going to vanish with the new mileage regulations. Buyers will have to get their macho fix in some other way, maybe chrome balls on the trailer hitch will become standard.
210delray: Heartbeat sensor — like how often do thugs break into your parked vehicle and wait for hours for you to come back to your car? I've also read that it'll alert a parent who's too absorbed in their cell phone or Blackberry that they're forgetting about their kid in the back seat.
Frank, I’ve read about cases like that (one occurred locally with tragic results), but you’d really have to be pretty lame-brained IMO to forget about your own child in the car.
Did anyone else think of Night Driver after seeing the above picture?
210delray :
December 6th, 2007 at 10:38 am
“RE: Booster seats — yes Chrysler pioneered them in about 1992, but Volvo’s have two height settings, so you can use them for toddlers and older children.”
I had a 94 Caravan with the built in seats. Although not height adjustable, as soon as our oldest was too big for the built in harness, it was no problem using the bottom cushion as booster for the 3 point belt. If it still didn’t fit just right you could use one of those gadgets that make the belt go across the shoulder correctly.
I have a buddy with an Infiniti with the lane departure feature, as well as the lazer cruise control.
He hates both features – it is like a nanny watching over you.
I had a 2007 S80 as a loaner recently which was equipped with BLIS. It was pretty cool/useful and I wish that my XC90 had it.
Heartbeat sensor? eh
Integrated Booster Seat? IBS? gross
I’m with SherbornSean – give me a car with 3-series performance and handling, for the price of loaded Civic, and keep all your fancy features.
Man, sure hope terrorists don’t find out about the Infiniti lane system. Next thing they be painting random dots all over the highway to watch the pileup!
According to Wikipedia, which as we know never gets anything wrong, Volvo had integrated boosters in 1990- I certainly recall them by the mid-90s. Are these different?
On the other hand, I am glad Volvos have a heartbeat sensor now. I don’t know about you, but anytime I drive a Volvo I feel like someone better check my pulse afterwards.