Safety/Convenience features that are found on some cars but should be standard on all cars.
I was driving my wife's '98 Ford Windstar minivan the other night, uneventful other than through a series of small events, I realized that there are some small features on some cars/vans that I feel all manufacturers should have standard.
I'll elaborate: I get into the van (at night) - my hands are full, I place my coffee in the cup holder, place a stack of work-related papers down between the seats along with a few CDs and my lunch and I clumsily drop the keys, so I open the door to get the interior light back on, and I think 'why don't they just have the interior light stay on until the ignition is turned on .... my '96 Chrysler van was like that' - it would turn off after a few minutes, I guess it assumed that if the driver's door opened and the van didn't start the driver was no longer present.
I'm driving along and my sideview mirrors are fogging up, I reach over and grab a napkin from the glovebox, roll down the driver's window and wipe it clear, cursing that I would need to stop and get out to do the same on the passenger side - I didn't bother, but I know my dad's '99 Ford Taurus has heated mirrors.
That's when I thought about making a thread to see what other members think should be mandatory safety/ convenience features standard on all cars.
I'm not looking for contributions like "a min. of 200 bhp" or "manual transmissions", although AWD could be considered.
A few I can think of from the top of my head:
- Electric defrost wires (as used for rear windows) on bottom 2-3" of the windshield, this would eliminate potential tearing of the wipers, should be powerful enough to melt ice in vehicles with a wiper "park" position and activated when "defrost" is selected on the climate control panel.
- Heated outside rearview (wing) mirrors, to prevent fogging and the need for wiping while driving, should be activated when "defrost" is selected on the climate control panel, either timed or temperature controlled.
- Outside rearview (wing) mirror turn signal repeaters, this is such a low cost, safety feature that everyone from Kia on up should have it.
- Reverse sensors in the rear bumper, most manufacturers offer this feature for under a $1000 in some of their lineup, with the hype surrounding 5 star safety ratings and "pedestrian friendly" hoods and bumpers this should also be standard.
My mind has gone blank for now ... I'll add more later, please add your own ideas, they do not have to be original or even already in existence ... just reasonably viable.
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