Toys you can no longer live without

_Kaiser_

So I was recently driving a current gen Passat and while not much different from the older version I used to have, I found I really missed 2 things from my current A6.

The first being the parking sensors with on screen display. You don't realise how much you come to rely on them until they're gone. I must have looked like a noob trying to back it into a spot especially as I was very conscious it wasn't my car.

The 2nd (related) would be how the passenger mirror automatically dips on my A6 when you put it in reverse. A small thing for sure but it makes things much handier.

Things like cruise control, USB inputs, auto lights and wipers are nice but I think the parking sensors have made me very lazy but the next car will definitely need to have them too - especially as I like big saloons

So anything you couldn't do without after having it in your car?

NIMAN

AirCon.
Electric Windows.

Owryan

You already mentioned it but not having a USB slot on the radio. Got so used to having an audio book, podcast or music on a USB stick I could just plug n play.

Current car has none and can't afford to swap radios lol

Del2005

NIMAN wrote: »

AirCon.

Tell me about it. Aircon is dead in my car and had a long journey Friday and Saturday. Was a pain not having aircon and it wasn't even that warm or sunny.

Remote central locking has to be one of the best toys, no longer need to lean over the back seats to let people in

Chippy01

Two things that was the minimum allowable on my last buy was cruise control and Bluetooth phone connectivity.
I found that when those two are present, most of the other toys come as standard anyway.

Atlantic Dawn

Climate control, cruise control, steering wheel audio controls, heated seats, heated mirrors, remote boot release on key.

MadYaker

Climate control, steering wheel audio controls, bluetooth for music and calls.

My dad can't park a car without parking sensors anymore either :pac: I've yet to own one that has those so I'm not that bad yet.

Clareman

Email & SMS through the on board display, cruise control and different driving modes are my favourite toys at the moment.

Wibbs

Del2005 wrote: »

Tell me about it. Aircon is dead in my car and had a long journey Friday and Saturday. Was a pain not having aircon and it wasn't even that warm or sunny.

For me it's more about winter and defogging. My aircon is on the blink too(idler pulley bearing seized) and I'm not looking forward to winter at all.

Email, bluetooth and all that, god no. I switch off my phone when I get into the car. I like being "out of touch". I can think of very few scenarios where calling me is life or death. It can all wait until I get home/to my destination. Like it did for most of my driving life. It is my humble that we're way too connected those days and that is a near constant pressure we've become mostly used to. A tinnitus of the soul. IMH it's not good for us.

Chippy01

Clareman wrote: »

Email & SMS through the on board display, cruise control and different driving modes are my favourite toys at the moment.

E-mails and SMSs on the onboard display? Seriously?

Wouldn't that leave you open to a distracted driving offence while trying to read them? Or are the messages 'read to you'?

NIMAN

Clareman wrote: »

Email & SMS through the on board display, cruise control and different driving modes are my favourite toys at the moment.

If they are toys you can't do without, you must have a very limited range of cars available to buy.

Just curious, what car do you drive that has this capability?

goz83

Jaysus, am I showing some youth here?

Never owned a car (as my daily driver) without aircon, remote central locking and electric windows rolled in. It's just not a car to drive otherwise.

I couldn't be arsed with usb slots and mp3 players. TBH, I don't even care if there is no radio...I am happy to drive in silence....especially if what I drive has a nice engine note (God Damn I Miss My FTO).

I had a parrot (bluetooth) in my mondeo and I kinda miss having it, so my next car will need bluetooth connectivity.

Having email and sms via the onboard display would be too dangerous. There's gotta be some disconnect when I am driving.

bazz26

NIMAN wrote: »

If they are toys you can't do without, you must have a very limited range of cars available to buy.

Just curious, what car do you drive that has this capability?

Not really, my previous 2011 car had the SMS feature, it was voice relayed too so no need for distractions reading texts. My current 2014 car will read out news/sport/weather reports via the web will you drive too. Not that these are a must have for me.

joujoujou

USB for the music. No more gadgets I need at all. :cool:

JoeA3

Climate control. Good Bluetooth integration. Steering wheel controls. Auto lights/wipers. Xenons.

Many of the above are standard in many cars nowadays but I wouldn't consider owning one without all them.

s15r330

Cruise control, installed it on my 94 audi 80, thats parked up now and I have a 99 a4 daily, about to install it there too. Couldn't have a car without it.

80sDiesel

Real Time MPG. Makes me drive more relaxed.

dudara

Wibbs wrote: »

For me it's more about winter and defogging. My aircon is on the blink too(idler pulley bearing seized) and I'm not looking forward to winter at all.

Ditto here, aircon is nice on those hot days, but it's far more useful as a dehumidifying tool in winter.

Besides aircon, cruise control and steering wheel controls are the next most important features for me.

skywanderer

I wouldn't a car without an autobox, cruise control, parking sensors,
climate control aircon, 4 x electric windows, some VRT paddy spec cars are still shipped with manual rear windows.

CIP4

Centre arm rest for me is a massive one ideally an adjustable one hate driving cars that don't have them. A/c but that's nearly a given at this stage.

My a4 is the first saloon I've had and also the first car to have rear parking sensor. My god they are the best thing ever particularly in a saloon where you can't see where the boot ends. Hatchbacks you can kind of get away without them but they are honestly great I never thought I'd appreciate them as much.

The next things for me would be; auto light, aux in or usb or Bluetooth, auto dimming centre mirror.

s15r330

CIP4 wrote: »

Centre arm rest for me is a massive one ideally an adjustable one hate driving cars that don't have them. A/c but that's nearly a given at this stage.

My a4 is the first saloon I've had and also the first car to have rear parking sensor. My god they are the best thing ever particularly in a saloon where you can't see where the boot ends. Hatchbacks you can kind of get away without them but they are honestly great I never thought I'd appreciate them as much.

The next things for me would be; auto light, aux in or usb or Bluetooth, auto dimming centre mirror.

Just installed an oem armrest in my a4 yesterday.

tossy

Horse power lol - i keep thinking i can do without it but i keep coming back to it.

After that, A2DP haven't had a car without it since 2008, air con, xenons and 4wd - haven't owned a 2wd car since 2008 either.

Del2005

Wibbs wrote: »

For me it's more about winter and defogging. My aircon is on the blink too(idler pulley bearing seized) and I'm not looking forward to winter at all.

Wasn't planning on waiting for it to get cold to get it fixed:D

ianobrien

For the everyday driver, it's climate control, Bluetooth with audio streaming, cruise control, auto lights, auto mirror and plenty power.

However, I've another car that's almost 40years old (and only got transistors in the radio) that has none of the above and its a bloody lovely thing to drive due to the wonderful feedback. Why oh why have car designers engineered out all the feedback and feeling through the steering, pedals, gear lever and seat!

antodeco

Jesus, I'm.misisng out big time here! My car(s) have none of them!

For me, steering wheel radio controls is as fancy as I get. Really need it too!

Colser

I love the heated seats and controls on the steering wheel in my car.I've never used the cruise control .My absolute favourite thing is the hill hold,the waiting on a steep hill with handbrake up used to leave me sweating at times but maybe that's a woman thing or just me..l had a new golf for a while but hated the button handbrake,didn't trust it at all.😛

Wishlist would be heated steering wheel and a guarantee that the car would never skid on ice.ðŸ˜

Eric Cartman

8 Cylinders
Cruise Control
iPod / iPhone connectivity
auto dimming mirrors.

padd b1975

Adaptive cruise control.

Wibbs

Colser wrote: »

the waiting on a steep hill with handbrake up used to leave me sweating at times but maybe that's a woman thing or just me..

I'm saying nothing…

ianobrien wrote: »

However, I've another car that's almost 40years old (and only got transistors in the radio) that has none of the above and its a bloody lovely thing to drive due to the wonderful feedback. Why oh why have car designers engineered out all the feedback and feeling through the steering, pedals, gear lever and seat!

Electronics get in the way for the most part. In many cases entirely replacing the hard connection between you and the car. Cars have also become bigger and heavier as people require/want more gadgets. Safety improvements have added weight too. All that dulls responses. People have also become used to certain levels of volume of noise and harshness.

Del2005 wrote: »

Wasn't planning on waiting for it to get cold to get it fixed:D

I know. Sadly it looks to be a big enough job. Engine out kinda thing, so pricey.

Sh1tbag OToole

Im perfectly happy with the bare basement spec Peugeot 405. I dont need any toys or electronic doohickeys

frozenfrozen

I don't have any of the mod cons but I think dimming mirrors and xenons are must haves for my next car.. night driving is so much nicer with those

Dartz

High intensity headlights.
Heated Leather Seats
Real Steering feel.
Rear wheel drive..
An engine with more than 90bhp.....

TrailerBob

Electrically folding & heated mirrors.. essential on a bigger vehicle. Often had to fold in the ears on narrow streets. Other than that, a decent stereo and I'm good.

Bazzy

I think the OP just wants to let people know he drives an A6 with a bit of spec

Congrats OP well done you

JBokeh

I've a top spec UK passat, and i'm spoilt for the toys, Never use the fat nav, prefer the one on my phone, but the cruise control is something I really miss in my Caddy, which is a UK spec one that the P.O. tarted up with all the gear. Bonnet struts are a nice little touch. I like leather seats, but the VW and audi leather feels a bit cheap compared to other brands

Can't believe in this day and age that cars are still coming with wind up windows and manual mirrors, I find toyota and ford the worst for this.

Heated seats are nice but not a deal breaker, stop start is the worst thing to ever happen to cars, same with the auto handbrake.

endacl

Laser blasters.

tossy

Bazzy wrote: »

I think the OP just wants to let people know he drives an A6 with a bit of spec

Congrats OP well done you

...and every poster since ( myself included) hasn't wanted everyone to know how cool their cars are?

I don't see your point

pwurple

Bluetooth. It has made my life so much easier being able to dial into a con call from the car and just head off, rather than having to faff about in an office. I just loooove bluetooth.

shietpilot

Google Maps on the head unit
Cruise control
Good headlights

fancy pigeon

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Im perfectly happy with the bare basement spec Peugeot 405. I dont need any toys or electronic doohickeys

Amen to this!

Stripped out twin turbo Z is my toy, providing all the smiles and excitement I need. Not even a stereo :cool:

I'd be seriously pissed if I was to read emails on the road or any of that hoohaa. My daily driver is usually the only time I have to myself and I'll be damned if I'll be reading work emails or texts on the go, out of office calls are bad enough!

My car is a car, not a mini portable office, long may it stay that way

Voodoomelon

Musts:
Comfort seats
Xenons
Phenomenal factory sound system
Comfort Access
Auto bootlid
Sunroof for an airy cabin

Can certainly live without them, but i'd certainly have soft close doors, all electric blinds and all the toys in the back again for the OMG factor.

Autosport

Cup holders

Leonard Hofstadter

Must-haves for me:

- auto dimming rear view mirror
- climate control
- cruise control

I simply wouldn't buy a car without any of these.

I could live without leather upholstery (although I certainly prefer hide to cloth, especially on premium cars, although alcantara is the best upholstery of the lot) and I couldn't care less if I never owned a car with automatic wipers or electric seats again.

I really think electric seats are a gimmick, probably because I'm single so it's only me that's driving the car.

Voodoomelon

captainspeed wrote: »

I really think electric seats are a gimmick, probably because I'm single so it's only me that's driving the car.

You're probably right, but the problem is that if you want the likes of lumbar adjustment or independent upper seat back adjustment, you have to go electric, regardless of whether you regularly move the seat or not. Plus the nice ones give you a hug when pop in your seatbelt.

mayota

Heated windscreen.

Eric Cartman

Voodoomelon wrote: »

You're probably right, but the problem is that if you want the likes of lumbar adjustment or independent upper seat back adjustment, you have to go electric, regardless of whether you regularly move the seat or not. Plus the nice ones give you a hug when pop in your seatbelt.

also for tall people , without fail , any valetor, nct tester , mechanic etc.. will move your seat, memory seats to avoid the 30 minute setup routine every time are well worth it, just return the seat to how you like it and be grand.

Hogzy

Xenons Xenons Xenons!!!!!!

I really dont understand why these headlights arent standard on all cars these days and not just premium cars. Theyre absolutely essential for proper visibility at night.


Iv also become very reliant on a reverse camera. Theyre sooooo handy

bazz26

Xenons are on their way out. LED technology is way more advanced and the light the better. Only a matter of time before it becomes standard across the board.

Cienciano

What's with all the usb and ipod connectivity? Surely bluetooth connectivity is better than all that?

Automatic gearbox, air con (preferably climate control) and electric windows all round and reverse sensors are the only must haves for me really. If I parked on a street, automatic folding mirrors would probably be up there. Stuff like electric seats, auto dimming mirrors, heated seats are all nice, steering wheel controls are nice but not that important to me

GustavoFring

CIP4 wrote: »

Centre arm rest for me is a massive one ideally an adjustable one hate driving cars that don't have them. A/c but that's nearly a given at this stage.

My a4 is the first saloon I've had and also the first car to have rear parking sensor. My god they are the best thing ever particularly in a saloon where you can't see where the boot ends. Hatchbacks you can kind of get away without them but they are honestly great I never thought I'd appreciate them as much.

The next things for me would be; auto light, aux in or usb or Bluetooth, auto dimming centre mirror.

Imagine if you bought a mid range hatchback!

_Kaiser_

Bazzy wrote: »

I think the OP just wants to let people know he drives an A6 with a bit of spec

Congrats OP well done you

Ah now I was just pointing out how reliant you get on certain extras and wondering what others consider essential in a car. If I was listing the spec I'd have said.....

Automatic tiptronic with paddle shift, auto lights and wipers, factory xenons, DRLs, auto dimming electric mirrors with auto dip function when reversing, front and rear parking sensors with graphic display, electric memory seats, leather, cruise control, climate control, 6 CD changer, usb/iPod input, BOSE audio, full colour MMI, steering wheel controls, electric rear sun blind

Oh and 3.0 TDI Quattro with about 260 bhp.. Not bad at all for an original Irish car! Fantastic motorway cruiser as well.

Happy to help In all seriousness though, it's pretty hard to find a newer one with an equivalent spec which is a pain as I'm probably replacing her in the new year