AutoGuide Answers: Which Fancy Features Should Be in Mainstream Cars?

We’ll admit to being spoiled by the features found in many high-end cars, but how many of these luxuries would we want in our every day vehicles? Some fancy features we’ve seen are downright excessive, but some are also so logical that we can’t help but want them in our daily drivers.

We asked our editors about some of the fanciest things they want to see in their everyday cars. Time to see just how pampered our writers are.

Have you heard of a dream feature that would make your daily commute that much better? Let us know in the comments what your dream doo-dad is!

I’m what can clinically be described as skinny. When I’m walking down the street, people throw sandwiches and sticks of butter at me. So when winter time comes, I don’t have much meat on my bones to keep me warm.

That’s why I’ve always been a fan of heated seats. And recently, the onslaught of heated steering wheels has warmed my heart as well as my hands. But last year, I encountered a new feature that I can’t wait to see in more vehicles: heated armrests.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic Review

Yup, in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the center storage bin lid and front door panels can heat up, keeping elbows and forearms as warm as hands, backs and buttocks. It may sound like an unneeded frill, but don’t knock it till you try it.

Until we reach the point where a warm blanket is wrapped around me every time I get into a car on a cold winter’s night, I’ll gladly take more and more heated surfaces.

I love the rain. Walking in the rain, reading in the rain, driving in the rain. I just love the rain. Unless I don’t have an umbrella, in which case I fricken HATE the rain.

Good thing Rolls-Royce understands me. God forbid that someone being chauffeured in the back of a lush Rolls risk the chance of ruining their designer dress by stepping out in the foul weather. What am I? A regular person? Mother Nature can have no control over me! Rolls-Royces come with a full-sized umbrella cleverly hidden inside the door so it’s easily accessible in case of rain. It just pops out from its snug compartment when you need it.

See Also: 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II Review

I want this feature in my Volkswagen Rabbit. There have been too many times where I’ve had to sit in my car for half an hour waiting for the rain to stop, or when I’ve had to crawl into the back seats and flip down the backrests so I could retrieve the umbrella I stupidly left in the trunk. This feature just seems so convenient, and people who aren’t filthy rich deserve convenient things too.”

I love sunroofs. They let all this glorious sunshine into your car and when you pop them open, it gives you that open-air experience that’s rivaled only by a real convertible.

There’s one problem though. What if you’re a vampire and don’t want any of the sun’s rays to actually hit you? In order to protect you from the painful UV rays, automakers have this shabby piece of cloth or plastic to cover the sunroof.

SEE ALSO: 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600 Review

That’s a really ugly solution, which is why I want the Magic Sky Control feature found on the Mercedes-Maybach S600. This is a glass panel that can go from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button. Mercedes says that at the darkest setting, the amount of thermal energy coming into the cabin is comparable to a household light bulb and that UV and infrared rays are effectively blocked.

I haven’t been bitten by a vampire yet, but if I do, I hope this feature would make its way into more cars so I can still drive during the day and not die.

What premium feature would I want most in a commuter-class hooptie? Other than a rip-snortin’ V8 engine, ventilated seats are a godsend in roasting heat. They may sound like frivolous extras akin to granite trim in the last generation Maybach, but they are such a welcome addition.

In summer swelter, they keep your nether regions from becoming like the Louisiana bayou, damp, sticky, and bug infested. Without ‘em, it’s time to buy you some new shorts. All it takes to keep your basement cool, dry and mildew free is a small fan, which draws air through the perforated seating surface. Who knew comfort could be so simple?

See Also: Top 10 Cheapest Cars with Cooled Seats

As a musician, I always want the absolute best in sound quality from my vehicle. Unfortunately, most mainstream cars offer mediocre audio performance, even when upgraded. I’d like to pull the 1,400-watt Meridian sound system straight out of the Range Rover and stick it into my regular car.

Fitting all 19 speakers into a hatchback might pose a problem, but I’m sure that dedicated engineers could find a way (think a dashboard made entirely of speakers). And it’s not just about having all that audio power. Trust me, I don’t want to be that guy blaring music so loud you can hear 10 car lengths away in traffic.

What I’m really after is those high quality speakers that allow me to hear the depth of the mix clearly. Listening to music in a car can be a great surround sound environment to really get the most out of your music, and I always want my car tunes to sound top notch.

See Also: 2015 Range Rover Long Wheelbase Autobiography Review

Having owned a BMW in the past, one feature that I sorely miss is the fancy seatbelt assistant/extender thing-a-ma-jig. It’s not so much that I’m lazy, but it’s actually a big convenience and is one of those things you noticeably miss when you go to a vehicle without it. Seriously, think about it as a simple, yet effective way of making you feel special every time you enter your car. It’s like having a butler pull the seatbelt for you and bring it within hands reach so you don’t have to turn around and grab it yourself like a plebe.

Or, you could justify the technology being in a standard commuter car to serve as a safety reminder that buckling your seatbelt is always the smart thing to do. Eh, who am I kidding? I just miss it because I’m lazy.

See Also: 2015 BMW M4 Cabriolet Review