Auto tech
If you drive a vehicle that’s a few years old and you’re thinking about looking for a new one you will certainly be amazed at the newest and latest electronic toys to be found in the modern auto cabin.
High-end Audi’s, Lexus and BMW’s boast a host of jaw dropping technology that makes your next ride safer, sound better and provide more information than ever before.
Today’s vehicles only need the key to be in your pocket as you approach to unlock and start your vehicle. There is no longer a need to actually insert the key into the ignition any longer. Sports cars now come with big buttons you can push to start the engine once they have sensed the key on your person.
Tiny sensors in the bumpers warn you with an audio sound or a light on the dash or rearview mirror when you are about to back up into an obstacle and some will apply the brakes before impact. There is even a system that will parallel park your vehicle for you without any input from you other than turning it on. Just take your hands off the wheel and foot off the gas and leave it to your autopilot. Different sensors can assist you when making a lane change warning you if someone is in your blind spot or approaching quickly from behind with a flashing warning light in your side mirrors.
iPod integration has become almost a standard feature even in econo boxes. Higher end vehicles let you connect your iPod directly to the car through a cable in the glove box keeping your iPod safe from prying eyes and offers iPod like control functionality on the cabin navigation screens. Satellite radio, digital AM/FM and graduated audio levels are becoming more popular with consumers. Many higher end car manufacturers are partnering with premium audio giants like Bose or Bang and Olufsen to deliver audiophile sound and power using as many as 14 different speakers strategically located around the cabin to deliver outstanding audio quality and huge bass response.
Keeping the kids entertained on long trips has morphed from one DVD screen hanging from the roof into a screen in every seatback and wireless headphones so that Mom and Dad don’t have to listen to endless cartoons.
Download audio books off the iTunes website and play them on your next family vacation and the driver to can be entertained for miles.
Using Bluetooth technology your cell phone can be enabled to provide hands-free operation allowing you to listen and talk with the caller using the cars audio system while the cellphone remains in your pocket, purse or briefcase. I recently had this experience in a friend’s Audi A4 and it was both impressive and much safer than fishing about trying to find and answer a normal call. Many systems are voice activated and simply saying who you’d like to call dials the phone number.
The dashboard can tell you the outside temperature, control the interior temperature for each passenger, real-time fuel economy and the remaining Km’s of fuel in the tank.
GPS units display the exact location of the vehicle and the mapping is advanced enough that you can watch as your car approaches your exit and a lovely calm male or female voice tells you “exit left in 100 meters…50 meters…exit now.
Windscreens now measure the light and rain falling on them and adjust the wipers, turns on the running lights, headlamps and /or the fog lamps.
Finally, the power options in new vehicles are endless with adapters for charging cellphones, laptops, iPods and MP3 players.
All these toys come with a hefty price tag and I don’t even want to think what it would cost to make repairs. But if your going out to purchase a new high-end vehicle, things have certainly changed even in the last two or three years.
High-end Audi’s, Lexus and BMW’s boast a host of jaw dropping technology that makes your next ride safer, sound better and provide more information than ever before.
Today’s vehicles only need the key to be in your pocket as you approach to unlock and start your vehicle. There is no longer a need to actually insert the key into the ignition any longer. Sports cars now come with big buttons you can push to start the engine once they have sensed the key on your person.
Tiny sensors in the bumpers warn you with an audio sound or a light on the dash or rearview mirror when you are about to back up into an obstacle and some will apply the brakes before impact. There is even a system that will parallel park your vehicle for you without any input from you other than turning it on. Just take your hands off the wheel and foot off the gas and leave it to your autopilot. Different sensors can assist you when making a lane change warning you if someone is in your blind spot or approaching quickly from behind with a flashing warning light in your side mirrors.
iPod integration has become almost a standard feature even in econo boxes. Higher end vehicles let you connect your iPod directly to the car through a cable in the glove box keeping your iPod safe from prying eyes and offers iPod like control functionality on the cabin navigation screens. Satellite radio, digital AM/FM and graduated audio levels are becoming more popular with consumers. Many higher end car manufacturers are partnering with premium audio giants like Bose or Bang and Olufsen to deliver audiophile sound and power using as many as 14 different speakers strategically located around the cabin to deliver outstanding audio quality and huge bass response.
Keeping the kids entertained on long trips has morphed from one DVD screen hanging from the roof into a screen in every seatback and wireless headphones so that Mom and Dad don’t have to listen to endless cartoons.
Download audio books off the iTunes website and play them on your next family vacation and the driver to can be entertained for miles.
Using Bluetooth technology your cell phone can be enabled to provide hands-free operation allowing you to listen and talk with the caller using the cars audio system while the cellphone remains in your pocket, purse or briefcase. I recently had this experience in a friend’s Audi A4 and it was both impressive and much safer than fishing about trying to find and answer a normal call. Many systems are voice activated and simply saying who you’d like to call dials the phone number.
The dashboard can tell you the outside temperature, control the interior temperature for each passenger, real-time fuel economy and the remaining Km’s of fuel in the tank.
GPS units display the exact location of the vehicle and the mapping is advanced enough that you can watch as your car approaches your exit and a lovely calm male or female voice tells you “exit left in 100 meters…50 meters…exit now.
Windscreens now measure the light and rain falling on them and adjust the wipers, turns on the running lights, headlamps and /or the fog lamps.
Finally, the power options in new vehicles are endless with adapters for charging cellphones, laptops, iPods and MP3 players.
All these toys come with a hefty price tag and I don’t even want to think what it would cost to make repairs. But if your going out to purchase a new high-end vehicle, things have certainly changed even in the last two or three years.
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