Five tech features all cars should have

As technology ages, it becomes more affordable and accessible, while at the same time improving. With so much choice out in the market for new and near new vehicles, driving away in a car that has all the best tech you will actually use and appreciate has never been easier. Here are five tech features that we think all cars should have in 2021.

Thank the SUV boom for this. Automatic tailgates are motorised and open electronically either by pressing the button on your key fob or the latch on the boot itself.

Automatic tailgates are convenient if you have your hands full, making it quicker and easier to get in and out of the boot, handy if you need to access it frequently.

Most automatic tailgates also have a close button and a separate lock button. It is one less thing to worry if you want to lock the car too.

In addition, you can even get tailgates that offer hands-free opening and/or closing by ‘kicking’ your foot underneath rear bumper of the vehicle, for example in the Peugeot 508 GT.

Some hands-free automatic tailgates can automatically open either using gesture control or by simply standing within proximity of the tailgate for a few seconds, such as in the flagship Highlander variant of the upcoming Hyundai Tuscon.

Added bonus: it can save you getting your hands dirty on days with inclement weather.

Keyless entry, known by lots of other names such as smart key, intelligent key, proximity entry, allows you to unlock your car without physically touching your car keys.

To do so, you will need to be less than 1.5m away from the car or must physically press the button on the door or grab the door handle, with your keys on you (e.g. in your pockets or bag).

Keyless entry also is a great safety feature, allowing you to quickly get in your car without having to fumble around in your bags or pockets to find your car keys, and can allow access to the driver door, front passenger door and tailgate.

Since keyless entry debuted back in 1999 in the fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, it has become even more sophisticated. In addition to the standard keyless entry above, some cars even offer customisation of which doors you want to automatically unlock, proximity entry and exit functionality.

Or ditching the key fob altogether, you can even create a digital key on your compatible smartphone device and use that to access your car instead of a physical key fob, for example offered in the facelifted 2020 BMW 5 Series with Apple CarKey.

The head-up display also known as HUD helps to show key information either projected on the windshield above the driver's instrument cluster or projected onto a retractable transparent plastic display.

Its key role is to help maintain your focus on the road while also providing key information such as speed, however, can also include information such as navigation, speed-sign recognition, media and more.

In some cars you can even customise the information you see on your head-up display so that the space is maximised or even the layout, so you can focus on the details you care about.

MINI and Mazda are known to offer head-up displays as retractable screens, whereas the more expensive vehicles will offer them as a projection on the windshield.

Blind spot monitoring also referred to as Blind Spot Information System, Blind Spot Warning, Audi Side Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, assists the driver by letting them know if there is a car or bike in the lane/s beside them.

Using a bunch of sensors either mounted on the side mirrors or rear bumper to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes, basic blind spot monitors will either alert you via an audible noise or visual warning such as a red or orange light in the side mirrors.

It is important to note that the blind spot monitor is time-saving because it will instantly let you know whether there is someone next to you, however, it does not replace manually checking your blind spot before proceeding to change lanes.

That said, it has been proven to be a key safety feature, especially when visibility is all but ideal. Newer cars tend to have smaller windows and larger C and D pillars which make side visibility more challenging.

More often these days blind spot monitors are also packaged with other safety features such as traffic assist, so to avoid potential collision the steering and brakes might be manipulated by your vehicle.

Adaptive cruise control, also known as distance control or active cruise control, offers the ability for the car to automatically adjust its speed and distance between you and the car in front while on cruise control.

The radar-based system monitors the traffic ahead and adjusts vehicle throttle and braking to your desired distance and speed.

It is a great upgrade to the standard cruise control which does not maintain distance between vehicles, as it only maintains your speed. This means that if there is a slow car in front of you on the highway, you will not need to manually brake or turn off your cruise control to avoid a potential collision.

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