Five things your car must have

Whether you’re shopping for a brand-new car, considering a low kilometre demonstrator or carefully researching a private purchase, here are five must-haves.

Our advice is don’t leave home in your new car without them…

Anything that keeps your hands on the wheel, and your eyes focused on the road ahead, gets a big tick of approval from us.

Apple CarPlay turns your car’s built-in display into a virtual Siri assistant, giving you access to phone, messaging, navigation, music and podcasts to name a few features. It's easy to use and is a smarter and safer way to use your iPhone will driving, connect via USB and your good to go.

It gets even better too if you are driving to an appointment. Here CarPlay automatically finds the fastest route and starts navigating. Just make sure you add the appointment location into your calendar event.

Me: “Siri, please message all Android users”
Siri: “Why would I do that?”
Me: “Because I said so!”
Siri: “What would you like to say?”

Never fear Android users, there is a car integration product for you too, it's called Android Auto.

AA: “OK, would you like me to send, change or cancel your message?”
Me: “Send.”
AA: “Okay, done.”

You’ve never known comfort and pure luxury until you’ve owned a car with heated seats. At first, it is a strange sensation where you have to question whether you’ve just wet yourself... Once you get past that, the comfortable, warm embrace of seat makes your winter travel much more enjoyable.

This is simply the best creature comfort you can have in a car. A growing number of affordable cars are even offering heated seats in the second row.

Turning the ‘volume’ up to nuclear fission level is also is a great prank to play on your unsuspecting passenger in summer.

Some car brands now offer cooled/ventilated seats, which is a perfect summer addition.

If you buy a new car without AEB, you’ve got rocks in your head. This might not be technology that saves your life (cars are safer than ever in collisions), but thanks its core functionality (and others AEB’s often packaged with), it sure as hell could save a pedestrian or cyclist or even one of your furry friends.

Simply, AEB uses sensors (usually radar but not always) to pay attention when you’re not. If the collective smarts of the system decide an impact is likely, it brakes (without your intervention) to either avoid the collision or, at the very least, mitigate the impact.

Not all AEB systems are created equal and some are only fitted to mid or upper grade variants of popular models, but the technology is quickly infiltrating all types of vehicles – even utes.

In an era when driver distraction is worse than ever, the technology is simply a box you should always tick.

Sadly some of us are old enough to remember driving through country towns where there was only two AM stations, the ABC and the local station complete with a live cross to a car dealership, ‘buy, swap and sell’ and a sheep grazing weather alert.

In the 1980s that changed, with the popularisation of FM radio actually giving meaning to Steely Dan's 'FM (No Static At All)'… Today, if that car radio has digital radio (DAB+ for those in the know), it could be blasting Daft Punk's 'Digital Love'.

Indeed, feel the love. As of the start of 2018, more than 1.42m new vehicles have been sold in Australia with a DAB+ digital radio factory fitted. Forty two automotive brands now offer DAB+ digital radio as standard or as an optional feature and these numbers growing all the time.

We maybe preaching to the converted if you drive a new Toyota Camry, Ford Focus or Nissan X-TRAIL, because they all come standard with digital radio. Are you already loving the extra 30 stations above the normal AM and FM programs?

SBS Chill, Urban Hits, Gorilla Dance, ABC Jazz, The 80s and Kinderling Kids are some of those extra stations that help drown out the outside world on your commute. The choice is appreciated and the crystal clear sound is a bonus, even with talkback.

Once you get hooked on digital radio you just can't go back. Sure, some regional areas are taking longer to be given the gift, but do yourself a favour and make sure your next vehicle has DAB+.

It’s pouring rain, blowing a gale, you’ve got an armful of Nanna’s 80th birthday cake, three kids in tow, and a dog that’s decided it’s going home with that hairy family in the bright green station wagon!

What a relief the automatic tailgate knows you’re standing at the back of the car and obliges by swinging open.

“Open sesame,” I say, to the embarrassment of my nine-year-old, who jumps through the cargo area and into the back seat.

Boot loaded with dog and green bags of shopping – and nanna’s birthday cake on eye-rolling nine-year-old’s lap… And now I’m in the hot seat before the passing rain shower has had a chance to soak my shirt.

Nifty, eh?

It’s even better when the tailgate features a button to close itself AND lock the car at the other end. Charging into an 80th birthday with kids, dog, shopping and cake is a whole lot easier with an automatic tailgate.

If only my other car had one…