Minnesota weather can bring anything from -50° wind chills in the bitter cold winter to 100° summer days. With an ever-changing weather system in the Twin Cities, there’s a lot to be thankful for insides our vehicles. To show our gratitude to the automotive industry, we thought we’d highlight some truly amazing vehicle tech options and innovations that we oftentimes take for granted. Below are the top 5 features we’re grateful for, no matter the season.
1. Heated & Ventilated Seats
Heated seats have been around for several years, but it’s still a top feature to be thankful for year after year. There’s nothing quite like traveling on snowy Minnesota roads with a warming sensation on your backside during the frigid winter months.
2. Backup Cameras
Being able to see what’s behind you while reversing has quickly become a feature that many simply cannot live without. Backup cameras come with a high-resolution image to view, making it much more difficult to run over the trash bins at the end of the driveway. When parking sensors are enabled, backing into a tight parking spot has never been easier.
Don’t have a backup camera in your vehicle yet? You may soon, as rear view cameras will be required on all vehicles under 10,000 pounds.
3. Advanced Driver Assistance Programs (ADAS)
Driver assist systems help keep you safe at any given moment and often include programs like Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Lane Departure Warning. These features provide motorists with essential information about their surroundings while automating repetitive tasks in the hope of an overall increase in safety.
4. Ambient Interior Lighting
While this feature may not be what some would consider “high-tech,” it’s still something to be thankful for this season. Normally found on luxury cars, LED lighting can generally be adjusted to different colors and levels of brightness, making motorists and their passengers feel more comfortable and happy.
5. Remote Start
There is nothing better than starting your vehicle from the comforts of your home or office on a cold or rainy Minnesota day. Remote start features may be on your key fob or through an app on your phone that allows you to start your vehicle from a certain distance. Most remote start features will also lock the car while it’s warming up keeping your mind at ease while your car is started and you’re still indoors. As remote start becomes more popular many service centers are now installing remote starts on cars that were purchased without one.
6. All-Wheel Drive
Driving comes with the potential risk of various road conditions. By adding more traction to your ride, you’ll be able to drive safe. Some vehicles today come equipped with AWD that can be turned on when it’s needed, but acts as a 2WD or 4WD vehicle when you don’t need the extra control.
7. Bluetooth Connectivity
Bluetooth enables your phone to send data and receive input from a car’s hands-free system. With this, you will be able to control the infotainment system and stay in touch with your coworkers, family members, and friends, while driving.
Not sure how to connect to your vehicle? Here’s more information on how to pair your phone with your car.
8. Streaming Music
Long gone are the days of flipping between radio stations to find something you enjoy. Today, most vehicles are equipped with a USB port to hook up to a mobile device or offer streaming services right from the infotainment system. Your favorite music services such as Pandora, Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Spotify (among other streaming sites) are in your vehicle so you can listen to whatever, wherever you want.
Find These Top Features at Poquet Auto
These are just a few of the features that we’ve come to know and love throughout the years. Thanks to leaps and bounds in technological advancements, cars are now home to game-changing features.
Whether you want all of these features or only a few of them, to see some of these systems in person, visit our Golden Valley location, look at our inventory, or schedule a test drive!
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