What do you want in your next vehicle? 

Every year brings new tech and convenience with each car model. If you want to know which features are in demand by buyers like you, check out this list from the Future Attribute Study from AutoPacific, which surveyed almost 90,000 recent car buyers.

Heated Seats

About 66 percent of the study subjects put heated seats at the top of their list for keeping warm on winter days. Because of our sunny Southern California weather, heated seats have limited appeal for buyers in Orange County.

Blind Spot Monitoring

When you change lanes on the freeway, Blind Spot Monitoring signals you with a visual indicator and sound to let you know that another vehicle is passing your blind zone. More advanced versions show a video image of what’s in your blind spot on the instrument cluster or steer you back into your lane to prevent a collision. Vehicles with Blind Spot Monitoring include all trims of the all-electric Volkswagen ID.4, the S and higher trims of the compact Kia Soul, and all trims of the Chrysler Pacifica Minivan.

Front and Rear Parking Sensors

When you’re pulling into an open spot, Front and Rear Parking Sensors inform you through sound whether you’re getting too close to an obstacle in the back and front. In some cases, they can also engage braking to prevent you from hitting a car in your path. This technology exists on all trims of the family-sized Nissan Armada and in the Limited trim of the compact Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson.

All-Wheel Drive (AWD)

All-Wheel or Four-Wheel Drive encourages a vehicle to tackle all terrain under every type of weather by driving both axles to maximize traction. This type of drive is frequently found on off-road SUVs, such as the Jeep Wrangler or trucks. It also appears in the Ram 1500 as a standard only on the TRX trim but as an available option to replace the standard Rear-Wheel Drive on all the other trims.

Lane-Departure Warning

The safety features of Lane-Departure Warning tells you if you’re drifting across the freeway lines without activating a turn signal. More advanced tech can adjust your steering so you never wander inadvertently out of your lane. Vehicles with Lane Departure Warning include all trims of the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E, Dodge Charger muscle car, and compact Mazda CX-5.

Apple CarPlay and/or Android Auto

You can connect your compatible smartphone to the infotainment system through a cable or wirelessly so that you can use your system to place phone calls, handle text messaging, and deal with specific applications while you’re still on the road. You can then access more information and entertainment options than you would without the connection. Vehicles with this feature include all trims of the small Chevrolet Equinox, midsize Subaru Outback, and Honda Accord sedan.

Other Desirable Features

Other features ranking in the top 10 are the power front passenger seat, LED accent lights, seats with built-in ventilation or cooling, and memory to store the settings for the power driver’s seat.

Features of Low Interest

The study also revealed features buyers did not want as much but are still available in many vehicles. They include:

• Augmented Head-Up Display.
• Electronically Enhanced Engine noise
• Purchasing from the infotainment System.
• Biometric Features.
• Gesture Controls.
• Concierge Service.
• Hand-Free Driving with No Steering Wheel.

If you want more information about whether a car you want to buy or lease has any of these features, contact the dealers of the Beach Boulevard of Cars in Huntington Beach.