What is your must have car tech?
 

Before the Z I drove a 97 Ford probe. My other vehicles are a 11 Ford ranger and the wifes 07 328i. When I decided to move away from the probe the only tech I sought after was pretty modest, bluetooth. Needless to say none of my vehicles have any notable gadgets (android auto, lane assist, etc.). Since you don't know what you "dont know" I'm curious what bit of tech has become a "must have" for you guys. For example, my Z has the tech package so the backup camera has become a must-have for me.

Bluetooth — key for giving you pretty much all the control over media you could ask for. I don't like being on the phone while driving, but of course if I have to, this is the only way I'm doing it.

Camera(s) — By all means I think it's important to actually get familiar with the front/back distance of your car, but with more and more BS in the road, you sometimes need that second set of eyes, and realistically, you can't always get it right anyway. Not to drag more Corvette discussion into places, but the PDR feature would be a nice valuable traffic recording built into the car.

Android Auto/Apple Car Play — this can bridge the gap across generations of infotainment. Of course they're not totally refined, but a universal navigation and media interface is a proper step forward. OEM options can be bad even if newer. I just don't like the possibility of possible system invasion by Google and Apple. Granted, having your phone + bluetooth with you is already a ticket to have them track all your movements and conversations in-car, but this takes it another step.

But really, I would like cars to stay simple and solely used to drive, as such with many things in the world. There's just too many morons on the road that stuff like blind spot monitoring is not a bad idea at all. They need to reinvent the blinker, though.

Android Auto, but aside from that... adaptive cruise and lane assist. I had a rental car with those in LA traffic, and it handled the stop and go traffic for me. Soooo nice.

Oh, and a dash cam. My $60 dash cam saved me thousands when someone merged into me and tried to say I hit them. Everyone should have one.

+1 on adaptive cruise control.

It is like going back to horse-and-buggy days to have to use regular cruise again.

backup camera -- bluetooth for the phone..
I like it simple

Auto start. Texas summers are brutal.

Heated steering. My hands get cold easy in the winter

Cooled or ventilated seats. Yeah. These are more important than heated seats.

Bluetooth and android auto.

Backup camera with Bsm and crap. Makes life easier

I’m an old man.
I really don’t like the inroads that technology is making in driving. I like some of the driving aids (cameras, blind spot monitoring), but I really hate when tech intervenes in the control of the vehicle (lane maintenance, adaptive cruise, forward collision avoidance). It’s a slippery slope from Vehicle Stability systems to over-automated cars. Not a big fan of electronic “virtual LSDs” either. Maybe, once this tech goes through a few more generations, it will be more useful.

Where I live, things like parking sensors are useful 7 months of the year, and downright annoying (besides useless) for most of the other 5 as they routinely give false positives due to slush and salt deposits.

I HATE computer nannies that help control the handling of the vehicle. :shakes head: Grew up when this stuff wasn't even thought of yet.

Cup holder.

This infiltration of tech nannies in modern vehicles just pisses me off. People are just getting more and more distracted while driving and the car manufacturers are facilitating this attitude by making these nannies standard on vehicles now. Not to mention, the responsible drivers subsidizing these tech changes. I can't option out of all those bs features which means I'm paying for a bunch of shìt that I not only don't want at all but also feel are facilitating poor driving habits :shakes head: :gtfo2:


My must haves are a stick shift and not having to pay for a bunch of worthless features I'll never use. Looks like the Z might be my last new car purchase, frankly :driving:

I don't think I could enjoy another stick shift without SynRev now that I've been using it for 8 years.

One of the things I really like about the 370z design is that presents a stripped down interface (analog gauges, simple stereo, no HUD or lane assistance or blind spot assistance etc), but it's not. Between the ECU and the VDC, it's a really smart car in all the right places, without interfering with the driving experience.

Ohhhh explains a lot. :tiphat:

My bad Sir

Aftermarket front/rear facing dash camera....or something like the Tesla video recording system

There are some gizmos I like to have (cruise, ABS) but I was perfectly happy with the all-manual, no-electronics 1964-1/2 Mustang I had. But I'm an Old Fart so YMMV.

The perfect Z is base or touring WITHOUT nav and an aftermarket sound system.

This.

I was also happy without A/C in a vehicle until ca. 1970 and living in the deep south. I could do perfectly well without some of these new-fangled gizmos, but I prefer to select some that make my life easier and better.

I also was fine without seat belts and when they began appearing in my cars, I stuffed them under the seat to get them out of the way--as did almost everybody I knew. I hated air bags too. I still haven't had one explode in my face, but I'm mostly glad they are there.

-Air conditioned or ventilated and heated seats seats
-AWD
-AA/ACP
-NAV
-XM/satellite radio
-Radar adaptive CC

These are 6 "must haves" for me at this point.

CD player and a decent stereo. That's it. I don't need NAV and all that other junk.

No a/c. Crank windows. Vents that you have to open by hand. FM radio and 8track player. Foot operated windshield washer. 4 speed with a heavy clutch pedal. Now that's a driver's car. :driving:

... I remember when landline were just fine, who the heck needs a cell phone; kids these days.
Lol guys I get it and I can relate. We like our Z for its analog style and i avoid threads lamenting the Z as "outdated". However Im both old *and* a geek, so I don't share the view that new tech is inherently bad. NAV, cruise, VDC etc all good for me. Adaptive cruise sound goods too and I have not experienced it yet, so I'm curious but my curiosity is not related to the Z

AC, and music in some way, shape, or form. I don't care if it's an 8 track.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

It's nice. You basically turn it on, set the follow distance, and it accelerates/stops/starts/decelerates for you, with traffic. Great in rush hour, or just a cross-country cruise.

Yep... my Lexus has it and it's great for what it is.

You forgot the left foot high beam button. I loved that feature!!! Why... why they take it away???? :eekdance:

Auto headlights negate it, but in older or lower optioned cars without it, I really liked it, too. Hands free. I prefer the autodim though. Is best. Add that to my list, lol

Those laser headlights that just don't shine at oncoming cars or pedestrians are so ******* cool, it's a shame they're not legal in the states yet.

I have LED adaptive headlights. Would love to see the lasers! Never one what I was missing with non adaptive lights.

a button to press and the curb side exterior mirror will turn downward so I can see how far my car is from the curb.

and maybe a rearview camera for patking, but not a must.

otherwise I don't need any driving aid, I drive the car, not the computer n sensors.

Titan has a great “bird’s eye view” (composite of cameras around the vehicle), which is really useful when berthing that aircraft carrier. I do appreciate this feature, as tailgates have become taller and trucks longer/wider over the years. When the cameras aren’t slimed over from road grime, that is.

My wife recently bought a Hyundai Santa Fe that has that view. It is so easy to get spoiled and lazy!

It also tilts both outside mirrors slightly down when shifted into reverse. I was surprised at how much easier that makes things.

Neither of those are "must have" but I do concede that they are nice.

I am on the other camp, I don't think I can deal with a car with no tech. When you are used to a car with all the tech., it really is hard to go back to old stuff.

For the Z-I couldn't do it without the backup camera. When i had my '10 sport edition - the little side windows were worthless bc of the seat headrest. So backing up would be a completely blind situation. Whereas having a backup camera is a nice option to have - other than that - I wish the 'tech' package had Apple CarPlay - that is all I want - the other nannies are just taking away from teh driving experience.

I have a hard time with cars that have no keyless start

Until one day they don't - for want of a CR2032 battery!

I like the Z's emergency key fob slot. Not all push button start cars have that, though. But I agree, it is a convenience that you can easily get used to. Then you drive an old school car and look like an idiot trying to fish around in your pocket for a key with the seatbelt already on, LOL. Have done it in the 4C several times, and that is a particularly cramped cockpit to start doing lost-key-yoga in!!!

For a 2009, the z isn’t terrible. I don’t have to fumble through my pocket to open the door. I can start the car without yanking down my pants. Climate is set to a certain temperature. Still, I miss something like backup camera. Auto opening/closing door. Remote app. Full touchscreen.

I'm not that impressed with most of the bells and whistles that modern cars come with ... but some features sure are handy to have. Keyless ignition is near the top of the list (along with ABS and cruise control). Especially nice if the car idles real smooth and quiet and has no tach. :)

I miss the days of a full cam with a big azz Holley sitting on top of a big block with that lumpy idle. :driving:

With the z, you can hear the beating unless you push the clutch in...

I forgot adaptive cruise control!