With so many new features available on new cars as options, bundles or standard equipment, it can be difficult if not impossible to understand what all of the jargon means, know what systems do and, most importantly, whether you need them.
As 2016 becomes 2017, everything from Emergency Autonomous Braking to Active Lane Keeping Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and more are about to become available on even the most mundane new automotive models.
"What once seemed like something only for 'The Jetsons' is quickly becoming everyday reality in the automotive landscape," said Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader. "And it's not just vehicles with a high price-point; now many mainstream family cars are equipped with technology features only seen on top-of-the-line luxury vehicles just a few short years ago."
According to Moody, in terms of safety, security, convenience and comfort, a host of these latest features are going to be must-haves for the year ahead. For example, even if you don't need semi-autonomous assistance when it comes to parallel parking, picking a car that offers the feature could ensure that it attracts a resale premium when it comes to trading up again.
But when presented with a new car and its options list, what do all the names mean and which boxes should be left unchecked?
Self-driving features
Current systems -- such as on the latest BMWs Mercedes, Volvos and Teslas -- can handle highway motoring, keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front and automatically slowing as traffic increases and can even follow the bend of a road. If you regularly commute and take the highway to do so, the benefits will become immediately clear.
Autonomous safety features
It doesn't matter how you use your car -- if features that can actively mitigate the risk of a serious accident are offered, take them. Specifically, emergency autonomous braking, which can automatically bring a car to a halt before it hits another vehicle at lower speeds or can slow the car down significantly before impact at highway speeds. Other features worth consideration are Blind Spot Monitoring, adaptive cruise control, which can automatically alter the pre-programmed speed based on the speed of the vehicle in front, and Lane Keeping Assist.
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