When it comes time to put your hard-earned money down for a new or new-to-you vehicle, the features can really make or break a purchase. You have to consider the features you use the most, or the ones you never use. There are the necessary convenience features for getting around in 2026, luxurious features (that you probably don’t really need), and the absolute best features – all according to you. Don’t forget the ones we pine for, and the ones we’d potentially trade for a discount on the ever-rising price of a new car. You likely have a list of what absolutely has to be on a car, and what cannot. I know I have one.
We’re not looking for those features today, though. Instead, Jalops, we want you to reach deep inside and find your deepest desires — in the form of a car feature. (Where else did you think this was going after referencing seven different questions we’ve asked you about car features?)
This week we want to know what features you wish automakers would add to their cars. These features don’t have to be ones that were once on a car, or even features that have ever existed. Be imaginative! Be innovative! For instance, we often joke about putting espresso makers into the Ferraris and Lamborghinis at the Rolex 24. There’s no reason to go into why specifically this wouldn’t work for that particular application, so we’ll keep dreaming. But what if it were real?
Turns out, that strange feature was real, at least sorta real. Fiat offered it on a 500L in Europe, but it was one of those portable ones — not a full-out espresso machine. If you think outside of the box, anything’s possible.
A sunshade for the common man
This week’s question was inspired by the “CD” or “Cocoa Dispenser” featured on Santa’s sleigh in the holiday classic, “The Santa Clause.” Even at six years old, I was quietly sitting in the theater, questioning the physics of how it worked and why it wasn’t flying off of the cup holder all over everyone’s laps. It’s a Christmas movie though, so magic probably kept it in place.
With Michigan currently enveloped in its prime crisp fall weather, a cocoa dispenser sounds delightful. But while the chill is welcomed, the season brings along another real problem: the setting sun that blinds you during westbound travels on your evening commute or evening errand runs.
The solution is quite simple, and comes from an already existing feature. My 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLS 400 has a handy little sunshade that one can deploy electronically for the rear window. Now what if automakers did something like that, for the front window?
Yes there are laws about “obstructing a driver’s view,” but some of us licensed humans are smaller than what the average car is manufactured and catered to, so the existing flip-down visors, often don’t do anything for us. The shade would cover that extra space between existing visors and the bottom of the windshield. Gone would be the days of awkwardly maneuvering the visor into position to ineffectively block a small area of the sun. A little button could electronically deploy this shade, to a designated safe length down the windshield, in an effort to fight the glaring sun. An alternative could be something like an electrochromic sunroof for the windshield, but obviously one that doesn’t go fully opaque.
So, what feature(s) do you wish automakers would actually add to their cars? What would seal the deal on a new car if an automaker added it to an options sheet? Give us the details in the comments below.
