Luxury cars nowadays come with amazing features that once would have been thought of as impossible.
Having spent time in some of the most expensive cars that came to market this year, we list our five favourite features for autos competing in the upper echelons of opulence.
360-degree camera
Pricey cars more often than not tend to be big, and having all-round visual assistance when maneuvering these vehicles goes a long way in saving time, stress, and in the worst-case scenario, money.
A stretch of the neck only goes so far if the corner of the nose is a good few metres away and while it always warns that you should still “keep an eye on your surroundings”, a camera could be the difference between a flawless park job or an expensive scratch on the bumper of your new luxury SUV whose size you’re not used to yet.
Adaptive cruise control
A step up from the conventional speed-holding ability, adaptive cruise control (ACC) maintains a set maximum speed in addition to a fixed following distance from the vehicle ahead.
If the car in front comes too close, ACC will automatically slow down to maintain a proper following distance and speed up again once it is safe to do so, and in certain models, it will even be able to manage stop-and-go traffic.
This is the ultimate road-tripping-in-luxury feature, allowing the driver to focus on little else but the road and keeping the car straight.
Blind-spot monitoring
Blind-spot monitoring continuously scans the all-important space behind the B-pillar that many drivers neglect when changing lanes or going around corners.
Usually, a small light hidden somewhere in the wing mirror will illuminate if there is an object in your blind spot. If you still activate your indicator, oftentimes an alarm will sound warning you that it is unsafe to turn.
While it’s recommended to still do the effort and check the blind spot when attempting a lane change or crossing a road, having BSM adds another layer of security and may very well end up being the reason you avoided an accident.
Rear-wheel steering
Rear-wheel steering (RWS) refers to when the rear wheels turn alongside the front wheels with driver inputs.
At low speeds, the rear wheels turn against the front wheels to make the car more nimble for tight parking garages and ramps, and at high speeds, they turn with the front wheels to ensure better stability when turning or changing lanes.
One such example is the new Range Rover, which despite being the biggest model ever produced boasts the smallest turning circle of any of its ancestors, thanks to RWS.
@topautosa The new Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ rear-wheel steering in action! #mercedesbenz #eqs #mercedeseq #southafrica #topauto #fyp ♬ We Rise Against (Full) – Jonathan Paulsen
Seat ventilation
Heated seats are nice, but for the local climate where we essentially have summer for nine months out of the year, seat ventilation has become a must-have for expensive vehicles.
Leather seats hold their heat well and there are few things better than getting into a hot car on a sunny day and essentially putting on climate control for your back.
If we were to spend millions on a new car in South Africa, seat ventilation would be non-negotiable.
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