CARN'T COPE
Drivers praise ‘overlooked’ gimmick as they sack off ‘old school way to park’ & embrace modern feature
Plus the hidden umbrella in the door has long been a revered feature of every Rolls-Royce car
DRIVERS have praised an "overlooked gimmick" as they abandon a traditional way to park and embrace a more modern feature.
Drivers responded to a social media post asking them which car feature them considered to be a gimmick until they actually had it.
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Some drivers chose so called gimmicks which helped them to park their car more easily.
One driver responded with: "Back up cameras. I’ve always been fine with mirrors, even while driving box trucks until I had to park in a mess of a parking garage downtown.
"Most are ordered, this one was anarchy with cars going everywhere."
Parking sensors were chosen by a driver who posted: "My car is dinky so I don't really need them, but sometimes when parallel parking in some tight spaces or manoeuvring somewhere small it would nice to know if I could just get that little bit closer to that car, or be 100% sure I'm not going to dink my front bumper on that post."
Another driver responded with: "Heated mirrors. My car doesn't have them but cars I worked on in work had them, and I thought, “what's the point? Just wipe your mirrors before you set off.”
"Unfortunately although I'd wipe my mirrors before setting off, many a cold morning I wouldn't get to the end of my street before they steamed up again and I could do nothing about it because I was driving. It was then I thought, heated mirrors would be useful right now."
And another driver opted for heated seats. They posted: "Again, my car doesn't have them but I've experienced them. I thought, “well give it 5 minutes and your butt warms the seat anyway.
Other hidden features in cars
THESE are some of the most useful hidden features found in modern cars:
- Conversation Mirror - convex mirrors attached overhead to give drivers a view of the rear seats.
- Gas tank locator - an icon that pops up on the car's dashboard to locate the gas tank.
- Driver Assistance System - assist drivers with the safe operation of a vehicle through a human-machine interface.
- Heads-up display - a transparent guidance system projecting all the vital driving information at the driver's viewpoint.
- Blind-spot monitoring - a system that notifies the driver if another vehicle appears within their blind spot, avoiding risk of a collision.
- Tyre pressure monitors - a system fitted to a vehicle which constantly monitors the tyre pressures provides a warning incase of imbalance.
"Once you've used it, you miss it, it makes you feel like you've wet yourself the first couple of uses, but on a cold morning when you're waiting for your car to defrost (UK law, it's illegal to have your car running without the driver sat in it), a heated seat would be much appreciated."
Most read in Motors
While you might think you know your car like the back of your hand, you could easily be missing out on some key extras.
The bizarre secret features you never knew your car had – from hidden umbrellas to a ‘curry hook’
Many of these have gone viral on social media with motorists stunned with what their car had to offer.
These nifty tricks might just save you some time as well as money.
And it may well mean that you never get caught lacking in a tricky situation on the road.
The hidden umbrella in the door has long been a revered feature of every Rolls-Royce car.
But you don't have to own a high-end luxury motor to have a special touch like this.
Skoda added a compact fold umbrella to the door of their Superb saloon, meaning you'll never get caught in the rain unprepared again.
Many drivers don't know that pulling off the top of your key fob will reveal a hidden key inside.
You can use this special key pop off a section of the driver-side door handle, revealing a secret key hole.
The key can be used to manually unlock and start the car if the electronic fob fails.
Different models of cars have different features but most have one similar to this.
Some key fobs have a button that causes the key to flick out on top of the fob while others have the key hidden within.
Drivers are advised to check their vehicle's manual if in doubt.
First introduced in the Nissan Almera back in 1996, the famed "curry hook" started life as a handbag or shopping bag hook.
But drivers quickly found it was best used to keep their takeaway from spilling on the way home from the local curry house - and the media loved it.
The ingenious feature is still used in current Qashqai and X-trail models.
One of the most popular small cars ever made, the Golf GTI comes with a feature you may not have noticed.
Every model has a golf ball in place of the gear knob as a subtle nod to the model's name.
The feature was voted the most iconic in CitNOW's poll.
Rather than have to add an ugly metal frame to the back of your car, Vauxhall came up with the idea for an integrated bicycle rack in their Corsa model.
Hidden behind the number plate, the FlexFit system slides out the back of the small hatch, and can hold two bikes.
All you have to do is lift a handle in the boot, attach the spare brake lights, load up your bikes and you're away.
