Many buyers have traditionally been loyal to their favorite brands when shopping for a new car. On the other hand, Automakers love talking about horsepower, performance, and MPG numbers when marketing their vehicles. Not to mention how their cars look and how they make people feel. But sometimes, all a buyer wants is for their next ride to come fitted with the right features. Modern cars offer many cool, high-tech, and luxury amenities. While ticking all is a great temptation, these features can quickly add costs. Most drivers prioritize the features they need most or those they consider worth the extra cost.
Some of the most in-demand features by car buyers are those that improve comfort and safety and bring convenience. The majority are those trickling down from high-end cars to less expensive mainstream models. And this is according to AutoPacific's annual Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS) for 2021. The report took the opinions of almost 90,000 people who bought or leased a new car. Of those people, 50,000 said they intended to buy a car soon.
These are the ten car features wanted the most by buyers looking ahead to future car purchases.
10 Heated Seats
Regardless of the season, most individuals want to feel comfortable in their seats when driving. Knowing that a car may include the costliest seat they possess, 66% of future car buyers (according to AutoPacific) want the pleasant warmth and relaxation that heated seats bring. This is especially true for car buyers in cold climates, as car climate control systems take longer to warm up occupants than heated seats.
Heated seats use a thermostat that automatically triggers the relay when the seat temperature is below a certain point and shuts the relay once the temperature is beyond a certain fixed point. The heat is from a coil fitted underneath the upholstery powered by the car's battery.
9
Blind-Spot Monitoring 
It goes without saying that most people are better drivers with car safety technology assistance. Many car shoppers realize that no matter how far automobile technology progresses or how sophisticated or intelligent cars get, they will always have blind spots when driving. Chosen by 60%, blind-spot monitoring is 2nd the most coveted feature.
It comes in handy by providing the driver with a second set of eyes. Anytime it detects another vehicle in the driver's blind zone, it sounds a warning chime or flashes an indicator on the side view mirror. Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention (I-BSI) systems do more than just warn of an impending accident; they actively participate in collision avoidance.
8
Front And Rear Parking Sensors
Parking sensors are gradually becoming standard on most new car models. It's no surprise, for the first time, they made it into AutoPacific's FADS list. As the name indicates, these proximity sensors use audible tones to alert drivers when they get too close to objects in front or behind their car when parking.
On top of helping amateur drivers to park in tight spaces and avoid damage easily, they also save experienced drivers time. Front And Rear Parking Sensors differ significantly in most cars. In many, the rear sensor detects objects up to 8ft while the front sensors detect objects up to 4ft. Additionally, most cars have rear cameras to help when parking.
7 All-Wheel-Drive/Four-Wheel-Drive
Traditional two-wheel drive systems like front- or rear-wheel-drive are not enough for many buyers today. 54% of those in AutoPacific's study want their next vehicle to be AWD or 4WD equipped. Both systems send power from the engine to all four wheels, something that inspires driver confidence in adverse weather conditions or rough terrain.
AWD systems are primarily designed for use on paved roads. When snow or ice makes conditions slippery, they send extra power to any wheel that needs it most, offering better traction and correcting wheel slip. In high-performance cars, AWD helps prevents swerving around corners at high speeds. 4WD proponents must have been large trucks and big SUV buyers. Considered the better and more rugged system for off-road driving, towing, or extreme conditions, it distributes power evenly between the front and rear axles.
6 Lane-Departure Warning
Lane Departure Warning is a safety that prompts a motorist to take action with both visual and audible signals once they start to leave their lane unintentionally. 54% of the 90,000 participants said they wanted it in their next car purchase.
This feature has evolved to include Intelligent Lane Intervention (LI). In addition to warning the driver, it can automatically apply the brakes to reduce the likelihood of a collision if it detects the car drifting out of its lane.
5
Apple Carplay And Android Auto
Many new car buyers today are very tech-savvy, especially the younger generation. Unsurprisingly, 53% of buyers (via AutoPacific) want Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Very similar in functionality and display, these tech features play a big part in enhancing a car's infotainment experience for drivers. They help motorists use a car's infotainment system via a familiar and highly-intuitive user interface.
And thanks to both, nowadays, drivers can play music, manage calls and notifications, and safely access phone applications, 3rd party apps, and personal data while driving. Controlling functions through the car's microphones using Siri and Google Assistant is also less distracting.
4
Power Front Passenger Seats
Many current luxury cars have power seats that offer six or eight-way adjustments and up to 22 seating positions. They have a switch, button, or joystick connected to electric motors to adjust the sitting position to the one that best fits the front passenger.
Power front passenger seats help significantly improve the driver and passenger's comfort. At the same time, they make cars with cramped interiors more accommodating to occupants of different heights. 52% of those polled in AutoPacific's survey expressed interest in having these seats in their future cars.
3
LED Accent Lights
One way to take your car's interior opulence up a few notches is by adding cool ambient lighting, also called mood lighting. LED accent lights are often used for aesthetics because of their beautiful visual effects. They usually have some sort of coloration or lighting modes the driver can customize to pulse to the music.
Accent Lights are mostly fitted around the footwells, seats, cupholders, climate control vents, speaker surrounds, on the dash, or doors. While not necessarily new, these fantastic LED lights are still uncommon enough that 52% of AutoPacific's study respondents want it in their next new car. And that's despite the ease of aftermarket installation!
2 Ventilated Or Cooled Seats
Heated seats are more common than ventilated and cooled ones. This explains why ventilated/cooled seats are now appearing for the first time on AutoPacific FADS' most wanted features list. Both ventilated and cooled use porous upholstery featuring many small perforations. Employing fans and ducts installed inside the seat, they blow air evenly through the seat's tiny holes keeping occupants cool in hot weather.
The cooling effect of cooled seats is superior to that of ventilated seats. It's because cooled seats blast chilled air, whereas ventilated seats use ambient air. Both these seats are more eco-friendly and effective than air conditioning which reduces a car's MPG. Half of AutoPacific's research participants indicated they desire either in their upcoming vehicle purchases.
1 Memory Driver's Seat Feature
The first memory seats (or seats with memory function) were first offered in 1981 by Cadillac. The feature lets you set and recall your favorite position for power-adjusted seats. Advancements in technology have seen this function include settings for the steering wheel and rearview mirror adjustments, heated or cooled seats, and head-up displays (HUDs).
Memory seats are convenient for several drivers using one vehicle and have varied body types or sitting preferences. Automakers only offer two positions, but some models support up to three memory positions. 49% of the drivers in AutoPacific's study may be desiring this feature since it's not common in many non-luxury vehicles.