Usually, when features on cars get phased out, it’s because the world’s moved on. Think about compact cassette players, vacuum-operated wipers, or six-volt electrical systems. The majority of people simply don’t miss those things because what came next was a sizeable improvement. However, every so often, a feature gets discarded for no immediately apparent reason. A feature that we miss. Today, it’s time to talk about gadgets, gizmos, and doo-dads we want to bring back from the automotive graveyard in the sky because not everything leaves when its time is truly up. I’ll start with an example.
This might come as a surprise to anyone more familiar with my premium hooptie tendencies, but my first few cars were all old and American, and most of them came with a delightful component of the HVAC system — a driver-facing vent under the steering column. While frequently referred to as the “ball-chiller vent,” this ingenious solution of ducting and grating will keep your unmentionables cool regardless of what you’re packing, to the point of being more effective than many ventilated seats on modern cars.
Plus, it’s a relatively simple system. There’s a vent set into an interior trim panel, a bit of ducting, and boom — you can stay fresh, even in high humidity. There are no extra electrical components, little additional weight, and it doesn’t require perforated upholstery. It was a great idea, and something sorely missed on new cars.
So, what car features of the past do you think should make a comeback? Maybe you’re a huge proponent of velour over leather, or found the turn signal-activated cornering lights on old luxury cars immensely helpful, or you just want normal cars to be available in actual colors aside from dark blue. Whatever the case, make your voice heard in the comments below.
(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer)
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I second the vote for the crotch cooler vents. I have them in my trans am, and it is the absolute best set up for comfort.
And actual colors for paint selection. I’m tired of grayscale.
Full size spare wheel
Split tailgates on SUVs – my 2005 Xc90 had a tailgate that folded down and the hatch that opened on top- you only needed a foot or so behind the back to open the hatch up all the way. Volvo even had the factory option of a tailgating table that attached to the tailgate portion.
I had trucks- up to my 2007 Chevy full size that had a bench front seat, or a seat with a folding armrest that could be used as a seat. I had a crew cab and would tow my boat, and six adults could all drive in one vehicle. A six passenger car or Six passenger truck was awesome. Now some huge SUV’s only seat six- in three rows. Bring it back!
Smoker windows! Nothing works better if you don’t want to run the A/C.
One of my favorite things about my gen 2 Prius is that they put basic HVAC controls on the steering wheel. You can turn it on and off, and change the temperature without taking your hands off the wheel. I use it all the time, probably more than any other control in the entire car. I’ve never seen that in any other car, and given the death of physical controls I doubt I ever will, but I wish it would show up in every car.
Ford Crown Victoria lx (Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car) had that option, you could change de temperature from the steering wheel up until 2011. On earlier models you could change the fan speed too.
I miss the “double lock” mode on Land Rover vehicles. If you double pressed lock button, it would completely disable opening the doors manually without the remote or key, even from the inside! So you could leave the sunroof open – they could open the doors or start the car.
Also, if someone tried to carjack you, you could basically lock them IN your car . . . ????
Transmission dipsticks, physical HVAC controls and, of course, manual gearboxes in regular cars.
Front bench seats
Spare tires, dipsticks, and 5k oil change recommendations.
spare tires
I miss the straight-to-the-fresh-air vents. Whether it was the tilting vent window or the little slider down in the footwell, it was nice to be able to bring in fresh air that didn’t go through the HVAC system and also wasn’t rolling a window down.
Yes, a real “vent” setting to bring in fresh, outside air would be great! Once AC became standard, even cars with vent mode were useless since the were all routed through the engine bay which heated the air . . .
I had forgotten about the footwell vents. We had at least one car with those when I was a kid. Good things to have, although today I wonder whether they’d screw the aero that is giving you your gas mileage
IMO, SUVs should be ditching hatches and embracing Barn Doors. They open tighter with no overhead concerns, and you can choose to open only one side.
There’s a reason commercial vehicles use em, they’re the better solution.
Most commercial vehicles have substantially vertical rear faces. The severely slanted upper halves of the rear of most SUVs are not nearly as well suited to getting the sealing right with a side-swinging door, or a pair of them. Also, it’s much nicer loading and unloading stuff in the rain when there’s a big hatch providing cover.
I agree that barn doors can be an advantage in some tight parking situations.
The most recent iteration of the Mini Clubman seems to do just fine with barn doors.
I argue the rain protection is minimal compared to the head clearance issue. I’m only 5’7″ and there’s plenty of hatches I have to duck for.
I say, unless you’re giving me a full slant hatch like the 80s 3 doors of yore, where the hatch just goes up and not out, then open up the barn doors and let the horse out, baby!
To each their own tastes, of course. Personally I’d prefer to have a hatch that I need to duck under, if it will be there when it’s pouring out and I’m trying to unload a shopping cart.
The Clubman does have some tilt to the window, but it is minimal compared to so many SUVs where it is more like 45 degrees.
Gas tank access behind the rear license plate so I can use any gas pump without feeling like I am wrestling an anaconda
I’m now curious as to how you fill your vehicles, since I’ve literally never fought with a filler hose on ANY vehicle.
I believe OP is referring to pulling in to a ‘right hand’ pump in a ‘left hand filler’ car.
I’m still at a loss on the logistics. I always just line up my filler door with roughly where the hose it. Whether it’s a left or right fill car, left or right hanging hose. From sedan to SUV to pickup truck to box trucks, it’s just never been an issue. Maybe cause I’m left-handed it’s different?
-No, he means he drags the hose to the opposite side of the car, usually requires pulling full range of the hose.
-See this frequently at Sams Club here, since they tend to have cheapest fuel price around. Many times the ‘correct’ hand pump is stacked 4 cars deep, but other hand is only 1-2 deep.
-I’m picky about my ride and will avoid at all costs dragging the hose over/across the paint to save a few minutes wait for other handed pump to be available.
Good God. I thought that was only a thing in tiktok videos and fail compilations.
Then again, you couldn’t force me to wait in a Costco fuel lineup to save $5 with a gun to my head. I’ll pay the extra few cents a liter and fill up elsewhere.
My dad has a 1969 Dodge Coronet with the filler behind the license plate. Years ago, whenever we would get on it, we could smell gas and see some on the road behind us. It took a little while to figure out that his fuel cap wasn’t sealing right and we were regurgitating gas with every peel out. Good times!
No wonder the gas gauge dropped after every peel out 🙂
I understand the safety concern that eliminated the gas spout in back, but that wouldn’t apply for charging ports on electrics. Why has no one put the charge port in the middle or front or back?
Didn’t some of the early ones have it in the middle of front?
Hyundai Kona and its sister, the Kia Niro EVs both have front grill charge ports. While marginally easier to access than the port in front of the driver’s door of my wife’s car, I feel like hers is much better located because of protection in a fender bender. One little tap and I may lose the ability to charge the car until I get it repaired.
Additionally, being on a side means you can front park or back in, I am limited to front parking whenever I charge, which isn’t my personal preference. Although the same could be said for some public charging locations such as Tesla where you are forced to back in.
For any vehicle over 1000kg, a driver seat in front of the front bumper.
Outside air vent in the footwell operated by a plunger you would pull. One for driver and one for passenger. My 84 cavalier had them.
This was mine, too!
The Buick LeSabre had a great security feature: a keyed trunk lock on the inside of the driver’s door. When locked, the trunk is sealed and can’t be opened with the electronic locks. So if someone breaks a window of your car, they still can’t get into the trunk.
This feature died with GM sedans but should be reborn in electric car frunks.
You can disable the trunk with a button in the glovebox on a toyota/lexus, then lock the glovebox with the mechanical key
My wife’s old BMW E46 Convertible had a trunk release button near driver that seem to suddenly quit working. Several months later, found out if you lock the glove box with key, it disabled the electric truck release. Dont know if was a valet feature or due to being a convertible.
Probably both.
Tailgates!
The suvs we’re all driving now are marketed as active lifestyle vehicles, but anyone with an actual active lifestyle needs a place to sit and put on their ski boots or hiking shoes. And we also need access to the cargo area with a bike rack on the back. It baffles me that you can’t buy an Outback or a Tahoe with a split rear hatch and a proper fold-down tailgate.
I agree – those tailgates also made for a great outdoor changing table! ????
Last vehicles that had that were Land Rover LR3-4 and old Volvo XC90 . . .
I miss that feature in my old XC90, the newer ones are standard hatches.
Vent Windows
Buttons.
This. Motherfarkin’ buttons.
The sense of relief after completing a long journey you weren’t quite sure the car would achieve.
I still have that! 2 of my 3 are not guaranteed to get you where you’re going
It’s an evergreen take! https://www.thedrive.com/news/its-time-for-a-c-crotch-vents-in-cars-to-make-a-comeback
Anyway: dipsticks, physical HVAC and radio controls, luxurious velour upholstery.
Transmission dipsticks. Checking levels under a scorching hot exhaust 2 cm from your raw exposed flesh was not a pleasant experience.
I had a Holden Astra (AKA Opel, Vauxhall or Saturn Astra, depending where you call home). It was a pretty average car. However, it had something I’ve never seen before or since: you could open or close the windows remotely by holding the lock or unlock button. When you get out of your car, lock it and notice one of the kids has left a window down this is surprisingly handy. The also pretty average Cruze I replaced it with omitted this feature. Bring it back, GM!
It’s weird how this isn’t a common feature, but it’s still around I believe. My ’06 BMW did it, and it opened/closed the sunroof too (very handy when you realise you forgot to close it after exiting the vehicle). On convertible beemers it could be used to open/close the roof too
Opening and closing the roof remotely has to be the ultimate toy! I can see a date back in the day potentially not being as impressed by it as I was though…
Also Minis, in which it is very useful given the pillarless doors make it an easier car to get into with the windows down
My ’98 Benz has it, our ’20 – ’23 BMWs have it. I believe almost any car has it today. At least here in Europe.
Makes sense. As a Belgian built car, that Astra was the only European built vehicle I’ve owned to date. Other than that I’ve had a motley bunch of Australian, Japanese and Korean built cars.
All the German cars I’ve had could do this to some capacity, I never had the remote key programmed for my B5 A4 but y ou could achieve this by twisting the key in the lock anyway. The 2-series could do it with the remote, and the 986 has a remote but only rolls the windows up/down if I twist the key in the lock, likely for safety in case I sit on the remote or some such. It’s a wonderful feature before I get in on a hot day or when in a tight space as the frameless windows simplify access.
Sooo many people complained that the windows rolled down automatically while it was raining or snowing because they pressed the fob in their pockets/purses. I loved it but that would require people RTFM.
My new-ish Accord does this.
Some Stellantis vehicles have this – you just need to set the option for the remote to do this – also for sunroofs.
Many modern Fords will roll down windows with the fob. The roll up has to be enabled with Forscan, but I’ve heard it’s factory enabled outside of the US. It’s a great party trick.
Buttons, switches, and dials.