Payne: Here are the best auto features of 2022

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 16, 2022

Like elves in Santa’s workshop, auto engineers are busy every year making new toys.

With a new digital toolbox to play with they have more opportunities than ever to make their elfin dreams come true. Electronics, electric motors and Wi-Fi are transforming the auto landscape. Increasingly integrated with smartphones, auto cabins are juiced with voice command features, wireless charging, graphic displays and more.

Heck, sometimes you don’t even need to drive the car at all. I tested dozens of new chariots this year from $170K EVs to $23K pickup trucks. They are engorged with new gizmos, but also some cool, old-school mechanical goodies.

Here are my favorite auto features of 2022.

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning frunk carries 14.1 cubic feet of cargo - about the same as the boot of a Ford Fiesta.

Mega-frunk. Ford F-150 Raptor R owners will wow Woodward Dream Cruisers by propping open their hoods to show off the 700-horsepower V-8 underneath. F-150 Lightning owners will pop their hoods to reveal … lots of space. With no engine up front and its batteries under the floorboards, Ford’s first electric truck boasts the biggest frunk (front trunk) in the industry — dwarfing Tesla frunks that pioneered the feature. Customers that like having a pickup bed but miss an SUV’s hatchback utility have the best of both worlds. The Mega Power Frunk (Ford’s term) can hold 14.1 cubic feet of cargo — two golf bags, for instance — weighing up to 400 pounds.

The sunroof of the BMW iX can be opaque, as above, or clear, thanks to Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal tech.

Opaque sunroof. The BMW iX is a rolling science lab, including the electrochromic roof. The largest glass opening ever fitted on a Bimmer, the panoramic glass spans the cabin without any struts. Poke the ceiling button behind the rear-view mirror and the roof transforms from opaque to transparent. Park the car and it will automatically default to opaque to keep the cabin cool. Its secret? Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal tech, which applies voltage to a layer of film in the glass.

The Tesla Model 3 will make right/left turns on its own with Full Self-Driving (FSD).

FSD. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature is finally available to any owner who wants to download it — assuming they have the hardware to support it (a $15,000 option). FSD has been available to select customers since 2020, and the company is now confident enough to make the technology widely available. The Level 2 system (Level 4 means the car can actually drive without human supervision) hardly lives up to its name, given that a driver must be engaged at all times. But the system is a fascinating glimpse at autonomous car progress as it takes turns on its own, navigates traffic and even turns right on red.

The infotainment and climate controls are combined in a single black strip in the 2023 Kia Sportage.

Hidden climate/radio controls. I love Easter eggs, and one of my favorites is in the handsome console of the Kia EV6 and Kia Sportage SUV. For aesthetic simplification, the infotainment and climate controls have been combined in a single black strip. Select the volume/fan button and the controls will change for the features you want to access. For those who prefer rotary dials, however, the feature may drive you mad.

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R offers a clever cargo cover solution - it pulls across the cargo area like a blind.

Pullover blind. Honda invented this nifty shade in its 10th generation Civic hatchback and it returns for the 11th gen. It’s highlighted this year by the relentless Civic Type R that thrills with is sporty suspension and 315 horsepower. But the hatch shows off the car’s utilitarian side: You can store valuables in back — then just pull the blind across the cargo bay like a window shade. No cumbersome hooks or snaps required.

The GMC Hummer EV uses four-wheel-steer for a tighter turning radius.

Four-wheel-steer. Once the domain of whip-quick Porsches, all-wheel-steer is found in other applications this year. The ginormous GMC Hummer EV got AWS to help negotiate tight trails off-road. The Mercedes EQE is hardly a Porsche when it comes to handling, but its AWS system makes U-turns and tight city parking garages easier to handle. AWS requires adding a steering rack in the rear, so it ain’t cheap, but I’m betting engineers will figure out how to make the feature more available to mainstream vehicles over time.

The passenger screen in the Mercedes EQS sedan can control massage seats among other things.

Third screen. Our vehicles are turning into moving theaters with screens everywhere, including the rear seats so kiddies can enjoy movies on endless road trips. The latest screen innovation comes from the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Mercedes models that add a third screen for the right-seat front passenger. Integrated into the dash above the glove compartment, the screen allows the co-pilot to set navigation and radio stations (and, of course, watch videos).

The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla pumps out 300 horsepower from its 3-cylinder mill.

Three-headed monster. Three-cylinder engines have generally been deployed to gain better fuel efficiency. Think my favorite ol’ Ford Fiesta 3-banger, which got 43 mpg highway and helped the brand meet fuel economy standards. The Toyota GR Corolla hellion begs to differ. Corolla’s pocket rocket model squeezes 300 horsepower from its 1.6-liter, 3-cylinder mill (that’s a gobsmacking 185 horses per liter). Fuel efficiency? A thirsty 20 mpg.

The BMW M4 features a head-up display option with a tachometer so you can shift at redline without ever taking your eyes off the road.

Tachometer head-up display. Speaking of screens, head-up displays are getting more common — and more innovative. You can now find HUDs — which project car information onto the windshield — on daily drivers like the common Mazda3. Higher on the food chain, models like the BMW M4 offer multiple HUD configurations, including a horizontal RPM display so enthusiasts never have to take their eyes off the track while paddle-shifting through the gears.

The 2023 Genesis GV60 can remote self-park into parallel or perpendicular spaces - though this angled perpendicular space confused it.

Remote parallel park. Tesla has been at the forefront of remote vehicle manipulation with its Summon feature so you can pull your car out of tight garage spaces using a phone app. The Genesis GV60 this year took the technology to its logical next step: allowing customers to self-park their car into perpendicular/parallel parking spaces using their key fob.

Vehicles like the VW ID.4 offer both wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto so you don't drain your phone while navigating on Google Maps.

Wireless navigation and charging. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are must-have features these days, but the drawback is they are a drain on the phone’s battery without a cord attached. Here comes wireless charging — an option on a growing list of vehicles — to save the day. Set your destination on your phone, throw it onto the charging pad and the car will wirelessly charge while navigating to your destination.

Transparent Trailer View as seen from a GMC Sierra pickup truck.

Transparent Trailer View. This bit of stage magic has been around for a couple of years, but it is becoming more common on light-duty trucks like the GMC Sierra. Though complicated to set up, the system uses multiple cameras on the vehicle to — poof! — make your trailer disappear on your center console screen so you can see the traffic behind you.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Comments are closed.