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Best ottoman: Honda Fit. Seriously. Get in the backseat, fold the front passenger seatback flat. Put your legs up and stay awhile. (Henry Payne \/ The Detroit News)<\/p>\n
From compacts to muscle cars to crossovers to land yachts, Americans have never had such a broad vehicle menu and I have the pleasure of sampling it for you 365 days a year. It\u2019s not a bad gig. We\u00a0auto But what of the myriad features stuffed into the fastest, sexiest, most complex consumer products on earth?<\/p>\n Even before the acceleration of digital wizardry into cars, auto features were worth their own best list. Teams of engineers are assigned to every corner of a vehicle in order to tease out that last styling or ergonomic detail that will make a customer choose, say, a Jeep Grand Cherokee over a Hyundai Santa Fe.<\/p>\n Herewith my 2014 list of the best of the best features in autos today \u2013 mechanical, digital, aesthetic, and otherwise. This is hardly a comprehensive list \u2013 and I will humbly admit to C pillar-sized blind spots. I have not driven all 290-plus models out there. What did I miss? What is your favorite feature? Please add your \u201cBest of\u201d choice in the Comments field below. First, let\u2019s turn on the lights. . . .<\/p>\n Best headlights: Cadillac Escalade.<\/b>\u00a0Bordered by an LED tube waterfall, a ladder of five LED bulbs – each separated by heat-dispersing fins – light the big ute’s path. The Fox Theater\u2019s marquee doesn\u2019t have this much bling.<\/p>\n Best fog lights: VW Golf.<\/b>\u00a0Lux vehicles swivel their headlights to follow your path, but only the common Golf (and its Beetle bro\u2019) use their inside fog lamps to illuminate a corner\u2019s apex. High curb? Pothole? You\u2019ll see it.<\/p>\n Best grille: Mercedes CLA250.<\/b>\u00a0Put Merc\u2019s star in the middle of a pentagon grille. Then place jewel-like droplets on a thin mesh that radiate out from the logo like ripples on a pond. Eat your heart out Tiffany\u2019s.<\/p>\n Best launch control: Corvette C7.<\/b>\u00a0Other supercars \u2013 Alfa Romeo 4C, Nissan GTR \u2014 offer automatic tranny launch controls so idiot-proof you feel like a passenger on board Cedar Point\u2019s Top Thrill Dragster \u2018coaster. The 455-horsepower Stingray gives it to you with a manual. It\u2019s life-altering. Not for the feint-of-heart, it offers a test of your shifter reflexes as you rocket from zero-60 (popping the clutch with your right foot on the floor at a rib cage-rattling 4000 RPM) in 3.8 seconds.<\/p>\n Best alternative drive system: Chevy Volt\/Cadillac ELR.<\/b>\u00a0Yeah, yeah, I love the electric Tesla Model S, too. Staggering acceleration. Innovative electronics. Acres of interior space. But what if you\u2019ve gotta drive to Marquette? Until electric cars are as cheap as Civics, the charging infrastructure won\u2019t happen. The GM batteries will get you to work. The gas engine will get you Up North.<\/p>\n Best blind spot warning: Acura MDX.<\/b>\u00a0I like blind-spot assist. Especially in large SUVs with blind spots the size of Oklahoma. But can I always see the little, blinking car icon? On the outside of my passenger mirror? In the sun?\u00a0MDX Best smart key: Hyundai Equus.<\/b>\u00a0Approach the Equus and the big sedan senses the key in your pocket, instantly unlocking the doors and opening the side mirrors like hands to greet you. (Okay, it\u2019s a little eerie.)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/images.intellitxt.com\/ast\/adTypes\/icon1.png\")
<\/a>\u00a0pundits spill gallons of ink picking the Best Sedan, Best SUV, Best Sports Car, and so on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\u00a0blind-spot indicators are inside the vehicle on the A pillars. Smart.<\/p>\n