There's more to our affordable cars than their low price tag and high fuel efficiency. In recent years, we've seen many mainstream cars offering the kind of equipment that was, until recently, restricted to vehicles from the luxury segment. Interestingly, not all such features have been in the limelight, with even the carmakers going easy on the promotions of such USPs. Here is a list of 10 affordable cars that carry clever features -
Curve Guidance on Hyundai cars
This is a feature that can be of immense help on the mountain roads or in foggy conditions. Hyundai models like the Creta and the Verna offer curve guidance which give an audible warning to the driver on approaching a curve. It comes in handy in circumstances of low visibility by alerting the driver of a curve ahead. This feature works even when the navigation is not in use.
Walk Away lock on Renault Captur
With an average monthly sale of 313 units*, the Renault Captur has pretty much failed at leaving a good impression on SUV buyers. That said, it does come across as a well-equipped model that offers a pretty premium overall experience. One of the highlights of the crossover's equipment list is Walk Away Lock feature, which, as is evident from the name, locks the car automatically if you walk away from it with the keys. This feature comes in handy on occasions when you forget to lock the car.
Emergency Assistance System on Ford cars
This is a safety feature that many Ford cars have been offering since quite a few years now. Top-spec trims of vehicles like the Ford EcoSport come with an Emergency Assist System that automatically calls emergency services in case of detection of a crash.
UV resistant glasses on Maruti Baleno
As the name suggests, these glasses cut down on the UV radiation, thereby keeping the cabin temperatures under a check. They also help with boosting the efficiency of the aircon. While a standard feature on high-end cars, a mainstream model that comes equipped with UV resistant glasses is the Maruti Baleno. These glasses are particularly useful since aftermarket window tints have been banned in the country.
Taillights that can double up as turn indicators on VW cars
Not many know about this, but Volkswagen models like the Polo and the Vento and even some other cars like the Fiat Punto come with a smart feature that turns tail lights into blinkers in case the turn indicators have malfunctioned. We feel that more car manufacturers should start offering this feature as a blinking tail light can let other road users know about the car's directional change even if the indicators are out of order.
Remote Window Roll Up/Roll Down on VW Ameo and Maruti Baleno
While having a one-touch roll down feature on the driver's window is a common feature, some mainstream models, like the VW Ameo, let you roll up or roll down all the windows through the key remote. Long pressing the lock button on the key remote rolls up all the windows, while long pushing the unlock button rolls down all of them.
Cool Start on Toyota Innova Crysta
With an average monthly sale of 6,391 units, the Toyota Innova Crysta is by far the most popular MPV in our market. While the Crysta impresses on many counts, one of its USPs is the well-equipped cabin that it offers on the high-end trim. Among the highlights is the Cool Start system for the HVAC. On switching on the car's AC, the system starts blowing air only after the air is sufficiently cold. This helps the users avoid experiencing hot air that may initially be thrown by the aircon. Hence, the system starts blowing air only when it gets cold enough.
Double Crank protection on VW and Fiat cars
With a vast improvement in the NVH control, most mainstream cars now, especially the petrol ones, isolate the driver from the engine noise and vibrations at idle. Hence, the user often tends to get confused and double crank the engine. The double crank protection feature on cars like the VW Vento and Fiat Punto prevent the double cranking, thereby avoiding the starter motor from getting damaged.
Voice Amplification on Skoda Kodiaq
The Skoda Kodiaq comes equipped with a unique Voice Enhancement feature that lets the driver and the passengers efficiently communicate with each other. It works by picking up the voices through strategically positioned microphones and sounding them on the car speakers to make sure the conversation is easily heard by passengers in all parts of the car.
Automatic Hazard Warning Lights on VW cars
This is a feature that, we feel, should be made available on every car on sale in the country. Some models, like the VW Vento, switch on the hazard lights in the event of panic braking. It lets other road users know of the sudden change in the car's speed, thereby reducing the chances of a rear-end collision.
* June-November 2018
