TORONTO — Hell is other cars. If you are among the four out of five Canadian commuters who drive to work, you understand.
Traffic is only getting worse. Highways are more congested. It takes more time to get anywhere.
The bad news (or good news, depending on your perspective) is that fully-autonomous cars that work in all-weather on all roads are still a long way off.
In the meantime, any new technologies that can make being stuck in traffic safer and less stressful are a welcome innovation. Automakers know this, and they know commuters are willing to pay more for those kinds of technologies.
If you have a long commute, these are the best features to look for in your next car.
A helping hand: Lane-centering assist
In a dull, monotonous driving situation, like highway traffic, it’s all too easy to have a momentary lapse in concentration. Lane-centering steering works as a safety net to prevent these lapses from becoming collisions.
The system attempts to automatically steer your car along the middle of its lane. It’s better than more common lane-keeping systems, which only intervene once your car has already drifted to the edge of its lane.
But be careful. Lane-centering is meant to be used as a backup only; it’s there to help a human be a better driver. The best lane-centering systems include a driver-monitoring system to make sure you’re watching the road. Once reserved only for luxury cars, this tech is now starting to appear in mainstream vehicles.
As seen on: Nissan Rogue, Cadillac CT6, BMW X3, Acura RLX, Kia Niro, Mercedes C-Class, Audi A4, Tesla Model 3, Volvo XC60 and others.
Get there faster: Waze with Apple CarPlay
When it comes to shaving a few minutes off your commute, there’s nothing better than Waze, a navigation app by Google that uses crowd-sourced data. It helps you avoid construction and traffic jams to find the absolute fastest route on any given day.
Apple CarPlay allows your car’s infotainment screen to become an extension of your iPhone. But, until now, CarPlay only allowed the use of Apple’s own — inferior — Maps app for in-car navigation.
With Apple’s upcoming iOS 12 software update, CarPlay will allow drivers to use third-party navigation apps like Waze or Google Maps on in-car screens. Android phone users have been able to use Waze for navigation in Android Auto-enabled vehicles since last year, so this is really just Apple catching up.
As seen on: Honda Civic, Jeep Wrangler, Mini Countryman, Subaru Impreza, Ford EcoSport and others.
A helping foot: Auto emergency braking
It’s far from a miracle cure for the rear-end collisions which plague stop-and-go traffic, but there’s no doubt automatic emergency braking (AEB) helps drivers avoid fender benders.
If the car detects a collision is imminent, it will warn the driver and then, if the driver doesn’t take any action, the car will automatically slam on the brakes.
By 2025, automatic emergency braking (AEB) will have prevented 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries, according to the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Most automakers have pledged to voluntarily make it standard equipment on all models by 2022. Having a car with AEB might even make you eligible for a discounted insurance rate. But not all AEB systems are equal.
Some versions attempt to prevent collisions, while others merely try to reduce the severity of collisions, while others only work above or below certain speeds. Make sure you know what you’re buying.
As seen on: Toyota, Volvo, Tesla, Mazda, Nissan, Audi, BMW and Mercedes and others already offer AEB as standard equipment on many models.
A moment of Zen: Massaging seats
Don’t sit down expecting a great shiatsu massage in your car on the way to work, but massaging seats can prod your back and shoulders enough to ease the pain of being stuck in traffic.
Some luxury automakers offer massaging seats with so many settings — upper or lower back, intensity levels, shiatsu or hot stone — the options are overwhelming. In gridlock though you’ll have plenty of time to discover your favourite.
As seen on: Ford F-150, Ford Explorer, Audi Q7, Jaguar XJ, Lexus LS, Mercedes GLE, BMW 5 Series and others.
A last line of defence: Emergency-steering assist
Think of emergency-steering assist as the next level of automatic emergency braking.
If the vehicle senses a crash is imminent and the driver takes no action, not only will the car slam on the brakes, but it may try to steer to avoid the obstacle — while keeping the car in its lane.
Volvo and Lexus are the first companies to offer such a system, but expect to see it on other cars in coming model years.
As seen on: Lexus LS, Volvo XC60
Give your feet a rest: Next-gen cruise control
The monotony of stop-and-go traffic mind-numbing. New stop-and-go cruise control technology lets the car handle the basic task of accelerating and braking in a highway traffic jam. It is terrifying the first few times you let your brake for you.
It feels unnatural. But, perhaps even more terrifying is how quickly you learn to trust the car. Some stop-and-go systems can slow a car from 120 km/h down to a complete stop and back up to 120 km/h, without the driver ever intervening. Remember: as the driver, you’re still ultimately responsible for whatever happens.
As seen on: Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, Toyota C-HR, Subaru Outback, Jaguar I-Pace, Genesis G80 and others.
Endless entertainment: An amazing stereo
Podcasts give you the best radio shows on demand. Streaming services like Spotify put all the music in the world at your fingertips. But it takes a killer stereo to make it all come alive.
Hear the hearty Newfoundland lilt of CBC’s Tom Power like he’s in the car with you. Volvo’s optional Bowers & Wilkins stereos probably sound better than what you have in your living room.
Same goes for Jaguar Land Rover’s high-end Meridian systems. But, if money is no object, we’d go for the 2,200 watt, $11,500 Naim stereo fitted as an option to the new Bentley Continental GT. It’ll make you want to stay stuck in traffic.
As seen on: Bowers & Wilkins for Volvo, Meridian for Jaguar Land Rover, Naim for Bentley, Revel for Lincoln, Burmester for Mercedes, and others.
