Car Features For A Perfect Road Trip
The key to a successful road trip is preparation. You need to make sure that you have a route planned out and you have packed all of the essentials, like your travel camera, a travel wallet, plenty of snacks, and some entertainment. However, before you set off, you need to make sure that your car is ready to go as well. First, you should check all of the fluids and tire pressure, and if you think that it needs it, get a mechanic to look over it. You should also give it a clean and get the car wax out so you can protect the paintwork, especially if you are driving over any rough terrain. However, if you really want to improve your road trip experience, you should think about making some bigger adjustments to your car and adding some new features.
With a few simple additions, you can make your journey a lot more comfortable and take the stress out of driving. These are the must-have car features that you need for a perfect road trip.
Most modern cars come with a built-in navigation system these days, but if yours doesn’t have one, you should consider installing one. Alternatively, you could buy a simple GPS system to bring along with you but, whatever you do, don’t just rely on your phone. There are some great navigation apps that you can get on your phone, like Google Maps or Waze, and they work brilliantly until your battery dies in the middle of nowhere or you can’t get a signal. A built-in navigation system is far more reliable than using your phone, and a whole lot easier than using a paper map, which is why it’s a must-have car feature for road trips.
Navigation systems are also great for exploration, which is one of the best things about road trips. You don’t need to worry about taking a detour and getting lost because the navigation system will always help you find your way back again, so you can explore freely.
Lane-Keep Assist
Safety is paramount when you are on a road trip, so it’s important that you take regular breaks from driving to give yourself a rest. However, even if you have breaks, a long drive can take its toll so you should add some safety features to your car. Lane-keep assist is a brilliant feature that keeps you safe when driving on the highway. It’s easy to get distracted, especially if you’ve got young kids in the back of the car, so if you start to drift a little, the lane assist will kick in to get you back on course. Usually, you will hear a loud beeping sound or the steering wheel will vibrate so you can quickly correct yourself. This helps to maintain your attention while driving and it can even prevent accidents if you start to drift off during a long drive.
Improved Climate Control
Whether you are taking a summer or a winter road trip, climate control is so important. You’re going to be in the car for a long while, so you need to be comfortable. If you don’t have any air conditioning at all, that’s a big problem. But even if you do have some climate control in the car, you may still get some arguments in the car about the settings. Some people might want it cooler than others and this can lead to tension, especially when you have kids in the car. However, if you get a tri-zone automatic climate control system, you can use different settings in the front and the back of the car. It doesn’t guarantee that everybody will be happy but it should help to avoid some arguments about the temperature.
Temperature Controlled Seats
You can make the car even more comfortable for you and your passengers if you get some heated and ventilated seats. It’s best to opt for both heating and ventilation because you never know what the weather is going to be like or where you will be headed on future road trips. The drive will be a lot more bearable if you have a nice cool seat instead of a sticky hot leather one. In the winter, a nice heated seat, combined with your climate control system, will keep you warm enough.
Entertainment Systems
The drive will quickly become boring if you don’t have anything to keep your entertained and if you are already fed up an hour in, how are you going to feel when you are five hours in? Entertainment is even more important when you are driving with children because they will quickly get restless and start arguing if you don’t have something to keep them occupied.
Music is a great way to keep yourself entertained during a long drive, so if you don’t already have a good stereo system installed in the car, you should consider adding one. A voice-activated system allows you to control the music without having to fiddle around with the controls, and you can use it to answer calls if you need to, so it’s a lot safer.
You can keep the passengers in the back entertained with a rear-seat entertainment system complete with screens. The time will fly by if you put a film or TV show on for the kids to watch and they’ll be happy until you arrive. You can even use it when you are taking a break from driving.
The success of your road trip depends on how prepared you are before you set off. Making sure that you pack all the important car gear and plan your route is important, but you should also consider adding these must-have car features for a perfect road trip. Once you make these additions, you will be a lot more comfortable on your drive.
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