These Are The Long-Gone Car Features You Wish Automakers Still Had Today

Features can be a boon and yet also a crippling pain to our driving enjoyment. For those of us that don’t consider vehicles just a vessel moving us from place to place, some car features make for a pleasant addition, like Bluetooth connections for media players, which were once CD players to 8-tracks to plain radio, or heated and ventilated seats. Then there are the features that take you away from the ethereal connection that is you, the car, and the road, like the horrible vibration of your seat every time you pass a traffic cone in a construction zone, or trying to find the heat controls in various menus while trying to keep an eye on the road and the car in a straight line… but I digress.

There was a time when things were simpler, or at least had more personality than whatever AI assistant is now controlling your vehicle. And (unlike commenter Brian) we appreciate a little nostalgia in a world that constantly promotes the idea of newer is better.

Over the weekend I asked you to tell me what long-gone car features you wish automakers still had today. From analog dials, knobs and buttons, to cushy velour interiors — as one commenter pointed out, it was like a trip down memory lane. 

Without further adieu, the long-gone car features you miss.

It’s not necessarily a feature, more color choices, especially interiors.

And

​​Velour seats in bright blue or green! I really miss those.

And

Or, Bordello Red crushed velvet. 😏

And

Or tweed, plaid or houndstooth fabric seats used in vintage Porsches and VWs.

Why does leather or vinyl have to be the default in cars? Yes, they are easy to clean, but they are scorching hot and sticky in the summer, freezing cold in the winter, and slippery year-round. Fabric is comfy in all seasons, holds you nicely during spirited driving, and it’s cruelty-free.

A small handful of car manufacturers still offers fabric upholstery as an option, like Maserati who uses fine wool and silk suiting material from Zegna, Volvo uses a multi-coloured grey woven fabric that looks like it belongs on a modern Scandinavian sofa, Range Rover offers Kvadrat wool fabrics which are often used on high-end modern European furniture, and VW once in a while offers their GTI with their bold tartan cloth option.

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I loved the velour and quilted velour seats! Please bring those or some other fabrics back. Everything doesn’t need to be leather. Your skin can’t breathe and you feel sweaty on hot days. Now they’re going to fake leather, what’s the point? A good fabric works better. But unfortunately too many dumdums think they’re getting “luxury”.

From Bigbeautifullies, RWP, Bigbeautifullies, Alan, and Sean Lyons

I can especially smell the velour seats…from back then and when you see them at shows today. Nostalgia you can taste.

I had an ’89 Dodge Caravan with a little lever under the steering wheel that opened a vent direct to the outside. So the faster you went, the more fresh air came in. It was great for cool nights when you just wanted a little breeze but didn’t want the windows open.

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My 74 El Camino has 2 of those below the steering wheel, both open to air from the cowl vent. I use it on hot days as the car doesn’t have AC and it’s usually blowing at a good clip depending on speed, adds to the breeze coming through the windows.

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My Plymouth Horizon had a floor vent that was great on the highway

And

There were also footwell vents. We had a late 60’s Chevy Malibu (I think) that had them. There was a pull nob under the dash which opened a small trap door letting in fresh air.

From Noah, Dan60, T A, and uphill putt

With the decline of clutch pedals, my left foot is ready for action. The high-beam floor switch is obvious, but a 1966 Mustang I once drove had a pedal to splash wiper fluid and launch a few swipes of the wiper blades for a quick windshield clean-up.

From JayByrdJr

Seems this question pops up on Jalopnik every 18 months or so, with crotch coolers being one of the most popular answers. Unfortunately, i don’t think we’ll get crotch coolers anymore because they are ineffective if you filter the air, and everybody wants filtered air. Also, ventilated seats are filling the void.

My vote goes to upgradable infotainment systems. IOW, leave the vehicle settings out of the damn infotainment system so that we can upgrade it if we want! And give us back our buttons and knobs, the touchscreens are too unsafe!

From Longboat

I have a Grand Marquis with dual sun visors… Front AND side! I use both sometimes and just the front one often. No other vehicle had both options for driver and passenger.

From Ashwin Welch

Knobs and buttons.

And

Buttons

From M J, Roberto Lorenzo

The amount of buttons on the older Ford Focus continues to haunt me in a weirdly pleasant way to this day.

I miss the little triangle window that allowed you to open it and have air blow directly on you so that no AC was really needed most of the time.

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Front quarter windows. The single best thing about old cars is being able to open them. They look beautiful but are also insanely functional. You can have a tiny amount of fresh air, you can pump air out of the car, you can blast it like it’s AC, you can just crack it to smell the rain. Bring them back!

And

My 1969 MGBGT had wing windows. I miss those. They were great for getting a breeze, without the buffeting of opening the side window.

From Will, denverdawg123, and ircsmith

A dashboard without a screen.

A pickup truck with 2 doors and three pedals.

A radio that doesn’t ‘connect’ with other devices.

From Anonymous Person

Simpler times my friend. Simpler times.