There will always be a minority of motorists with more money than sense. That’s why luxury carmakers love to pack their top models with expensive high-tech features. They’re meant to dazzle buyers, but most aren’t as amazing as they sound. Some are overhyped, offering little value beyond bragging rights.
Whether it’s technology that’s more frustrating than useful or features that add unnecessary complexity, these bells and whistles often fail to meet expectations. Some make owning a luxury car more complicated than it needs to be. If you’re shopping for a high-end vehicle, keep an eye out for these features that aren’t worth the extra cost.
Gesture Controls
Waving your hand to adjust the radio volume or skip a track may impress your passengers for an instant, but when it fails – as it often does – you’ll just look plain stupid. Gesture controls often fail to register properly, and it’s much faster to simply use the physical buttons or touchscreen already available. It’s more of a novelty than a truly useful tool.
Voice Recognition Systems
Hands-free convenience or a load of frustration? Voice commands sound promising, but don’t always deliver. These systems often misinterpret simple requests, especially if there’s background noise or if the driver has a unique accent. Some require phrasing that’s counterintuitive. It’s often quicker to use your smartphone or onboard buttons instead.
Over-the-Air Updates
Remotely updating your car’s software can create more headaches than it solves. Updates often take hours and require the car to remain parked; others have been known to introduce bugs or glitches.
While the concept is innovative, the execution often feels like a hassle, making drivers nostalgic for those simpler systems that just worked out of the box.
Massage Seats
Many drivers report that massage seats feel more irritating than soothing. They sound like the ultimate in relaxation but often disappoint. With the hefty price tags often attached to this luxury option, many car owners conclude it’s not worth the splurge. It’s a classic case of a feature that looks great in ads but rarely delivers on its promise.
Automatic Parking
Maneuvering your car into a parking spot can be a nightmare, so a feature that lets it park itself seems like a dream. Or does it? In reality, automatic parking systems struggle in tight spaces, often taking longer than it would for a human driver. They also tend to fail in complex scenarios, such as angled spots or lots with unclear markings.
Night Vision Cameras
Night vision cameras in luxury cars help you see in total darkness – but so do ordinary headlights.
Along with streetlights, they provide more than enough visibility, making this feature feel redundant. The camera displays can also be distracting, requiring drivers to shift focus from the road.
Pop-Up Door Handles
Pop-up door handles are an example of a good idea gone wrong. They’re meant to give luxury cars a sleek, futuristic look, but in cold climates these handles can freeze shut, leaving drivers unable to access their vehicle. Even in regular weather, they’re sometimes unresponsive.
Rear-Seat Entertainment Systems
Want to pay out a lot of money for something nobody wants? Built-in rear-seat screens are expensive and outdated, because everyone is glued to their personal devices these days. Passengers’ own tablets or smartphones offer far more flexibility and content options.
Just because something sounds luxurious doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for today’s tech-savvy travellers.
Fragrance Dispensers
Some luxury features are just plain silly. Cars that come with built-in fragrance systems aim to pamper, but they often miss the mark. The scents can be overpowering, causing headaches or discomfort for sensitive passengers. Refills can be surprisingly expensive.
Advanced Touchscreens
Luxury car touchscreens the size of a football pitch may look impressive – but bigger isn’t always better. Oversized displays can be distracting and tricky to navigate while driving.
Some systems rely entirely on touch, eliminating physical knobs and buttons, which many drivers find inconvenient. Fingerprints and glare are annoying. Style over substance often leaves practicality in the dust.
Crystal Shift Knobs
Bling for bling’s sake looks silly and can be accused of bad taste. Crystal shift knobs are supposed to add an air of sophistication, but they don’t offer any functional benefits and can even feel slippery or uncomfortable to use. In bright sunlight, they create distracting reflections.
For something as frequently used as a gear shifter, practicality should come first.
Soft-Close Doors
Soft-close doors are a feature that’s supposed to make life easier, but often creates more trouble than it’s worth. Their aim is to enhance the experience of luxury, but they don’t always perform as advertised. The mechanism can be finicky and, over time, these systems can wear out, leading to costly repairs.
Built-In Coolers
Here’s another luxury feature that’s expensive – and not half as good as an inexpensive alternative. Built-in coolers in luxury cars are marketed as the ultimate convenience, but they’re often too small to store more than a couple of bottles, slightly chilled rather than ice-cold. Portable coolers or a simple thermal bag are a better option.
Active Spoilers
The racetrack has sourced many innovations that have enhanced road cars, but this isn’t one of them. Active spoilers automatically adjust for better aerodynamics, but most drivers won’t notice any real difference in performance unless they’re on a track.
While it might appeal to sports car enthusiasts, the average luxury car owner will rarely, if ever, benefit from its functionality.
Heated Door Panels
Here’s a luxury upgrade that looks better on paper than it does in practice. Heated door panels are intended to provide extra comfort in cold weather, but most drivers are perfectly content with heated seats and steering wheels, which are far more noticeable. Heated panels take longer to warm up and don’t add much to the overall experience.
Customizable Ambient Lighting
Despite the aesthetic appeal of adjustable ambient lighting, it doesn’t enhance the driving experience and isn’t worth the added cost. Drivers may spend hours fine-tuning the colors, only to stick with one setting once the novelty wears off.
It’s often more of a distraction than a practical benefit. In daylight, it’s largely irrelevant anyway.
Powered Sunshades
Have we really gotten so lazy that we need powered sunshades? Yes, they block out the sun with the push of a button, but they’re hardly a necessity when you can reach up and do it manually. Manual shades are just as effective and don’t come with the risk of motor failure.