There are numerous reasons why new cars are awesome, and while most of them are nothing short of impressive, in-car tech holds the crown. Modern cars integrate tremendous amounts of technology and systems that completely change the driving experience; be that as it may, these systems don’t come cheap, so a tech-filled car might be out of reach for some. If you fall into that category, there’s no need to be upset, though – you can buy aftermarket versions for most of the car gadgets found in a new car, and retrofit your current car for a fraction of the price.
Remote Car Start
The ability to start and stop your car remotely is one of the coolest upgrades you can have, and you’ll praise its existence with the first use during winter, when instead of a very cold and unwelcoming car you’ll be greeted by a car that’s already warmed up and ready to take you to your destination in maximum comfort.
New cars usually have this feature by default, but aftermarket companies such as Viper offer remote start solution for pretty much any car model. In some cases, their solutions are more feature-rich than factory systems, so you’re definitely not missing out.
Heated Seats with Massage
Heated seats are a fairly common feature in most cars, modern or not so modern, but heated seats that also have a massage feature are usually found in luxury cars only. Thanks for companies such as Relaxor, you can have heated massage seats in your own car on the cheap. One of the main advantages of solutions such as the one offered by Relaxor is that it gets installed inside the current seat of the vehicle, not on top of it, so to the naked eye, this gadget is practically invisible. However, once you sit, you will definitely know it is there, and you’ll enjoy every moment of it.
Head-Up Display
Another great gadget to upgrade your car with is a head-up display (HUD). Aftermarket HUDs come in all shapes and sizes, and struggle to offer as many features as possible, and while most of them succeed at that, some are not very efficient at their main role – displaying the information in a clearly visible manner. Companies like Navdy seem to have that figured out, though, as their HUD provides a clearly visible image that is not affected by different viewing angles or sunlight. Keep your focus on the road with a HUD.
Parking Sensors
Parking sensors are the kind of upgrade that you never know you need until you actually use it. Especially if you’re driving a larger vehicle such as an SUV, parking sensors are a bliss, and will help you avoid hitting your bumper when parking in tight spaces. New cars have them in front, in the rear, and sometimes on the sides as well, but you don’t need to get the full package – having rear parking sensors installed should be a good middle ground, especially considering that set of parking sensors sells for as low as $15. If you want to bump up your game, you might consider installing a reverse camera as well, which will give you an even clearer view and improve your parking even more.
Bluetooth Cassette Adapter
A Bluetooth cassette adapter is the type of upgrade you will want if you want to benefit from the latest technologies in a subtle way, without any visible modifications to the car, which is a common approach especially if you’re driving a classic car. In such cases, the car usually comes with a cassette player, which, let’s be honest, is pretty much obsolete nowadays. Until you get a Bluetooth cassette adapter, at least. Coming in the shape of a classical cassette, the adapter is basically a Bluetooth module that is able to stream music from your phone to the cassette player.
Aftermarket Exhaust
Any car enthusiast appreciates a nice engine roar, but not all cars deliver exactly the kind of sound you like, so an aftermarket exhaust system is a great way of getting the sound you like. One important thing to keep in mind is that not all aftermarket exhausts will perform as expected, as some of them are simply replicas of the stock system with some of the noise filters disabled or removed. A good design, though, such as the one offered by Akrapovic Exhausts is significantly different, and offers a fine-tuned sound due to a combination of noise filters and valves. Some models even have electric controls for those valves, allowing you to customize the sound of your ride to match your mood.
