Just when you smugly thought you owned the latest and neatest gizmos on wheels, here come the 1998 models with a new batch of gadgets car companies hope will make you race to their showrooms for a look.
Comfort and security are big items among this year’s new features, and manufacturers are going to great lengths to pamper and protect their customers.
Cadillac offers adaptive front bucket seats on the Seville STS that provide a custom fit for the occupant. Ten air cells in the lower back rest and cushion are monitored by a computer and reshaped to give more or less support where needed.
When someone new plops into an adaptive seat, it takes a minute or less for the computer to make initial settings. The computer takes measurements every four minutes and inflates or deflates the air cells if the occupant changes position or consumes a bag of Whoppers. Three cells that provide lumbar support also adjust manually.
Saab, one of the earliest to offer heated seats, is the first to tackle the sticky issue of leather seats in hot weather. Ventilated front seats will appear in the new Saab 9-5 sedan that goes on sale next spring as a 1999 model.
Tiny three-speed fans in the front-seat backs and cushions draw warm air trapped between the seats and their occupants through the perforated leather upholstery. The warm air exits under the seat, where it is cooled by the air conditioning.
The 9-5 also comes with active head restraints, another industry first. In a rear-end collision, the front head restraints move up and toward the occupants to reduce the chance of whiplash.
The active head restraint, informally called the “catcher’s mitt,” works when the occupants are forced back into the seat, applying pressure to a sensor plate. The mechanically operated head restraints automatically return to their original positions.
Cadillac is the first domestic manufacturer to offer radio data system, an advanced FM technology that can name that tune, warn you of impending disasters and find stations that play your favorite programs.
Though it is widely popular in Europe, Cadillac says only about 10 percent of the 7,000 FM stations in the U.S. use RDS but predicts the number will grow rapidly. Audi is the only other manufacturer to offer RDS in the U.S.
RDS stations show their call letters, station name and type of programs (news, talk, country music, etc.) on the radio display and can post the name of the song being played. You also can search for stations offering specific programming, such as oldies.
If you are driving in another state and Dr. Ruth Westheimer fades just when she mentions your biggest hangup, don’t panic. RDS switches to another station carrying the same network as you move to a stronger signal. RDS also interrupts the compact-disc or cassette player to broadcast traffic alerts, nasty weather warnings and other emergencies.
Theftlock, a new standard feature, electronically links all Cadillac radios to the vehicle identification number of the car in which they were installed. The radios will not work in another car unless they are cleared by a Cadillac dealer, who can trace them to the original car.
Mercedes-Benz has SmartKey, a new electronic device that replaces the conventional door and ignition key. SmartKey sends an infrared signal with the remote entry system to unlock the doors. It then plugs into a dashboard port (similar to an ignition lock), where it transmits an electronic signal to unlock the steering column and start the engine.
Mercedes says one benefit is that SmartKey, standard on the CLK, C-Class and E-Class models, cannot be duplicated like a regular key when a car is left with a valet. The glove box and trunk still use a regular key that also unlocks the doors.
Ford Motor Co. is fighting crime with SecuriLock, an electronic anti-theft device standard on 10 car and truck lines for 1998. Ford says thefts of the Mustang GT dropped 77 percent after the device was added for 1997.
With SecuriLock, the coded ignition key contains a miniature transponder and an antenna that transmit a wireless signal to a sensor on the vehicle. Unless the sensor receives the correct code, the engine will not start. A similar feature is standard on the 1998 Lexus ES300.
Here are other new features on the 1998 models:
– Cargo hooks. Chrysler Corp., where public relations staffers call themselves the “non-gizmo company,” takes a low-tech approach to making life easier for grocery shoppers.
Seven hooks are incorporated into the back side of the rear bench seat in the Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country mini-vans for hanging plastic grocery bags. Use the hooks, Chrysler says, and you won’t have to crawl on the floor to retrieve cans, bottles or oranges that rolled under the seats when you stopped suddenly.
The new Honda Accord has a single cargo hook in the trunk.
– Air-filter alert. Chevrolet Corvette drivers stay informed about the condition of their car even if they never check under the hood. A new dashboard warning light signals when it is time to change the air filter. This is in addition to lights warning to change the oil, check the tire pressure or add coolant, gas, oil or brake or windshield washer fluid.
– Brake assist. Standard on most Mercedes cars, it measures brake pedal speed to sense when a driver makes a panic stop and applies full braking power faster than the driver can.
– Child seats. Mercedes’ BabySmart child-seat recognition system, introduced this year on the two-seat SLK, is standard on all Mercedes models except the M-Class sport-utility. A sensor in the front passenger seat detects when a special child seat (sold by Mercedes and a company called Britax) is in use and disables the air bag. Without that child seat, a second sensor disables the air bag if there is less than 26 pounds in the passenger seat.
Porsche offers a similar system, but it requires a dealer to reprogram the air-bag control unit and install an adapter to recognize the special child seat, which comes in three sizes: infant, toddler and booster.
– Short-circuit protection. BMW adds short-circuit protection to its cars with a device called the Battery Safety Terminal. In a collision severe enough to activate the front air bags (about 15 miles per hour), the air bag control unit triggers a pyrotechnical charge that separates the battery cable from the starter to prevent a short circuit that could cause a fire.
– On-board navigation. BMW’s system, optional on 5- and 7-Series sedans, gains an emergency call feature that automatically summons roadside assistance through the cellular phone. The call is initiated after a collision severe enough to deploy the front or side air bags. The RESCU emergency phone system also activates automatically if the air bags deploy.
General Motors’ OnStar system has a similar feature. OnStar was optional on Cadillacs last year, but for 1998 it is available on all Buicks and some Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac models.
Lexus offers touch-screen controls for a new on-board navigation system and the audio and climate systems, reviving a feature GM had on some Buick and Oldsmobile models several years ago. Optional on the GS300/400 and LS400, the dashboard screen replaces conventional controls with touch-sensitive points on an LCD display.
– Brake lights. The Volvo S70 and V70 use LEDs for the center high-mounted stop lamp, which is not a first, but the company says LEDs illuminate faster (about one car length sooner at 50 m.p.h.) than conventional bulbs, allowing other drivers to react faster.
