Continued: Hidden features in modern cars

Audio system working without key

VW, Skoda, Fiat, Tata

Some manufacturers allow the audio system to turn on without having the key in the ignition slot. This could be a useful feature if you need to spend a few minutes in the car without the keys. Some cars also give a warning that tells the user that the feature is only available for a pre-defined amount of time. Though in a short span of time, this is okay, but it isn’t advisable to do so for a longer duration of time as it will result in the battery dying.

Stereo start up volume

VW, Skoda

This is a very interesting feature which i found on my Skoda and other people using VW’s have confirmed the same. If multiple users are using the car, there is a possibility that some may like really loud music and some may not. Say one of the person’s driving the car is a young person who loves to listen to music which is extremely loud and the other, a slightly older person who can’t stand loud music. What if the younger person forgets to reduce the volume before leaving the car? The older person is going to be in for a shock of his life when he turns the car on and finds the stereo blasting at max volume. To keep that in check, some manufacturers have come up with a start up volume option. This is present in the settings of the stereo along with the bass and other settings. This allows you to set a particular volume level for every time the car is turned on or the stereo is turned on. So say you set the volume at 6 and then while driving increase it to 20. Now when you shut the car and restart it, it’ll be back to 6.

Audible reminder for driving with hand brake on

Honda, VW, Skoda

It is possible that people sometimes forget that the handbrake is on and they continue to drive. In that case, the above mentioned vehicles will give an audible warning to remind you that the park brake is on. This can be very useful for those who are forgetful and don’t see the park brake lamp on the instrument cluster.

Speed Volume

Fiat Punto, Ford Figo, VW, Skoda 

As the speed increases, noise levels inside the cabin also does due to the excessive wind noise. Keeping that in mind, some companies have come up with a system where in the volume automatically goes up with the speed. In the Punto, there is an option to deactivate or activate that feature depending upon personal requirement.

Music volume reduction for parking sensors

VW, Skoda

Most cars nowadays come with parking sensors fitted from the company. People who have used them would know that when the sensors are on, the music volume dips so that the beeps of the parking sensors can be made audible. However, in the Polo as well as the Laura, there is an option where you can set how much the volume reduces to while you are reversing. Say you don’t want the sensors nagging you and you are very confident of your parking skills, you can turn down the sensor beep and continue to listen to your favorite music. This can be found in the sound settings of the stereo.

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