New Car Features Soccer Moms Will Love
We all have someone in our life we call mom. It may be your mom, grandmother, mother-in-law, your baby’s momma, etc. All moms work hard, and their jobs seem never to stop, they never get a day off, and they’re always busy doing something.
I’ve decided to dedicate this page to the new car features that will make mom’s life a little easier.
Table of Contents
Car Manufacturers
Vehicle manufacturers have been installing rear-seat DVD players and rear door kid-locks on vehicles for a long time. However, several other features with added benefits help mom out with her daily driving activities.
The features listed below are available when buying a new car. They range from special safety features to keep your precious cargo safe to loading or unloading your vehicle with groceries or cargo a little easier.
Some of these items are not just limited to soccer moms. I’m sure some of the hard-working dads will enjoy them too. You may consider this the next time you’re car shopping online.
Top New Car Features Soccer Moms Like Best
These are my picks for the top new car features soccer moms and dads will like best in a new car. If you can find a vehicle with all of these features, you will surely make your mom very happy. Maybe you should forward this article to the vehicle manufacturers.
1) Conversation Mirrors
Not to be mistaken for vanity mirrors, a conversation mirror is typically located in the center of the roof by the windshield. It drops down and gives a fish-eye or 180* view of the vehicle’s cabin so mom can keep an eye on who’s hitting who in the backseat.
2) Foot Activated Hatchback
We all know most new cars come with key fobs, so you can open the trunk or hatchback by pushing or holding a button. However, this cannot be very easy if your arms are full and the key fob is in your pocket or purse.
Some vehicle manufacturers, such as BMW, are making it to where you can wave your foot under the rear bumper to automatically raise and lower the hatchback without using a key fob. This is a great benefit to the person that has their hands full unloading their vehicle of groceries or cargo.
3) Remote Start / Heated Seats / Heated Steering Wheel
I’ve grouped these because they’re considered overboard and not worth the money to most people. But, if you want to score some brownie points with mom, you do this.
Flip the heated seats and heated steering wheel switch too on, on a cold winter’s night. Then let mom start the vehicle with the remote start and run for a few minutes the following day. When she gets in the car, and it’s all defrosted, warm, and toasty, you’ll never own another vehicle without them.
4) Large Purse Sized Center Console
One of the accessories most women have is a purse, some are small, and some are pretty large. Moms typically have to throw their purse in the passenger seat or have it, being a safety issue, sliding around down by their feet while they drive. Vehicles like the Kia Sedona have a nice big center console that fits a plus-size purse easily and allows mom to have space just for her in the car.
5) Stow’n Go Seating
Most SUVs and minivans will let you fold down the rear seats so you can get more storage space if needing to haul something significant. Some automakers also allow you to fold down the front passenger’s seat. The problem with this is you still have about 12 inches of unusable space because of the folded seats.
Stow’n Go Seating from Chrysler allows you to drop the seats into special compartments on the floor. Storing the seats on the bottom is the same as if you were to remove the seats from the cabin, dramatically increasing the vehicle’s storage capacity.
The Dodge Grand Caravan (except entry-level American Value package line) and the Chrysler Town & Country come standard with Stow’n Go Seating. The upper trim level of these minivans comes standard with third-row seats that stow themselves with a push of a button.
6) Built-in Car Vacuum
The Honda Odyssey Touring Elite has a built-in vacuum cleaner called the HondaVac. It’s a much smaller version of a Shop-Vac. With two attachments and a hose long enough to reach anywhere in the cabin, it makes quick work of any crumbs, dirt, or other kid creations that generally accumulate on a family ride.
7) Built-in Cooler / Refrigerator
Vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKT offer cold storage as standard or optional equipment. Some of these systems are just insulated coolers to help keep drinks that are already cold from getting warm, and some are small mini-fridges that tap into the vehicle’s electrical and cooling systems.
They are usually just big enough to keep a few drinks in them, but that can mean the difference in defusing a child’s tantrum on a hot summer’s day stuck in traffic.
8) Collision Avoidance Systems
When it comes to kids, a mom’s number one priority is to keep them safe. Collision avoidance systems are radars built into the vehicle that detect when a car in front of you has slowed down or stopped, and you haven’t.
They usually flash big red lights on your windshield or dashboard and sound a warning tone. These visual and audio tones are great if you’ve taken your eyes off the road to referee with your little ones or teenagers. Some of these systems will even automatically apply your brakes if the other warnings fail to get your attention and the system detects a crash is imminent.
You can always ask your salesperson to demonstrate how these systems work during the test drive.
9) Phone and Tablet Mounts
These mounts quickly expand or retract to fit any size phone or tablet and are adjustable to be viewed from anywhere in the vehicle. This allows you to use a tablet instead of a standard in-vehicle DVD entertainment system.
Many car shoppers are opting out of DVD players with the versatility of the hand-held tablet, and it’s understandable; you can switch between games, movies, and all kinds of entertainment without mom having to remove or replace DVDs while driving.
10) Dual Cargo Floor
The Fiat 500L has a dual floor in the cargo area. It allows you to store “not-used-as-much-items” and leaves the upper cargo space for daily storage. The Fiat’s cargo shelf holds up to 200 pounds, plenty of weight for groceries or sports equipment.
Most under-floor storage bins are hard to get to, but the Fiat allows you to reach in and grab whatever you need without having to clear the upper cargo shelf first.
In Conclusion
Suppose you’re considering the purchase of a new car, truck, minivan, or SUV. I recommend using a free online referral service such as Ryde Shopper and Motor Trend to guarantee you pay the lowest price. These services will tell you what others are paying for the vehicle you’re considering in your local area and which dealers give the most significant discounts.
Unsure where to start or are in a time crunch to buy a new car. Check out my new car buying cheat sheet to follow my step-by-step guide on how to get a great deal and avoid unethical dealer scams.
About the author
My name is Carlton Wolf, and I’ve been in the car business since 1994, both retail and wholesale. I created the Auto Cheat Sheet to better educate buyers about the deceptive sales practices used by many dealerships throughout the country. Please understand that not all car dealers are dishonest. However, you never know who you’ll be dealing with, though. I’m willing to share my knowledge and experience with anyone who listens. Keep in mind that I’m a car guy, not a writer.
