QOTD: What Feature Do You Want the Most?
We reported yesterday that research/analysis firm AutoPacific found that the most wanted new-car feature among consumers is fog lamps.
Now, we trust AutoPacific -- I've quoted their folks in articles and have had positive personal and professional interactions with them -- but one thing I've learned in this business, especially given my own stint as an analyst at a different company (I was there just under a year and a half), is that different research teams can come up with different responses. Questions can be asked in different ways or a different pool of survey respondents may have different answers. Indeed, we mentioned in our piece that J.D. Power had different results that in some cases contradicted AutoPacific.
So, I want to hear it straight from you, the B and B. Yes, I know a sample of 20-100 comments isn't as statistically significant as a professionally designed study that polls at least 2,000 people, but you all are car people and some of you are going to be buying a new car soon.
So, tell us, what's your most desired feature in a new car?
Sound off below.
[Image: michaeljung/Shutterstock.com]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
More by Tim Healey
Comments
Join the conversation
I am curious about the AutoPacific study -- did it just list features or did it have a price and so what we are seeing is what people said they are willing to pay.
Curious no more -- looked it up (methodology link from 2022).
Here is more info from the 2023 study.
My interpretation is that (LED) fog lights are relatively 'popular' (in 'demand') with a broad swath of customers and the given 'pricing' of $200 isn't crazy so it rose to the top of the list. But only to 48% because many new car intenders already have fog lights and expect them on their next vehicle because they don't purchase lower trim models.
Oh you want more? The schmucks who roll with blank escutcheon plates where the fog lights are supposed to live have caught on that the absence of lenses down there is a Major and Easily Noticed Differentiator between them and their automotive betters. So they aspire to pay an additional two Benjamins to avoid this stigma on their next purchase. (The OEMs will not offer them this opportunity.)
My friends at Your Local Dealership want to point out that Buyers are Liars, so take all 'purchase intentions' with a medium-size grain of salt.
Simplicity.
no subscription services or reoccurring charges
Cooled (not ventilated) seats. Heated seats are easily available at a variety of trim levels, but cooled is usually reserved for high trims only, if available at all. Heated is nice, but if I had to choose one or the other I'd definitely prefer cooled.