Motoring must-haves

SINGAPORE — Many car owners here replace their cars every seven years or so. In that time, car technology progresses rapidly, so buyers may be unaware of key features their next car should have. If you’re shopping for a new car at the Singapore Motorshow, here are some features you should look for, which we’ve grouped into three categories.

Safety

EXTRA AIRBAGS AND ESP

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), three-point seat belts for all occupants and at least two airbags can be found in just about any new car on sale today. Some companies such as Volkswagen, however, fit their cars with at least six airbags and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) that prevents a car from spinning in extreme or unforeseen situations.

ISO FIX points

If you have young children or little ones on the way, perhaps your parental instincts will find you shopping for a safer car for the family. You’ll want to strap your kids into child seats that will hold them in place in case there’s any kind of impact. This greatly reduces the risk of them being thrown about in the event of an accident.

However, before you buy those child seats, find out if the car you’ve shortlisted is equipped with ISO FIX points in the passenger seats. These are little metal bars located between the backrest and the seat squab.

In newer models, they are usually clearly marked. An ISO FIX-compatible child seat would have self-fastening clips that latch onto these points to hold the seat in place. The backrests of the car seats should also have tether points that go over the top of the backrest to secure the child seats.

If you have several children and need a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) with a third row of seats, check if this row has ISO FIX points as well.

Convenience

STAYING CONNECTED

Most cars now have USB inputs and are compatible with Apple iOS and Google Android devices. If the car has a compatible infotainment system, apps like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay let you display items like navigation instructions and listen to audio files from your phone on the infotainment system.

Keyless convenience

Remote locking is the minimum we can expect from most cars these days, but keyless operation is what you should really insist on.

Anyone who has had to fumble for their car keys to unlock their doors with bags of groceries and irritable children in tow will appreciate the convenience of being able to unlock the doors without having to hunt for their keys.

Once inside, cars equipped with push-button start make it more convenient for you to drive off.

Cars such as the Honda Civic come with a “walk-away” locking feature where the car locks itself as soon as the key is out of range. This is just the thing for forgetful types who tend to leave their cars unlocked.

Fuel efficiency

DOWNSIZED ENGINES

Cars may have gotten bigger but their engines have bucked this trend by shrinking in displacement over the years. It was only a few years ago that normally aspirated 1.6 and 2-litre powerplants were popular.

These days, however, turbocharged engines ranging in size from 1 to 1.5 litres can now be found at the heart of many cars, mated with clever automated transmissions such as twin-clutch gearboxes or Continuously Variable Transmissions that make the most of the available power.

Happily, the reduced capacities don’t come at the expense of performance while fuel consumption and running costs like road tax bills drop dramatically.

HYBRID THEORY

If you haven’t considered a petrol-electric hybrid yet, there’s no better time than now. There’s a hybrid model for practically every budget, from the Toyota Prius C to higher-end offerings like the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid and BMW i8 sports car.

Braking or coasting recharges the battery units that power the electric motors in these cars. Some models can be plugged in if you have access to a charging point. Some have sufficient range on battery power so that their petrol engines are seldom used.

This also helps you save time, since you spend less time at petrol stations and more time doing the things you want — isn’t that enough of an incentive to go green?