Halloween: Trick or treat technology in cars

Technology in cars has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years and is now one of the biggest considerations when people are looking to buy a new car. Some of it you won’t know how you ever lived without, some of it you’ll really wish you could afford, and some of it still needs a bit of work.
To celebrate Halloween, we take a look at the top four treats - and tricks - that car technology has to offer.

For a country like Britain, where it rains half of the year, Scoda has hidden a sweet treat inside the car. Next time you find yourself in the midst of a storm, just look in your Skoda’s door for an umbrella that they’ve stashed away for a rainy day. Some Skodas like the Fabia, Rapid, Octavia and Karoq have an umbrella stored under the passenger seat.
That’s not all – as blissful as the snowy season may be, it can bring a lot of problems for car owners. So, Skoda has also added an ice scraper inside the fuel filler flap to have you ready to hit the road, come what may.

If you like stargazing, we have some good news for you! Get ready to experience thousands of stars - 4,796 to be precise – from the comfort of your car.
The new Rolls-Royce Spectre has a starlit ceiling and doors, making it the ultimate dreamy and glamorous coupe. This is glamping on a whole new level.

Genesis has brought the much-loved fictional character Flash to life with their new GV60. This SUV comes with a Boost button for phenomenal acceleration. The Performance version is capable of 489 horsepower bursts in the Boost Mode. All this power and performance while being a sustainable, electric treat.

Got a long drive, stuck in traffic, or just had a stressful day at the office? Well, Hyundai allows you to relax in the comfort of your own car… with some soothing, natural soundscapes. So, the next time you’re thinking that you’d rather be on a beach than stuck on the M25, just turn up the sound of the relaxing ocean waves and transport yourself to a tropical paradise.

A head-up display is one of those things you don’t realise is so helpful until you use it. Without taking your eyes off the road, you can see navigation instructions, your speed, and road signs floating in front of your eyes.
Once the preserve of top-end premium cars from the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes the technology is now more widespread and available on small cars.

You open the door, sit in the car and before you’ve even set down your phone and other belongings, your car’s infotainment system lights up and says, “Hello Nimisha”. Every time, relentlessly, like a teacher chasing you for an over-due assignment or an over-excited friend reminding you about their Halloween party with a daily, morning Whatsapp message.
But the real trick here is if your friend owns one of these BMWs and you manage to get in their driver profile so that you can change their name, and the BMW can welcome your friend with a “Hello Boomer”, or anything else you fancy.

Is there anything more annoying than someone asking, “what percentage battery are you on?” so that they can borrow your charger? It is my charger, It doesn’t matter what percentage I’m on, you will get it once my phone’s fully charged.
Well, Hyundai has taken this to another level with their Ioniq 5. This car comes with a vehicle-to-load capability which allows you to charge other electronics using the car’s battery. So now your friends can ask, “what percentage is your car on”. Great.

Car manufacturers have been making a lot of noise about self-driving cars for the past few years. While there’s still a long way to go before we get to full autonomy, the technology has come on vast amounts in the last decade. Tesla's 'Autopilot' function is probably the most famous, but in truth, lots of carmakers now offer tech that will pretty much drive the car for you (including steering, throttle and brakes) on the motorway or in traffic jams, as long as you keep your hands on the wheel. The latest Audi A8 was also the first car to offer technology that can achieve the official Level Three classification of autonomy, which means you can do other things - like watch TV or check your emails - while the car drives itself. Before you rush down to your Audi dealer, though, do bear in mind that this technology isn't yet legal in the UK

Keep reading

We've plenty of spooky Halloween stories, including:
The scariest cars from the screen The UK's most haunted roads And much more!