NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Creature comforts appeal to all

NZ Herald
2 Dec, 2013 04:30 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

iPod connectivity and cup holders kings of must-have creature comforts

iPod connectivity and cup holders kings of must-have creature comforts

It is a truth universally acknowledged that people buy new cars based on sensible things like fuel efficiency and safety.

But let's pretend - outrageously unlikely as it might seem - that many buying decisions are based on much more superficial comfort and convenience features. That the ability to play your iPod through the car stereo or being climate controlled in summer have much bigger impacts on the average buying decision.

What are the top comfort and convenience features, where did they come from and where are they going?

iPod integration

The majority of new cars now have some form of iPod integration. Be honest now, would you really consider a new car without it?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That'd be akin to having nowhere to put your giant cup of coffee (more on that later).

You can argue about the virtues and market share of specific smartphone operating systems all you like (don't get me started), but when it comes to portable music players the dominance of Apple's iPod over the last decade has ensured that it's now recognised as a standard by the automotive industry.

Carmakers have offered auxiliary plugs for portable players since the early 1990s (Mitsubishi was the first to have the feature as original equipment). But true integration - the ability to control the player through the car's own switchgear and ultimately view information from the device on the vehicle dashboard - only happened because the iPod was all-conquering.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Apple worked with BMW back in 2004 to provide iPod integration, and soon other companies such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Volvo joined in. The iPod, iPod Touch and iPhone have remained the standard for in-car audio, with many carmakers offering full functionality from a standard USB input (although some still require a bespoke plug).

Where to from here? Apple is now working on ways of incorporating its full iOS into vehicle dashboard displays, but in terms of in-car audio we're already well into the next phase and it doesn't require any cables: Bluetooth streaming, anybody?

Cupholders

Heated cup holders are a must-have feature.
Heated cup holders are a must-have feature.

Where would we be without some place to put a large cup in the car? Probably right back in 1950s America, when the rise of drive-through fast-food restaurants resulted in millions of cups of soft drink and coffee being split in cars, as people attempted to drink and drive.

Discover more

New Zealand

LA Auto Show 2013: Hot cars

20 Nov 10:05 PM
New Zealand

BMW makes green cool

23 Nov 04:30 PM
New Zealand

Green award for Honda's hybrids

26 Nov 11:00 PM
New Zealand

Mercedes-Benz S-Class: What we'll get

28 Nov 09:19 PM

Cupholders evolved slowly, and which carmaker offered the first proper in-car one is hard to say. It would definitely have been American though, as so many of these comfort and convenience features are.

The cupholder is still king in American cars: many sales rest on the size and location of cup conduits. Many modern cars will accommodate one-litre-plus cups, because that's what fast-food outlets now serve. Some carmakers have even resorted to cupholder heating and cooling technology in recent years: take a bow, Chrysler.

Saab had arguably the coolest cupholder design ever: a spring-loaded swivel-action mount for the 9-5 that also made its way into contemporary Holden Commodore models.

However, you can't escape the impression that many European carmakers view cupholders as a necessary evil. French ones in particular. How else do you explain cupholders barely big enough for an evening espresso?

Cruise control

Cruise control is a must-have feature.
Cruise control is a must-have feature.

You can certainly make a case for cruise control being a safety feature, but what it mainly does is allow the driver to relax. And possibly read the paper in the morning traffic. Just kidding, honest.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The concept of cruise control dates back to the dawn of the motor vehicle - inspired, no doubt, by the ability of steam engines to maintain a constant speed. The first modern cruise control system was offered on the 1958 Chrysler Imperial, but an electronic system was not developed until the 1960s.

Electronics opened the door to adaptive cruise control (ACC) - where the car can not only maintain a constant speed but also speed up or slow down to keep the correct distance from the car in front. An early adaptive system was offered by Mitsubishi in 1995, with Toyota/Lexus and Mercedes-Benz being among the first to offer fully functioning ACC in the late-1990s.

The best modern ACC systems will now brake right down to a standstill and can accelerate away again with a touch of the throttle, thanks to sophisticated camera and radar systems.

Heated and ventilated seats

Heated car seats are a must-have.
Heated car seats are a must-have.

Ah, the joy of a heated seat in winter. Not to mention the equally excellent (but rarer) sensation of a cool seat in summer. Heated seats are associated more closely with Saab than any other maker, although the first production car to have them was (no surprise here) American as well: a 1966 model year Cadillac.

Saab was, however, the first maker to introduce ventilated seats, in the 1998 9-5. If the bragging rights to cooled seats can't save an ailing car company, what can?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Air conditioning

Air conditioning is one of those in-car luxuries that nobody would really want to do without now.

It's been around for longer than you think. Again, Americans rule: Packard offered a Weather Conditioner in the late-1930s, but the genesis of modern air conditioning lies with Chrysler in the 1950s: the system offered on the Imperial both cooled and recirculated air, and drivers had a variety of settings to choose from.

Many modern air conditioning systems are still manually operated, but climate control - the ability to choose a temperature and stick with it - is now commonplace.

Cadillac nailed the climate control thing back in 1964, but Rolls-Royce was the first to offer digital climate control. Must have seemed positively space-age in 1975.

Or how about Lexus' claim that its latest climate systems contain nanoe ions that purify the air?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Future advances in air conditioning will lie not necessarily in functionality but in efficiency. A number of companies (including divisions of Fiat and Ford) are working on a project called Thermal Systems Integration For Fuel Economy (TIFFE), which aims to develop air conditioning technology that requires much less energy and therefore has much less of an effect on fuel economy.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
New Zealand

Love this City: The wind in Luxon’s hair, better housing and more dogs, roads and Matariki magic

04 Jul 05:00 PM
New Zealand

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Thomas Coughlan: Govt mulls dramatic local government reform, slashing councils

04 Jul 05:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
Love this City: The wind in Luxon’s hair, better housing and more dogs, roads and Matariki magic

Love this City: The wind in Luxon’s hair, better housing and more dogs, roads and Matariki magic

04 Jul 05:00 PM

Opinion: Goings on at Auckland Council and other highlights of the week.

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Thomas Coughlan: Govt mulls dramatic local government reform, slashing councils

Thomas Coughlan: Govt mulls dramatic local government reform, slashing councils

04 Jul 05:00 PM
‘Huge growth potential’: Willis on wool challenges during visit to NZ’s biggest scourer

‘Huge growth potential’: Willis on wool challenges during visit to NZ’s biggest scourer

04 Jul 05:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP