When it comes to cars, most people think of standard features like air conditioning, navigation systems, and leather seats. However, some vehicles go above and beyond, incorporating innovative and quirky features that set them apart from the rest.
From recreating the night sky inside your car to having an espresso machine on the go, these extraordinary features offer a blend of luxury, convenience, and sheer ingenuity.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class and E-Class: Energising comfort control
Mercedes-Benz is renowned for luxury and innovation, and their Energising Comfort Control feature epitomises this.
Available in high-end models like the S-Class and E-Class, this feature combines climate control, ambient lighting, seat massage, and scent to create the perfect driving mood for you and your passengers.
This multi-sensory experience transforms the mundane into something magical, making every journey a pleasure.
BMW: Gesture control
BMW has always been at the forefront of integrating technology with driving pleasure, and their Gesture Control system is a testament to this.
Available in select BMW models, this feature allows you to control aspects like volume and navigation with simple hand gestures.
Picture yourself driving, and with a mere twirl of your finger, the volume of your favourite radio station increases. Need to reject a call? A quick swipe to the right does the trick. It’s not magic, but it certainly feels like it.
This feature makes you feel like a wizard behind the wheel, adding a touch of fun and ease to your driving experience.
Rolls-Royce: Starlight headliner
Rolls-Royce is synonymous with opulence, and their Starlight Headliner feature is one of the most beautiful and unique additions you can find in a car.
This feature essentially turns the inside of your car into your very own night sky, with hundreds of fibre-optic lights acting as stars.
What’s even more special is that you can customise your sky, always looking at your favourite stars or surrounding yourself with the night of a special date.
It’s like being transported back to your childhood bedroom, gazing up at glow-in-the-dark stars, but in a far more luxurious and adult way.
Range Rover: Event seating
Have you ever driven your Range Rover to an event, say your child’s rugby match, and forgotten to bring your fold-up camping chairs?
Bit niche, granted, but if you ever find yourself in this predicament, you’ll be glad that you’ve added the Range Rover Autobiography’s optional event seating.
Finished in a choice of either ebony or tan Windsor leather, this retractable bench turns your boot into a plush seating area before folding away under the boot floor. It’s handy, elegant, and a perfect example of how luxury can also be practical.
Bentley Bentayga: Falconry and fly fishing accessories
If you have a niche interest, Bentley is likely to cater to it. The Bentayga’s options list is crammed with some of the most unusual features, including a Mulliner falconry kit and a Mulliner fly fishing kit.
The falconry kit comes complete with a perch, tether, and storage area for your bird of prey. Meanwhile, the fly fishing kit includes four fishing rods in their own leather-trimmed tubes, a cool box for your catch, and a Master Tackle Station for those ever-important accessories.
McLaren 720S: Folding display
With the 720S, McLaren has tackled one of the most pressing issues of our automotive times: what to do when the driver’s display is so jam-packed with information that it just starts to annoy you.
McLaren knows this. So to fix it, minimise distractions and maximise visibility, they’ve made it so that the driver’s display screen can be folded away into the dash, replaced by a second, much smaller screen that reveals only the most basic of information.
This innovation allows you to focus on the road without unnecessary distractions. It’s a clever solution that underscores McLaren’s commitment to creating a driving experience that’s as enjoyable as it is technologically advanced.
Genesis GV60: Crystal sphere
Perhaps one of the most useless features ever created, there’s no denying that the crystal sphere in the Genesis GV60 is dead cool. Essentially, it’s a glass ball set into the centre console that glows when you approach the car with the key.
When you start the car, the sphere rotates in and transforms into the rotary-knob gear selector, glowing the same colour as the sphere.
It all feels very sci-fi, but Genesis claims it’s not just delightfully useless. The sphere acts as a safety feature: when it’s retracted, the car is on and ready to drive. If the car is charging, the sphere won’t rotate, saving you from driving off with the cable attached.
Ford Puma: Megabox
Got a big family or muddy hobbies? The Ford Puma Megabox is exactly what you need. It’s a lower load compartment in the boot providing an extra 80 litres of boot space and able to take items up to 115 cm tall.
The box is also waterproof with a drainage plug in the bottom, so you can easily clean it or hose items down in it.
This is excellent if you’re often transporting muddy wellies, football boots, or really anything else you don’t want to get all over the back seats. It’s practical, clever, and exactly the kind of feature that makes everyday life just a little bit easier.
BYD ATTO 3: Quirky interior features
The BYD ATTO 3 is the definition of business on the outside, party on the inside. To look at, you’d never know that the pretty sensible exterior of the brand-new EV housed such fun features, with nearly everything you put your hand on in the cabin having some sort of quirky twist.
Air vents modelled after weight plates? Check. Gear selector that looks like a treadmill? Check. Guitar string door pockets that actually let you play a tune? You got it – check.
Even the touch screen rotates so you can have it in either landscape or portrait. A BYD ATTO 3 lease is one of the best around.
Audi and Fiat: Espresso machine
Perhaps more weirdly for the German manufacturer (but making total sense for the Italian one), both the Fiat 500L and pretty much any Audi model can be equipped with an on-the-go espresso maker.
The Audi model plugs into the 12V outlet while the Fiat machine sits in a powered cupholder, but the mobile coffee machine for both brands can produce piping hot espresso in a matter of minutes.
While you can only use it while the car is safely parked – no mid-traffic jam coffee breaks here – if you like a little coffee when you’re on a long journey but don’t want to pay service station prices, this is an excellent compromise.
The Audi package even comes complete with Audi-branded carrying cases, two espresso cups, 18 pods, and a cleaning cloth.
Whether you’re a car enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates the finer details, these features remind us that the future of driving is filled with endless possibilities and delightful surprises.
