Keeping up with the times means a few things. It means hearing new music on the radio, watching the news, trying out the latest video games. For vehicle manufacturers, keeping up with the times is another battle entirely. Honda is one of the most well-known manufacturers on the planet, and its vehicles have graced international markets for decades. What could arguably be considered the best part of Honda’s vehicles is their ability to keep up with the times, which is important to do within a constantly evolving industry? One facet which evolved with the times was luxury, more specifically, interiors with a strong focus on comfort, entertainment, and convenience. All three combine to lend an unrivaled experience in the name of quality, and your local used luxury car dealer will help you find all of the features you want at competitive prices.
Back in the earliest days of automobiles, what was considered luxury soon became commonplace. This trend continues to this day – groundbreaking features once reserved for a crowd consisting of rich enthusiasts eventually trickle their way down to the everyday vehicle. With that said, vehicles nowadays can be found with all sorts of amenities at lower prices, but this idea of luxury hasn’t subsided whatsoever. Manufacturers continue to explore luxury in ways that are both creative and straightforward. We’re going to go over a few features you should keep your eye out for, so let’s get started.
Leather Heated Seats
We wanted to put these two together because leather seats and heated seats, while not always matched together, form a perfect blend of luxury. Heating elements are especially useful for leather seats in those times when you’re traveling somewhere cold, but this isn’t always the case for everyone. With that said, there are a few types of leather you can look for. For example, you got your traditional leather trim, you have synthetic leather – commonly referred to as ‘leatherette,’ and then you have the premium options such as the Accord’s leather seats with a Katzkin’s custom-fit cover on top.
Heated seats are ideal for the wintertime, of course, but in regions where it’s hot out year-round, ventilated seats are going to be your best friend. Sure, leather seats may be hard to sit in when it’s cold outside, but it’s arguably worse sitting on a leather chair in the summertime. Ventilated seats will ensure your legs don’t stick to your leather seats, and overall it’s rather cool – yes, pun intended. Leather seats also complement the likes of leather-wrapped steering wheels and shifter knobs, which can also be found in vehicles with cloth seats. However, unifying the look across the board can go a long way, so try to get yourself some leather seats.
Power-Adjustable Seating
Okay, so power-adjustable seating may be more standard across the board than ever before, but all implementations aren’t equal. For example, some vehicles may offer 6 or 8-ways of adjustment, but Honda vehicles, such as in the Accord, can have 12-ways of movement – not just for the driver, but the passenger can get a 4-way power-adjustable chair too. Why is this important? This is important for a couple of reasons, most notably a wider range of movement to position the seat to your liking.
It’s quite simple – vehicles with more adjustment positions, such as the 4 or 12-way seats Honda offers, will be more comfortable than seats with fewer degrees of freedom or manually-adjustable seats. And of course, the second reason is that manufacturers far too often leave the passenger with a manually-adjustable chair, but various Honda vehicles, such as the Accord, can rectify this mistake. Additionally, the 12-way seats include 4-way power lumbar support, and whether you’ve had lower back pain in the past or not, this will ensure you’re not damaging your back in the long term, thanks to healthy posture.
Honda Sensing
Honda Sensing is a suite of safety features, and it’s commonly standard on Honda vehicles nowadays. This safety suite rivals some of the best out there by competing manufacturers and is easily a large benefit for anyone who purchases a Honda vehicle, new or used. Honda Sensing has been accomplished thanks in part to underlying intelligent tech designed by Honda engineers. Although safety may not be the first thing you think of when you hear the term “luxury,” it’s one aspect of Honda vehicles that stands out from the crowd. This is because you’ll find it throughout the lineup, even on lower-tier trims.
With the Honda Sensing suite, you’ll get four standard safety features, these being a Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Lane Keeping Assist System, and lastly, Adaptive Cruise Control with built-in Low-Speed Follow. The first of these features, the Collision Mitigation System, uses autonomous braking to prevent the impact of another vehicle or a pedestrian, but this includes an alert function to gain the driver’s attention before it occurs.
When you’re traveling on the freeway, the remaining standard Honda Sensing features will vastly increase your safety. Adaptive Cruise Control can be activated much like regular cruise control, but the difference is your vehicle will automatically slow down to keep a proper distance between vehicles ahead of you, and when the path is clear, the vehicle will bring itself back up to the speed you initially set.
The Lane Keeping Assist System may activate when you’re slightly turning your vehicle at a road bend, for example. Drivers will try their best to keep centered in their lane when turning, but sometimes this can be difficult. The Lane Keeping Assist System can visualize the lanes on the road, and it’ll use this data to help you steer, but subtly enough to feel natural and not forced. Lastly, the Road Departure Mitigation System is used for another situation – when the driver has lost focus of the road. If this ever occurs, the Road Departure Mitigation System will attempt to realign the vehicle, or in more severe cases, can stop the vehicle to avoid falling off the road entirely.
Beauty in Simplicity
Luxury may have a different definition depending on who you ask, but one thing is for certain – if you’re looking for a used comfortable vehicle with its fair share of modern amenities, then a Honda vehicle is our recommendation. While we listed a few luxury features, these three blend together to form a vehicle that feels both luxurious and contemporary enough to fit in with the everyday crowd. It’s all about what’s on the inside, but that’s not to say the vehicles aren’t stylish either. One thing we can all agree on is Honda is a respectable brand, and if we could best describe the assortment of Honda features against the competition, it’s that quality beats quantity.
Unfortunately autonomous driving isn’t the way of the world yet. How amazing would it be to relax in your vehicle while being transported to your destination? While we may be waiting at least a few years for this, we have a lengthy history of Honda vehicles to select from, and let’s just say the past will run the future for its money. Fortunately for you, used Honda vehicles can easily be found at your local dealership, but make sure you mention the features we’ve listed above. If you’re already making your next driving experience that much better than your last one, which you’ll already be doing by purchasing a Honda, then luxury features will enhance it even further.
