Interesting Car Features That Were Discontinued

Car manufacturers have been looking for ways to include features that make their cars stand out. That involves including complex features that normally wouldn't have been a part of the car. Sometimes, features like digital infotainment systems stick around, but certain features might've been included for the right intentions but have later fizzled out. These features aren't bad, but they could've been considered too unnecessary to fit in a car. So, let us take a look at some such features.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com

Dimmer switches on the floor

The light dimmer switch was implanted on the floor to control the brightness of the car. It also lighted up the speedometer temperature readings. Finally, after 50 years, the switch was moved near the steering wheel to make it easier for the driver.

Rear hinged door

Unlike today, the cars before had doors that hinged on the rear part instead of the front part. These doors were known as “suicide doors” since they had a major design flaw and were extremely dangerous.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com

Speedometers with limit – 85 mph

This is a pretty irrelevant feature in today's day and age. Earlier, the most the cars were allowed to go was 55 mph. This was to save fuel consumption. But now the range has increased significantly.

Full-size spare tires

This is one of the key features that people would love to have. Having full-sized spare tires could be a blessing. But car manufacturers discontinued this practice to save cost and area.

Horn Rings

This feature was primarily included as a safety measure for the customers. But there was a major problem with this feature. The driver had to remove one hand from the steering completely to honk. Now, it is much easier for the drivers. Both the hands can be on the steering – even one finger is enough to honk the horn.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com

Combined bench seats

One of the most popular features was a combined bench instead of the individual seats that occupy the front cabin. 4 skinny people could easily fit into these seats. However, these seats were quite comfortable for the driver and were difficult to sit in. Soon, these were swapped out for individual seats.

Vent Window

Vent windows were small triangular windows attached to the main window. These could be controlled separately, and the main purpose was the increase air ventilation inside the cabin. However, the progress in air conditioning systems made these windows irrelevant and discontinued.

Lighters and ashtrays

These features were mainly incorporated for smokers. For non-smokers, this was a way to store coins and other small items. However, it seemed like a wasted space, after which these were replaced with phone chargers!

The intense competition witnessed in the automobile sector is a clear indicator that more such interesting features will continue to be experimented with; whether they become popular is another matter altogether.