How to Choose Car Configurations When Buying a Car?
3 Answers
When buying a car, you can select configurations based on three aspects: safety, operational convenience, and others. First, consider safety-related configurations. Next are some high-tech features inside the car that make operations simpler, more convenient, and more user-friendly. Finally, there are some completely useless configurations. The details are as follows: 1. Safety configurations: Not all safety features are worth purchasing. For example, the number of airbags is very useful. Current car models generally come standard with four airbags—two in the front to protect the driver and front passenger, and two in the rear to protect backseat passengers. Volvo, known for its safety, offers some models with nearly thirty airbags and curtains. This level of protection is undoubtedly different from that of just four airbags. 2. Practical configurations: Features like tire pressure monitoring, ESP (Electronic Stability Program), ABS+EBD, rearview cameras, and dash cams can make driving simpler and more convenient. 3. Meaningless configurations: The automatic headlight cleaning function is the first to come to mind. It’s estimated that 90% of people have never used it. Other examples include hill descent control, brake assist, adaptive headlights, and built-in navigation—all of which are more flashy than practical. Ultimately, the choice of configurations should depend on the car owner’s personal preferences and usual driving environment. What one person finds useless, another might highly appreciate.
When choosing car configurations, I place great emphasis on practicality since it's something I use every day. Features like automatic air conditioning, rearview camera, and rear USB ports are must-haves—once you're used to them, you really can't do without. Fancy configurations like ambient lighting and paddle shifters don't interest me; they cost extra and are prone to breaking. If genuine leather seats are too expensive as a factory option, I'd rather retrofit them later. Maintenance costs also need careful consideration—the repair bills for top-trim models loaded with electronics can be frightening. In the end, I only opted for cruise control when placing my order because I often drive on highways, but for city commutes, I didn’t even choose a sunroof. Isn’t saving 20,000 yuan for gas a better deal?
As a tech enthusiast choosing car configurations, I prioritize the level of intelligence. The infotainment system must be smooth, and smartphone connectivity and voice control are must-haves—otherwise, I'd have to mount my phone for navigation, which is a hassle. Among the autonomous driving assistance features, I only opted for adaptive cruise control; lane-keeping assist is completely redundant for an experienced driver like me. Flashy features like AR navigation were skipped—I’m afraid they’ll be outdated by next year. However, I did check the automatic emergency braking—it saved me once when I almost rear-ended someone. As for automatic parking? During the test drive, it only succeeded once out of three attempts. Such impractical features are pure gimmicks.
