Five Must Have New Car Features for Holiday Road Trips

Jim Hamel November 27th, 2009 By Jim Hamel

Jim Hamel

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I am now the editor for one of High Gear Media's newest and most exciting sites called "InsiderCarReviews.com." I road test brand new vehicles each...More

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Keeping everyone in the car happy on a long holiday road trip is about as difficult as a Sunday evening dinner at the Palin residence when Playgirl baby-daddy Levi Johnston drops by. The awkward silences and bored glares can be enough to make anyone go a little crazy. So what sort of toys can you option on your next car to make these holiday rogue-trips, oops I mean road trips, go a little more smoothly?

Here are five must have new car features for holiday road trips.

Rear Seat DVD Player: How did anyone have children before the advent of the rear seat DVD player? Oh yes, I remember. We played the thrill a minute License Plate Game where you had to spot a plate from all fifty states during your drive. Please don't make your children go through that. It may teach them geography but who really needs to know how many states there are anyways?

Navigation: You may think you know where you are going but do you know the quickest way. This is an excellent driver aid as long as no one in the backseat decides to kvetch about which direction the little voice is trying to go. Why is it that people always argue with the electronic navigation voice? Carmakers, it's time to make a navigator that listens and talks back.

XM/Sirius Satellite Radio: Howard Stern, Oprah, Martha Stewart, oh my! Listen to your favorite talk shows, sports entertainment or music on the best darn radio on the planet. Makes regular radio utterly irrelevant.

Bluetooth: No, I am not talking about someone who needs to go to the dentist. This driver aid mean no more having to fumble with your cell phone as you're driving. As many states have outlawed cell phone use when driving this feature should really be standard on new cars.

Run-Flat Tires: Granted, they make the ride a little rougher in your car but if it can save you from having to stop in the middle of nowhere to change a flat isn't it worth it? Of course it is.