Top Ten Things Women Like About Cars

Convenience

I like clothes hooks in the cargo area so that dry cleaning won't be next to kids; a center console box large enough for a purse; visor mirrors on both sides in the front; good visibility; hooks for purses or jackets on the side of the driver's seat; easy to fold or lift back seats; low lift-over at the rear of a sedan or wagon; fold-flat seats, front to back so you can carry long items without lashing them to the roof; rear cupholders in armrests; light colored but easy-to-clean seat fabrics. (JL)

Efficiency and Safety

The most important attributes for a vehicle are fuel efficiency; air bags all around; visibility (some car designs block ALOT of things around); air conditioning; tight steering and responsive acceleration; ABS; a place for my purse (not the passenger or rear seats); cupholders; rear view defrost; and cruise control. (JR)

iPod and Torque

What appeals to me the most is plenty of low-end torque; a serious place for my purse; good tactile feel to all materials; the ‘feel’ of the steering wheel; large buttons and gauges; no navigation (nav systems are a distraction); good seats that are well-bolstered and comfortable; electronic side mirrors; stylish fabric…not leather; and an outlet for my iPod. (KML)

Cupholders and Roof Rack

I want minimum repairs and high gas mileage; all-wheel-drive for all types of weather; vanity mirrors on both visors; a cupholder big enough for chunky mugs; a cell phone charger that works when the car is off; dual moon/sun roof; two trip meters to keep track of gas as well as other odd mileage count; a roof rack that can handle anything from my mountain bike to the couch I found in the dumpster; a good color; easy-to-clean seats and floor so grapes and goldfish crackers are not there forever. (AM)

Heated Seats, Hot Looks

What I desire the most is a car with heated seats for my tired back, preferably leather-clad; great air conditioning for hot flashes; duo climate control; automatic adjustable steering wheel with controls on the steering wheel and mirrors with controls; a dead pedal; a very deep center console; rubber-backed coin holders and cup holders; a well-lit makeup mirror; lots of torque; and a car that makes me feel sexy, pretty, and hot! (HR)

Cupholders

As a woman with children, cupholders are a must…the kind that adjusts to keep spills to a minimum. Also nice are built-in car seats for kids. I need great music, so a complete stereo system with good speakers is a must; a DVD player for the back seats; comfortable seats for driver and all passengers; fabric that cleans up easily from spills; all-wheel-drive or 4WD for the winter roads; good mirrors, a back-up camera; and one more thing that I hate about newer cars is that some have temporary spares; I’d like all cars to have a real tire for a spare! (KG)

Environment

Important to me…safety (impact and handling); the environmental impact of the car; reliability; COLOR; body style (color and body style have to be in the right combination); good visibility all around; steering wheel controls for radio, cruise control, etc.; rear air conditioning; head clearance getting into and out of the vehicle and a front passenger seat with full automatic controls. (CC)

Style and Maintenance

My number one "thing" would be a good maintenance track record; when it does need a little help, you don't have to take apart half the car to reach a light bulb; I also don't want to drive anything that looks dowdy or frumpy. I wouldn't buy a sports car because that isn't the season of life I'm in, but I will go to great lengths to drive anything other than a minivan. I can't help but be wowed with the details of the car...like lots of cupholders; organizational helps; and the latest technology. (LK)

DVD Convenience

Built-in child safety seats; sturdy cupholders with adjustable foam inserts; seats that fold flat into the floor rather than needing to be taken out; inputs for mp3 players and cell phone chargers; headlights that turn off automatically; communication system for emergencies in places without cell service; running boards on SUVs so kids can get in and out by themselves, and portable DVD hook-up capability. Also, leather seats…it’s much easier to keep clean! (KM)

Safety and Comfort

When I think of designing the perfect vehicle for me, I start with top-notch safety features; excellent reliability; all-wheel-drive or 4WD traction; good visibility in all directions; rear crash avoidance and rear camera; easy ingress and egress for my size, whether in jeans and flip-flops or a dress and high heels; built-in booster seats for children; comfortable seating with heated seats for winter and to coddle bad backs; respectable fuel economy; plentiful stowage and cubbies and an integrated roof rack that doesn’t whistle in the wind.
(SM, author)