16 Car Features Only a Mother Could Love

If the oft-repeated statement is true — that being a mother is the most important job in the world — at least car manufacturers are trying to make it a little bit easier for the moms out there. Driving around a bunch of kids is a chore, but a thoughtful touch can make carpooling duty more convenient. Popular family-friendly vehicles, like station wagons and crossovers, are often the first to receive new high-tech features that help make your most precious cargo safer and more comfortable. And, as you’ll see, some of our favorite options don’t even need any technical wizardry.

Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting and convenient family-friendly features that are offered on the current crop of SUVs, minivans, wagons and sedans.

The Toyota Highlander and Toyota Sienna both offer a feature called Driver Easy Speak that’s designed to help moms’ voices be heard. Shouting to the passengers loaded in the back of a cavernous SUV or minivan is no fun, and it can be dangerous and distracting. Even more, it’s a little too easy for the kids back there to pretend they can’t hear what’s going on. So, without turning around or taking eyes off the road, Mom can activate the Driver Easy Speak system through Toyota’s infotainment screen, and talk into a built-in microphone (the same one used for the Bluetooth smartphone interface). Whatever the driver says is then amplified through all the speakers in the vehicle. No more turning around just to give the kids a good scolding.

Vehicles that offer Easy Speak microphone:
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Sienna

The Honda Odyssey is full of so many clever features Mom's would love, that it deserves its own article, but one that is so simple, yet so helpful, is the purse hook located just left of the glovebox - within reach of the purse-slinging driver. Sure, minivans are made for convenience, not image, but this hook could have many uses beyond the simple purse holder. It could hold a trash bag, a bag of groceries, a wet bathing suit or a one-shot camera.

Vehicles that offer purse hanger:
Honda Odyssey (passenger-side)
Kia Sedona (back of front seat)
Toyota Sienna (2^nd and 3^rd rows)

Ford’s entry keypad has been around for awhile, but that doesn’t make it any less relevant. The latest SecuriCode system, available on most Ford models, is just as convenient for parents as ever, and offers some benefits that would have blown the hubcaps off Grandma’s old Taurus. If you can’t dig out your keys while struggling with grocery bags, or mischievous kids lock the door from the inside, a five-digit code is all it takes and you’re in again. But that’s not all. Pressing certain keys can also unlock all the car’s doors, open the power liftgate (if the car has one), and activate the driver’s memory settings for radio and seat preferences.

Vehicles that offer Keyless Entry: 
Select Ford models 

Most female drivers, not just moms, could use a good place to tuck away a purse, and in many cases, a mom-sized bag. Not only do these roomy consoles keep purses and other valuables away from sticky little fingers, they also keep them hidden from strangers’ prying eyes. 

Vehicles that offer large center consoles:
Acura MDX
Ford F-150
Honda Odyssey
Kia Sedona
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Sequoia

In-floor storage prevents daily drivers from turning into chaotic playrooms. And with cars like the Dodge Caravan, Dodge Journey and Honda Odyssey conveniently situating in-floor storage in the rear passenger area, kids can play an active role in keeping their toys and sports equipment out of sight. 

Vehicles that offer in-floor storage:
Acura MDXAcura TSX Sport Wagon (retired)
Chrysler Town & Country
Dodge Grand CaravanDodge Journey
Honda Odyssey
Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan Quest
Toyota Sienna

Tired of finding empty juice boxes in the door pockets, sticky candy wrappers wedged between the seats, and drive-thru receipts on the floor? (Come on, you know the kids aren’t the only ones guilty of littering in the car.) The designers of the Honda Odyssey understand all too well how quickly a minivan can become a rolling dumpster, because getting to your destination safely is your priority, and keeping the car spotless, well, isn’t. So, now some Odyssey models come with a removable center console that features a trash bag holder. This flip-up ring can use regular trash bags, but it’s also a great way to recycle plastic grocery bags. So easy, the kids might even remember to use it. 

Vehicles that offer trash bag ring: 
Honda Odyssey

The Ford Flex is known for its polarizing styling, but moms love its vast array of family-friendly features. One of the most popular options is the refrigerated center console in the passenger area, with enough room to hold enough juice boxes, water bottles, or fruit to make any road trip go a little more smoothly. The console actually runs off a compressor, which means it offers a refrigeration setting of 41 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as a freezer setting of 23 degrees Fahrenheit. This chill console is only available as an add-on feature on the Flex’s fancier trim levels, when equipped with second-row captain’s chairs (which means, unfortunately, it reduces the vehicle’s maximum available seating by one). But just think of how refreshing it’ll be after soccer practice!

Vehicles that offer a cool chamber:
Ford Flex
Dodge Journey
Honda Odyssey
Land Rover Range Rover (optional feature)
Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Moms no longer have to worry about “What’s going on back there?” with the clever conversation mirror. Situated above the rear-view mirror, the spyglass provides a panoramic view of the backseat so moms can safely keep an eye on sleeping babies and backseat shenanigans without having to turn their heads away from the road.

Vehicles that offer conversation mirror:
Chrysler Town & Country
Dodge Grand Caravan
Dodge Journey
Kia Sedona
Honda Pilot
Honda CR-V
Hyundai Entourage
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Sienna

Several SUVs on the market offer a hands-free liftgate, enabling the driver to swipe her foot under the rear bumper without fumbling around for the key or putting shopping bags on the ground. (The key fob has to be nearby, though.) However, Cadillac claims the recently updated system on the 2015 Escalade is the first of its kind in the class. The Escalade’s motion-sensing liftgate is programmable, so instead of opening all the way, the liftgate will only open to a predetermined height. That’s right, no more hitting the garage ceiling when the liftgate automatically opens! And shorter moms won’t have to jump or struggle to close the gate, either; the Escalade shuts the door with another swipe of the foot.

Vehicles that offer motion-sensing liftgate:
Cadillac Escalade
Ford Escape
Volvo XC90

Born out of the brilliant idea of a Honda engineer's 10-year-old daughter, the Honda Odyssey's HondaVac is powerful enough to suck up all the remnant Cheerios that kids leave behind. 

Vehicles that offer built-in vacuum: 
Honda Odyssey

The last thing a mom needs after working so hard to obtain peace and quiet is for it to be disrupted by loss of power. With built-in power outlets ranging from 12-120 volts, kids can keep their electrical devices juiced up and stay industrious throughout the drive.

Vehicles that offer power outlets:
Dodge Grand Caravan
Dodge Journey
Ford Escape
Honda Odyssey
Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan Quest
Toyota 4-Runner

With eyes on the road and kids strapped in the back, moms simply don’t need — and can’t afford — another distraction on the road. But whether it’s work or family, sometimes text messages simply can’t go unanswered. No worries, the Honda CR-V can help out with that. When a compatible smartphone is connected to the CR-V’s infotainment system, the driver will be notified with a pop-up on the screen when a new text message is received. Then, the driver can opt to have the message read aloud, and can use the system’s controls to select one of six pre-programmed responses. For safety’s sake, though, only certain actions can be completed while the CR-V is in motion.

Vehicles that offer audio text streaming: 
Honda CR-V
Chevy Volt

Chrysler really wants buyers of the Chrysler 300 sedan to be comfortable, right down to their beverage choices. Sometimes you don’t need a whole refrigerator — sometimes just a cupholder will do. The Chrysler 300 offers dedicated spots to keep Mom’s coffee hot and the kid’s sippy cup cool, both within arm’s reach. It’s a convenient way to extend the usable (or at least, desirable) life of on-the-go beverages. After all, it’s probably hard to find a child who actually enjoys warm juice. For a bit of added visual appeal, the rings inside the cupholders are color-coded — red for hot and blue for cold — and the red ring glows when the car’s heat is on.  

Vehicles that offer hod and cold cup holders:
Cadillac Escalade
Chrysler 300
Mercedes-Benz GL350 and GL450 (Premium Package)
Mercedes-Benz GL550

The competition among SUVs and crossovers is so hot that the coveted third-row seat is almost compulsory. Getting back there — and strapping kids in — sometimes seems like a job best suited for a contortionist, though. The 2016 Honda Pilot has introduced the one-touch second row adjustment on some trim levels. It can be operated by either of two seat-mounted buttons, so it’s easy to reach. The second row automatically slides forward, and can be manually pushed or pulled back into place. Since car manufacturers are finding ways to squeeze that precious extra row into smaller and smaller cars, it wouldn’t be surprising if this feature starts to turn up everywhere.

Vehicles that offer one-touch access to third row:
Acura MDX
Honda Pilot
Toyota 4-Runner (optional feature)
Toyota Sequoia

Arguably the best car feature invented to preserve a mom’s sanity during long drives – the in-car entertainment system. The second best invention? The split-screen in-car entertainment system. No more squabbling over who gets to watch what, or play what, as the duo-screen allows for simultaneous viewing activity.

Vehicles that offer split-screen:
Acura MDX (optional feature)
Honda Odyssey Touring Elite
Toyota Sienna XLE Premium and Limited Premium

We’ve already talked a bit about the 2016 Honda Pilot, but this SUV has another cool feature that’s worth mentioning. Rear- and side-view cameras are pretty boilerplate options on new cars these days, but the Pilot’s is a little different. This Honda offers a choice of three viewpoints from its camera, including one that provides a view straight to the ground. This unique vantage point offers one more way for moms to make sure there’s nothing in the Pilot’s path — toys, the family cat, lost socks — before taking off. And the view can be easily accessed, and changed, in the Pilot’s infotainment system.

Vehicles that offer under-the-car camera view:
Honda Pilot