What Do You Want On Your Next Car?
I drive a Subaru Outback which has not been trouble free but for which I still have great affection. Buckets of cargo space, a very comfortable car-like ride, all-wheel drive, fabulous ground clearance and 25 to 30 mpg in non-city driving. I figure that I'll probably replace the Outback with another when the time comes, especially as the re-design of the Outback looks even better than the model I drive. And the turbocharger. Don't sleep on the 2.5 L turbo "boxer" engine.
But what features do I want on my next car that I don't have? First, I'd really like an automatic lift gate in back. I can't count how many times I've approached the back of the car with both hands full and the desire to put the burden directly into the car instead of on the ground to open the gate with the handle. Second, I want full iPod integration. I want a port I can plug the iPod directly into the dash instead of into a third party appliance that uses FM to connect to the car stereo. And while they're at it, integrate the iPod screen lighting with the dimmer on the dash. As long as the iPod is drawing power off the car, it can keep the screen lit so it's easy to see the current song. And then dim it down for night driving.
Really, those are the salient things. What do you want on your next car. And I mean for real - no anti-gravity drives please.