Luxury: Cleaner air, and lights and seats that calm

Nov 30, 2009

Special to the Star

How do you define luxury? In the automotive world, the question is getting harder to answer.

Features like power windows, automatic climate controls, or concert hall quality sound systems that were once only the domain of prestige brands like Cadillac or Mercedes-Benz have migrated down to even the least expensive vehicles.

So like computer software makers, automakers have been adding features to help make their products stand out from the herd – whether customers are asking for them or not.

Here are three recently introduced, cutting-edge luxury features that may end up in your next family car:

Cleaner air

At one point in history, if you wanted some cool, fresh air in your car, you rolled down the windows.

It's been more than 70 years, though, since Packard introduced the first air conditioners in cars. No one "rolls" down windows anymore. And with climate controls that can set the cabin temperature of your car to the nth degree, getting the interior environment to your linking in a modern car is a given.

But what about those days when the Air Quality Health Index soars to intolerable levels? You may not want to be breathing the dirty air your car's HVAC system is drawing in.

That's where an in-car air purification system comes in, like the one in the Infiniti FX luxury crossover.

Dubbed the Advanced Climate Control System, Infiniti's technology uses an air ionizer that removes (or "neutralizes") airborne contaminants from inside your car.

First, the "Clean Mode" emits a low concentration of negative and positive ions that attach to airborne particles such as mold, fungi and spores. Infiniti says this causes an attraction to interior surfaces so they are no longer floating around, rendering them "harmless."

Second, an "Ion Mode" creates a high concentration of negative ions to impart a "freshness" or "crispness" to the air.

And for those concerned about their allergies, in addition, FX50 utilizes a new filter using fibre impregnated with "natural grape seed polyphenol."

This substance apparently has the ability to neutralize allergens that conventional filters cannot remove due to their incredibly small size (0.3 to 0.5 microns).

Mood lighting

Today, automakers offer more interior lighting options than an Ice Capades show. If you need your car's interior lighting to calm you, light up your cup holders, change to suit your mood, or beat to the bass of your sound system, then some automakers have a car for you.

A growing trend for automakers to differentiate their products economically is in the customization of a car's internal ambient lighting on dashboards, roofs, consoles and doors.

Most ambient lights are light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. They last longer, use less energy than a conventional bulb, and can be directed to specific areas in the cabin like power window switches without disturbing the driver.

One brand that has led in this area is Toyota's youth-oriented Scion brand, coming to Canada later next year.

Customization is key selling point for the brand. And most Scions offer ambient lighting on the floor and in the cup holders, with up to five different choices of colours.

Kia recently introduced a lighting system in its Soul that is embedded in the sound system's speakers. Whether you're listening to Bach, or Bachman-Turner-Overdrive, the lighting "pulses" to the beat of the music.

Onboard masseuse

Heated seats are almost becoming standard equipment on most Canadian new cars, and cooled seats have started to appear on some higher end models, but seats that can massage the driver are a more recent luxury feature.

Like some other cars, the Ford Taurus offers this to its front seat passengers, but Lexus has taken the idea of an onboard masseuse to the rear.

In its full-size LS luxury sedan, Lexus offers a multi-function "shiatsu" massage feature, developed in conjunction with a Japanese medical institute.

thestar.com