If you’re old enough, you’ll remember a time when the cheapest cars on the market could be purchased devoid of options. Scarlet letters of shame were assigned to four-wheel drum brakes, hubcaps on steel wheels, and a big delete plate over where the big-shot edition’s air-conditioning controls would be. Times have changed, and so has the list of basic options. Wide-ranging consumer demand for gadgets and amenities has helped amortize their costs, such that on many models, it’s simply not worth it for the automaker to design and manufacture, say, a door panel with space for both a hand crank and power-window mechanisms. It’s one case of the trickle-down theory actually working; we don’t miss the days of cranking the window up with one hand while helping it with the other. Here, we’ve calculated the small share of stripper hallmarks installed in new passenger cars for sale in the U.S.:
1% Fixed Steering Column
All the vehicles with fixed steering columns are two-box vehicles: a few vans and the Smart Fortwo.
GM
Passenger/cargo Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna
Kia
Rio LX (tilt/no telescope)
Mazda
MX5 (tilt/no telescope)
Mercedes-Benz/Daimler
Smart Fortwo
Nissan
NV200 – all grades
Toyota/Scion
Yaris (tilt/no telescope)
1% No Air Conditioning
With the exception of high-end sports cars that offer to delete the A/C as masochistic peacockery, the Nissan Frontier and the Jeep Wrangler, Wrangler Unlimited, Renegade, and Patriot are the only passenger vehicles offered without air conditioning. Makes sense; nobody off-roads in warm climates, right?
FCA
Jeep Wrangler/Wrangler Unlimited Sport; Jeep Renegade Sport; Jeep Patriot Sport
Nissan
Frontier – King Cab 4×2 MT
2% Single-Flash Turn Signals
You’d think that once automakers adopted the triple-flash turn signal, in which the signal repeats three times when you just dab the stalk, the innovation would be complete. But if you put any full-size, body-on-frame GM SUV or pickup into tow/haul mode and tap the turn-signal lever, you’ll get six flashes. It’s a thoughtful acknowledgment of the deliberate driving required when hauling a load.
F-150 XL; Super Duty F-250/350/450 XL; Transit (fleet-only option)
GM
LS Spark; Cutaway Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna
Kia
Rio
Nissan
Frontier – King Cab S 4×2, Crew Cab S 4×2/4×4; NV Cargo – S grade; NV Passenger – S grade; NV200 – S grade; Versa Sedan – S, S Plus grades; Versa Note – S, S Plus grades
Toyota/Scion
Tundra with Work Truck Package (Adds durable vinyl seating and flooring, and removes wireless door lock feature. On Regular Cab models, power windows and the speed- and shift-sensing power door lock features are also removed.)
Fiesta; F-150 XL; Super Duty F-250/350/450; Transit (fleet-only option)
GM
LS Chevrolet Spark; LS Chevrolet Sonic; Reg. Cab WT Chevrolet Silverado; optional on passenger/cargo Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna; std on Cutaway Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna
Kia
Rio
Nissan
Frontier – King Cab S 4×2, Crew Cab S 4×2/4×4; NV Cargo – S grade; NV Passenger – S grade; Versa Sedan – S, S Plus grades; Versa Note – S, S Plus grades
Fiesta; Focus; available on Transit and Transit Connect
GM
LS Spark, ’17 LS Sonic, L Malibu, L/LS Cruze, Trax LS FWD, Traverse LS Base/LS, WT Silverado, passenger/cargo Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna; Chevrolet Colorado
Honda/Acura
Fit LX; Civic LX
Hyundai
Accent
Kia
Rio LX
Mazda
Base Mazda3 Sport; CX-3 (only the first 500 units)
Mercedes-Benz/Daimler
Base Smart Fortwo; Metris Cargo Van with standard wheels; Base Sprinter
Nissan
Note: Frontier and NCVs have steel wheels but no covers; LEAF – S grade; NV200 – SV grade; Sentra – S, FE+ S, SV; Quest – S grade; Versa Sedan – S, S Plus, SV grades; Versa Note – S, S Plus, SV grades; Rogue – S grade; Altima – 2.5, 2.5 S grades
Subaru
Wheel covers on Base Impreza/Legacy; center caps on Base Forester
Toyota/Scion
Yaris; Corolla; iA; Prius; Prius c; Prius v; Camry; Camry Hybrid; RAV4; Tundra (**standard 18-in styled steel wheel has small plastic center hubcap)
Volkswagen
Jetta 1.4 S
Shotgun Wedding
Among the rarest of options at the expensive end of the market is a gun case offered by Land Rover. Just 30 will come to the U.S. this year. It’s more than just the case, actually, as the Holland & Holland Range Rover, named for the famed London gunmaker, is a full trim level. For $245,495, its interior is laminated with walnut veneers sourced from the same trees as the guns’ stocks, and scrollwork on the interior metalwork mimics that on the guns as well. The gun case itself is removable, lockable, and leather clad, but even at this price, it’s empty. Stocking it with a new pair of Holland & Hollands will set buyers back at least another $140,000.
Roll Tape
Lexus’s 2010 SC430 had an unlikely claim to fame. It was the last car sold in the U.S. with a tape deck. Now the question becomes: How much longer does the CD player have left?
0 comments:
Post a Comment