My dad always drove trucks, and when I was a kid I loved the 1975 Chevy Sierra Classic pickup he had as a work vehicle. It was outfitted with cloth seats that looked like some sort of Indian rug, a stereo and power windows and doors. These amenities made it seem pretty high-tech at the time, and I always fantasied that I would end up driving it someday.
Fast-forward 35 years, when I climbed into a big ol' 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie Mega Cab pickup and found power everything, including pedals and a rear sliding window. And it had a touch-screen radio packing a 30GB hard drive, navigation, Bluetooth, iPod integration and a USB port, as well as a rear entertainment system with Sirius Backseat TV.
And while I wasn't surprised to see heated seats, I didn't expect to find cooled seats. And a heated steering wheel.
After all, this tough truck is designed to haul huge loads and get down and dirty. There's nothing wrong with the driver and passengers getting a little TLC and some tech treats while on the job, but the pampering seems to almost go too far for a work truck.
Or maybe this is simply the modern equivalent of the amenities in my dad's 1975 Chevy pickup, and some kid is riding with his dad hoping he'll take the wheel of the Ram someday.
By ne1butu2
on May 4, 2010
07:35 PM
First off, this fake woodgrain looks terrible. I wish all automakers would together decide to stop attempting this, it never is convincing and just reeks of cheapness. Just spend the extra $5 and use the real thing.
Most of these convenience features are really useful. The one feature that I have never found useful is a heated steering wheel. We had a 1997 750IL that had this. I've never entered a car in the winter and been like "oooh! My steering wheel is cold!!!! I'm going to press a button and wait thirty seconds for it to get comfy!" The seats and the ambient temperature, absolutely. But the steering wheel, never. It's one of those things that you feel that you have to use because you bought the car loaded and you paid for it, not because it's actually useful.
By creeper
on May 5, 2010
06:26 AM
really? power doors on a 1975 Sierra Classic? or, perhaps, the truck had power door LOCKS and not some futuristic minivan feature.