Oddly satisfying videos have taken the world by storm, but this is a transportation website. You’re not going to see any sand cutting videos or slime tutorials or whatever else oddly satisfies you freaks out there on other parts of the internet. This is for car weirdos, so here are the most oddly satisfying things about the Jalopnik audience’s cars.
My old E36 Convertible had an All Windows button. Every car needs this!
Oddly satisfying? On my Wrangler 4xe in electric mode you can still run through the gears in Manual mode, and it’s so neat to listen to the pitch of the electric motor rise and fall as you go through the gears.
Pointless? Yes. Neat that they included that? Absolutely.
Another Crosstrek owner, 2017 here. The AWD system is, by far, the best I’ve driven. I was constantly frustrated by the Hondas I drove never kicking the rear wheels in - even when I cranked the wheel and floored it on top of 8 inches of snow. Being able to do donuts on demand puts a huge grin on my face, but the added ability to get moving, or around a corner, and out of the way of someone who doesn’t realize that their 8,000lb SUV can’t stop on a dime on slick winter roads has saved my bacon more than a few times in the Subarus I’ve owned over the years. Before anyone says, “ackzhsually, it’s all wheel drive, not all wheel stop” - DUH. I’m silly, I’m not careless.
That she’s mine. By that I mean there was 2.7 miles on the odo when I bought her. About as unfarted in as you can get. Also letting the v8 sing is pretty cool
I’m able to just go for a drive. It lets me clear my head. There is something about just jumping in the car and driving, no destination, not even going fast, it just helps. Especially when I’m dealing with heavy shit in life. I think it is the fact you have to concentrate on driving, you can’t get wrapped up in your issue, it lets my brain slowly process in the background while I concentrate on the tasks of driving. I suspect having a manual car helps. That is what having a car means to me, the ability to just relax and to have better mental health.
My 2017 GTI SE infotainment screen:
1) It’s recessed, intuitive, easily reachable, and not a tacked-on iPad
2) It has physical volume and scroll knobs, but the touch/slide screen also works well, and comes awake when you put your hand near it.
3) It has plenty of presets for every choice (15 each for FM, XM, etc)
And most satisfying of all:
4) The scroll knob on the XM allows me to see the song currently playing on other stations without having to actually change to that station (works well to my OCD tendencies). Haven’t found this on any other car yet.
Honorable mention to the HVAC controls below—it has graded adjustments so you can blow cold or hot air 2/3 upper or lower instead of just face, bi-level, floor, or you can defrost windshield and also upper vents (see bottom right of pic).
2022 Crosstrek. The front camera. My wife was totally ambivalent about it. We go to a lot of places (river put-ins, remote trailheads, our local ski hill with its terrible access, where front clearance is an issue) and the idea that I could see what was directly in front of the front bumper was really appealing to me. It’s super satisfying to both my wife and I that one of us doesn’t have to get out to check to make sure we’re not going to get hung up on a stump or a rock.
The Honda S2000s complete lack on any passenger controls. It’s all about the driver.
For me it’s Ram 1500's configurable center console and wireless charging holder. I love that I can slide the cup holders back and securely set a gallon of milk, box of cereal, and a couple soda’s in there without having to worry about it sliding around. The phone holder/charger is perfect too as it holds it securely and has it angled up at you so you can see the screen is needed.
The near-instant heat in my Ioniq Electric. I hadn’t considered before buying it that, unlike an ICE car that get it’s heat form the engine, the EVs get their heat from a resistance heating element. On cold winter days my old ICE car would take quite a while to warm up, but with my EV I can feel the cabin air start to warm by the time I get to the end of my street.
My Skoda is chock full of satisfyingly practical features like the recessed umbrella or that the light in back of the wagon is also a removable torch.
But this thing is the simplest feature - it holds your parking ticket. I never lose the bloody things anymore:
With 2 Volvos in our driveway, I will say the seats. It’s such a mundane thing to consider but one of the first things I notice after spending significant time in almost any other vehicle. You wouldn’t think anything special by looking at them, but they’re one of the few that doesn’t have my lower-back problem announcing itself on longer drives.
The “Sport” button on my 2003 M5. I didn’t use it all that often, but the noticeable tightening of the steering and responsiveness of the throttle was intoxicating. I felt like I could hear my car say “Alright, let’s go.” My 2004 M3 Sport button, which doesn’t effect steering the same, just isn’t quite as impressive.