Pre-Owned Cars and SUVs That Bring the Tech

What do you do when you love your car to be loaded with all the best high-tech features, but your budget has limitations? You look at used cars for sale, of course! Many of the same great features that excite you about the newest model year vehicles can be found in cars and SUVs from two, five, seven, and even ten model years ago. It can take a little homework and a little patience to track them down, but the great tech features you want are on the pre-owned market. They might even be easier to find than you suspect when you work with our team!

Best Connectivity Features

Breaking away from the gate with a fantastic set of connectivity features, we have the Nissan Altima. While known for being a reliable and surprisingly luxe midsized sedan, you’ll find a strong set of connectivity features in pre-owned models. It has the things we consider to be standard now, like a touchscreen interface, Wi-Fi capability, Bluetooth, voice recognition, and satellite radio. Then, it steps up the game with NissanConnect Services and the MyNISSAN app. This feature offers an interesting array of connectivity options that let you check on and control your car from your phone. Unlike many other connectivity apps, you even have the option to start your Altima remotely and then adjust the climate control from your phone so it’s the perfect temperature when you arrive!

Best Touchscreen Displays

While we covered some infotainment features above, there is one part of the equation we would like to highlight here: touchscreens. We’re now used to seeing touchscreens in the seven-inch to nine-inch range across automotive manufacturers. Is this the bounds of what’s possible on the pre-owned market? Or is that just the beginning? It turns out that the Jeep Grand Cherokee shook up the touchscreen game in a big way when it was redesigned for the 2022 model year. Instead of just increasing the size of the central screen, Jeep added a second, fully functional infotainment touchscreen for the front seat passenger to enjoy. What’s the difference? It turns out there’s quite a bit of a difference.

To start, the passenger screen is covered with polarized glass to make it harder for the driver to view. This is an important feature, as it cuts down on distractions from glare and the screen’s glow. Headphones or earbuds are recommended to complete the trifecta of preventing driver distraction, though the passenger has separate speakers and audio controls for their infotainment center. It’s a good thing too, because the passenger has a world of entertainment at their fingertips. Movies and television can be watched with the enabled Amazon Alexa, or you can plug another device into the dashboard’s HDMI port. That means you could play a gaming console like a Playstation, X-Box, or Nintendo Switch on a long car trip. If that isn’t a big leap for infotainment screens, we don’t know what is!

Best Advanced Driver Assistance Features

Advanced driver assistance features have taken us closer than ever to the concept of self-driving cars. Using a series of cameras and radars, everything outside of the car is analyzed in real-time. These features aim to reduce collisions and other potential hazards caused by human error. While fully autonomous vehicles do not exist yet, these features can provide an experience that can feel very close to true autopilot, depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

In 2022, the award-winning Chevy Silverado line gained Super Cruise. It is billed as “the first true hands-free driver assistance technology for compatible roads,” per Chevy. It boasts a highly impressive 750,000 miles of roads where the hands-free setting can be turned on. With real-time cameras and sensors monitoring what is happening outside of the car, you can sit back and enjoy the drive. The Super Cruise will alert you to take over if any issue arises. And if you decide to take your eyes off the road, the Driver Attention System will disengage Super Cruise.

Super Cruise offers the most comprehensive group of features when compared to other manufacturers’ advanced driver assistance systems. It has assistance with trailering, which no other option on the market currently offers. As mentioned above, there is a Driver Attention System that uses a driver-facing camera. It also has lane change on demand and automatic lane change. Perhaps a better name for Super Cruise would have been Super Co-Pilot!

However, it is not the only hands-free system you can find in a used car. The reveal of the Ford Mustang Mach-E was a surprise to the automotive world. The iconic sports car as an electric SUV? It’s a surprising concept, and yet, it works. It’s also a good thing for anyone who wants hands-free technology in an SUV. The Mach-E is one of a small handful of Fords equipped with BlueCruise. This feature allows drivers to go hands-free and enjoy the journey when on specific GPS-identified roads. When on the proper paths, the SUV will control speed, steering, and lane centering, just like the Silverado. You still have to keep your eyes on the road, but that seems more like a reward than a limitation.

It’s important to note that no vehicle is fully self-driving, not even Teslas. At this time, every car requires the driver to stay attentive even while on available autopilot modes. Your hands might be able to take a break from the wheel, but your eyes can never leave the road. Common sense should always be your co-pilot when you are driving.

Best Overall Technology

The Toyota Corolla has always been one of the lower-priced cars on the market. It’s equally correct to say it’s always had the quality that is the lifeblood of the Toyota brand. This makes it an excellent choice for a pre-owned car. Now, here’s the plot twist: the Corolla has a lot of technology features. Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 was launched in 2018 in many Toyota vehicles from that model year, including the Corolla. This safety suite offers drivers excellent features, including adaptive cruise control with lane-centering that works from highway speeds down to a stop. The Corolla also offers Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and the third “A,” seen in fewer cars, Amazon Alexa. You can wirelessly charge your phone while you peruse music on the premium stereo system. These are features worth tracking down in a pre-owned vehicle.

The Nissan Rogue launched its third generation in 2021, introducing a redesign of the compact SUV. With the upgrade came a focus on the latest technologies. Drivers will be pleased to find the advanced driver assistance features that they need to enhance their safety on the road through Nissan Safety Shield 360 and ProPILOT Assist, depending on the trim and package. The Rogue also hits all the standards of connectivity and infotainment, with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, a digital gauge cluster, and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Who wouldn’t love to slip behind the wheel with features like these at their fingertips?

The Tech Is Out There

As you can see, the technology features you crave can be found in the pre-owned market. It can take a little patience to track down the right car, but the best things in life are worth waiting for, aren’t they? Besides, most of the models listed here are common vehicles, not unicorns. What you’re looking for is closer than you think. Finding a reputable dealership that has pre-owned cars and SUVs is your first step, and Illini Nissan is here to help. After that, you’re on the trail of the tech you want and closing in.