by Garrett McKinnon
VehicleMD Staff Writer
Originally published in Spring 2011 Issue

Remember the year 2001? Doesn't seem that long ago, does it? It was the dawn of a new year, new century and new millennia (because, yes, technically all that stuff started in 2001, not 2000, which was the end of the previous century/millennia).

Now try and remember the car you were driving in 2001 (though if you're still driving the same one, good job keeping it on the road this past decade!). Chances are it was a lot different than the one you're driving now. And if you're in the market for a new car sometime this year, chances are that it will be WAY different than whatever you were driving 10 years ago.

Few parts of our society have seen advancements as incredible as those seen in the automotive market during the past decade. Think about it. Ten years ago, automakers were touting the number of cupholders in the cabin. Today, automakers are boasting about hands-free mobile communication technologies, fuel economy you couldn't have dreamed about 10 years ago and life-saving technologies that help drivers avoid accidents.

Join us as we look back at the top 10 ways the auto industry has changed since 2001.

1. Entertainment
Remember when a CD player was the ultimate in luxury for a car? Or when only vans had built-in TVs? Today, most cars (and certainly most family haulers) come standard with CD players, and the list of options you can purchase on many models includes rear-seat entertainment systems (my kids wouldn't survive long trips without one), iPod/MP3 interfaces for listening to your favorite tunes and even satellite radio, which wasn't even an option back in 2000 but is now a feature found in more than half of new passenger cars sold today, according to Ward's Auto. Some companies like Ford and Chrysler even offer onboard entertainment systems that can store your digital music or stream Internet radio and operate via touchscreen or even voice control. How high-tech would that have felt in 2001?

2. Information
Today's cars can tell you an awful lot about themselves. When they need an oil change. When their tires are low on air. How much farther they can drive before they run out of fuel. Their fuel mileage (both the mileage they're getting at the precise moment you check it and their accumulated mileage). If a door or hatch is open (and, thankfully, which one). Today's cars are a wealth of information. But want even more in the way of information? Some automakers are now equipping vehicles with mobile Wi-Fi hotspots so passengers can surf the Internet or fire off an e-mail to the boss while cruising down the highway. And some commercial vehicles, like the Ford Transit Connect, can even be purchased with an onboard PC, essentially making the vehicle a mobile office.

3. Taking Out the Guesswork
Driving a car has never been easier. Who would have thought 10 years ago that today there would be vehicles on the market that could parallel park by themselves (wouldn't that have been a great feature to have when you took your driver's exam!), rain-sensing automatic windshield wipers, automatic headlights (no more dead batteries because you accidentally left the lights on), and even rear back-up cameras and back-up sensing systems (soon to be standard equipment on all cars due to a government mandate).

A few vehicles (new models of the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee, for example) can even let you select what type of terrain you're driving on. Pick sand, snow or pavement and the vehicle then adjusts wheel spin, throttle inputs and other inputs accordingly, helping you stay safe regardless of the driving conditions.

4. Safety
Perhaps no other area of automotive technology has advanced more than safety. Think about it. In 2001, the average car had at least two airbags. Today, most vehicles have at least four, with some models equipped with up to 10 airbags. And airbags themselves also have improved, with seats that can determine a passenger's weight and adjust airbag inflation force accordingly, or even inflatable second-row seatbelts to keep your kids snug and safe in case of a collision.

Even more amazing than airbag technology, however, are the advancements in accident avoidance. Just try and purchase a car today that doesn't have some form of electronic traction control, anti-skid control, antilock brakes, etc.

Want even more? There are cars on the market that will automatically begin braking if they sense a collision is imminent. There are cars that will warn you if a vehicle is in your blind spot. There are cars that will automatically steer through a curve if you enter it too fast. And even whisper-quiet hybrid vehicles are being installed with noise generators so that pedestrians will hear them coming. Who could have guessed that would have been a problem way back in 2001?

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