kbb.com Editors Name 10 Car Features for Which They are Most Thankful

Editors Celebrate Thanksgiving by Listing Favorite Car Features, Providing Reasoning, Vehicle Examples

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 19 -- While giving thanks for family, friends and health are always in order, it seems with each passing year there are more and more comparably trivial things that many are in no hurry to live without. Americans have quickly become accustomed to digital cameras and video recorders, smartphones, wireless Internet and other items previously considered luxuries that are now a part of their daily lives. The same rings true for cars; not too long ago, power windows and a good stereo qualified a car as cutting-edge. In celebration of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, the Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com editors have assembled a list of their 10 favorite car features (in no particular order): www.kbb.com/thanksgiving2009.

"As people become more tech-savvy and spend more time in the car each year, auto makers have come to realize that to stay up-to-date and relevant with their customers, features that once seemed outlandish or extravagant now are becoming expected equipment in new cars, regardless of what they cost," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "When you think about it, many 'base' model cars with economical pricing offer more standard equipment today than some luxury vehicles that cost double their price offered only a few years ago."

Sample Choices from the kbb.com Editors' List of '10 Car Features We're Thankful For'

  Power Liftgate
  Car that comes to mind:  Hyundai Veracruz Limited

Why: "Leave it to Hyundai to include a power liftgate as standard equipment on its Veracruz when competitors offer it as an option on vehicles with much higher New Car Blue Book Values."

  Around View Monitor
  Car that comes to mind:  2010 Infiniti FX

Why: "Let's face it: If you drive a car as big and bold as the FX, an appalling parking job will get even more attention."

  Cross Traffic Alert
  Car that comes to mind:  Lincoln MKT

Why: "There have been more than a few occasions where this system has come in handy, especially in a three-row vehicle like the Lincoln MKT."

  Bluetooth Streaming Audio
  Car that comes to mind:  2010 Chevy Camaro

Why: "One of the oldest nameplates returns with one of the newest technologies."

For the remaining list of car features for which the kbb.com editors are most thankful, including descriptions, vehicle examples and reasoning behind each of the editors' picks, visit the '10 Car Features We're Thankful For' story in kbb.com's Latest News section at www.kbb.com/thanksgiving2009.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence. The company's top-rated Web site, www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official Guide. According to the C.A. Walker Research Solutions, Inc. - 2009 Spring Automotive Web Site Usefulness Study, kbb.com is the most useful automotive information Web site among new and used vehicle shoppers, and half of online vehicle shoppers visit kbb.com. Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, car reviews and news, used car blue book values, auto classifieds and car dealer locations. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com.