YouTubers Team up to Discuss Their Favorite New Car Tech

YouTube veterans Doug DeMuro and Tyler Hoover have fun talking about useful automotive tech, but only one of them is a true user.

The amount of electronics equipped on a modern car is truly staggering. In addition to touchscreens, automakers feel compelled to adorn their products with all sorts of sensors and cameras. It may seem like a bit much sometimes. Fortunately, these new innovations have largely succeeded in making driving much more easier than it used to be.

Autotrader recently got Doug DeMuro and Tyler Hoover into a room to discuss the technology they feel represents the best of what’s currently out there. DeMuro retained a more academic sensibility about the endeavor while Hoover gravitated more towards the sillier side of things. Beyond the laughs, the duo did touch on some very good observations about modern vehicles and why it’s important to understand what automakers are putting into their products these days.

DeMuro and Hoover aren’t exactly on the same page in regards to vehicle technology. DeMuro places an emphasis on technology designed to augment safe driving while Hoover values luxury features aimed at making drivers more comfortable. The guys immediately delve into Hoover’s number one tech feature and it’s not exactly what you’d expect. Massaging seats win out as Hoover’s favorite new car technology because the latest iterations are way more capable than the older stuff. “My Equus, the 2014 Equus, has a whole remote control like it’s a Brookstone massage chair” says Hoover.

DeMuro agrees with Hoover that massaging seats, especially the newer units, are valuable. He disagrees with Hoover on their ranking though, with DeMuro placing adaptive cruise control at the top of his personal list. DeMuro values adaptive cruise control because of its ability to reduce driver fatigue in stop and go traffic. “It changes a traffic jam from being an annoyance to you just sit there with the car doing the footwork” says DeMuro. Hoover doesn’t really see the value in something like that because he doesn’t feel like it makes much of a difference. DeMuro points out that it’s easy for him to say that because Hoover is based out of Wichita, Kansas. Meanwhile, DeMuro lives in southern California, where hour long traffic jams are essentially a daily occurrence.

While they disagreed about the value of adaptive cruise control, the guys reached consensus regarding vehicle cameras. “It’s hard to argue against the fact that cameras just simply make it easier to maneuver these vehicles. It transforms a large car into feeling like a much smaller one when you’re in a parking lot or something because you can tell exactly where you are and where everything is” says DeMuro. The duo particularly liked the system Kia employs in the K900.

“Back to the gimmicks” Hoover says before they discuss his next pick for best new vehicle technology. Hoover then goes on about the Starlight Headliner, the option from Rolls Royce that features over one thousand fiber optic lights embedded into various upholstered sections of a car. It’s an option that can be completely customized for a Rolls Royce buyer. “It’s so cool that they thought of that. I never would have thought of that in a million years” says Hoover. It’s hard to say whether the specialized headliner is a feature or a piece of technology, but given the materials that go into each one, it’s probably fair to say it falls into both categories.

DeMuro and Hoover run two of the most popular YouTube channels dedicated to automotive content. They bring unique insights and offer valuable opinions on cars. And their affable personalities are magnified when they’re together. The video highlights a philosophical debate about the value of functional technology versus the benefits of luxury oriented features. Beyond that, it’s fun to watch the guys rib on each other.

Photos: Mercedes-Benz; Rolls Royce