Too bad you still have to actually steer the thing

updated 3:22 p.m. ET March 4, 2007

SAN JOSE, Calif. - When friends check out Aaron Priest’s new Acura TL sedan, the oohs and aahs start on the inside.

Forget the powerful 3.5-liter, 286-horsepower engine; they’re more enthralled with the car’s rearview video camera and the in-dash voice-command system.

“The technology is what gets people the most,” said Priest, a 23-year-old lab technician at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. “They don’t really care anymore about what’s under the hood. It’s all about what’s in the car now.”

“Pimping your ride” — a term popularized by an MTV reality TV show — is no longer just for celebrities, the superrich, or those who hand over their cars to aftermarket accessory installers.

Dashboard electronics — also called “telematics” — are increasingly sold on even modestly priced vehicles. The tech perks — some sold as standard features and some as specially ordered options — range from heated cup holders and air-conditioned glove compartments to rear-facing cameras, voice-activated navigation systems and keys that automatically unlock your car as soon as you’re within three feet of it.

Although sophisticated dashboard video displays can add thousands of dollars to a car’s sticker price, other equipment can turn even a basic Toyota Corolla or Volkswagen Jetta into a tricked-out ride.

The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that U.S. factory-to-dealer sales of in-vehicle technologies will rise to $9.6 billion in 2007 from $8.5 billion in 2006.

Many automakers introduce cutting-edge telematics on luxury models. But as electronics prices decline and the research and development cost is amortized, automakers such as General Motors Corp. and Honda Motor Corp. have cascaded the technology into low-end models, offering some of the gadgetry previously available only through aftermarket installers.

Auxiliary jacks for portable music players and Bluetooth wireless for handsfree cell phone calls are now often factory-installed standards, as are 10-speaker, 360-degree surround-sound stereos with active noise cancellation in DVD-A and CD formats. IPod integration kits for $150 to $200 extra allow drivers to control the portable player from steering wheel buttons while keeping the gadget hidden in a glove box or center console.

“You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get the toys,” said Stuart Draper, operations manager at a Chrysler Jeep dealership in San Francisco.

Priest’s $35,500 Acura has enough perks to offer a taste of luxury. Its navigation system can change radio stations or the climate by voice command, and acts as an on-board concierge.

When his girlfriend climbs into the car, Priest said, she orders a toasty temperature for herself — “passenger side 80 degrees” — while he keeps his side at 70 degrees.

On a recent evening when they were in search of a restaurant, the navigation system’s Zagat ratings helped them decide. It turned out to be one of their best Italian dinners ever.

Chrysler’s 2007 Sebring, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $18,995, offers a cup holder that can either keep drinks cold or warm. And like a growing number of models, it has a key-chain ignition — a feature that’s especially handy on cold mornings when the vehicle can be started from the warmth of one’s home.

Soon, Sebring models will also offer an “infotainment” voice-activated navigation system that has a 20-gigabyte hard drive and a USB port for downloading and storing directions, maps, music, photos, and other digital data, including voice memos. If the car is parked, you could also use it as a DVD player. The price tag: an extra $1,700.

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