By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — AAA announced the release of its first edition of the AAA Car Guide, a consumer resource on the latest and greatest in vehicle technology.
"The majority of category winners that we found for 2020 are either electric, plug-in electric hybrids or hybrids, signaling that these eco-friendly vehicles tend to offer the most cutting-edge vehicle technology," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas.
One of the bigger issues is getting the terminology straight on the vehicle technology itself.
"When you have different manufacturers calling automatic braking something different than another manufacturer, that creates confusion among consumers," Steward said. "Especially as they look to potentially change manufacturers when they buy a new vehicle."
It's important to note, though, that even as advanced driver assistance systems become more common, we're still a ways away from self-driving cars.
"It's going to be awhile before we have fully self-driving vehicles on the road," Steward said. "It's important right now, with a lot of these advanced driver systems, for drivers to be educated and really understand what they do and more importantly, what they don't do."
The 175-page guide includes comprehensive, easy-to-read reviews of each vehicle which are based on 13 criteria, including braking, fuel economy, emissions, handling, ride comfort, acceleration and the number of ADAS safety features. You can find the guide at aaa.com/carguide.