Skip to content

  • Home
  • Our YouTube Channel

Commentary: What Turns Your Ignition?

February 27, 2017 by Randy Stern

Is this the key to your heart? If you happen to own a Bentley Continental GT, Flying Spur or GTC, this is it! For those of us familiar with Volkswagen Group products, you may also see this key as a fancified version of the same key that operates your Jetta. Why am I talking about a key? Well, Edmunds.com began the discussion by listing the ten coolest key fobs out in the market. The weighted Bentley switchblade key/remote locking fob obviously came in first. The list also includes some very prestigious names, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover and Cadillac. Each key and fob is distinctive in relation to their brand. A Range Rover owner can lose their key down a canyon and not get crushed to death if it fell within 30 feet of the point of departure. Some keys no longer employ a blade to enter into a lock or ignition cylinder. The Toyota Prius lets you shove the fob into a slot onto the have you push the button to start the car.

Tweet

Untitled
Photo by Randy Stern

Are these the keys to your heart?

We have two here. One is from a Lexus, the other from a Lincoln. A contrast of two luxury cars for which you can walk up – or press a button – and get in. Then, you press a button…and the vehicle comes to life. These are simply two keys that start your ignition and get you going, until you stop it. Still, we call them "keys" these days…

Why am I talking about a key? There was a story several years ago where Edmunds.com listed the ten coolest key fobs out in the market. The weighted Bentley switchblade key/remote locking fob obviously came in first. The list also includes some very prestigious names, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover and Cadillac. Each key and fob is distinctive in relation to their brand.

A Range Rover owner can lose their key down a canyon and not get crushed to death if it fell within 30 feet of the point of departure. Some keys no longer employ a blade to enter into a lock or ignition cylinder. Older Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Passat models will let you shove the fob into a slot onto the have you push the button to start the car.

Car owners covet their keys. They panic when they find themselves locked out with the key left in the ignition. They panic again when they lose them somewhere. In all, we take our car keys for granted. Or, do we?

Perhaps, I should be asking whether you notice your car keys at all. Sometimes I see people play with them or the remote locking fob. Some of these keys have a tactile feeling that exudes your personality. Is a key sexy? Possibly erotic? Does your car key feels powerful to the touch? Does it reflect the car’s personality as well as your own?

With the advancement of technology along with proven reliability of these components, we are seeing a slow death of the traditional key. The stand-alone key is being replaced by integrated key/remote locking units and key cards. Some cars even go as far as to say to not put anything in the ignition as the transponder key is coded to sense your entry in the car and to leave that unit in your pocket. It may come to a point that attaching this device to a carbineer clip will become redundant.

Still, many consumers would rather have the security of the traditional key. After all, these keys have gotten cooler. Hellcat-equipped Dodge Chargers and Challengers receive two "keys" – one for the valet limiting the power under the hood and the other for you. That other one happens to red and can open up the engine to its full 707 horsepower. Scion tC owners received a grey key with integrated remote locking functions. Obviously that was one distinction apart from their Toyota brethren. Of course, Nissan and Infiniti have the coolest of the latest technology of bladeless keys. A small oval-shaped multi-function fob that acts as a security transponder that emits a code for entry and ignition. The same key is available in almost every car model from the Versa to the QX80.

Yet, I'll admit that there's nothing like the feeling of slotting a key into the ignition and giving it a turn. The reaction of the ignition and the motor's final response is priceless. When I'm walking around somewhere or hanging out with friends, my fingers give attention to the feel of a well-designed key and its remote locking fob. Call it a nervous tick or a substitute for something else I'd rather not discuss to a open audience, but you have to admit there's a bit of good feeling when one touches the key to their heart…the key to their car.

Post navigation

Previous Post:

Quickies: An Impressive Compact Car

Next Post:

How About a Date?

Recent Posts

  • Video: Victory & Reseda Did A Thing!
  • My Thoughts Exactly: 2023 Mazda CX-9
  • Video Review: 2023 Honda CR-V
  • V&R Stories: Gary Numan On the Prowl
  • My Thoughts Exactly: 2023 Honda CR-V

Categories

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on Instagram
May 2023
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Apr    

About Victory & Reseda

Victory & Reseda is a website/blog telling the story of the automobile through the eyes of freelance automotive writer Randy Stern and friends. This website/blog serves as a virtual intersection of the automobile, its culture, the past, present and future of personal transportation. It also features travel pieces that center on the automotive experience.

Archives

Tags

Acura Alfa Romeo Audi BMW Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chicago Chrysler COVID-19 Datsun Dodge FCA Fiat Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Ford General Motors Genesis GM GMC Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Kia Lexus Lincoln Maserati Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercury Mitsubishi Nissan Oldsmobile Plymouth Pontiac Porsche RAM Scion Stellantis Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Volvo

Credits

Hosted by Tiger Technologies
© 2023 | WordPress Theme by Superbthemes