A Guide to 5 Must-Experience Luxury Car Features
by Nick Hagan / March 7, 2025
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Real connoisseurs of luxury know it’s the details that make all the difference. Join us for a glimpse into the finest automotive indulgences.
Fans of luxury cars are always eager to explore the latest innovations that set high-end vehicles apart. As professionals in luxury transportation, at Blacklane we know that true automotive excellence is about craftsmanship, innovation, and bespoke details that define the experience. We’ve already examined what makes a car luxury, and there’s no doubt that performance, handling, and driving technology play a crucial role. Now it’s time to consider the exceptional array of features to look for.
Table of contents
Luxury hampers and champagne chillers
Whether you’re heading out into the country for the weekend or being chauffeured through the heart of the big city, you and your passengers need to stay refreshed. Prep your car to deliver a classy mealtime with a luxury picnic hamper, complete with fine dining essentials, and a champagne chiller.
It’s perhaps no surprise that Bentley offers both these exquisite features in its cars, assisted by legendary coachbuilder Mulliner, its personal commissioning division which specialized in blending all manner of gorgeous features into Bentley vehicles.
For its 2016 Bentley Bentayga, the prestigious British firm teamed up with Linley, a renowned designer with royal connections, to create its custom-made Mulliner Hamper. Made of luxury materials including a diamond-quilted leather trim, this high quality piece of equipment secures to your Bentayga with the help of a specially engineered docking mechanism.
Inside, you’ll find a complete set of bespoke china crockery, pristine cutlery and gleaming glassware - not to mention plenty of space for your picnic food and drink. As luxury car features go, this is truly the one to elevate your road trip.
Alternatively, consider fitting your Rolls-Royce Cullinan with a Fixed Rear Centre Console, so you or your guests can enjoy fold-down access to champers and glasses in the back seat. The smart design and wood panel trim of this feature bring a luxury airline to mind, and is so discreetly contained within the Cullinan’s gorgeous design that it’s easy to surprise your passengers with an in-drive treat.
Starlight headlining
Taking a spin in your luxury car can truly feel heavenly — so it’s only fitting that you can add glimmering constellations to your overhead space.
Rolls-Royce offers this boutique fitting in several of their prestigious vehicles, including the Ghost, Spectre, Wraith and Phantom VII and VIII.
If you’re thanking your lucky stars for such a ride, add the ambience of the night sky to optimize the luxury driving experience. A Rolls-Royce craftsperson can fit out your car in as little as 9 hours, perfectly perforating the leather interior with up to 1,600 holes which are then carefully set with fiber-optic lights. Best of all, you can adjust the brightness in the front passenger compartment, making your stars shine just right.
If you don’t own a Rolls-Royce, fear not; starlight headlinings can also be added to a range of other luxury cars, including the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Bentley Bentayga, BMW 7 Series, and even SUVs like the Range Rover Autobiography or Lamborghini Urus.
Biometrics, secure storage, and facial recognition
How many times have you faced the fear of leaving something precious behind in your car? It’s no surprise that luxury vehicles present a particular temptation for thieves, and good security is a prerequisite for thoughtful owners.
Thankfully, luxury car safety features are now increasingly harnessing the power of biometrics to give more robust and innovative protection. Bentley’s Bentayga has drawn plenty of attention in this regard, with Mulliner offering fingerprint-activated storage compartments.
This heavy-duty aluminum storage unit blends seamlessly within your Bentley’s high caliber interior, finding its place in the front center armrest. All you have to do is start the ignition, then place your finger on the reader to unlock your safe haven and retrieve your items. It even comes complete with a dual USB socket and aux, allowing you to charge your device while it’s stowed away.
Elsewhere, automotive technology giant Continental recently announced a new frontier in facial recognition software for luxury cars. Specialist internal and external cameras allow users to be scanned on approaching the vehicle for a seamless unlocking, before accessing the ability to start the car and even make digital payments once in the driver’s seat.
And Continental isn’t the only company investing in this exciting new feature. Since 2023, luxury car brand Genesis have offered facial recognition unlock with their GV60 model, pushing the envelope for luxury car security.
In-car cinemas
There’s no denying that screens are a cherished staple of many luxury car feature builds. In-car infotainment systems are getting increasingly ambitious, and alongside these plenty of top-end vehicles now offer state-of-the-art cinema systems for passengers to enjoy.
First up, consider the BMW 7 Series’s remarkable Theater Screen — a 31.3-inch display in 8K that might just put your home TV to shame. Extending down from the car’s interior roof, this immaculate interface syncs with the rear seat touchscreens, giving your passengers easy control over what they want to watch. Streaming options like Amazon Fire TV are catered for, and viewers can enjoy their film or show in surround sound too, thanks to audio designed by Bowers & Wilkins. It all comes together for a truly cinematic experience.
Transporting picky passengers who might have a hard time agreeing what to watch? Plenty of double screen options can also be found, such as the outstanding MBUX Rear Seat Entertainment System, available in Mercedes-Benz S Class models. These 11.6-inch high resolution monitors allow smooth enjoyment of movies, music or web browsing, once again including streaming services.
Never a slouch when it comes to luxury features, you can also have a Rear Theater Configuration fitted in the iconic Rolls-Royce Phantom, including 12-inch HD displays. Complementing other luxury features such as the champagne cooler and fold-out tables, this high quality viewing experience will ensure your guests truly get the first class treatment.
Self-driving
Self-driving is, of course, one of the most long-awaited and exciting features emerging in the luxury car market. We haven’t quite reached fully driverless vehicles yet, but for those who want to be right at the frontier, some impressive tech options are already available.
Mercedes-Benz’s flagship electric vehicle, the EQS, is one such ambitious model featuring some of the most advanced self-driving features. This includes the Drive Pilot system — classed as a Level 3 autonomous driving technology — which has the capacity to drive itself on approved highway sections. At present, that means specified German motorways to speeds of 60 km/h - but it’s surely a matter of time before the available self-driving network expands.
Additionally, Level 4 automated parking tech, called the Intelligent Park Pilot, can be added to your EQS. This incredible feature allows the car to locate the nearest tech-compatible car park before smoothly parking up.
Plenty of other manufacturers have also incorporated intelligent self-driving features into their luxury cars. Tesla always stands out as a strong contender in the technology stakes, and the Tesla Model 3’s Enhanced Autopilot can change lanes, keep pace with other cars on the motorway and park itself with minimal driver input. The BMW iX is another forward-facing luxury electric vehicle with plenty of smart features, including a steering assistant to keep you perfectly in your lane, an advanced front collision warning system and regenerative braking that becomes more sensitive when you approach hazards.
Keep the sophistication going With Blacklane
A true luxury ride is about the entire experience. At Blacklane, we curate each journey with precision, ensuring seamless service where every detail is considered.
Our diverse fleet caters to a range of travel needs. Business Class, featuring the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Cadillac XTS, and similar models, is perfect for effortless point-to-point transfers or flexible hourly bookings.