Do I need automatic climate control?

When buying a (new) car, drivers usually have the choice between a wide variety of equipment packages. It is often not easy to find out what is necessary and not necessary, which may even be pointless. One often hears from equipment savers: “Climate control? I do not need it!” They do want air conditioning, but they do automatic seems pointless. No wonder, automatic air conditioning often costs a relatively high surcharge.

Automatic climate control is almost always recommended!

An automatic climate control has many additional functions and can hardly be compared with a normal air conditioning system. Briefly how it works: With a conventional air conditioner there is exactly one button. This switches the air conditioning or the air conditioning compressor on. The air conditioning then runs at full power continuously, the driver has to mix the (very cold) air with warm air (with the help of a rotary control) in order not to catch cold from the draft. On longer motorway journeys, it can be extremely annoying to constantly have to adjust the airflow and temperature.

With the air conditioning however, the mode of operation is as follows: the driver sets the desired temperature, eg 22 degrees, via a digital display. The automatic climate control ensures that this temperature is maintained over the long term. It does this by constantly monitoring the outside temperature, inside temperature, humidity, etc. In contrast to a simple air conditioning system, it can not only switch on the compressor, but run it in several stages. That saves a lot of fuel! Another advantage is that it can distribute the air in the vehicle depending on the situation, and of course it also selects the necessary blower level itself.
An example: It’s 35 degrees outside. You sweat and get into the heated car and set the automatic air conditioning to 22 degrees. The cold air is not blown uncontrollably in your face from the central air vents, but is blown in, for example, via side vents or mostly the vents in the footwell. The risk of catching a cold because of the air conditioning is then very low.
It is also convenient that most manufacturers allow 2-zone settings for their automatic air conditioning. This means that the driver and front passenger can each set their own temperature for their side.
The latest generation of automatic air conditioning, for example models from Audi since 2010, even work depending on the position of the sun. If, for example, the midday sun burns through the side window onto the driver at high temperatures, this side is cooled more than the passenger side, on which the girlfriend is sitting in the shade.

Conclusion

The automatic climate control (or also called Climatronic) is a development by the automotive industry, in which a lot of effort and development work was put into it. Unlike the heated steering wheel, it is not a feature that can be considered a “toy” or “gimmick”. If the budget allows, everyone should order them. Driving with automatic air conditioning reduces the risk of catching a cold, is much more comfortable and economical.

Two-zone climate control from Renault