How You Can Modernize Your Old Beater with the Latest Tech

For all the modern conveniences and active-safety tech packed into today's vehicles, there's one fundamental flaw holding them back from true modernity: A new-car purchase shouldn't lock you into today's technology forever. Automakers are just now warming to the idea of updatable in-car tech, but a motivated owner doesn't have to wait. Aftermarket add-ons ranging from less than $100 to more than $1000 offer connectivity, safety, and convenience features similar to those found in new vehicles. Considering the long gestation of any new car and the rapid-fire iteration of consumer electronics, these upgrades could be more advanced than what rolls out of the factory. We wondered: Is any of it useful enough to be worth our own money?

Armed with enough 3M double-sided tape to assemble a Yugo, we answered that question by modernizing a 2004 Land Rover Discovery, a leftover from our December 2016 off-road beaters challenge that refuses to die despite the constant clatter of a cylinder liner knocking against a head. With a 2019 Discovery modeling the near state of the art, we fitted the 15-year-old Rover with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality for convenience; a blind-spot-detection system, tire-pressure monitors, and surround-view cameras in the interest of safety; and massaging seats because we're worth it. After a week of splicing, soldering, and pulling wire, a few of our add-ons left us genuinely impressed. Others, not so much.