10 Cars with Heated Side Mirrors

2017 Acura NSX mirror ・ Photo by Acura

Cars with heated side mirrors—the exterior side view mirrors, that is—take care of one the most frustrating parts of driving in the winter: having to carefully clear those mirrors of ice and snow for improved visibility, but without moving them out of alignment. Or breaking them, and facing not just seven years of bad luck, but costly repairs. So it’s a good thing that heated mirrors are becoming increasingly common and increasingly affordable in today’s newest cars. Remember as well that some cars pair heated mirrors with heated seats and steering wheels, to act as mobile warming stations in the most frigid conditions. Let’s look at what are actually 10 of the coolest cars on the market with heated mirrors.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is in its element during warmer weather, when owners can drop the top and open up the throttle for open-air driving excitement. But Mazda engineers also put a noticeable effort into making sure the brand-new 2016 models were perfectly fine for year-round use. Thus, the MX-5’s features an insulated soft top, heated front seats and heated exterior mirrors. The latter are standard on the uplevel Grand Touring trim, so this doesn’t happen to be one of the cars with heated side mirrors at the lower levels. Yet the car is so affordable to start with that the MSRP for the Grand Touring grade is $30,065—thousands below the average transaction price of a new car in 2016. (The entry-level Miata is $24,915.)

Photo by Mazda

2016 Chevrolet Camaro

Right off the bat, yes, Chevy, Dodge and Ford all boast modern-day muscle cars with heated outside mirrors. We’re just starting with the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro for alphabetical reasons. As for the Camaro’s heated mirrors, they’re available on the 2LT trim, with an MSRP of $29,800, and standard on the 2SS, which opens at $41,300. And that means they’re available with all three of the Camaro’s engine choices, from its 275-horsepower V6 to its 355-horsepower turbo to the 455-horsepower V8 that motivates the SS. With that unit additionally serving up 455 lb.-ft. of torque, the 2016 Camaro SS is the most powerful production version yet. It also may be the most comfortable, as that heated-up performance, and the car’s weather-friendly mirrors, are complemented by heated seats.

Photo by General Motors

2016 Dodge Challenger

Some cars with heated side mirrors do have them as standard on their entry-level trims, and the 2016 Dodge Challenger is a case in point. In fact, the MSRP of the Challenger SXT—$26,995—includes heated side mirrors that also have a manual folding capability: when pulling into a tight parking spot, such as a small garage, drivers can fold the mirrors in toward the car to reduce its overall width. Moving up to the SXT Plus, for a $3,000 premium, brings heated front seats, and those chairs also are trimmed in Nappa leather and ventilated. Similar amenities are, of course, furnished throughout the Challenger roster, and that will carry over into the 2017 model year to include the aggressive new Challenger T/A models.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

2016 Ford Mustang

We’ll wrap up our list within a list of muscle cars with heated outside mirrors with the 2016 Ford Mustang. The Blue Oval’s pony car provides standard heated mirrors beginning in the EcoBoost Premium Fastback, which slots into the Mustang herd with a price of $31,715. However, like the car’s twin-turbo, direct-injection powerplant, its mirrors are a bit more sophisticated than you might expect. That’s because they also have integrated blind-spot mirrors, for a significantly wide field of view, along with built-in turn signals that make it easier for other drivers to see the Mustang. In terms of the Mustang’s EcoBoost engine, that’s good for a combination of 310 horsepower, 320 lb.-ft. of torque and 30 MPG on the highway.

Photo by Ford

2017 Nissan Sentra

If you’ve already noticed our focus on sporty cars with heated exterior mirrors, you might be wondering what the 2017 Nissan Sentra is doing here. Well, wonder no more: Beginning this fall, the Sentra SR returns to the brand’s lineup with a 1.6-liter Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) turbocharged engine. It’s the same unit that furnishes a jolt of excitement to the Nissan Juke, and in the Sentra SR, it will force out 188 horsepower and 177 lb.-ft. of torque—increases of 51 and 42 percent over the Sentra’s standard powerplant. Pricing bumps up to $21,990, although that does cover heated outside mirrors with LED turn signal indicators, as well as LED low-beam headlights, an aero body kit, heated front seats, a sport trim cabin and 17-inch alloy wheels.

2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

You might expect to find a Mercedes among the cars with heated side mirrors, but if you look for the 4-door 2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class with the brand’s other sedans, you’ll get a surprise: It’s not there. MB actually considers the CLA as one of its coupes because of its striking silhouette. It’s a look that’s been updated for the new model year with restyled bumpers, a new standard alloy wheel design and, in the cabin, chrome-plated controls. Needless to say, the car’s exterior mirrors are an important element of its overall appearance, and they’re even available with carbon-fiber covers in the high-performance CLA45. Heating is standard for all CLA-Class exterior mirrors, to not only handle the white stuff but also “disperse mist and fog.”

Photo by Mercedes-Benz Media

2016 Hyundai Veloster

The 2016 Hyundai Veloster stands out from other cars with heated sideview side mirrors for both its dramatic “Fluidic Sculpture” 3.5-door design and a low-cost MSRP of just $18,000. To be sure, that price does indeed include standard heating for the Veloster’s power-adjustable exterior mirrors, and they also fold away. Customers who opt for the Veloster Turbo, packing a 201-horsepower turbocharged engine, gain integrated turn signal indicators for those outside mirrors. Now, about the Veloster’s body style: The car has conventional driver’s- and passenger’s-side doors, plus a hatchback that some automakers like to call a third “door.” But then, there’s also a smaller, rear-hinged door on the passenger side for easier access to the back seats.

Photo by Hyundai

2017 Volkswagen Golf R

VW’s ultimate hot hatch—the 2017 Volkswagen Golf R—is the most powerful production Golf model ever released to the public, thanks to a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that delivers 292 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque. With that 4-cylinder forced-induction powerplant sending output to all four wheels, drivers can send the Golf R from 0-60 in less than five seconds. Volkswagen also touts the Golf R’s relatively impressive 31-MPG EPA high point, along with the kind of standard content you can’t necessarily find in lower-priced cars with heated side mirrors. For one thing, those mirrors have built-in turn signals. Further part of the nearly $40,000 package for this high-performance Golf are standard heated front seats, with the driver enjoying 12-way power adjustability.

Photo by Volkswagen

2017 Acura NSX

In high-tech cars with heated side mirrors, such as the 2017 Acura NSX, engineers and designers pay particular attention to the shape of the mirror housings and pedestals to enhance aerodynamics. For instance, the NSX relies on a thin “blade arm” to hold the mirror housings, and that “reduces local airflow noise, prevents disruption of air flowing to the side intakes and minimizes aerodynamic drag.” This blade-arm design also improves visibility. A thin slash of LED turn-signal indicators also are part of the mirror design. A final mirror-related tech benefit of the NSX: When the car is put into reverse, the mirrors automatically tilt downward so drivers get a better view of the curb to help with parking. Meanwhile, when the NSX is put in “drive,” owners can count on a full 573 horses and 476 lb.-ft. of torque from its Sport Hybrid powertrain.

Photo by Acura

2017 Lincoln Continental

As a prime example of how luxury cars with heated exterior mirrors can upgrade the ownership experience, we have the 2017 Lincoln Continental. Lincoln’s reborn flagship sedan has sideview mirrors that nestle atop wing-like projections from the lower window lines, for a highly stylized design touch. Functionally speaking, the mirror housings feature integrated turn signals, power-folding capability and “security” lighting that illuminates the area around the vehicle as the driver (with keyfob) approaches. Those mirrors, moreover, are standard on the Continental, as are Lincoln’s Luxury Soft Touch seats, a heated front row, SYNC 3 with an 8-inch touchscreen and real wood trim. The bottom line for all that and the proverbial much, much more: an MSRP of $44,560.

Photo by Lincoln