2023 Mazda Mazda3

An increasing number of vehicles with sticker prices of $40,000 or less, some much less, offer heated mirrors.

Wheel warming has gone mainstream, with the feature standard or optional not just on luxury vehicles, but on an increasing number of models with sticker prices of $40,000 or less.

The list of model-year 2023-24 cars with manual transmissions skews mostly to affordable models and those that are more enthusiast-oriented, but there’s still a decent range of choices.

IIHS has released its list of Top Safety Picks for 2023, which includes 48 models across both Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ categories — less than half compared to the 101 models that qualified in 2022.

A common belief is that larger, higher-riding vehicles are better equipped to protect occupants in a crash, but the latest series of crash tests from IIHS challenge that viewpoint.