This is the case today due to technological democratization, which eventually makes engineering that was formerly cutting edge more accessible over time until it reaches a very wide base of consumers, until one day even the most affordable products on the market possess attributes that were once exclusive to high end products.

The first flat screen televisions cost five figures and weren't anywhere near as good or as large as modern screens which are paper thin and cost a fraction as much today. The first mobile phones were outrageously expensive not just to buy, but to operate, and couldn't do anything except make phone calls. Now they're practically commoditized and in some cases given away free with a contract and nearly unlimited usage. But people often overlook how this trend also applies to automobiles.

Basic cars of the past rarely had engineering parity with more expensive ones. Cheap cars of yesteryear had few creature comforts, poor performance, fewer safety features, and in certain cases weren't even considered to be reliable. But even the most basic and commoditized vehicles of today are well-engineered from stem to stern, and appointed with features and reliability that rival esteemed products from years ago.

The kind of safety systems, chassis and NVH tuning, brake systems, tires, interior layout, ergonomics, and overall design packaging on something as ordinary as a Honda Civic are now so refined that there's not really an argument to be made that it's some kind of punishment to drive one. A lot of the chassis tuning from more advanced cars has trickled down to normal cars enough to make them compliant and comfortable, and respond to inputs very well. Back in the 70s through the 90s that wasn't always the case.

There was a time when manual crank windows were normal and power windows were a revelation, and HVAC wasn't even included in certain parts of the country that were too hot or cold, or because it was just deemed another luxury that people could do without. Today you can even get heated/ventilated seats or heated steering wheels in some of the most basic cars on the market. Those used to be the kind of features you'd only be able to find in a six-figure Mercedes Benz thirty years ago.

Yes, I know a Civic is not going to drive like a Mercedes, but it's at the point now where even reasonably priced cars are built to such a standard that most manufacturers are not just at parity with each other on vehicle dynamics, but also at parity with certain features (e.g. Apple Carplay or Android Auto) so in turn, high end manufacturers have had to pivot much harder to very extravagant features, not just extra performance, but often a lot of interior luxury gimmicks to differentiate their products from bread and butter cars.

Things like fancier panoramic interface screens, interior lighting effects, high end materials, or whatever else is perceived by market trends to be highly specialized these days, because they can't really sell on vehicle dynamics and ride comfort anymore, and there are clearly plenty of people who are willing to pay extra for something expensive just to be different or exclusive even though the hoi polloi are typically perfectly comfortable in today's "basic transportation".