I suppose in very cold places, there are issues I haven't thought of. Honestly though, I think it's more about how novel and shiny it feels. It makes (made?) the car feel a little futuristic in most cases. A sort of signal a potential buyer that this is the next generation of car..
I think the trade off makes it not worthwhile. If it's optional, I prefer a normal key.
OTOH, There are lots of other cool gadgets that I'd like to see. A car that remembers everyone's seat position and mirrors, that's progress. Manual transmission, normal key, smart seat. That's my niche.
I have a Town and Country and the key never really leaves my pocket. I can touch the door handle on the driver's or passenger's side and unlock all the doors. I thought of it as a novelty at first, then in real life I realized how handy it is. Maybe it's just because I have kids and my hands are usually full but I use it all the time. Also it is nice to just push one button on the door handle to lock all the doors.
I think the trade off makes it not worthwhile. If it's optional, I prefer a normal key.
OTOH, There are lots of other cool gadgets that I'd like to see. A car that remembers everyone's seat position and mirrors, that's progress. Manual transmission, normal key, smart seat. That's my niche.