The answer to the question of “are we better of than we were in 19xx” is somewhat subjective.
Take your points: cars are faster/safer/more comfortable/more fuel efficient and houses are bigger and better.
Ok so cars and houses are better today than 1970, but how does that relate to us?
1970 Average salary/median house cost/median rent/new car: $9,870/$17,000/$108/$3,542
2020 Average salary/median house cost/median rent: $56,310/$329,000/$1,463/$45,031
So yes cars are better, houses are bigger now than 1970; however, people and households are less likely to afford these things, and are significantly more indebted now than 1970.
Also there is the elephant in the room of college loans which were essentially non-existent in 1970, but have indebted 10s of millions of kids, nearly 1 million of them default on those loans ever year, financially ruining their lives (good luck getting that car loan, mortgage, credit check on a apartment).