Modern cars include many features and technology to make driving a more enjoyable and easy experience, including many hidden technologies that you may not have discovered yet in your own car!
In this article, we review 10 hidden features in cars that will change your driving concept!
10 hidden car technologies and features, get to know them!
1-fuel tank location arrow
Many times, you have to drive a new car that is different from your usual car. And if you have to stop and fill up, you may at first be confused about the location of the filler hole to match the direction of the filling machine at the station.
The good thing is that many modern cars have an arrow next to the fuel tank logo in front of the driver, specifically indicating the direction of the filler hole in order to take the correct position.
2-road condition indicator
Almost every new car has a temperature sensor that indicates the outside ambient temperature, letting you know if you need to put your winter coat on when you get out of the car.
Temperature sensors in many cases activate a road temperature warning as temperatures drop.
Often indicated by a snowflake light on the dashboard, some systems even give a short audible warning or display a message telling you that the roads may be icy.
3-Vehicle stability control
Losing control of your car while driving is one of the scariest moments you can ever have behind the wheel.
Fortunately, all new cars sold in America since 2012 have been fitted with Electronic Stability Control, a system that constantly monitors all four wheels.
If the car starts to slip out of control, the wheels on one end of the car usually spin faster than the other wheels (because they lose traction).
The electronic stability control system will apply the brakes to one side of the vehicle - or even one corner - to help correct the slip.
On some vehicles, you can temporarily deactivate stability control – look for a button marked “ESC” or illustrative of a sliding car – if needed to help get the car out of slippery mud or ice.
Deactivating the ESC is also useful if you are towing a boat out of the water on a slippery boat ramp. But usually, it's best to allow electronic stability control to keep you and your family safe.
4-Advanced driver assistance systems
A number of new features, known as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), use a variety of tools to help make driving safer and more comfortable.
Some of these features use radar and laser systems to scan the road ahead and behind you, and warn of dangers.
One of these warnings is known as a forward collision warning, which will look ahead for vehicles that are slowing down quickly.
If the vehicle does not feel that your foot has moved to the brake pedal, a warning will flash on the dashboard. Some cars will even take a step forward, actively applying the brakes to help avoid a collision.
5-Storage
Most new cars have custom cutouts or holes lined with a non-slip rubber surface, perfectly sized to hold your phone in place while focusing on the road ahead.
Some cars have large hidden storage. For example, the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica has a feature called Stow 'n' Go seats that lets you fold the second row of seats down to the ground if you need to transport large items.
But those foldable bins, when the seats are upright and in use, are great covered storage boxes for keeping things out of sight.
6-Blind Spot Monitoring Feature
Changing lanes on a busy highway can be nerve-wracking. No matter how well you adjust your mirrors to get rid of a blind spot, there is always the possibility that another driver may decide to enter the lane you were planning to merge into.
Blind spot monitoring systems can help in this situation. These systems use radar and other sensors to determine if there is an obstacle to the left or right, directly behind your vehicle, and a warning light flashes to alert you.
Most of these systems, if such an obstacle is present in these areas, will sound an audible warning if the turn signal is on – alerting you that a lane change is not recommended.
7-Back seat reminder
Automakers realized the frequency of back seat accidents, and developed systems aimed at eliminating these tragedies.
If the vehicle detects that a tailgate has been opened just before or immediately after the vehicle is started, these systems will chime or flash an alert on the dashboard once if the vehicle has stopped, the driver puts the vehicle in park and stops the engine.
8-Car back seat mirror
Designed with families in mind, many minivans and crossovers offer a small convex mirror near the interior rearview mirror.
This secondary mirror allows the driver or front passenger to get a better view of the rear seat passengers - a great feature for keeping an eye on young children without the driver having to turn around and see what's going on with the kids.
9-Smartphone integration feature
It seems like we use our phones for just about everything these days. From the usual means of communication to talk or text, to playing music or podcasts, to getting around.
But using our phones while driving is extremely dangerous, not to mention illegal in most places.
Fortunately, both of the most popular smartphone platforms — Apple and Android — have developed apps to integrate our phones with our cars.
The apps, known as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, allow you to connect your device and use certain features in an easy-to-drive way.
No games or movies, of course – but both apps will let you use your phone's navigation apps on the larger dashboard screen, your favorite music services, and more.
10-car drowsiness detector
Engineers have developed various driver drowsiness detection systems that will alert them if the system thinks the driver is feeling too tired.
Most of these systems will monitor your steering inputs and compare your steering movements to how often different lane keeping systems must intervene to keep you upright and tight.
If the car determines that you might be fatigued, a bell may sound and alerts will appear on the dashboard to suggest taking a break from the road.
Appropriately, many of these systems will display a coffee cup diagram on the dashboard.
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