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Hidden Car Features You Didn’t Know Existed
As cars become more and more technologically advanced, it’s fun to see all the bells and whistles that make each manufacturer unique. Features have always been a diversifying factor, and each automaker strives to pull in drivers.
However, we seldom use all the unique capabilities our vehicles come with, because most times we forget, or don’t even know they are there. Here’s hidden car features you probably never knew existed, and ones you’ll dream of using one day.
Gas Tank Indictor
Tons of people have no idea that right on your dash, you’ll see a gas can symbol with an arrow on one side – this is how you identify which side of the car the gas tank is on! In case you forgot, or are just borrowing or renting an unfamiliar vehicle.
Hidden Storage
Almost every midsize car and larger has its own special storage compartments, whether they be under the seats, beneath the floors or trunk, or in center consoles. It’s worth exploring to see if there’s any spaces you forgot about.
Enhanced Soundproofing
In the last decade alone, soundproofing has only become more advanced, and we’re not just talking about audio. Automakers are cancelling outside noise from the roads and traffic, helping make for a more peaceful journey. This is largely by adding suppressing technology throughout the car.
Drowsiness Detector
One of the most important breakthrough additions to newer cars is the drowsiness detector, which monitors your erratic steering and head movements, hoping to notify you before you get too tired behind the wheel. While this is a luxury for now, expect it to be in all cars soon.
Versatility Hooks
You’ve probably noticed hooks in every car, including yours, but do you know what they’re for? They serve lots of purposes, from fastening things when the seats are down, to holding up your to-go bags, or hanging your clothes so they don’t wrinkle! Hooks are your friend!
Fuel Cap Holder
This is one of those features you simply overlook, because it’s doubtful people are paying much attention to their gas tanks. Well, the little slot that’s on the back of the fuel door is so you can slide the cap in, that way it doesn’t dangle or drip any gas residue on your paint.
Lane Assist
Lane assist has become one of the best additions to any car, and probably saved countless drivers from accidents or near-fatal collisions. Not only does it correct your car based on the road’s lines, but it shows you the visual representation on the dash now, too.
Signal Change Sensor
This is one of the most practical on the list, and should be finding its way into more cars soon. This sensor on the back of your rearview mirror watches for the stoplight to switch green, then promptly alerts you in case you’re distracted on your phone or something while waiting for the light to change.
Road Condition Detector
You may not notice road condition detectors if you live in a warm place, or somewhere it doesn’t rain much, but these detectors are incredibly useful in wet, snowy and frozen environments. This way you can be informed of dangerous roads before their treachery grabs hold of you.
Hidden Umbrella Compartment
Everyone needs a place to store an umbrella in their car, but the more luxurious cars have got a leg up on the other manufacturers. In some expensive makes, you can find a complimentary umbrella in its own unique compartment, but we wouldn’t advise storing it in there while it’s still wet.
Electronic Stability Control
Stability control has been a thing for a while now, but with electronic technology escalating in the safety department, cars are better equipped than ever to react to spins, black ice, and any other obstacles that put the vehicle in a dangerous position. Usually it brakes for each individual tire.
Ambient Interior Lighting
One of the more modern, but fun features in the car world is the ambient interior lighting fad, which is letting drivers set their own colors in the backdrops, treating passengers to a custom glow. This is obviously just the bow on top for expensive cars like Mercedes, Jaguar and Rolls Royce.
Color-Coded Engines
Did you know that your engine has certain color-coded wiring and hardware that helps identify which kind of parts it requires when maintenance is needed? That’s how mechanics always know how to fix your car without needing to get parts, because they likely already have the type yours uses.
Hands-Free Trunk
This is a fairly new one, particularly pioneered by minivans and SUVs of various kinds. Oftentimes you find yourself carrying the biggest things to the trunk, so why not incorporate a trunk that opens by activating a sensor under the bumper? This allows you to pack things without having to put them down.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Cruise control is great, until you’re going in different elevations, traffic, or just in general congestion. Well, now adaptive cruise control is allowing cars to sense care in front of them and adapt accordingly, as well as becoming more fuel efficient when traveling up or down elevated roads.
Grab Handles
You probably remember the grab handles in your car mostly from your childhood when you’d hold on to them for fun. But did you know they were originally added to help handicapped and less mobile people get into cars? That secondary stabilization helps them get in more comfortably.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Anti-lock braking systems have been around for a while now, but they are getting much better, especially in more hazardous situations. Nowadays they are activated once you apply heavy pressure on the brakes, but they combat water, road material, and vehicle shape more accurately.
Turn Off Automatic Lights
Believe it or not, if you keep your automatic headlights off until you actually need them, this can help you preserve battery life. And while this is probably applicable only if you spend most of your time driving during the day, the manual ability to help preserve unnecessary energy use goes a long way for your wallet.
Built-In Vacuum
We all know how easy it is for your newly cleaned car to go from spotless to a disaster in a matter of days, so when larger SUVs that typically were transporting more people added mini vacuum cleaners, it totally made sense. And recently, more larger vehicles have followed suit.
Computer Driving Assistance
The best example of computer driving assistance today is the auto-parallel parking feature that tons of new cars have. This is orchestrated by little sensors built in all around the car, and the way they read their surroundings has only gotten more impressive. In the future, this tech will be used in autopilot.
Auto-Dim Rearview
Rearview mirrors are solid, but a lot of times lighting can make them less effective, especially when the sun’s behind us. But more recently, auto-dimming mirrors have been the norm, and they have actually done an amazing job considering most people don’t even realize it’s a feature.
Automatic Hazards
Sometimes cars break down on the side of the road, and if there’s an underlying electrical issue, it can be dangerous if you’re not able to activate your hazard lights. Luckily, more cars have auto hazards built in now, which activate when they know the car is in trouble and incapable of driving correctly.
Conversation Mirror
With bigger cars, it truly is tougher to keep an eye on everyone, especially for parents with smaller children in the back. But sometimes you just want to look people in the eye, and that why conversation mirrors were incorporated, so that bigger cars became more visually accessible.
Aluminum Substitute Body
Most people still just think that cars are mostly steel, but you’d be surprised to know how much of the body is made up of aluminum these days. Not only is it cheaper, but it’s lighter and more malleable, which gives cars more space for tech and safety to be added, ultimately making them safer.
Tire Pressure Monitor
This is one everyone has at least noticed. Typically you will see the exclamation mark in the yellow triangle when your air pressure is running low, and it can be really useful if you find a nail or some other debris that’s affecting your tire. Surprisingly, some people don’t even know what it means!
Internal Trunk Release
This is a safety feature that unfortunately isn’t in every car, but is increasingly pushed by people to be a necessary component of every car with a trunk. The internal release allows the trunk to be opened from the inside, just in case someone is trapped inside for any reason.
Lower Windows Using Keys
A mind-blowing feature that the majority of modern cars have is one of the least known, but coolest of all – hold down your unlock for 5 seconds, and you’ll see your windows roll down! This is brilliant for cars that need airing out in hot places, especially if you’re in a rush.
Magic Seats
The Magic Seats were first popularized by Honda, but many companies followed their lead for their smaller, more compact vehicles to allow more customization for space. This usually includes the ability to fold up, down, forward, and back for ultimate versatility.
Retractable Hood Ornament
Now when you get to the luxury vehicles, their bonus features get impressive, and for the price, you wouldn’t expect anything less. The “Spirit of Ecstasy” hood ornament on Rolls-Royces are now equipped to retract in a matter of milliseconds if someone tries to thief it from your car.
Volkswagen Blumenvase
The Blumenvase is by far one of the coolest original features, making its name in the Volkswagen Beetle. It’s specifically designed to hold a bouquet of flowers so the driver can brighten up their ride, and we’ve never fully supported something more. It’s just hard to keep them watered.
Tesla Holiday Show
The Tesla “Holiday Show” feature is a modern addition at its most quirky, with basically no purpose other than to entertain. When activated, all the automatic doors and lights do a whole routine, making a fun robotics display of your car for absolutely no reason other than you wanted to.
Convertible Neck Warmers
Now why would you ever need neck warmers you may ask, but do you drive a convertible? Well, these nicer car companies surely didn’t forget to consider the times you might be cold, so they built in heaters into the head rests, which is next level accessibility.
Mini Openometer
Have you ever wondered how long it’s been since you retracted the roof in your mini cooper? Neither have we, but Mini Coopers have that ability, as their “openometer” tallies the amount of time that’s passed since they last stopped using their roof.
Skoda Ice Scraper
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In Europe, cars are required to deal with some entirely different conditions, and that includes some pretty vicious winters. Luckily, the folks at Skoda thought ahead, and included an ice scraper in the gas tank of every vehicle. Now that’s a useful tool.
Integrated Bike Rack
The Opel Corsa was clearly intended to please the bike lovers out there, as this vehicle featured a retractable bike rack that would emerge from the rear bumper of the car. Not only was this a unique feature to the Corsa, but optimized a space that’s usually wasted on most vehicles.
Logo Headlights
If you’re MacLaren, it almost makes sense to make your headlights in the shape of your logo, because they match the body shape of most of their cars anyway. This is probably impossible for most manufacturers, so it’s a bonus for those already lucky enough to drive one.
Champagne Chiller
Another ridiculous feature of the Rolls-Royce fleet, these champagne chilling compartments are as bougie as it gets. Bold of them to assume you need to chill champagne everywhere you go, but it sure is a great talking point, and bragging right if we’re speaking quite honestly.
Mercedes Pre-Safe Sound
Mercedes has stepped up their tech big time over the last couple of years, and their pre-safe sound features is one of the most groundbreaking. Essentially, when the car senses it’s going to be a part of some accident, it releases a form of white noise to help prevent hearing loss that may occur during the impact.
Citroen Picasso Cart
Another foreign car that utilizes the bumper space beautifully, the Citroen Picasso included one of the most uncanny features – a storable shopping cart that could be used when making trips to the farmer’s market or grocery store. One of those things that’s just useful in general.
BMW Drying Brakes
BMW has long been known to be at the forefront of technological advancements in the auto industry, and one of their more recent pioneering achievements was the self-drying brakes, which is crucial in the longevity of the hardware, including pads and rotors.
Tesla Autopilot
Tesla’s autopilot is by far the most advanced in its category, and that’s largely because of the downloadable updates that are done through the internet. It gets better every year, and eventually, even the cars on the road right now will be able to upgrade to inevitable 100% self driving software.
Rolls-Royce Picnic
Rolls-Royce really isn’t playing around when flexing on onlookers, and that includes when picnicking at the park. In their premier SUVs and family cars, they have long included a full-sized picnic set with luxury dishware, valued at a whopping $50k price tag in today’s models.
