This guide walks through five underused tech features, what they actually do in the real world, and how to dial them in so they work for you, not against you.
1. Custom Driver Profiles: Make the Car Fit You, Not the Other Way Around
Many newer cars let you save “driver profiles” tied to a key fob, a button, or your login in the infotainment system. Most owners set it once (seat position) and never touch it again—missing out on a lot of everyday convenience.
A well-set profile can adjust seat position, mirror angles, steering feel, climate settings, radio presets, and even driver-assistance preferences in one tap. If multiple people share the car, each person can have a completely different feel without constant fiddling. For solo drivers, you can still create different profiles: one for daily commuting, another for long trips (with softer lighting, different audio settings, gentler adaptive cruise behavior), and a “winter” profile with heated seats and a different drive mode prioritized.
Actionable setup:
- Go into your vehicle settings and find “Driver Profile,” “User,” or “Personalization.”
- Create at least two profiles: “Daily” and “Trip.”
- Link the profile to your key or smartphone app if supported.
- Save not just seat/mirror positions, but climate defaults, favorite audio source, and driver-assistance settings (lane-keeping intensity, alert volumes, etc.).
- If others drive your car, have each person build their own profile to avoid constantly re-adjusting everything.
Once you set them up thoughtfully, profiles turn your car from a generic setup into something that feels tailored every time you get in.
2. Adaptive Cruise and Lane Assistance: Use Them as Tools, Not Autopilot
Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) like adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane-keeping assistance can reduce fatigue—especially in traffic and on long highway drives. Many owners, though, either don’t trust them or trust them too much. The sweet spot is using them as assistants, not replacements.
Adaptive cruise maintains a set distance from the car ahead, smoothly adjusting speed without constant pedal work. Lane-keeping and lane-centering can help you stay in your lane during long stretches of highway, reducing minor steering corrections. Used correctly, these features free up mental bandwidth so you can focus more on traffic patterns and less on micro-adjustments.
Actionable setup:
- Start on a familiar, straight highway in good weather.
- Turn on ACC and set a comfortable following distance (usually the middle setting is a good start).
- Pair it with lane-keeping or lane-centering if your car offers both.
- Keep your hands on the wheel and feet ready—treat it like a helpful co-pilot, not self-driving.
- Learn your system’s limits: it may struggle with faded lane lines, sharp curves, heavy rain, or stop-and-go traffic that’s too erratic.
Check your owner’s manual or manufacturer website to see exactly what your car’s system can and cannot do. Knowing the boundaries is what makes these tools genuinely useful and safer in daily driving.
3. Built-In Vehicle Health Monitoring: Catch Issues Before They Cost You
Many cars now quietly track data like battery health, tire pressure trends, oil life, and even driving behavior that affects wear and fuel economy. But that information often sits buried in menus or apps that owners never open—and small issues become expensive repairs.
Your car’s tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), for example, isn’t just about avoiding flats; keeping pressures within the recommended range improves fuel economy, braking performance, and tire life. Engine oil life monitors can help you schedule oil changes based on real usage instead of a generic mileage rule. Some cars and apps can even send alerts if the 12V battery or hybrid/EV system detects anomalies before a no-start situation.
Actionable setup:
- Open your car’s companion app (or in-car “Vehicle Status” screen) and look for:
- TPMS readouts by wheel
- Service/maintenance reminders
- Engine oil life or “service in X miles/days”
- Battery or charging system warnings (for hybrids/EVs)
- Check these at least once a month or before long trips.
- When you see a minor warning (slightly low tire, early service reminder), schedule time to fix it instead of ignoring it until it escalates.
- If your app offers “vehicle health reports,” enable them and set notifications via email or push alerts.
Treat onboard health monitoring like a personal mechanic that quietly taps you on the shoulder before something gets expensive.
4. Navigation and Route Customization: Teach Your Car How You Actually Drive
Most drivers punch in a destination and accept whatever route the navigation system offers. But modern in-car navigation—whether built-in or smartphone-based (Apple CarPlay, Android Auto)—can be tuned to your priorities: avoiding tolls, minimizing fuel use, prioritizing main roads at night, or avoiding highways altogether.
Over time, some systems learn your typical routes and departure times, offering smarter suggestions and traffic-aware reroutes. But they only get truly useful if you set clear preferences and pay attention to their traffic data and alternative routes.
Actionable setup:
- In your nav settings, adjust preferences:
- Turn on “avoid tolls” if you want to save money, or leave them on for faster trips.
- Enable “avoid ferries” or “avoid unpaved roads” if relevant in your area.
- Turn on real-time traffic and incident alerts.
- Save frequent destinations (home, work, school, gym, favorite grocery store) as favorites.
- Before you start a familiar drive in rush hour, pull up navigation anyway and compare your usual route to the system’s suggestion—sometimes it sees a jam you don’t.
- In EVs or plug-in hybrids, enable “eco routing” or similar features that plan around charging needs and energy-efficient speeds.
The goal isn’t to obey your GPS blindly, but to use it as a traffic and planning tool that reflects how you prefer to drive and what you care about (time, cost, comfort).
5. App Integration and Remote Features: Extend Your Car Beyond the Parking Spot
Vehicle companion apps have quietly evolved from simple “owner portals” into powerful tools for daily use. Depending on your car, an app can remotely start the engine or climate system, lock/unlock doors, pre-condition an EV’s battery, locate your parked vehicle, and even send addresses directly to your car’s navigation.
Used well, these features can reduce wear, save time, and make life in extreme temperatures much more comfortable. Preconditioning an EV while plugged in, for example, warms or cools the cabin without draining driving range. Remote start in cold climates can defrost windows and warm the interior while the car stays locked.
Actionable setup:
- Download your manufacturer’s official app and register your vehicle.
- Enable key features:
- Remote lock/unlock
- Remote start or climate control (where legal and supported)
- Vehicle locator or “find my car”
- Send-to-car navigation (from your phone’s map or the app itself)
- Use scheduled climate/preconditioning before regular departures (for EVs/hybrids and many modern ICE vehicles).
- In busy parking lots or unfamiliar cities, use the “locate vehicle” or “flash lights/honk horn” tools instead of wandering around.
Treat the app as a control center: anything that reduces time wasted fiddling in the car or walking back and forth is worth setting up once and using regularly.
Conclusion
Your car’s tech doesn’t have to be complicated or distracting. When you focus on a handful of practical tools—driver profiles, driver-assistance systems, health monitoring, smarter navigation, and app-based remote features—you turn gadgets into genuine everyday advantages.
Take 30–60 minutes this week to explore your menus and app with purpose. Set up profiles, tune your driver-assistance behavior, enable health alerts, save common routes, and configure remote functions. Once dialed in, these systems quietly work in the background, making each drive a little safer, smoother, and more efficient.
Sources
- [NHTSA – Driver Assistance Technologies](https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/driver-assistance-technologies) - Overview of common ADAS features, how they work, and their limitations
- [IIHS – Advanced Driver Assistance Systems](https://www.iihs.org/topics/advanced-driver-assistance) - Research-based information on the safety impact of modern driver-assistance tech
- [U.S. Department of Energy – Fuel-Efficient Driving Tips](https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.jsp) - Explains how tire pressure, route choice, and driving behavior affect fuel economy
- [AAA – Understanding Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems](https://exchange.aaa.com/automotive/understanding-tire-pressure-monitoring-systems-tpms/) - Practical guidance on using TPMS to maintain safety and tire life
- [Consumer Reports – Car Apps and Connected Services Guide](https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-safety/car-apps-and-connected-services-a5794736654/) - Reviews and explains common capabilities of automaker companion apps and connected features