Running boards are narrow platforms attached to the vehicle’s underside running from the front to the back wheel that help a person more easily enter or exit a vehicle with higher ground clearance. Vehicles built early in the 20th century sported running boards due to their higher ride height. Today, you’ll usually find running boards on larger sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and vans.

Adaptive suspension adjusts the ride characteristics of a vehicle on the fly through the dampers. Adaptive dampers placed at every corner of the car use sensors to monitor road conditions and adjust the response of the suspension system from rigid to plush based on the driver’s demands. Adaptive suspension settings can be predetermined with selectable drive modes, with names like comfort, normal, off-road, sport, or race, depending on the type of vehicle.

Hill descent control is a safety technology that frees the driver to steer while the vehicle’s computer actuates the anti-lock brakes and traction control to keep the vehicle moving downhill at a pre-set speed. Vehicles with off-road capability frequently feature this capability, where hill descent control can be highly effective.

Auto-leveling headlights are an anti-glare safety measure for a vehicle carrying a heavy load that tips the headlamps’ projection angle. Auto-leveling, or self-leveling, headlights adjust the cut-off line, which is the beams’ farthest boundary, to maintain proper visibility for the driver but avoid blinding other road users.