The other day we talked about , the stuff designed to remove you from the experience. Now, let's look at good technology, the stuff designed to make driving better for you, the driver.

Ever get the feeling automakers are trying to remove you, the driver, from the driving experience?…

We told you we weren't Luddites, but many of you didn't believe us. We readily adopt any new technology that can make driving better for us, but, to us, better doesn't mean easier. Technology shouldn't be a band aid for bad design; a car doesn't need blind spot detectors if it has good vision. What a car needs is improved capability, improved safety and improved experience — all while not hindering any of those other three needs. Here's our idea of progress.

Water-repellent windshield treatments

What it says on the tin: prevents water from gathering on the windshield.

Rain-X, rub it on, see in the rain.

Better vision increases safety.

Airbags

sensors detect a crash, triggering explosive charges that rapidly inflate nylon bags. When a vehicle occupant's body collides with the bag, the gas is vented through small holes controlling the rate of deflation and therefore cushioning the impact and controlling the movement of the body.

The which adds an airbag between rear seat passenger's heads to prevent them knocking and one under the front of the car to rapidly slow it.

The Press Release follows:

Working together with seat belts and crumple zones, airbags massively reduce the forces a human body is subjected to in a crash. In short, they save your life.

Anti-Lock Brakes

Prevents the wheels from locking while braking, thereby preserving the ability to steer and reducing stopping distances in slippery conditions.

The brings anti-lock brakes to super bikes, it'll be used in racing next year where racers expect the marginal decrease in outright dry braking ability will be made up for by the increase in consistency and safety.

Allows you to exploit your car's maximum braking ability while safely retaining the ability to steer. That's a huge benefit in the dry, incredibly more so in the rain or snow.

Defeat-able Traction and Stability Control

Traction control cuts power when wheel slip is detected, retaining traction under acceleration. Stability control is far more advanced, applying brakes and cutting power to individual wheels to keep the vehicle from spinning or understeering to too great a degree. Defeat-able systems can be turned off.

In addition to suspension changes, stability control transforms the from a wild beast into a tame kitten.

With the 2010 Shelby GT500, SVT's engineers claim they've turned a 500 HP Mustang into a 540 HP…

The NHTSA estimates that 5,300 to 9,600 fatalities could be prevented per year if all vehicles used stability control. Being able to turn it off enables drivers to take full control of the vehicle, useful in snow, on dirt and on racetracks.

Muffler Valves

Butterfly or plenum valves located in the muffler or nearby open at certain revs or throttle positions, reducing back pressure and increasing power and noise.

The I'm driving this week is whisper quiet in normal driving, yet roars like a banshee when you get on the throttle. It's glorious and, for now, legal.

The leaks are comin' fast and furious tonight. Details and photos of the 2010 Jaguar XKR have…

Pesky governments want to restrict our fun by limiting noise levels and emissions. These valves get around those laws by remaining closed in the conditions required to pass the test, then opening in other conditions to deliver the full effect.

Clean Diesel

a euphemism for Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel and associated engine technologies that drastically reduce the harmful emissions of diesel engines.

; imagine getting similar highway fuel economy (36 MPG) to the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Honda Insight in a vehicle that's luxurious, extremely fast and fun to drive.

Reports that the US market will be getting the new diesel BMW 3-series have gained additional…

By reducing emissions and increasing fuel economy, clean diesel saves the earth while saving you money without asking for sacrifices in the driving experience.

SynchroRev Match

Matches revs to road speed on downshifts on a manual transmission, essentially mimicking heel and toeing.

The , the only car to employ the system.

The 2009 Nissan 370Z is a seriously high tech car. But unlike other high tech sports cars from…

Heel and toeing is one of the more complicated driving skills to master, but it seriously boosts smoothness, reduces wear on transmissions and decreases the likelihood of spinning while braking hard for a corner. SynchroRev Match not only allows driver who can't heel and toe to reap its benefits, but by performing perfectly matched shifts 100% of the time, it'll be useful to people that can do it themselves too.

iPod/iPhone Integration

Allows you to fully control your mp3 player using existing controls in your car.

I was able to listen to Pandora through my iPhone on a road trip in the 335d. No more Sirius!

your car already likely has stereo controls that are simplified and optimized for use while driving, your mp3 player doesn't. The next step is wireless control through bluetooth, meaning you won't even need to connect your mp3 player to wires.

Variable Valve Timing, Event and Lift Systems

A pretty simple concept with very complicated execution. Essentially, it modifies the movement parameters of the valves to optimize fuel economy, torque and power throughout the rev range.

The which adds variable valve event and lift to the usual timing, allowing more precise control of its engine's performance.

It allows smaller engines to act like larger ones with fuller and smoother torque and power curves.

Radar/Laser Detectors

Detects the presence of speed traps.

Some current systems are able to detect radar, laser and can be programmed with the positions of known cameras or other fixed-location devices.

Since our government chooses to enforce speed over safety, detectors allow good drivers to use their judgement to drive as they see fit without incurring the wrath of an arrogant bureaucracy.

Heated Seats

Makes your butt warm.

The seats on my E30 325is got so hot they could burn you.

No one likes cold butts.

Advanced lightweight materials and construction methods

reduces weight and increases strength of car chassis and bodies.

The Lotus Elise which uses an extruded and bonded aluminum chassis (pictured) for unprecedented light weight and high strength.

Less weight equals improved performance and fuel economy while increased strength is safer and a better platform to attach suspension to.

Crumple Zones

allows the front and rear portions of the chassis and body to collapse in a controlled manner, reducing the forces vehicle occupants are subjected to in a crash.

The 2010 Jaguar XK, which uses crimps in its incredibly strong aluminum chassis to control its distortion to an incredibly high degree. A very strong passenger compartment equipped with well engineered crumple zones makes cars like this extraordinarily safe.

The human body was never designed to travel above about 20 MPH or, more accurately, wasn't designed to withstand the forces involved with stopping rapidly from above 20 MPH. Crumple zones save lives.

Stop/Start Engines

Turns the engine off while stopped in traffic or at traffic lights. Engine restart is immediate and unnoticeable.

The BMW 118i, which isn't a hybrid, yet can turn its engine off while stopped to save gas.

You don't need to have your engine on while you're stopped, so it makes sense to turn it off. Saves gas and reduced emissions.

Satellite Weather and Traffic Reports

Shows traffic info and weather radar maps and forecasts on the in-car screen.

The , which uses the XM radio signal to download live traffic reports, weather forecasts and most usefully of all, doppler radar maps.

We're not big fans of simulated female voices giving us bad directions, that's what we have girlfriends for. But, being able to adjust your route based on weather and traffic can increase safety and reduce travel times.

Pushbutton Locking Differentials

locking differentials lock the two wheels on an axle together so they rotate at the same speed. Pushbutton systems achieve this at the push of a button.

The , which uses the system to make extreme off-roading easy.

The H3T Alpha, despite sharing DNA with the S-10, is more than a spruced up mid-size truck. The…

you used to have to get out of the car and manual set the locks, then rock the vehicle back and forth to get them to engage. Now you can do all that by pushing a button.

Turbocharging

exhaust gases spin an impeller that forces air into the combustion chamber at high pressures. This increases power.

The 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six which has the power and torque of a much larger engine, but without the traditional turbo lag or peaky delivery.

Makes little engines act like bigger ones by increasing power and torque.

LED Lights


Light-Emitting Diodes use much less energy and last much longer than traditional bulbs.

The which only uses LED bulbs.

Just listen to the wail coming from the Audi R8 V10's 5.2 liter FSI V10 as it pumps out 525…

Well, for one thing, you'll never have to replace a bulb again. It also allows designers greater freedom to create new light shapes and locations.

Torque Vectoring Differentials

Know how stability control keeps a vehicle from spinning by cutting power and applying brakes to individual wheels? Well torque vectoring differentials are essentially really awesome stability control units that send power to individual wheels to increase, rather than reduce, speed.

The . Enter a wet hairpin, plant the throttle and it will accelerate in complete control the whole way around.

Despite the enormous size and weight, the BMW X6 M is just as fast around the Nurburgring as the…

increases the outright cornering ability of a vehicle in a way that defies not only belief, but nearly the laws of physics.

Direct Fuel Injection:

injects fuel directly into the cylinder and enables the precise control of the fuel-air mixture which, in turn, means a leaner burn, increased fuel economy and higher power.

The engine which uses a secondary set of injectors to shoot ethanol from a separate tank into the combustion chamber, compression ratios can be drastically raised without pre-ignition, thus boosting fuel economy another 10 percent and overall power output quite a bit - think 500 HP and 700 lb-ft of torque from a five-liter V8.

According to our friends at PickupTrucks.com, Ford is developing an engine which might offer a…

Better efficiency, higher compression ratios, more power. What's not to like?

Real Power Outlets

Provides passengers with an actual 110v power outlet like they get at home instead of the crappy cigarette lighter ports.

the has an honest-to-god outlet between the two front seats.

Ford PR Flack:"We wanted to give the Flex what we call a 'wow' factor."Random Auto Journalist:…

you can plug shit in without using an adapter. That's crazy talk.

Folding Hard Tops

substitutes metal for cloth in a convertible's top.

The , which has coupe-like vision and refinement yet looses its top into a very small space in the trunk, eliminating the huge butts and bad vision of previous folding hard tops.

Like the rest of the BMW range, the 2009 BMW Z4 is bigger, heavier and more complicated than its…

Delivers the best of both worlds in one package. Coupe security, sound levels and vision; convertible looks and the wind in your hair.

Hood Scoops

draws air into the engine bay or engine for the purposes of cooling or increased power.

The Rover 3500 which had three functional hood scoops; one for the air cleaner and two that were somehow connected to the HVAC system.

They make the best use of the environment a vehicle operates in to increase performance. Also increase a vehicle's bad ass quotient.

Adaptive Headlights

"Steers" the headlight beams around corners.

The Citroen DS, which employed a complicated steering-linked system way back in 1967.

Enables you to see around corners, increasing safety.

Regenerative Braking

Recoups a vehicle's kinetic energy under deceleration.

The , which employs a regenerative braking system that enables a smaller alternator and increased fuel efficiency.

The 2008 BMW M3 puts the world around it in fast forward. No, this isn't some function hidden deep…

The kinetic energy is there, why not use it? Improves fuel efficiency.