27 clever hidden features in cars

Some of these features are useful, others are just fun. We reveal the secret surprises concealed in modern cars.

  • Shining a light

    Shining a light

    © Ford

    The term ‘Easter eggs’ is used to describe a hidden feature or message, usually within a film or video game. However, they also exist in the car world, as our gallery proves. We can’t promise you any chocolate, but you can expect a few surprises.

  • Ford GT headlights

    Ford GT headlights

    © Ford

    The GT was first revealed in 2003, on the 100th anniversary of Ford Motor Company. To mark the occasion, the V8 supercar’s nearside headlight was designed to read ‘100’. We wonder how many people noticed.

  • Mini Openometer

    Mini Openometer

    © Mini

    This ‘Openometer’ gauge in the Mini Convertible shows how much time you’ve spent driving with the roof open. Presumably once you’ve managed the full six hours, you can stick the heater on and dry off.

  • Volkswagen’s golf ball gearknob

    Volkswagen’s golf ball gearknob

    © VW

    Volkswagen had a habit of naming its cars after winds, so it’s likely that ‘Golf’ refers to the Gulf Stream, rather than a game with 18 holes and tasselled shoes. Nonetheless, many versions of the Golf GTI have played upon this association with a dimpled ‘golf ball’ gearknob. It’s yet another reason to spec your GTI with a manual ’box.

  • Skoda’s Superb umbrella

    Skoda’s Superb umbrella

    © Skoda

    Fancy a Rolls-Royce but can’t quite find enough pennies down the back of the sofa? The Skoda Superb does a mighty fine impression of a luxury car, right down to the umbrella hidden away in the rear door. Indeed, the Superb goes one better by offering two brollies. Now Skoda is really spoiling us.

  • Jeep Renegade and the hidden Italian spider

    Jeep Renegade and the hidden Italian spider

    © FCA

    Ciao baby: not our words, but the words of the little spider sat inside the fuel filler cap of the Jeep Renegade. It’s there to highlight the efficiency of the compact crossover. Apparently you’ll fill up so infrequently, cobwebs will appear inside the filler cap. So now you know.

  • Jeep Renegade and numerous nods to its heritage

    Jeep Renegade and numerous nods to its heritage

    © Jeep

    Indeed, Jeep threw a truck-load of Easter eggs at the Renegade. From topographical maps to the iconic Jeep grille, you’ll find references to Jeep’s heritage everywhere. Seriously, this thing has more Easter eggs than Thorntons. Jeep has adopted a similar stance on the new Wrangler.

  • The Tesla Model S and Elon Musk’s tribute to Spinal Tap

    The Tesla Model S and Elon Musk’s tribute to Spinal Tap

    © Tesla

    In a brilliant nod to This Is Spinal Tap, the volume controls in the Tesla Model S go ‘up to 11.’ Hat-tip to Elon Musk…

  • Not to mention the Tesla Model S and its underwater abilities

    Not to mention the Tesla Model S and its underwater abilities

    © Newspress

    This is one of the very best Easter eggs. Hidden away in the menus of the Tesla Model S is a Lotus Esprit submarine setting. Pressing the Tesla logo for a set period of time and entering ‘007’ as the code will transform the display to that of James Bond’s Esprit. Brilliant.

  • Honda and its Magic Seats

    Honda and its Magic Seats

    © Honda

    Honda’s so-called Magic Seats can’t make you look younger or reverse Brexit. But their flip-up bases do create a floor-to-roof load space, so you can easily load tall objects. They’re perfect for carrying pot plants.

  • Vauxhall Corsa bike rack

    Vauxhall Corsa bike rack

    © Vauxhall

    By far the most interesting thing about the old Vauxhall Corsa was its FlexFix integrated bike rack. This popped out from behind the rear number plate when you lifted a handle in the boot. The extra rear lights were provided, too.

  • Pandamonium

    Pandamonium

    © Fiat

    The Fiat Panda is known for its rounded-off ‘squircles’, which appear everywhere on the car. But a lesser-known feature of the car is the ‘Panda’ inscription on the door cards. Look closely and you’ll spot thousands of little letters. It’s a very nice touch.

  • Ford Mustang and a projected pony

    Ford Mustang and a projected pony

    © Ford

    The Ford Mustang’s pony projection lights that display the iconic Mustang logo on the road beneath the car. It’s like the Bat-Signal, only with a horse. That said, Horse-Man sounds like a rubbish superhero.

  • Anything Ford can do Land Rover can do earlier

    Anything Ford can do Land Rover can do earlier

    © Land Rover

    Of course, this logo projection thing is nothing new. Range Rover Evoque drivers have been impressing people at dinner parties for years now. In fact, puddle lights are becoming commonplace across the car industry.

  • Nissan Cube and the ripple-effect headliner

    Nissan Cube and the ripple-effect headliner

    © Nissan

    OK, so this is stretching the Easter egg principle a little, but if a Nissan Cube driver never looked up, they wouldn’t see the ripple-effect headliner. It looks like the interior light has been chucked in a pool of creamy water.

  • Toyota FT-1 and the F1-style rear light

    Toyota FT-1 and the F1-style rear light

    © Toyota

    The Toyota FT-1 concept was a pretty cool car. The front-engined, rear-wheel-drive machine felt like a nod to the company’s performance heritage, echoing the likes of the Supra and Celica. The concept even featured an F1-style flashing rain light at the back. Very cool.

  • Aston Martin’s delightful nod to its logo

    Aston Martin’s delightful nod to its logo

    © Aston Martin

    Now this is also very clever. The rear lights on the Aston Martin Vanquish are designed in such a way that if you put them together they’d create the shape of the Aston Martin logo. Hats off to the designer for that.

  • Logo within the MG3’s headlights

    Logo within the MG3’s headlights

    © PetrolBlog

    The MG3 is a cut-price Ford Fiesta that is much better than you might think. There’s a sense that the company wanted to inject some individuality to what could otherwise be a dull supermini. We especially liked the little MG logos in the headlights of the pre-facelift car.

  • The Tesla Model S keyfob

    The Tesla Model S keyfob

    © Motoring Research

    Tesla uses the Porsche trick of creating a keyfob out of the shape of the car. Just how cool will this look on the coffee table? You even get a little bag to put it in. Just don’t go trying to hang it on your key holder.

  • ‘Simply Clever’ ice scraper in the Skoda Octavia

    ‘Simply Clever’ ice scraper in the Skoda Octavia

    © Skoda

    There’s never an ice scraper when you need one. Which is why Skoda decided to put one on the inside of the Octavia’s fuel filler cap. Hands up all the Octavia owners who have forgotten to put it back again afterwards.

  • SRT Viper and its track stamps

    SRT Viper and its track stamps

    © FCA

    The SRT Viper featured two race track stamps: one of the Nurburging and the other of Laguna Seca. British buyers could allegedly order the same car with stamps of the North Circular and the Manchester Inner Ring Road.

  • The Z on the side of the BMW Z4

    The Z on the side of the BMW Z4

    © BMW

    Like the arrow inside the FedEx logo, once you’ve seen the Z on the side of the BMW Z4, you can never unsee it.

  • Vauxhall and Opel shark

    Vauxhall and Opel shark

    © Opel

    Back in 2004, Opel designer Dietmar Finger was at home working on a sketch for the new Corsa. For stability reasons, the outer panel of the glovebox required ribs integrated in the plastic surface. His son said: “Papa, why don’t you just draw a shark?” So he did. The glovebox shark later spread to many Vauxhall and Opel cars.

  • Volvo XC90 spider web

    Volvo XC90 spider web

    © SH

    The interior of the Volvo XC90 is a work of brilliance. It’s sophisticated and beautifully finished. Which makes the spider on the inside of one of the storage bins all the more surprising. A throwaway touch that shows Volvo hasn’t forgotten details matter. Superb.

  • Lexus IS 300h interior light

    Lexus IS 300h interior light

    © Lexus

    Walking up to your keyless-go Lexus IS in complete darkness? Don’t worry – the car has your back. It senses your presence and the interior lights automatically glow as you get near, before you even touch either the key or the door handles. A really satisfying, feelgood hidden detail.

  • Jaguar E-Pace cub

    Jaguar E-Pace cub

    © Jaguar

    Take a look at the corner of the windscreen on the Jaguar E-Pace and you’ll find two big cats climbing a hill. The cub is there to represent the ‘baby’ crossover. How cute.

  • Renault Modus and its boot chute

    Renault Modus and its boot chute

    © Renault

    We all know that Parisians enjoy a little ‘parking by touch’. But if somebody parked too close for you to open the tailgate, the Renault Modus MPV had a neat solution. The boot chute means you can access the luggage area without lifting the whole lid.

  • The Nissan curry hook

    The Nissan curry hook

    © Nissan

    It’s so simple, but many of the best ideas are. Nissan’s curry hook – introduced on the Almera in 1996 – provided somewhere to hang your takeaway food bags. It meant less chance of lamb madras and broken poppadoms on your carpets. Even an Almera doesn’t deserve that.