Cars have come a long way in the last quarter-century.
A look at the cars of 1991 is all you need to realize how much technology has changed the auto industry in a quarter-century. Here are 15 of the most important automotive advancements and milestones of the last 25 years.
15: Electronically Controlled Torque Vectoring Differential, 1996
Mitsubishi was one of the first manufacturers to offer a differential that could be electronically controlled. The system was called Active Yaw Control and was available on its high performance Evolution model in the late 1990s. Unfortunately, we in America didn’t get the Evo until 2003. But today, active differentials that use electronics to send torque across an axle are found in many high performance cars.
If equipped on both the front and rear axles of an all-wheel drive car, these sophisticated differentials can direct the vehicle’s torque to any wheel in any amount at any moment. That not only improves handling when the driver is pushing hard, but also improves the around town drivability and traction in foul weather, without any drawbacks. And this tech isn’t just for sports cars. The Land Rover LR4, for instance, has an electronic rear differential that can fully lock for a rocky trail and unlock in varying degrees for smooth operation on the street.
14: High-Tech Headlamps, 1992
For decades, automotive headlamps were so universal that you could find replacement parts for virtually any vehicle at the local auto part store. But in the early 1990s, headlamp design began to change. In ’92 High Intensity Discharge headlamps (far brighter than traditional halogen lamps) were first installed in European production sedans. And since then, several technologies have been fighting for dominance. In the early 2000s, light-emitting diode (LED) headlamps began to show up on production cars. LEDS are small, super-efficient, and can be formed into a wide variety of shapes, which allowed car designers creativity like never before. Today’s adaptive LED headlamps can automatically turn on and off individual bulbs depending on conditions, so these advanced lamps can keep the road illuminated without blinding other drivers.
In the future, headlamp technology will go further. German automakers are betting on laser headlamps. These lights are not yet legal in the US but can provide a high beam with incredible range up to 1,000 times brighter than an LED (according to BMW) at a far lower power level.
13: The Smart Key, 1998
If you drive a newish car with push-button start, the experience of climbing into an older car and turning a key to fire it up feels surprisingly dated. Over the past couple decades, smart key fobs have made getting in and starting your car nearly effortless. Simply leave the fob in your pocket. As you approach, doors will unlock by simply touching the handle. Once inside the engine purrs to life with an easy push of a starter button. It’s a level of personalization and convenience that’s almost standard today.
Not so long ago this sensation was a pure novelty. In 1998, Mercedes-Benz was the first to offer the tech. Some of the first versions were credit card-sized slivers of plastic, but those evolved into the fobs we have today.
12: Dual Clutch Transmission, 2003
Basically, advanced dual clutch transmissions (DCT) offer the benefits of a traditional automatic transmission with none of the drawbacks. On a six-speed DCT gearbox, for instance, one clutch shifts the odd gears (1, 3 and 5) and the other one handles even gears (2, 4 and 6). The twin clutches allow the driver to shift gears seamlessly with incredible speed. The result is something as easy to use as an automatic but with quicker shifts than a manual.
Dual clutch transmissions have been used in racing since the 1980s. Volkswagen was the first to popularize the transmission and democratize its use in relatively pedestrian cars. VW’s dual clutch transmission, called DSG, was launched in mainstream performance vehicles like the GTI in 2003. The downside of dual-clutch? They put a big nail in the manual transmission’s coffin. Today, these transmissions are used by just about every brand in performance applications, from Mercedes-Benz to Lamborghini.
11: On-Board Diagnostics II, 1996
As the name would suggest, OBD II was an evolution of the first on-board diagnostics systems of the 1980s. OBD II provided far more diagnostic capability, allowing technicians and home mechanics to find out exactly what was wrong with their car through specific codes accessed by a 16 pin connector. Want to know why your engine was running poorly? OBD II could tell you that a specific cylinder was misfiring. OBD II allowed the adaptation of far more complex and precise air and fuel management in the engine. And this more sophisticated control over the engine has produced improved fuel economy as well as the enhanced performance we’ve seen in the last two decades.
Early on, car enthusiasts despised OBD II. That’s because its main purpose in life was to test vehicle emissions—the thought was that this nannying would make performance modifications more difficult. But since the introduction of OBD II two decades ago, cars have dramatically increased in performance while also running cleaner. Meanwhile, OBD II has created an industry for not only scan tools that tell you why your Check Engine light is on, but also aftermarket devices including performance tuners and fuel economy meters.
10: Advanced Turbocharging Goes Mainstream, 2008
Turbos have been used on production cars since the 1960s. These compressors, driven by the vehicle’s exhaust gasses, force more air into the cylinders. When combined with more fuel, that results in more power. Turbos can make a small engine perform like a much larger one.
Both GM and Ford introduced small turbocharged engines in the 2008-2009 timeframe that signaled the tech had matured enough to install in the company’s least-expensive cars. Now automakers could use smaller, more efficient turbo engines and retain (or even exceed) the power levels of larger engines. Today, nearly every manufacturer has downsized its engines to smaller turbocharged ones with a boost in performance and fuel economy.
What changed? The design of the turbos themselves were refined. Parts were made smaller, lighter, and more responsive. Twin-scroll turbos and twin-turbo setups allow engines to make power and torque all across the rev range with very little of the lag that old-style turbo engines were known for. Modern turbos are constructed of stronger materials than the old ones. The popularization of direct fuel injection also contributed to turbo performance, because this form of fuel delivery helps cools the intake stream, which allows for higher compression ratios—and more reliable power.
9: Mandatory Tire Pressure Monitoring, 2000
It’s no coincidence that we see far fewer cars parked on the side of the road with a flat tire these days? Big improvements in tire technology had a lot to do with it, and run-flat tires have enjoyed a spike in popularity over the past two decades. But the standardization of tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) in cars means that owners are warned about their under-inflated tires before real trouble happens.
There are two types of systems. Indirect TPMS uses the anti-lock braking system and wheel speed sensors to notice if tires are spinning faster than they should, indicating reduced air pressure. A light illuminates when the tire is 25 percent below a pressure threshold. Direct TPMS is far more accurate and uses pressure sensors inside each wheel to measure tire pressure and send it to your vehicle’s information center.
The first TPMS was available on the Porsche 959 supercar in the late 1980s. But it took new laws, sparked by outrage over the Firestone/Ford Explorer rollovers of the 1990s, for the systems to become widely adopted. The Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000 ensured that every passenger vehicle would have these systems standard by 2008.
8: Rear View Backup Camera, 2002
Until the early 2000s, the only ways to know what was happening behind your car as you backed out of the driveway were to look at your trusty mirrors or to crane your neck and look out the rear windshield. Neither approach could cover the area directly behind the car, putting children and pets at risk. In 2002, Infiniti launched a lifesaver with the first backup camera available in the new Q45. With a camera mounted below the trunk lid and a monitor in the dash, these early systems saved lives and made parking far easier for thousands of car owners. Later in the decade, Nissan introduced its Around View Monitor, which used multiple cameras to produce a 360-degree perimeter picture of the area around the car. Some of the best systems, like the one in the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class, even provide enough detail to spot a curb on the side of the car when parking.
Today about half of all new cars come with a basic backup camera standard. The tech is so valuable in preventing injuries that it will be required on all passenger vehicles by 2018.
7: GM EV1, the First Highway-Capable Mass-Produced Electric Vehicle, 1996
Electric cars may be the future, but actually they are old tech. City-dwellers used battery-powered EVs to silently roll the streets beginning in the late 1800s. These old-timey electic cars were slow, though, and couldn’t match the advantages of internal combustion. And so for the most part, electric vehicles petered out for a century.
Then, in 1991, GM launched the fully electric EV1. This car looked and drove like the future, but it wasn’t without faults. The EV1 had long charge times, and though it promised 70-90 miles on a charge, Popular Mechanics’ own real-world testing at the time saw ranges closer to 50-60 miles. The EV1s were all leased vehicles and famously crushed upon their return to GM, and to some it seemed like the EV resurgance was crused along with them. But it was the pioneering efforts of GM and others, along with advancements in battery technology, that set the stage for the EV revolution that began a decade later. You’ve heard all about Tesla, no doubt, but the more established car companies are taking EVs more seriously than ever. GM’s new brainchild is the Bolt, an affordable car that delivers nearly 240 miles on a single charge.
6: Bluetooth Integration, 1998
The significance of Bluetooth’s wireless technology to the automobile industry wasn’t completely apparent when it launched in the late 1990s. But by 2001 the company had its first in-car kit for talking on your phone hands-free. Today the technology is in just about every car and installed on just about every cell phone. It’s so ubiquitous we rarely think about the fact that we didn’t used to have it. But to legally talk on your phone in the car in at least 14 states, a hands-free connection must be established between the phone and the car. And Bluetooth is the way to make that happen.
5: Radar-Based Cruise Control, 1999
Lots of little innovations paved the way for the self-driving car future we’ve been promised. Take the radar cruise control systems that began to arrive in the early 2000s. Where older cruise control systems could maintain the car’s speed, these new ones could also maintain a safe distance to the car in front without driver intervention, even if that car changes its speed. Mercedes-Benz was one of the first to debut this tech when Distronic launched in the 2000 S-Class.
As the technology has advanced, it has gotten more ambitious. On many vehicles, the tech behind this same radar system is used in collision avoidance systems that warn a driver they’re in danger, apply full brake power automatically, or both. Mercedes-Benz added the ability to steer just three years ago, and last year Tesla enabled its somewhat controversial Autopilot with fully autonomous control. Someday in the future, when your car really does all the driving, remember that it all started with a relatively small improvement in cruise control.
4: Airbags Everywhere, 1998
Airbags can be traced all the way back to the 1950s, but those forward-thinking early designs weren’t practical or reliable enough to go into cars. Luxury carmakers like Mercedes-Benz began to use modern airbags in the 1980s, and Ford made airbags standard on all its vehicles in 1990. It was the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, though, that required the safety tech on all cars by 1998. This law made the airbag the universal lifesaver we know today. The new rules also led to the adoption of lower-powered airbags, which reduced airbag-inflicted injuries in a crash.
Airbags have saved tens of thousands of people since then, and the success of driver and passenger bags lead to a proliferation of airbags around the cabin. Today, even a humble compact sedan has driver and passenger airbags in addition to side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags that trigger in the event of a rollover.
3: GPS Satellite Navigation, 2000
Not long ago, a cross-country road trip required a bundle of fold out maps, a stack of Thomas Guides, or—if you’re really old-fashioned—a “Trip Tik” from AAA. No more. Now you just tell your GPS where you’re headed and it guides you through every turn.
Automakers began to offer navigation systems that relied at least partially on Global Positioning System satellites in the mid-to-late 1990s. Oldsmobile was the first in the U.S, with Guidestar in 1995, but the U.S. government deliberately degraded the signals given to Guidestar. In 2000, the true precision of GPS came to civilians, and soon after, automakers began developing and installing systems in new luxury vehicles like the BMW 7-Series. It wasn’t long before the aftermarket for portable GPS units exploded with new dash-top units. These systems work so well and are so convenient that paper maps have basically disappeared from vehicle glove boxes.
2: Stability Control, 1995
Electronic stability control (ESC), which helps correct a skid if your car begins to slide, was the final step in a technical progression that began with anti-lock brakes in the 1970s and 1980s.
As computing power increased and sensors improved (and got cheaper), automakers could apply the brakes to individual wheels to reduce wheel slip and increase traction. Thus, traction control was born. What stability control added was a yaw sensor to determine whether a car was sliding. If ESC detected a slide, the system would apply the brakes on individual wheels to help control the skid and straighten the car’s path. Some ESC systems control the throttle to manage power going to the wheels.
Mercedes-Benz and BMW were the first to bring stability control to the luxury market in mid 1990s. Later in the decade it began to trickle into American cars, most notably with the introduction of “Stabilitrak” to the 1997 Cadillac lineup. The technology improved vehicle safety so much, it’s been required on all passenger vehicles since 2012.
1: Toyota Prius and the Hybrid Drivetrain, 1998
No drivetrain advancement has improved fuel economy more dramatically than the hybrid-electric powertrain, and today hybrids are so common that it’s hard to imagine a time before them. In fact, they’re just now old enough to vote.
Toyota was the first to market with a mass-produced hybrid in the form of the 1998 Prius. It combined a dinky 1.5-liter gas engine with an electric motor and nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Not many embraced the tech early on, but the idea was revolutionary and changed the face of the car industry—nearly every automaker has a hybrid or plug-in hybrid in the lineup. And while few loved frumpy body of the first Prius, Toyota soon replaced it with the cars familiar futuristic look. Since the 1990s, Toyota has sold almost 4 million Prius liftbacks and now has a full lineup of Prius-badged hybrids.
Source: PopularMechanics