Edmunds: Spooktacular car tech

Whether it’s a ghostly image that makes objects seemingly disappear or a spectral presence turning the steering wheel, modern cars are loaded with more tricks than a haunted house. But these features don’t represent automakers getting in the Halloween spirit — they are actually the latest driving aids designed to make piloting a car easier. Here are a few of Edmunds experts’ favorite tech features guaranteed to make your hair stand on end.

HANDS-FREE DRIVING

You drive up a highway on-ramp, merge with traffic and press a button. Remove your hands from the wheel, and the wheel will turn on its own to keep you centered in the lane. Keep your feet away from the pedals, and yet the car slows down and speeds up automatically. You aren’t in the driver’s seat of the Plymouth Fury in “Christine” ― your car is driving itself.

While Tesla’s Autopilot system gets a lot of press, General Motors’ Super Cruise is the only truly hands-free driving system currently on the market. It only works in certain situations — primarily on divided highways that have been pre-mapped by GM — but if you’re on the right road, you can take your hands off the wheel and the car will drive itself.

Cadillac introduced this feature on its CT6 luxury sedan back in 2018, and it’s finally rolling it out to more affordable vehicles, such as the CT4 small sedan. It will be available in other brands in the General Motors portfolio in the near future.

A similar system will debut next year on the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Certain BMWs can be optioned with the Extended Traffic Jam feature today, though it only works at low speeds.

AUGMENTED REALITY

You are following your navigation system’s turn-by-turn instructions, and all of a sudden the central infotainment screen displays an image...