5 cool features you may not know your car has

Some of a modern car's many little convenience features go unnoticed or unused, especially by new-car buyers who just traded up from a car several generations old. Anyone who doesn't bother opening the new owner's manual, which means everyone, or forgot what the salesperson said at delivery time, which is just about everyone as well, might not know what they're missing. Here's a primer just in time for the season.

Heated Steering Wheel: If you haven't experienced them, heated steering wheels might come across as a trivial toy. But there's a good reason they're part and parcel of the "cold weather" package on most luxury cars and SUVs: They're a godsend in the snow-belt. You don't have to remember to bring your mittens, and you're not left holding the wheel like you're holding a corpse while the cabin warms up.

Once the exclusive domain of luxomobiles, you can now get a heated steering wheel on such decidedly midmarket metal as the Kia Soul and Dodge Dart. But even in lux cars, it's often a needle in a haystack: a tiny button on the steering column or hiding in a herd of mystery buttons on the steering wheel hub.

Heated Seats: On a viciously arctic morning, swapping your nice, warm kitchen for your freezing cold car may feel like a cruel and unjust punishment. Electrically heated seats provide a just-in-time rescue. Another nice thing about heated seats is that they warm your backside faster than the heater warms the cabin. For backache sufferers, heated seats feel like therapy on the go.

Automatic Climate Control: Most cars priced above about $25,000 include an automatic climate-control system: you set the desired cabin temperature, press Auto, and the car will do the rest. Just like your home's thermostat, it keeps the cabin at whatever temperature you set. Most are even smart enough to make the AC defog the windshield without being told to. Many are "dual zone," allowing separate temperature settings for the driver and passenger.

Contrary to what many people think, cranking up the heater to max won't warm the cabin any faster on a frosty morning than just setting the temperature you want for the rest of your drive. Maxing out only delays the heat, because the system waits longer until it can supply that 80 degrees you dialed in. Same with the air conditioner. So just set the temperature where you want, typically around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and leave it to do its thing.

Auto Headlights: These days, even non-luxury cars have an "Auto" setting for the headlights. Apparently, some people don't seem to know what it's for. With the switch in Auto mode, the headlights turn themselves on when daylight fades to twilight, and in some cars even when it's raining or overcast. Feel free to leave the switch in Auto indefinitely.

Rain-Sensing Wipers: Wipers that automatically vary their speed and wiping interval depending on the intensity of the rain can save you the nuisance of constant adjustments as conditions change. Rain-sensing wipers are usually standard on upscale cars but sometimes come on top-trim versions of mainstream models. Look for an "Auto" label on the wiper control. Some systems recognize rain drops better than others.

—Gabe Shenhar