Detroit '88: Driver-friendly innovations: Car handling, riding comfort, and safety improve with systems that act automatically rather than wait for driver input

Electronic systems in the Big Three's 1988 models help protect drivers from variables beyond their control as well as from their own lack of attention to maintenance. A new suspension system automatically provides instantaneous extra damping when needed, without the driver being aware of any change in suspension characteristics. A variable-assist steering system gives a firm, secure feel at high speeds but makes steering easy when parking. Passive restraint systems guard against serious injury during collisions. There is even an oil-monitoring system that takes into account the way a car is driven and warns the driver to change the oil within a certain number of miles.