Color Us Surprised! Our 8 Favorite Automotive Easter Eggs

As automotive journalists, we pride ourselves on knowing the ins and outs of each new car on the market. From small coupes to gigantic three-row SUVs, we push every button, climb into every seat and try out every feature. It's hard to get anything past us … so color us surprised when we discovered that many cars have a few secrets up their sleeves — or, rather, behind their storage lid boxes.

Here are eight of Cars.com editors' favorite automotive Easter eggs:

1. 2019 Jeep Renegade: Ciao Baby

My favorite on the Renegade is the Italian spider behind the fuel filler that says "Ciao baby." Makes me smile, and you don't get many of those at a gas station. — Fred Meier, Washington, D.C., bureau chief

2. Tesla Model X: Christmas All Year

As a Christmas fanatic, the holiday light show Easter egg in the Tesla Model X is the stuff dreams are made of. With the touch of a magic button (and a few hidden menus), the Model X comes to life with a show featuring its Falcon doors and lights set to the tune of "Wizards in Winter" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Forget Chicago's Lincoln Park ZooLights; this is all you could ever need (well and a cool $82K to acquire said vehicle). I can almost smell the pine needles now … pour the hot cocoa and enjoy the show! — Leslie Cunningham, video editor

3. 2019 Jaguar E-Pace: Cub Family

We found the Jaguar E-Pace to be a fun, if undersized, SUV that makes its graphic representation as a jaguar cub at the bottom corner of the windshield rather fitting. Its diminutive size, playful nature and cute styling are better tied to the small, distracted jaguar cub than its more serious parent. — Brian Wong, L.A. bureau chief

4. 2019 Dodge Challenger: Heritage Silhouette

The Dodge Challenger features a silhouette of a Challenger on the windshield, as well as a Dodge Brothers (the original company name) logo under the center armrest. Dodge — like Jeep, its corporate sibling — uses these cool touches as reminders of the heritage of both the car and the brand as a whole. — Brian Normile, logistics editor

5. Tesla Model S: Louder Than Loud

You can crank the radio volume to 11 on the Tesla Model S and later the Model X goes to 11, not 10; this is thought to be a nod to the 1984 movie, "This Is Spinal Tap." Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted an apparent reference to the line from the movie, calling the Tesla stereo "louder than loud" when it was noted on Twitter. — Meier

6. 2019 Mini Cooper Hardtop: 'Let's Motor Hard'

My favorite is the "Let's motor hard!" text that displays alongside a graphic of the Cooper when Sport mode is activated. Yes, let's do that, Mini. — Joe Bruzek, managing editor

7. 2019 Volvo XC90: Creepy Crawler

At first glance, Volvo's secret spider, which sits under the lid of a third-row storage bin, is creepy. After chatting with Volvo National Media Relations Manager Russell Datz, however, cute is more appropriate. He told me that the XC90's designers wanted the lid to be smooth, but engineers said it needed structural ribbing to meet strength and durability needs.

"Their ribbing consisted of a series of concentric circles and intersecting lines emanating from a center point in the middle of the underside of the lid," Datz said. "The design team looked at it and knew what they had to do. Knowing third-row passengers would most likely be kids, they developed a fun and creative solution by adding a spider into the ribbing design." — Jennifer Geiger, news editor

8. 2019 Chrysler Pacifica: Minivan Memory Lane

Chrysler invented the minivan with the Dodge Caravan for model-year 1984, and it's come a long way. Need something to jog your memory? In the Pacifica minivan, check out the rubber-mat lining in the tray below the center stack for a tiny — and adorable — trip down minivan memory lane. — Geiger

More From Cars.com:

• Easter Eggs on the 2017 Jeep Compass
• The 3 Most Awesome Off-Road Concepts for 2019 Easter Jeep Safari
• Research Minivans
• Research SUVs
• Find Your Next Car

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