Here’s a major advance in suspension technology that’s now on its way to your next new vehicle. Meet the active sway bar system.

A few decades back, active suspension systems were all the rage in production-car research and development, and they began to conquer Formula 1 racing as well. But the setups were so expensive and complicated that they were deemed a step too far even for the extreme world of Formula 1, and the trend withered. But a key portion of the technology has survived in a more simple, focused, and cost-effective form called the active sway bar.

Unlike earlier active ride systems, which endeavored to manage wheel rates, ride height, and a other complex factors in real time, the active sway bar does one thing: it limits body roll in cornering. So with this one relatively simple tool, body roll can be managed so a tall SUV or crossover corners more like a low-slung sedan. And as buyers continue to favor utility vehicles over cars, you can see what a powerful and popular feature that could become. Audi, Bentley, Lexus, Mercedes, and Rolls-Royce have been using such systems for a while now, and as 48-volt electrical systems become more commonplace, allowing lighter and more efficient components, active sway bars could quickly spread across the market.

This excellent video from the technical wizards at Engineering Explained is focused on the Audi system, but the basic principles are fairly universal. (One tiny gripe as long as we’re here: We wish the car biz would discard the questionable term “sway bar” and adopt the more correct “antiroll bar,” but we’ll never get our way.)  We haven’t found a more clear and competent explanation of the issue. Video below.