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How does the Head-up Display work?
arrangement it appears to the driver to be about
When I am in the middle of rush-hour traf c, I
two metres away. The eyes don't have to
don't want to take my eyes off the road even for
refocus, making driving less tiring. The driver is
a second. Otherwise I miss my turn-off. Luckily,
less distracted and more relaxed, because there
I don't have to – the Head-up Display projects
is no need to move the eyes from the
navigation instructions and other important
instrument cluster to the road and back.
information on the windscreen, directly in my
eld of vision. The display looks as though it
What's the bene t of Integral Active
were oating above the bonnet. How does that
Steering? With a BMW, a trip into the mountains
work? Inside the dashboard support structure,
is highly enjoyable: twisting roads make a
there is a monitor, similar to the display in a
welcome change from monotonous driving on
mobile phone. LEDs generate an image on this
the motorway. The responses of the BMW
display. This is projected onto the windscreen
Series Saloon are immediate and direct. But
via four mirrors, like in a slide projector. In the
why is it that I stay so relaxed even in the tightest
process, its size is magni ed six times. And
corners? The Integral Active Steering with rear-
although the display is re ected on the
wheel steering varies the steering effort in line
windscreen, due to the clever optical
with vehicle speed, using Servotronic. For the
rst time, the steering angle of the rear wheels is
controlled along with the steering angle of the
front wheels. This makes for added precision on
twisting mountain roads and enhances control
for quick lane changes on the motorway.
What does the Speed Limit Info do?
It's a weekend: the weather is nice, the road is
SIX
excellent and clear. Time to put the foot on the
accelerator. But how fast am I allowed to go
here? The last road sign was a while ago, and
there might be a speed limit just around the
TECHNICAL
corner. The Speed Limit Info has all speed limits
in its memory and can display them in the Info
QUESTIONS.
Display at the press of a button. It is a good
investment. Lots of information is already
available in the navigation system – for example,
if a speed limit only applies at night. In addition, a
camera in the rear-view mirror reads road signs
with place names or speed limits. The currently
permitted maximum speed is shown in the
instrument cluster, or optionally in the Head-up
Display. The system works all over Europe, in
towns, in the countryside, on motorways and
even in roadworks or areas where speed limits
vary. The Speed Limit Info even consults the
rain sensor and clock before
it shows a limit.
What is Active Cruise Control?
A congested motorway. Slow-moving traf c,
more stop than go. A situation no driver
relishes. But in the BMW Series Saloon, it is
still a relaxed affair. As soon as the car ahead
stops, the BMW too comes to a smoothly
controlled halt. Once the car ahead starts
moving again, so does the BMW Series
Saloon, as if it had eyes of its own. And it does:
a radar sensor monitors the area in front of the
car. Its visual range extends from just in front of
the bumper to
metres ahead – because
Active Cruise Control is not just for slow traf c, it
also works at higher speeds, up to
km/h on
the Autobahn. The system also warns the driver
of potential collisions, using two warning levels.
What does the BMW Park Assistant do?
Every evening it is the same: stressed drivers
trying to nd a parking space. One gap seems
to short, another not wide enough. Luckily,
I don't have to rely on estimates any longer.
I trust my Park Assistant and leave steering
to my BMW. And that works? Using sensors,
the Park Assistant establishes the size of the
gap. If the driver passes a large enough parking
space with the assistant switched on, the
assistant will signal a green light. You put the
car in reverse gear, take the hands off the
steering wheel and press the accelerator or
brake pedal; the BMW Series Saloon takes
care of everything else. Park Distance Control
or the rear view camera will always tell you how
big the gap to other parked vehicles is.
BMW and iPhone: the perfect combination?
I get in, press the Start button, and my favourite
song comes out of the loudspeakers. The iPhone
or any other Bluetooth-capable mobile phone
communicates perfectly with the BMW Series
Saloon, and the connection is easy to establish.
The address book and the music library are
automatically available. It's all thanks to Bluetooth
technology connecting the hands-free equipment
in the BMW with the mobile phone. So you can
access telephone numbers stored in your mobile
phone via the iDrive Controller or the buttons on
the steering wheel. All you have to do to start a
hands-free call is to press a button. After docking
to the BMW Adapter, the entire music library is
available as well via iDrive, in the accustomed order.
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