…and avoiding the worst
The 550i Gran Turismo offers a plethora of electronic gadgets to make life easier for the driver and passengers. For instance, side-view cameras are mounted on the bumpers to help you safely get out of driveways or parking spaces where visibility is obstructed. Add the rearview camera and you get a 270-degree view around the car -- all through the navigation display.
The Lane Departure Warning system "sees" the markings on the road and will gently vibrate the steering wheel just before you unintentionally veer away from your lane. Active Blind Spot Detection, meanwhile, will alert you whenever an object hides in any of your blind spots. At night, an infrared camera transmits a clear, high-contrast image to the control display, allowing you to react to possible hazards like pedestrians or animals appropriately. Finally, in keeping with a recent trend among premium models, this one offers Head-Up Display technology, which projects important vehicle information directly onto the base of the windshield so that your attention is never distracted from the road ahead.
Conclusion
Later this year, BMW Canada will officially release this intriguing yet decidedly-competent machine on the market. A more in-depth road test will allow us to get more familiar with the 5-Series Gran Turismo and no doubt appreciate its many qualities even more.
photo:BMW Group
The 550i Gran Turismo offers a plethora of electronic gadgets to make life easier for the driver and passengers. For instance, side-view cameras are mounted on the bumpers to help you safely get out of driveways or parking spaces where visibility is obstructed. Add the rearview camera and you get a 270-degree view around the car -- all through the navigation display.
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| The 550i GT offers a plethora of electronic gadgets to make life easier for the driver and passengers. |
The Lane Departure Warning system "sees" the markings on the road and will gently vibrate the steering wheel just before you unintentionally veer away from your lane. Active Blind Spot Detection, meanwhile, will alert you whenever an object hides in any of your blind spots. At night, an infrared camera transmits a clear, high-contrast image to the control display, allowing you to react to possible hazards like pedestrians or animals appropriately. Finally, in keeping with a recent trend among premium models, this one offers Head-Up Display technology, which projects important vehicle information directly onto the base of the windshield so that your attention is never distracted from the road ahead.
Conclusion
Later this year, BMW Canada will officially release this intriguing yet decidedly-competent machine on the market. A more in-depth road test will allow us to get more familiar with the 5-Series Gran Turismo and no doubt appreciate its many qualities even more.
photo:BMW Group
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