With the new 5 Series, BMW is taking the next step towards autonomous driving: under certain conditions, you can drive permanently hands-free, and automatic lane changes are triggered by looking in the mirror. However, there is a catch for Austrian customers.
Evil tongues claim that the really special thing about the new assistance system is that the car flashes automatically and absolutely reliably – an ability that BMW drivers often pseudo-funny deny. And this is how it works: First you have to be on a motorway. Here you activate the radar cruise control. As soon as the message appears on the speedometer display that the system is ready, you can take your hands off the steering wheel. The prerequisite is that the car has automatically adopted the applicable speed limit. If you run into a slower vehicle and it is possible to overtake, the BMW checks whether a faster road user is rushing up. If this is no longer the case, a signal sounds. The driver then only has to look into the corresponding exterior mirror for at least a second – and the lane change begins. After overtaking, the same procedure follows for returning to the previous lane. However, you are not truly autonomous because the driver has to keep his eyes on the road. If he looks elsewhere for a long time – even at the central display – a distraction warning sounds. If the driver does not look ahead, the assistant switches off. It’s different with Mercedes, but only up to 60 km/h. Not permitted in Austria. For the time being, BMW has only received an exemption for Germany in Europe; the assistant cannot and must not be used on the rest of the continent. However, general approval has already been applied for, but approval will still take time. BMW does not actively offer the system in Austria. Domestic customers who often travel on German motorways and would like to drive hands-free should not be discouraged by this: the dealer will order the relevant equipment upon request – this is EU law. What is not available separately is the automatic flashing function. It’s a shame actually.
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