|
|
 |
EVERY ONCE IN a while, an innovation comes along that proves so useful that it soon finds its way into all corners of the automotive world, and we all wonder how we ever got along without it.
Things like power steering and electric windows come to mind, and for a more recent example, I can think of parking sensors.
I don't know about you, but I can no longer steer anything bigger than a shopping trolley into a tight space without that reassuring series of beeps to warn me of an impending crunch.
I'm not sure if BMW's Night Vision and High Beam Assist system falls into the same class of indispensability, though.
The system consists of an infrared camera mounted in the front bumper which feeds a thermal image of the road ahead onto the screen in the middle of the dashboard.
When it's dark outside, it picks up objects, humans and animals ahead of the car before they become visible to the driver in the headlights.
Given that it has a range of 300 metres, BMW says it significantly enhances driving safety at night.
The High-Beam Assist part is a complementary feature, which basically switches on the high-beam automatically when the car thinks it's sufficiently dark outside to warrant it.
Once you approach another car, or there's someone in the opposite lane facing you, the system dips the lights by itself to avoid blinding the other road users. When it's clear again, back on comes the high beam.
That's clever, and so is the infrared camera. But, at least in Singapore, neither are very useful.
We tried both in a BMW 750Li fitted with the system, but because local roads are so well-lit, we couldn't really come up against a situation in which either the infra-red camera or high-beam assist was badly needed.
In the case of the high-beam assist, it never actually felt the need to switch the high beam on, during our three nights with the car.
As for the infra-red camera, because it's a heat-sensing device, it doesn't offer a clear picture of the road ahead, nor is it meant to. Instead, it picks out objects ahead of you which are hotter than the surrounding area, and as you glance at the screen now and then (as you would with the rear-view mirror), your job is to register these objects and react.
Trouble is, most of the time the image is simply overwhelmed with other cars, so it's not until you're on a very lonely road that the Night Vision system is actually useable. And how often does that happen in Singapore?
Mind you, accidents are often the result of freak situations. Just last week a close friend remarked to me that he'd been driving down Dunearn Road at night, when someone dressed completely in black dashed across the road in front of him to catch a bus.
"I almost didn't see him and if I hadn't jammed on the brakes," growled my friend, "I would have hit him."
With Night Vision in use, the offending jaywalker could have been painted head-to-toe in black, but the system would have picked him out clearly, and perhaps the situation might never have gotten as far as a near-miss.
With the system starting at $7,044, it's likely that only the extremely safety-conscious are wont to opt for the Night Vision and High-Beam Assist combo. Other likely candidates are frequent travellers to Malaysia, and perhaps those who suffer from a bit of night blindness.
The rest of us should just drive more carefully when visibility is poor.
Things like power steering and electric windows come to mind, and for a more recent example, I can think of parking sensors.
I don't know about you, but I can no longer steer anything bigger than a shopping trolley into a tight space without that reassuring series of beeps to warn me of an impending crunch.
I'm not sure if BMW's Night Vision and High Beam Assist system falls into the same class of indispensability, though.
The system consists of an infrared camera mounted in the front bumper which feeds a thermal image of the road ahead onto the screen in the middle of the dashboard.
When it's dark outside, it picks up objects, humans and animals ahead of the car before they become visible to the driver in the headlights.
Given that it has a range of 300 metres, BMW says it significantly enhances driving safety at night.
The High-Beam Assist part is a complementary feature, which basically switches on the high-beam automatically when the car thinks it's sufficiently dark outside to warrant it.
Once you approach another car, or there's someone in the opposite lane facing you, the system dips the lights by itself to avoid blinding the other road users. When it's clear again, back on comes the high beam.
That's clever, and so is the infrared camera. But, at least in Singapore, neither are very useful.
We tried both in a BMW 750Li fitted with the system, but because local roads are so well-lit, we couldn't really come up against a situation in which either the infra-red camera or high-beam assist was badly needed.
In the case of the high-beam assist, it never actually felt the need to switch the high beam on, during our three nights with the car.
As for the infra-red camera, because it's a heat-sensing device, it doesn't offer a clear picture of the road ahead, nor is it meant to. Instead, it picks out objects ahead of you which are hotter than the surrounding area, and as you glance at the screen now and then (as you would with the rear-view mirror), your job is to register these objects and react.
Trouble is, most of the time the image is simply overwhelmed with other cars, so it's not until you're on a very lonely road that the Night Vision system is actually useable. And how often does that happen in Singapore?
Mind you, accidents are often the result of freak situations. Just last week a close friend remarked to me that he'd been driving down Dunearn Road at night, when someone dressed completely in black dashed across the road in front of him to catch a bus.
"I almost didn't see him and if I hadn't jammed on the brakes," growled my friend, "I would have hit him."
With Night Vision in use, the offending jaywalker could have been painted head-to-toe in black, but the system would have picked him out clearly, and perhaps the situation might never have gotten as far as a near-miss.
With the system starting at $7,044, it's likely that only the extremely safety-conscious are wont to opt for the Night Vision and High-Beam Assist combo. Other likely candidates are frequent travellers to Malaysia, and perhaps those who suffer from a bit of night blindness.
The rest of us should just drive more carefully when visibility is poor.
 |
| Pick up your FREE copy of CarBuyer at all major car showrooms; car accessory and tyre distributors and car service, inspection centres and Shell service stations. CarBuyer is published twice a month, and new issues are available one week after COE results are released. |
>> See Details