Launch control explained
Launch control, a feature found on many new performance-oriented cars, makes achieving maximum acceleration from a standing start easier.
BMW 3 Series celebrates its 40th anniversary
Help us celebrate with BMW, as the 3 Series enters year 40 of production, by looking back at how the car has changed through the decades.
How an Apple Watch can remotely control your BMW
After many years of speculation and rumours, Apple finally unveiled its first wearable device, officially called the Apple Watch.
Like many of the company’s other products, Apple fans predict that it will change the way that we interact with technology, much like how the iPad and iPhone did. Regardless of whether or not you think the Apple watch is a slam dunk, it has proven to be wildly popular, with millions of units pre-sold.
Like other smart watches on the market, the Apple Watch has the ability to run apps, and BMW being one of Apple’s automotive partners, has taken advantage of this functionality (and the device’s popularity) to further develop their vision of the (Internet) connected car for Apple Watch owners.
BMW ConnectedDrive
No longer is this just whimsical thinking reserved for concept cars. BMW has planted their flag in the world of mobile vehicle connectivity through their ConnectedDrive technology.
The very first vehicles to take advantage of the Apple Watch’s functionality are the electric cars from BMW’s i division.
Since electrical car owners tend to be considered early adopters, it makes sense for BMW to first offer the system to this generally more tech-savvy customer base.
The BMW i Remote phone app allows Apple Watch owners to remotely check and control functions of their BMW i3 or i8.
The Apple Watch has its very own version of the BMW i Remote app, which keeps users updated on the car’s status and much more.
While there is also a BMW i app available for the Samsung Gear S watch, the Apple Watch’s app has been developed a lot more comprehensively and thereby offers richer functionality.
Here’s how it works.
The Apple Watch acts as a clever extension to a linked iPhone with the BMW i app installed. Launching the BMW i Remote app on the Apple Watch brings up a start screen that gives the owner summarized information about the car’s charge status, available range, and time of the day.
Kudos to BMW for ensuring that the app’s graphics are consistent with the look and feel of the in-car iDrive infortainment system.
Scrolling further up on this start screen reveals a new menu through which users can check a whole host of other vehicle information including whether the car is locked, the windows are closed, or even if the moonroof is open. The doors can also be locked remotely. For security reasons, remote unlock functionality can only be done by calling BMW.
Lose your car in a parking lot? No problem. You can remotely flash the lights!
Vehicle maintenance alerts can also be checked at a glance, such as when the next maintenance appointment is due.
Pre-cooling or heating during a charge
One of the heaviest drains on an electric vehicle’s battery is its heating and cooling system. Most EVs allow you to program a timer to pre-heat or cool the car while it is still hooked up to the household electrical grid. BMW’s i app takes this one step further by allowing pre-conditioning on demand with just a tap.
A right swipe of the watch’s start screen reveals the Remote Services screen that allows owners to adjust the car’s climate control system. Here, they can heat or cool the interior of their BMW I car while is being charged. This way no energy needs to be drawn from the car’s high voltage battery to pre-condition the climate control system, helping to maximize the car’s electric driving range.
Location services and Intermodal route planning
Swipe the start screen to the left and Apple Watch owners will have access to the app’s location services display. This shows where the car is located on a map, and also offers up the intermodal route planning function.
One of the numerous innovations on board the BMW i3 is intermodal route planning. In slow traffic and congestion, for example, owners can incorporate other modes of transport into the route planning process alongside the user’s own car. This may help them reach their destination more efficiently.
In a nutshell, this means that public transit can also be incorporated as part of the route guidance, extending the navigation system’s instructions from the parked car to the user’s final destination. The app can also guide the owner back to the parking space if required.
Although the intermodal functionality is still in its infancy in Canada, these functions promise to significantly enhance mobility, especially in urban areas.
Final Thoughts
With their embedded SIM cards, the BMW i3 and i8 are optimized for connectivity, while the BMW i Remote app creates a close link between the car, driver and outside world.
Many of us already view digital services as an integral part of our everyday lives, and smart watches are set to give this trend even greater momentum. They also make using electric mobility a faster and more direct experience.
Engine sound symposer systems explained
Automakers recognize how important sound is to a sports car, and are coming up with newfangled ways of making them heard from the inside.
Top affordable luxury convertible vehicles for summer
Summer is coming, and it’s time to look your best — because this season, there is a greater selection of well-priced luxury convertible vehicles offered by automakers than ever before.
Demystifying prepaid maintenance plans
Reliability is often one of the top buying points in people’s minds when it comes to new car shopping. These days, all new cars come with strong warranty plans to offset the cost of unexpected repairs.
However like all things mechanical, in order for that great reputation for reliability to hold true, regular maintenance still needs to be performed.
If your new car does not come with a free scheduled maintenance plan, such as what BMW Canada offers on their new cars, your dealer’s service department may still offer a pre-paid scheduled maintenance plan.
Prepaid maintenance plans make it easy to keep your vehicle running at its best by ensuring it gets the recommended scheduled maintenance as outlined in your vehicle’s owner’s manual.
By by pre-paying, you can take advantage of the significant savings compared to a pay-as-you-go approach.
But are these plans right for you? Let’s take a closer look at some examples.
This is not an extended warranty
First of all, it’s important to understand that a prepaid maintenance plan is not an extended warranty. Typically, prepaid maintenance plans cover only the regularly scheduled maintenance listed in the vehicle’s service manual. Unless specified, wear-and-tear parts (such as brake pads, rotors, or clutch) are not covered.
If the prepaid maintenance plan you purchase is for 60,000 kilometres and three years, then you have prepaid for just what is listed in the plan’s contract — usually comparable to the maintenance listed in the owner’s manual.
It can save you money if you drive enough
This convenience and piece of mind factor is one of the key benefits as to why these plans are increasingly popular.
A pre-paid maintenance contract can often be rolled into the monthly payment, spreading fixed maintenance costs across the life of the car loan or lease.
If you expect to reach the mileage that is covered by the prepaid plan, it makes sense to invest up front and pocket the savings over the long haul.
Additionally, by prepaying for all the required maintenance, you never have to worry about paying for an oil change or budgeting for any other maintenance item for the duration of the maintenance plan.
Since the cost of the plan is fixed, you also are sheltered from any parts or labour rate increases.
BMW Service Inclusive and Service Inclusive Plus
All new BMW vehicles purchased from an authorized BMW Retailer in Canada are covered by No-Charge Scheduled Maintenance or four years or 80,000 km, whichever occurs first.
Coverage begins on the date of the first retail sale, or the date the vehicle is first placed in service as a demonstrator or company vehicle, whichever is earlier.
If you plan on keeping your BMW past the four year or 80,000 km mark, BMW’s “Service Inclusive” extension option allows you to prepay for the same scheduled coverage up to eight years or 160,000 kms.
BMW’s “Service Inclusive Plus” kicks it up another notch by also covering wear-and-tear parts, including wiper blades, brakes, and the clutch, up to the same eight years and 160,000 kms.
BMW Canada’s website offers a handy cost calculator for their maintenance plans. Prices will vary depending on the model.
Audi Care
Audi Canada’s Audi Care Plan also covers the manufacturer-required regularly scheduled maintenance services at 25,000 km, 40,000 km, 55,000 km and 70,000 km, or five years from the original vehicle in-service date, whichever comes first.
The plan may be purchased any time within 12 months of the original vehicle in-service date or 20,000 km, whichever comes first, after you purchase your Audi.
All scheduled maintenance services covered under Audi Care must be completed within 5 years of the original in-service date of the vehicle.
Here is an example of the savings that are offered:
On on a 2015 Audi TT Quattro (S-tronic transmission) if the customer chooses to pay for the maintenances separately, the total cost will be $2,314.00+tax versus $945.00+tax (price of the package). The savings will vary based on the model but are still significant ones.
Infiniti Elite Prepaid Maintenance Plan
Infiniti Canada offers two levels of coverage within their Elite Prepaid plan.
The first level includes basic oil and filter changes and tire rotations which you can prepay up to 7 years or 112,000 kms, whichever comes first.
Upgrade to their Platinum pre-paid plan and the benefits are a lot more comprehensive.
In addition to the basic plan’s oil and filter changes, and the Platinum plan also covers wear-and-tear parts, rental car coverage during servicing, and includes a tire road hazard warranty coverage of up to three years or 36,000 kms.
Top Reasons to purchase a prepaid maintenace plan
- Can save you money if you plan on driving the mileage or owning the car for the duration covered by the plan
- No budgetary surprises if parts or labour rates rise
- 100% backed by the manufacturer
- Honoured at authorized dealers in Canada
- Regular schedule maintenance serviced by factory-trained technicians using genuine OEM parts
- Helps to ensure that your vehicle is maintained properly by keeping up with your vehicle’s regular maintenance needs
- Depending on the manufacturer, if you sell your vehicle, the remaining prepaid maintenance coverage may be transferred to a new owner, which can add to the resale value of your vehicle
- Zero deductible in most cases
- May be included in your finance or lease contract in most cases
Clean Energy Vehicle incentive program returns to B.C.
St. Paddy’s day may have been a couple of weeks ago, but folks in B.C. have another reason to go green again with the start of phase two of B.C.’s Clean Energy Vehicle (CEV) program on April 1.
About $7.5 million in electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sale incentives will be available from now until March 31, 2018, or until the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.
“With the Clean Energy Vehicle program, we’re providing incentives that will make electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles more affordable for British Columbians, and expanding the charging and fuelling infrastructure to make it easier to ‘fill the tank,” says Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines.
Consumers thinking about purchasing or leasing a new battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle are eligible to receive up to a $5,000 rebate, and up to $6,000 if the power is provided by a hydrogen fuel cell, like the new Hyundai Tucson FCEV.
Bennett says phase one of the CEV program — that expired last spring — encouraged over 900 electric cars to find new homes and also spurred the installation of more than 1,000 charging stations across B.C., resulting in the reduction of approximately 57,000 tonnes of vehicle emissions.
Some quick stats: vehicles are responsible for nearly half of the province’s household greenhouse gas emissions; a CEV reduces emissions by 5.6 tonnes per year when compared to a conventional 2000 model year or older vehicle; a CEV reduces emissions by 3 tonnes per year when compared to a new gasoline-powered vehicle, according to a news release by the provincial government.
For drivers who hadn’t considered an alternative-energy automobile previously for whatever reason, manufacturers now offer several options that would appeal to even the most die-hard fan of traditional internal combustion. Here are some examples of what’s available.
BMW i3
Type: battery electric vehicle (with optional gasoline Range Extender)
Form factor: five-passenger hatchback
Base MSRP: $45,000
Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid
Type: plug-in electric hybrid vehicle
Form factor: five-passenger mid-size crossover SUV
Base MSRP: $86,600
Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid
Type: plug-in electric hybrid vehicle
Form factor: five-passenger sedan
Base MSRP: $110,000
Toyota Prius Plug-in
Type: plug-in electric hybrid vehicle
Form factor: five-passenger hatchback
Base MSRP: $35,905
Read more about the CEV phase 2 program on the website.
360 degree Surround View Cameras prevent parking mishaps
The rate at which technology is changing personal transportation is astounding. But the rate at which it is accelerating is even more impressive.
Just a few short years ago, rearview cameras were optional extras reserved only for luxury cars. These days, you can even get them on inexpensive compact sedans.
As auto manufacturers rush to cram in more premium features into their entire vehicle line-up (including Bluetooth audio streaming, collision mitigation braking), cars that are only five years old might as well feel like they are ten years old from a technical features standpoint.
Automotive camera technology
Camera technology, in particularly, has jumped leaps and bounds. Just a few years ago, even the highest end luxury vehicles had low-resolution, grainy images from a single perspective.
These days, the latest camera systems boast high quality images in day or night and even from multiple angles.
In this article we’ll take a closer look at 360-degree panoramic camera systems, the next evolution of active safety camera technology.
What is it?
360-degree camera systems create a virtual all-around view of your vehicle in order to show any obstacles surround it in order to ease fears of parking.
The key to these systems are four fisheye cameras that are mounted at the front , rear, and in the rearview mirrors to provide a complete perspective, also known as a bird’s eye view.
Special software then stitches all of the images together into a single video feed displayed in the vehicle’s infotainment system, giving the impression that there is a camera mounted 50 feet above the roof of your vehicle pointing downwards.
Advantages
The development of intelligent surround view systems for cars and trucks makes parking in tight spaces a cinch, and practically guarantees a perfect parking job each time. More importantly, these systems help to prevent collisions with pedestrians.
Many systems offer the driver the ability to zoom into a specific perspective, such as the curb-side view or rear view, which is particularly useful in dark and rainy nights.
360-degree camera systems also take the upcoming US federal mandate to a new level. This mandate specifies that all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds have to have backup cameras by mid-2018. While Transport Canada has no such regulations as of yet, Canadians still get to benefit from in-line changes that many vehicle manufacturers have implemented.
The US Congress called for these rules in 2008 after a spate of highly publicised accidents in which parents driving cars or trucks backed over their young children, tragically killing them.
Who has them?
Infiniti and BMW have both been leaders in surround camera systems. Infiniti introduced the world’s first Around View Monitor system back in 2007, and virtually all Infiniti models now have them as standard or optional equipment.
Infiniti’s latest version has been further enhanced with Moving Object Detection, alerting the driver to moving objects detected within the display image. A rear cross-traffic detection system called Backup Collision Intervention (BCI) also helps to detect crossing vehicles and can brake to help avoid a collision.
BMW arguably has the highest quality cameras and video processing hardware in the business, with photo quality-like video integrated with its Surround View system
Like Infiniti’s system, BMW’s also provides a 360-degree panoramic view around the vehicle with help from cameras in the exterior mirrors, a wide-angle camera in front, and the rear view camera. The system is activated when the car is put into reverse or at other predetermined activation points.
BMW’s Cross Traffic Assistant further assists the driver by first displaying yellow bars on the side edges of the image as well as a yellow warning triangle in the presence of crossing traffic.
The Side View function is automatically deactivated when the car reaches 15 km/h. The driver can then choose to activate the Rear View camera, Top View or Panorama Side View.
Top 5 Luxury SUVs at the 2015 Vancouver International Auto Show
The 2015 Vancouver International Autoshow is bigger than ever before this year. Now in its 95th year, the show boasts 25 per cent more floor space and even more vehicles at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
If you’re in the market for a new luxury SUV, here are my Top 5 Luxury SUV Picks for you to visit before the show shuts down this Sunday at 6pm.
2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport
The new Land Rover Discovery Sport makes its regional debut at this year’s Vancouver autoshow. It stands out from its posh compact-ute rivals for one simple and moderately compelling reason—it can actually go off-road, at least sometimes.
Based on the same platform as the wildly popular Range Rover Evoque, the Discovery Sport can’t match the ground clearance of its LR4, Range Rover, or Range Rover Sport siblings for pure wilderness-challenging ability.
However, the Disco Sport’s 8.3 inches of ground clearance is more than respectable for the occasional jaunt to the campgrounds or the country cottage. Land Rover also claims approach, departure, and breakover angles of 25, 31, and 31 degrees for the Sport, plus a wading depth of 23.6 inches.
In other words, that’s better offroadability than your typical BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLK competitors.
Land Rover is also setting the Discovery Sport against its German rivals with the option of “5+2″ seating, with the ability to carry up to 7 passengers. No other compact luxury SUV offers such a feature. The “+2” is essentially a child-only fold-down third row that slides beneath the cargo floor when not in use.
2016 BMW X5 M / X6 M
The BMW X5 has the distinction of being not only one of the first true luxury SUVs, but also one of the first seriously fast SUVs.
Now BMW is launching the second iteration of the X5 M, which is based on the third-generation X5, alongside its less practical X6 M Sport Activity Coupe sibling.
With a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 rated at 567 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, the X5 M (and X6 M) is even quicker to trot than its predecessor with its official 0 to 100 km/hr sprint taking just over four seconds. That’s faster than many pure two seater sports cars!
Like the X6 M, the X5 M wears massive 285/35 tires up front and 325/30 rubber in the rear; 21-inch wheels are standard equipment.
As is usual in the latest BMW M models, the driver can fettle with the adjustable shocks, steering, transmission program, and throttle mapping through multiple modes using dedicated buttons for each.
Inside, the X5 M and X6 M both feature bespoke M-specific bits from the steering wheel and seats to the onscreen M Drive menu.
The exteriors of both vehicles also wear unique M front and rear styling cues, setting them apart from their more pedestrian non-M models.
2015 Lexus NX200t / NX300h
And now for something smaller (and more affordable).
With the new Lexus NX, Lexus is looking for a younger demographic than its RX mid-sized SUV.
The mid-sized RX is too big and pricey to attack the growing number of compact luxo utes and this is where the NX fits in.
Instead of the rounded and conservative silhouette associated with the RX, the NX breaks through with its brand-identifying Lexus “spindle” grille and aggressive body creases and folds.
There are two models available, the NX200t and the NX300h, available with front or four-wheel drive.
The 200t marks Lexus’s first turbocharged gas engine, in this case a 235-hp 2.0-liter four. It also will be available in mildly sportier F Sport guise.
The 300h is a hybrid with a gasoline 2.5-liter four cylinder engine and an electric motor combining to deliver 194 horsepower. You can even test drive the Lexus NX300h yourself in the Green Drive program running outside the Vancouver Convention Centre till this Sunday.
2015 Infiniti QX80 Limited
The Infiniti QX80 was substantially updated for the 2014 model year and remains as one of the few full-sized SUVs on the market with the ability to tow up to 8,500 lbs while still being able to transport 7 or 8 passengers in luxury.
Recently introduced is the QX80 in a new “Limited” trim level, offering subtle exterior upgrades and a sophisticated interior evocative of an executive boardroom.
Available in limited numbers only starting from May 2015 and exclusively as a 7-passenger model, the QX80 Limited’s exterior features dark finished, 22-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, dark chromed exterior trim, and unique stainless steel running board caps with rubber grips.
This vehicle certainly takes the word “premium” to another level.
The luxurious interior includes semi-aniline Truffle Brown leather appointments with an exclusive quilted pattern, open pore matte finish ash wood trim, an Ultrasuede headliner and pillars, leather-appointed grab handles and speaker grilles, unique floor and trunk mats, and unique silver switchgear trim on the centre stack.
2016 Audi Q7
Among three-row vehicles, few can match the Q7 in terms of style. It is as chic as it is spacious.
The 2016 Audi Q7 debuts as an all-new vehicle with Audi’s next generation styling and impressive weight savings to the tune of 717 pounds. This should pay dividends when it comes to fuel economy and performance.
Even though the 2016 Q7 is virtually the same height as the old one, clever visual tricks like the matte-aluminum trim surface between the front and rear wheels, the gently tapering roofline, and the powerful fender flares make it look lower, wider, and longer. In fact, the new Q7 looks more wagon-like than ever.
The low-rider vibe isn’t merely visual though. Audi’s relocation of the engine lower in the chassis has yanked the Q7’s center of gravity down by a claimed 2 inches, helping to improve its driving dynamics.
Audi has been well known for its impressive use of the latest lighting technology and the 2016 Q7 continues on with that trend. The headlights’ LED daytime running lamps now form pairs of arrow-shaped elements, as do the LED tail lights out back.
As you would expect with most luxury SUVs, there is a load of the latest active safety technology to compliment the latest in driving dynamic enhancements.
Carried over from Audi’s sports cars are systems such as a brake-based torque-vectoring system and an electronically controlled center differential. The latter can vary the all-wheel-drive system’s torque split from the standard 40/60-percent front-to-rear to 70/30 or 15/85 as conditions dictate.
Optional rear-wheel steering promises to enhance stability at higher speeds by slightly turning the rear wheels in concert with the fronts. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn opposite to the fronts to greatly improve parking lot agility on such a large vehicle.
Vehicle smart key: how does it work?
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If you’re thinking that this is an article about keys that can surf the Internet or make phone calls, you’re not quite right. But that doesn’t make these little devices that enable you to unlock your doors and start your vehicle without the use of a physical key any less innovative.
Also referred to as proximity keys or simply key fobs/remotes — each brand has a different name for their specific systems — smart keys have been around since the 1990s, although they were a feature found primarily on high-end luxury automobiles at the time.
How does it work?
The smart key uses radio waves to “talk” to the matching vehicle containing embedded antennas that identify and confirm its presence. On some models, like newer BMWs (Comfort Access), when the key comes within 1.5 metres of the driver’s car, the door automatically locks or unlocks with a touch of the door handle. In the case of the above image, the tailgate lifts by waving a foot underneath the rear bumper.
Once inside, simply pressing the ignition button, usually located next to the steering column, starts the vehicle. Some smart keys, like those from BMW, can also store individual user settings so the seat, mirrors, steering wheel and even audio preferences are automatically adjusted by pressing a single button.
Security
Rather than a smart key sending out the same frequency signal over and over, which would affect all the makes and models utilizing the same key, not to mention make it easier for tech-savvy thieves to steal cars, smart keys broadcast a different encrypted signal every time you unlock a door or remotely pop the trunk.
A computer chip located inside the car is responsible for receiving the signal and prompting a new frequency to be generated. Of course, nothing is foolproof, and manufacturers are constantly working at making their technology more secure.
Pros
The most obvious plus of a smart key system is convenience. You don’t have to be holding the key in your hand to enjoy the features, and many people love the fact that they can keep it in their pocket or bag without having to reach in and dig around before getting into vehicle.
Cons
By the same token, there have been instances (writing from personal experience) where a driver hands a car over to another user and walks away, forgetting that the smart key is still on his or her person.
On models that don’t have an automatic proximity unlock function, if the battery in the fob dies, opening a locked door can be tricky. Luckily, almost all fobs should have a small metal key hidden inside that can be used to unlock the driver’s door via a keyhole often concealed underneath a removable plastic cap near the door handle.
To get a better visual of a smart key in action, here is a video illustrating the Intelligent Key system on the Infiniti Q50.