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The New F15 X5 Is the First Production BMW that Can Drive Itself

The problems of today and even tomorrow are constantly being studied at BMW. The German company is always looking to bring their customers what they want most and, in doing so, they come up with the most interesting technologies.
BMW F15 X5 1 photo
Photo: BMW
Yesterday we listed the new features the F15 X5 will have, including the Driving Assistant Plus package, a system that will make sure your driving experience is both enjoyable and safe.

Today we're taking a look at what this package includes. First of all it has the new Active Cruise Control System with Stop & Go functions. This way, your traffic jam experiences will be easier to bare. The system maintains a safe following distance at speeds up to 210 km/h (130 mph), thanks to some radars installed at the front and back of the car.

Furthermore, the Driving Assistant Plus can actually brake on its own if the driver fails to react to a warning of an imminent frontal collision, being capable of bringing the car to a standstill.

The Traffic Jam Assistant is where the X5 becomes a self-driving car. For speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph), this function not only controls the distance between your car and the one in front, but it will also keep it in lane, using a special radar system and providing active steering input.

What does that mean? It means your car will drive itself in traffic jams up to 40 km/h (25 mph). We're sure most people will be outraged by the fact that what was supposed to be "the ultimate driving machine" will now turn into a car with zero input from its driver.

However, think of it in practicality terms. Most of us love the driving experience a BMW is giving us and that will still be there on open roads. Traffic jams are not the place where you usually feel thrills and love driving. Actually, they are so annoying and boring that the time you spend in them could as well be used for other things while the car drives itself.

Even so, you'll always be able to turn the function off and drive the car yourself, if you insist on handling traffic jams yourself. That being said, we think that this new function will not only be favored by the general public but it will also be regarded as an 'ahead of its time' feature that most manufacturers will soon follow.
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