I LOVE MY SMART DRIVING MACHINE
AND I’M GRATEFUL FOR IT!
My car is much smarter than I am and it’s a good thing. For example, my keyless entry Bimmer will not allow me to lock the keys inside the car when I leave. I tried… albeit not on purpose, and the car would not lock.
The car informs me when inspections are due and reminds me every time I turn it on, if it’s getting close to that date - it kind of nags! When the temperature drops, the car warns me (more like “freaks out” with alarming red flashes) that the tire pressure may be low.
The voice recognition is amazing! It’s no longer necessary first to speak into the system for it to learn your voice and intonations. Sometimes it seems more sensitive than Siri; it’s very obliging in carrying out verbal instructions to dial a specific person or business on a Bluetooth connected phone. Voice commands can also be used with the car’s navigation system; quite useful if you are driving and it’s not possible or practical to stop or be distracted with keying in destinations or dialing on the wheel. Doesn’t mean I don’t get angry at “her” sometimes, but generally if we don’t communicate well, it means I gave bad instructions or didn’t ask for something the right way. The answer might be somewhere in the fat manual… Have you read yours?
The heated steering wheel - nice! Of course the seats are, even in the back. I would no longer hear the “it’s not fair that it’s only the front row seats that are heated” from the kids. They survived in SUV’s with unheated back seats and the older ones took turns sitting in the passenger seat.
To access the trunk, all I need to do is approach the car from the rear with a key somewhere on me, extend a foot under the car slightly and the trunk opens dutifully, without manual intervention. Great for when you’re loading groceries, or anything else.
The safety features are not “fun” per se, but it’s REALLY good to know they are there. For me, among the best safety features are maneuverability and acceleration. Those actually make my BMW 328i xdrive FUN to drive! The “Ultimate Driving Machine” provides a nice ride and is pretty good in the snow (although nothing is good on ice).
In Real Estate practice, driving a “nice” upscale, well-maintained and “groomed” car is an easier ticket to entry into gated or restricted communities. That always makes life easier, particularly if in the presence of clients.
I must confess that I only read the abridged version of the manual, not the entire tome (tsk, tsk says my brilliant hubby, who absorbs and internalizes ALL manuals and mantains ALL our BMW's), which means I am probably ignorant of at least fifty or so percent of all the other wonderful things my smart car can do for me (and by the time I learn, I’ll be ready for an upgrade!). Still, even at 50%, I love my smart car and I’m grateful for it.
Whatever YOU drive, please do it SAFELY and DON'T TEXT!
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