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BMW 5 Series

When the 10,25-inch colour infotainment touchscreen in the new BMW 5-Series reveals that your best friend is calling (presumably to propose something fermented and refreshing after work), all you need do is point at the screen to take the call and confirm your attendance. When it’s an unknown number and you just know it’s a telesales troll punting a new cellphone deal, you can decline the call with a contemptuous swiping gesture. Ready to issue a preselected command; for example, navigate to your front door? Easy… just hold up two fingers in the classic victory sign, and off you go.

Gesture control aside, when it comes to voice commands, the 5 Series is up there with the best. Unlike less sophisticated systems that work only with specific words or phrases, BMW’S Intelligent Voice Assistant allows you to formulate your request in everyday language, much like Siri and Google Now. Craving a platter of sashimi? Just ask: “Where’s the nearest Japanese restaurant?”

More jaundiced types may dismiss gesture and voice controls as unnecessary gimmicks, but we like them for several reasons; mostly because they reduce driver distraction, which is always a good thing, but also because they work very well indeed. In fact, BMW’S gesture and voice control features are part of a much bigger technology package that makes the new 5 Series one of the safest, most dynamically superior and exciting cars to hit our shores in a long time. Much of this equipment will be familiar to 7 Series owners, of course, but now it’s part of a smaller and more affordable package, and that can’t be wrong.

Still with cool tech, the new 5 Series also offers something called BMW Connected, described as a “personal digital mobility assistant”. Introduced last year, the system delivers an overview of content such as the upcoming satnav destinations and estimated arrival time. This information is transferred seamlessly into the car from your smartphone and displayed on the personalised screen. Remote 3D View allows you to call up a three-dimensional view of the area around your car on your smartphone while you’re on the move.

Another beguiling feature is the improved head-up display, which features a projection surface 70 per cent larger than the previous version. It displays traffic signs, telephone listings, radio stations, music tracks, navigation instructions and warnings from the car’s various assistance systems. And finally, there’s Park Assist, one of our favourite innovations. If reverse-parking isn’t your thing and you’ve decided to splash out on this option, watch in awe as the system parks your car automatically, potentially signalling an end to years of humiliation.– ALAN DUGGAN PM