IT’S NOT THE ULTIMATE DRIVERLESS MACHINE YET
TAKE A LOOK at the new 3’s lower grille and there’s no missing the huge front radar sensor for the raft of semiautonomous driving systems. There are further hidden sensors behind the bumper’s secondary grilles, and a broad tri-focus camera at the top of the windscreen. Working together, they can detect roadworks and other vehicles, so even when regular road markings run out, the 3-series can still keep itself within its own lane – provided the driver is ready to step in. In Europe, hands-free driving is considered Level 3 autonomy, and is not permitted without various backup systems. In the USA and China, however, drivers can let the 3-series take care of its own driving fully hands-off, the car stopping, pulling away and steering autonomously up to 60km/h (37mph); ideal for LA traffic jams.
An internal camera tracks the driver’s face, and won’t pull away autonomously unless the system is satisfied that you are looking ahead at the road. So if you’re scrolling through your phone at a set of traffic lights, for example, it won’t pull away when the light turns green unless you’re looking up and over the dash, not down in your lap.
Park Assist and Reverse Assist are both standard on cars built for the UK. The former is an established technology – take your hands off the wheel and let the car take itself in and out of a parallel or bay parking space. The system can check for oncoming vehicles, including bicycles. Reverse Assist can retrace your steps if you drive forwards into a narrow space – an intricate underground parking lot, for instance – and help find your way out again, scuff-free.
The Personal Assistant function is becoming intertwined with autonomous driving too. For instance, if every day on your commute you drop the window to retrieve a ticket for a barrier, it could learn to lower the window for you, and disable the stop/start system each time at that point in the journey.