Flagship Beemer goes hi-tech in big-car battle

By Eddie Cunningham Wednesday July 09 2008 LAST time they introduced a new BMW 7-series there was controversy over its iDrive central control system. Now they're bringing in a brand new one in November and they're putting all the emphasis on what they call 'the fireworks of innovation'. The new flagship -- larger but lighter -- has a lot of hi-tech items on board. They include: l A night-vision camera capable of detecting people and animals on the road. l Full internet access through the new iDrive system (with a 10.2in screen). l 'Four-wheel steering' to improve stability and reduce the turning circle. l 8Gb hard drive with 100-album storage capacity. l Four-zone air-conditioning. It will also have heads-up display, which shows the speed limit either in the instrument cluster or on the windscreen. Furthermore, it will alert... [read full story]