I drove BMW's new prototype sports car and it felt truly bizarre
At the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, BMW showed off a new prototype version of the hybrid sports car featuring a series of cameras that replace the traditional side and rear-view mirrors. One camera is located on each of the i8's doors, along with a central camera placed near the top of the rear windshield.
The prototype's cameras feed their footage into a large 12-inch-by-3-inch central screen, which is positioned where the rear-view mirror would normally be. Images from all three cameras are stitched together to form one large wide picture.
Initially, driving the i8 prototype - dubbed the i8 Mirrorless - proved to be kind of a bizarre experience. Having been trained to drive using each of the car's mirrors, I instinctively turned toward the door-mounted cameras, expecting to see ... a mirror. Seeing only a camera there proves to be disconcerting at first - especially when changing lanes.
However, once you learn to trust the central display, the driving experience becomes no different than that of the standard, mirror-equipped i8.I'm well acquainted with this car. Last summer, I took a production i8 on a 750-mile road trip up the New England coast.
The i8 was quiet, comfortable and impressively efficient while cruising on the highway. It offered precise handling and swift acceleration when the driving got dynamic.
On the crowded streets of Las Vegas, the i8 Mirrorless showed off the value of its cameras. The side-mounted pieces helpfully augment the driver's peripheral vision, and the cameras offer the driver a view of the car's surroundings - limiting any dangerous blind spots.
The camera is also capable of warning the driver when a fast-approaching car gets into your blind spot while you're changing lanes. The side cameras are covered with heated gorilla glass which keeps the lenses free of ice and dirt.One consequence of the cameras' smaller cross-section actually makes the i8 Mirrorless more aerodynamic than the production variant.
The side mirror-mounted cameras create an air blanket around the profile of the car, which keeps rain from accumulating on the side windows when you're driving faster than 50mph.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- JNK India IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
- Indian Army unveils selfie point at Hombotingla Pass ahead of 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market