It wasn't that long ago that power windows and keyless entry were seen as game-changing technical inclusions in our new cars. Today, we're dealing with virtual assistants, three-dimensional cameras and even smartphone apps, so the question now begs, do we need it all? More to the point, does it actually help make life easier?
To be fair, you do need to embrace some of this new technology to get the most out of it, but as long as it is well-implemented and doesn't get in the way of your driving, there can be considerable upside to some cutting-edge technology found in some new cars.
Looking past any safety and driver assistance tech, most new 'gee-whiz' features fall into the 'convenience' category, and are designed to make your life a bit easier, and potentially a little bit more fun. To understand just what is possible and how it can work for you, we took the new BMW 1 Series on a run about town, to use some of these new features in context.
The F70 BMW 1 Series was launched late last year and is offered with a huge amount of technology as part of its standard equipment list. Many of these features are available on other models or from other brands, so if anything piques your interest, do check and see if the function is available on the new car that you are looking at.
Smartphone app connectivity – The 'My BMW' smartphone app allows you to remotely manage the vehicle. There are basic functions like locking, unlocking, or beeping the horn if you can't find it in a car park, as well as some more advanced features like being able to remotely activate the cameras to see what is around it when it is parked. There’s some other handy stuff as well, like being able to sync your phone calendar to the car – and, thanks to live traffic data within the car's navigation system, the app can tell you when it's time to leave to make it to your next appointment on time.
Using your phone as a car key – The BMW Digital Key function allows you to use your smartphone as a virtual key to the car, meaning you don't need to carry the physical car keys with you. This can be handy for security, as you can store the keys in a safe place, but also convenient in being able to temporarily 'share' access to another person's phone, should they need to open or drive your car when you aren't there.
Virtual assistant - Where you can use the assistant on your phone to help send a text, dial a number or navigate to a location, the car-based system allows you to use voice commands to manage functionality of the car itself. This can be as simple as changing the temperature or turning on the heated seats, but it means you don't need to take your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road to do so.
SOS function – In an emergency situation, the SOS function can be used to connect you to emergency services. The system will activate automatically if the car is involved in an accident, and can provide specific GPS coordinates, and even advise how many seat belts are in use to let them know how many occupants are in the car.
Personalisation and customisation - The use of digital displays in many cars allows drivers to change not only what information is displayed but also customise how it is displayed. This allows you to adjust colours and themes to your tastes, but also select the specific and relevant information you need on screen at any time.
Automatic window action – If there is a location, like a parking garage ticket booth, where you always need to put the window down, you can set a pre-defined location by GPS, and the window will go down automatically. Other brands offer this feature with height-adjustable suspension, so that your car can raise to access a steep driveway.
Drive recorder – Operating like an aircraft 'black box', the car can use the parking cameras as a dashcam-style recorder so that there is video evidence in the event of an accident.
Shortcuts and favourites – If there are functions that you use all the time, you can store these as a 'favourite' so the car offers easy access to your specific feature or preset from every screen. In the BMW, simply swipe down from the top of the screen.
Dynamic modes – For something a bit more fun, you can ask the car to make your driving environment more exciting or relaxing, where it will adjust interior lighting, climate temperature, display graphics and even music choice to pump you up or calm you down.
Intelligent parking cameras – A simple rear-view camera is old news in 2025. You can adjust your camera view to use any one of the four cameras mounted on the car, or even navigate using a virtual 3D image of your surroundings. For extra convenience, there's a top-down 'car wash' mode to help you align the car to a car wash track or narrow carpark lane without scratching your wheels.
Reverse assistant – To help deal with tight parking spaces or inconvenient locations, the BMW offers a reverse assistant that can remember the way the car drove the last 50 meters, and automatically retrace the path by steering by itself. This can be handy for getting out of tricky places, as the car won't allow itself to bump into anything in the process.
Many of these features are available across other BMW models or even from other brands, and can help make your new car even more convenient and connected to your life, while throwing in a little bit of fun at the same time.
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.
