Page 44 - AIT0116_E-Paper

SERIEN ARCHITEKTUR UND AUTO • ARCHITECTURE AND AUTOMOBILE

Scheinwerfer begrüßen mich und geben ganz nebenbei ein Gefühl der Sicher heit beim
Einsteigen. Ein weiteres gut durchdachtes Modul stellt die Aufladestation für das
Mobiltelefon dar. Diese konnte ich mehrere Male sehr gut gebrauchen und so mein rol-
lendes Büro voll nutzen. Nun ist es schon an der Zeit, meinen Weggefährten nach zwei
Wochen wieder abzugeben! Ein bisschen traurig bin ich ja schon, da ich mich sehr an ihn
gewöhnt habe. Viele kleine Details werde ich bestimmt vermissen: den Geruch, die Hap -
tik, das Head-Up Display, die Rückfahrkamera, sein Begrüßungsritual, meinen Fahrer -
erleb nis schalter „Sport“ und so vieles mehr. Der BMW-Leitspruch „Freude am Fahren“
passt perfekt zum 230d Automatik – ich freue mich auf ein Wiedersehen.

here it is, my BMW 320d Automatic! The first impression: big and powerful. My
second impression: big cars can be fun, too! The nice man, who handed over the
keys for my new companion for the next two weeks, gave me a short introduction.
Bluetooth has been activated, instructions in handling the navigation system have
been presented and an explanation of other important technical details has been given
– so I could get started! During my first drive I immediately noticed the sports seats
and the easy-grip steering wheel. Whenever I drove the car from now on, I took great
pleasure in the high-quality and perfectly shaped precious wood interior finish in ash
burl with metal inlays and chrome accent strip with pearlescent effect matching the
anthracite-coloured roof linings. The brown leather sports seats blended in with the
interior. All important buttons are well and clearly arranged. The seatbelt pre-tensioner
pulled a little too tight when I first used the car – it came as a surprise – but I was
already prepared when I fastened my seatbelt next time. The Steptronic transmission
was new for me, and after a brief introduction I thought it was great fun, especially in
Vor dem Bamberger Dom wirkt der BMW fast zierlich. • In front of the Cathedral the BMW looks delicate. the narrow, crooked lanes of the “seven-hill” city. Here, the BMW was generally on its
best behaviour. Starting in wet weather on cobbled streets on a hillside – I was anxious
to find out how the car would pass this test. All I can say: with flying colours!
A good feeling: saving fuel at the traffic lights

I especially liked the automatic start-stop function. Saving fuel at red traffic lights is a
good feeling. Sometimes the engine started as if by magic and the next moment the
Sonnige Ausfahrt zum Gut Möschenfeld • Sunny drive to Gut Möschenfeld
traffic lights turned green. It is really amazing what technology can do! On my first
longer trip to a construction site I had to drive through the beautiful Steiger Forest.
Early in the morning, hoar frost still covering the meadows and forests, I felt safe in
my new car. The first rays of sunshine passed through the trees and immersed the
morning atmosphere in autumnal yellow-orange-red. The winding road invited to
cruising, so I quickly pressed the sport button and enjoyed the drive, with wonderful
music and a smile on my face. I was still smiling when I arrived. My appointment went
by in a flash – it had to because my “little one” was waiting and wanted to enjoy the
next curves, catch the day’s sunshine and play with them. On the weekend, I paid a
short visit to Munich, my home city. Driving on the motorway was especially enjoyable!
It’s a long time since I felt as safe as in this car. My new friend is, of course, not fixed
to its Steptronic gearbox. When switching to the Steptronic sports transmission, one
can manually change between eight different gears at the steering wheel, like in a rac-
ing car. On the motorway, this is definitely fun, but for convenience I preferred to
switch back to Steptronic transmission. By the way, the driver’s experience button
“Sport” was my favourite button in the car. The feeling once you pressed it is unique!
On the motorway, I also tested other important features: the orange triangles shining
on the outside of the mirrors signalise when a lane change is safe. A light vibration on
the steering wheel indicates that one changes the lane and a small red BMW in the
display informs the driver that the distance to the car in front is too small. The head-
up display is another highlight of this car: the actual speed are displayed on the wind-
screen. It is quite impressive that even temporary speed limits are correctly notified.
Additional information in the head-up display is from the navigation system or Check
Control: if one exceeds the maximum speed limit of winter tyres of 210
kilometres/hour, a speed warning appears in the display! The exact opposite to this is
the speed limiter, which was developed for calm, fuel-saving driving. I briefly tested it
but then refrained from using it again. The buttons for the selection of radio stations,
volume control and answering telephone calls, which are integrated in the multifunc-
tional steering wheel, are also displayed in the head-up display. The multifunctional
screen in the cockpit displays anything that is useful and important: radio station, nav-
igation system and camera. Especially when parking, the BMW’s big camera is great
fun! In the beginning, I still turned my head as a matter of routine, but it’s amazing
how quickly one internalises amenities... – it’s actually frightening.

044 • AIT 1/2.2016