DRIVES
Testing, testing
MATT SAUNDERS
Camera technology can be a massive boon for off-road drivers…
The BMW 7 Series I’m currently testing shows how it should be done: it’s a big car and use of digital cameras really helps you to deal with its bulk.
I’m sure it was BMW that first offered the plan-perspective parking aid which it now calls Surround View. It’s a composite image, delivered as if you were hovering about 30 feet above the roof of the car, in order that you know you’ve parked perfectly in the centre of the bay you’re aiming at without getting out to check. It’s a little bit of genius, digital technology enabling a perspective you couldn’t get any other way – and proof positive that cameras do have their place on new cars.