Readers polled by German magazines CHIP and auto, motor und sport agree that BMW has produced vehicles with superior connectivity technology and sporty designs that appeal to the German motoring public. BMW took top honors in four of eleven categories in the 2017 Car Connectivity Award including the Connected Car of the Year award given to the BMW 5 Series. The BMW 2 Series and 4 Series also garnered 2017 Autonis design awards.
The G30 BMW 5 Series had sufficient built-in connectivity to attract votes from 35.4 percent of the readers polled, making it the 2017 Connected Car of the Year. In addition to previous connectivity features, the 5 Series' latest version of BMW Connected and BMW ConnectedDrive Services included the ability to search for parking spaces with On-Street Parking Information; monitoring the car with Remote 3D View; and car-to-car hazard warning communication. The readers surveyed thought that was pretty nifty.
Participants in the survey picked the BMW Navigation System Professional as the Best Navigation System, with a total of 40.9 percent of the votes. They cited intuitive operation, the accuracy of the map display, and quick and reliable route guidance. Realistic 3D graphics in urban areas were also attractive to the readers.
Bimmers with Nav System Pro also have an option to include a Wi-Fi hotspot that provides a high-speed Internet connection for up to ten mobile devices inside the car. This feature was impressive enough to win the Entertainment/Multimedia award with 28.0 percent of the votes.
Finally in the connectivity area, readers preferred the BMW touchscreen Control Display that enhances iDrive's functionality and ease of use. The votes from 23.7 percent of readers gave BMW the award in the Control Concepts/Displays category.
The German automotive magazine auto, motor und sport also conducted its 2017 Autonis poll covering the design aspects of 88 current models in eleven vehicle classes. The BMW 2 Series Coupe garnered the votes needed to secure the Compact class. Meanwhile, the BMW 4 Series Coupe and 4 Series Gran Coupe shared the award for the readers’ choice in the Mid-Size category.
Both the 2 Series Coupe and the 4 Series Coupe previously won in the 2014 Autonis survey, demonstrating the durable and consistent good looks of these models which only needed a Life Cycle Impulse refreshment to win the survey again.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
