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My wife's BMW X4 has a built-in HUD, and to us the killer uses are: 1) Current speed shown along with the speed limit. It gets the speed limit from onboard map
by jdcarter 10y ago
My wife's BMW X4 has a built-in HUD, and to us the killer uses are:
1) Current speed shown along with the speed limit. It gets the speed limit from onboard maps combined with using the car's cameras. If there's road construction, for example, it'll notice the signs and update the speed limit accordingly. This seems really simple, but it means never needing to look at your dash to check your speed.
2) Driving directions. Very handy when you're in places you don't know well, or in heavy traffic. The HUD is dramatically better than looking aside to your phone or the car's center console screen.
If an after-market HUD can do those, I'd seriously consider putting one in my other (older) car.
- Cyph0n 10y agoPoint 1 doesn't seem that simple to me. Sounds like a cool car though.
- jdcarter 10y agoWell it "seems simple" in terms of the value you get: your speedometer is only a quick glance down, so until you get used to driving with a HUD, you don't really appreciate its value. Eliminating all those glances down to the dash really does make a difference! (As for implementation, that's absolutely not a simple problem.)
- Cyph0n 10y agoI thought you were talking about the implementation. My bad.
- asenna 10y agoThinking about "killer uses" for a car HUD makes me chuckle.
- iamatworknow 10y agoGreat place to find out how much ammo you have remaining.
- izacus 10y agoYup, I also noticed on my Mazda that I don't really look at the main gauge cluster anymore - HUD is way closer to my standard field of view, it's focus is closer to the things on the road and it shows all the critical info (speed, radar cruise control status, directions, lane keeping... in new version also blind spot monitoring status and speed limits). I'd recommend it to anyone, the annoyance is only that you need to readjust it for every driver.
- Cyph0n 10y agoWhich Mazda model is that if I may ask? I'm looking for relatively low-end (and affordable!) cars with helpful safety features. I've heard Subaru has some good stuff, but didn't know about Mazda.
- izacus 10y agoAll new Mazdas offer the HUD as far as I know, but you need to take one of the higher trims. I have the top trim 3.
- sliken 10y agoNo idea on the HUD, but subaru's eyesight regularly wins the comparisons I've seen. In the USA the IIHT does regular testing, overseas there's a similar organization (sorry can't remember the name). Youtube, consumer reports, various car magazines, and various others have done similar. Definitely seems smart enough to reduce or even eliminate (some cases) rear ending someone. I know a few people with eyesight systems and they speak of it highly. Kinda surprising given how small subaru's R&D budget is compared to the bigger makers. I think subaru is in the 3rd generation or so.