Car Insurance

BMW integrates the most technology into its cars. So says the Telematics Research Group , a Minneapolis technology consultancy. The TRG scored individual models in 30 areas including telematics, phone, head unit and navigation, audio, radio, video, and driver assist. BMW placed four individual models in the top 13, the odd amount because there’s a six-wasy tie for 8th through 13th place, while runner-up Mercedes-Benz had three.

The TRG Technology Index was more quantitative rather than qualitative. BMW aced the telematics and phone section with each of its four sedan/coupe lines and racked up points on the driver assist section with most models offering adaptive cruise control, sonar parking assist, head-up displays, and night vision.

BMW would have picked up another point had the index included cockpit control knobs , but the feature wasn’t on the list, and besides not every buyer believes controllers are a technology improvement. BMW lost opportunities to roll up the score by not having touchscreen displays, camera parking assist, and only one of the two satellite radio formats.

We also like the TRG Technology Index because it mirrors our Digital Drive awards Digital Drive Awards given to the 10 highest technology cars available in America. We included two hybrid models, TRG allowed different-model year duplicates and announced models , which cut possible overlaps to nine, and we were in agreement on four.

Our choices that didn’t make the TRG list were Acura TL; , Audi A6; , Buick Terraza, and the most distressing omission of all, our overall winner, the Infiniti M45, with its LCD displaying rolling up multiple cockpit functions and lane departure warning. Basically, the cars we liked a lot for industry-leading features, which we weighed heavily in our ratings, only got 1 point for that feature in the TRG Index.