Is BMW Leading the Pack with Heads Up Display Technology?

Not overkill. Its a great idea, I think that most auto enthusiast will enjoy it.

Not sure how HUD in a BMW make it Lead the pack when Nissans, Pontiac, and Caddy's have had such a feature off and on for years!?!?!? I think top end Caddy STS's still offer it and have the navigation info and everything. If not, I am pretty sure that Caddy atleast had a Demo model with such a feature.

BMW is the industry leader for heads-up displays.

Yes BMW is leading the leading the pack with Heads Up Display Technology. BMW has taken the technology to a higher level. Their HUD works to perfection.

Yes, because they're pretty much the only ones who know how to do it.

Audi hasn't tried to do it.

I don't know how many times I was driving very hard, and very focused and had no idea of my speed because the last thing I would do is take my eyes of the road.

BMW does have the best displays, but one thing I don't like about the one in the 6 series I drove was the RPM read-out seemed to have a delay/lag time between what you saw and what was really happening, where the dash mounted tac didn't have this problem.

The 6-series also was an SMG gearbox. Normally I would know exactly what gear I'm in by stick position on a manual (just reach down and you're in the know), but in SMG, not the case.

I found myself always looking into the dash to see what gear I was in, until I had the HUD on, then it was great. I suppose this would all go away once you know the car very well, but because the SMG doesn't allways "give you" what gear you "ask for", (for good reason) it's nice to see feedback of what you want for a gear, vs. what it's giving you.

BMW used to manufacture military planes and I've heard Toyota started out manufactuing bowling balls.

What you gunna do!

Idiotic comments like YOURS (bmw335) give BMW an even worse name!

Yeah, and Nintendo started out making playing cards.

Things change jackass.

EL34 Toyota started out in the Texttile business and they perfected it!!!Lambo started of with tractors,so what your dam point you tard!!

Will is right, the corvette had it first.

My housekeeper's 1996 Nissan Altima had a head-up display that showed her the speed she was going (only the speedometer).

I thought the Oldsmobile 88 was the first with a heads up display. (That was the only cool thing on that car)

You are dating yourself

The amazing thing about the BMW system is, that when connected to the sat nav, it tells you when and where it is safe to overtake the car in front of you, it knows the street ahead and count in visibility (corners) and the speed you are driving with. It says in the article that you got 500 meters to overtake the car, before the road turns and visibility are lost.
That is a comming feature.
That is brilliant.

Obviously their leading with HUD, not many car companies offer it, but Caddilac has a very good HUD system aswell.

of course. they lead with everything.

HUD is really cool until the point where a stone chips you windscreen and it costs multiple $1000's to replace. The HUD cars need special windscreen glass for it to work right.

Get ready to argue with your insurance company.

The BMW head up display unit IS one of the best out there....being developed by Siemens VDO. BMW is the ONLY foreign luxury marque to offer head up displays currently. For some odd reason or other, the Japanese luxury brands have not offered head up displays in their cars, even though Nippon Seiki(a Japanese company partially owned by Honda) makes all the advanced HUD's for GM's Corvettes and Cadillacs.
I believe the Honda Legend in Japan(Acura RL in the USA) does offer a head up display as well as a night vision system.
A feature the Nippon Seiki Japanese head up display offers that the Siemens currently doesn't is that it displays your g-force when you make a turn. Corvette drivers who have the HUD system know this.
The headup display is a very cool feature and I wish it was available in more luxury cars. I think eventually, more and more luxury brands will offer it in the future.

Go Honda!