Are Head's Up Displays All They're Cracked Up To Be?

The automotive market is rife with plenty of examples of gimmicky items and options that quickly jack up the price of a car. While I can understand investing into an option for its direct impact on my safety, some are a bit...questionable.

Take, for instance, the head's up display.

More often than not, you'll see premium vehicles with a "Technology Package" that includes a heads-up display. Not only will it have everything you can imagine from lane detection systems to radar-guided cruise control, it'll also run you a ton of coin.

But one thing I've notice behind the wheel is that when it's on, I don't really pay attention to it. At all.

The only time I've been able to use the HUD with any benefit was with navigation instructions in the BMW X6M.

So when automakers sell it as jet-inspired technology are they really stretching it OR is it really the next-generation of driving?


BMW's press release follows:

Low-flying over hilly terrain at a speed of almost 800 kilometres per hour in the cockpit of a Eurofighter jet is a challenge to even the most hardened of military pilots. “When you’re flying at tree-top height at around 220 metres a second, only extremely accurate head-up display technology is able to provide the necessary ease of mind,” comments Wing Commander Robert Hierl, test pilot at the Technical and Airworthiness Centre for Aircraft.

By means of a front panel projector, all flight-relevant data supplied by the flight management system as well as information and signals crucial to a mission are displayed on a second, vertically positioned panel located in the cockpit. In order to prevent the pilot from being distracted, all information is displayed in virtual form at eye level within the direct field of vision, thus guaranteeing the highest degree of concentration, supremacy and safety for both the pilot and the machine.

BMW was the first European car builder to adapt head-up display technology – a system initially deployed in aviation and constantly further developed over several decades – for use in volume-production vehicles. Since January 2004, this innovative driver assistance system has been an integral part of BMW ConnectedDrive offered for the BMW 5 Series. Consistently further developed and optimised, it is now a full-colour head-up display and optionally available for almost all series.

In terms of graphic representation, functionality and flexibility, the unique new Head-Up Display feature makes a significant contribution towards active safety by displaying driver-relevant information in high-quality resolution within the driver’s direct field of vision, so that he or she does not have to take their eyes off the road. A crucial gain in safety as researchers know: A normal driver takes a whole second to read the speed indicator in the instrument panel or to glance at the navigation device. Whilst the driver is distracted, that is without his or her eyes on the road, the vehicle covers a distance of around 14 metres when travelling in urban areas at a speed of 50 km/h – virtually a “blind flight”.

With Head-Up Display, the time required by the driver to assimilate information is reduced by more than a half, the system making a decisive contribution towards concentrated and focused driving. The virtual image projected onto the windscreen is perceived as “hovering“ at eye level above the bonnet and is visible only to the driver. Moreover, this form of display is less tiring, as the eye does not have to constantly change between close-range and remote vision. Also, the brightness of the image adjusts perfectly to the surroundings, so that the eye does not have to readapt each time.

The reproduction of data is effected by means of an intense light source, which is located inside the instrument panel and shines through a translucent TFT (Thin Film Transistor) display, the image being transferred to the windscreen via specially shaped mirrors. Owing to the convex shape and the physical properties of glass, using the windscreen as a reflector is an extremely complex process. In a windscreen, the light path is normally refracted, resulting in double images.

In the case of the Eurofighter, this problem is solved by means of an additional panel located directly within the pilot’s field of vision. BMW tackles this physical phenomenon with the aid of a wafer-thin foil, which is integrated into the windscreen, ensuring the superimposition of the projected images and, as a result, flawless, undistorted representation. Full-colour Head-Up Display offers the driver a tremendous increase in reading comfort. The complete colour spectrum facilitates a realistic and thus more intuitive display of images and symbols. These speak for themselves, are perceived even faster and do not have to be decoded or interpreted. Even Eurofighter test pilot Robert Hierl is highly impressed: “Our monochrome head-up display technology is unable to offer such a brilliant display quality.”


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FromThePassengerSeat - 10/30/2011 12:44:17 AM

+2 Boost

This will be the last time I ever talk to you, 00R. I shun all who have ever taken it upon themselves to so much as sit in an X6 M. Goodbye.
(That was sarcasm, unless, of course, you actually bought said monstrosity, in which case you shall burn in hell for all eternity.)
*evil laughter*

JRobUSC - 10/30/2011 12:22:25 PM

+2 Boost

so it's ok for Benz to sell ML63's and Porsche to sell Cayenne Turbo's and Turbo S's, but if BMW makes an M SUV that outperforms them (and is less expensive), it's a problem? Why shouldn't BMW get their piece of that market?

FromThePassengerSeat - 10/30/2011 5:20:50 PM

+1 Boost

No, it's not OK. The high-performance SUV is a terrible idea. The X6 M just takes that losing formula and worsens it by chopping the roofline, thereby removing half the cargo space and rear headroom.

You are then left with a $90,000 SUV that can do exactly none of the things that are reasons to buy an SUV: off-roading, having three rows of seats, and having lots of cargo space. Don't waste your money. Instead, get a CTS-V wagon and save $25,000.

Oh, and it manages to do all this while being incorrectly labeled an M car. Yes, I'm a purist.

vdiv - 10/31/2011 4:44:41 PM

+1 Boost

The aforementioned Clarkson put it best:
"What was the boss of BMW doing when all the clowns of the laptop department were coming up with this rubbish?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UwOBKSHl-c

PUGPROUD - 10/30/2011 10:53:42 AM

+3 Boost

Great option, worth the cost. You don't have to take your eyes off the road to get speed or revs but fantastic when using navigation system to see which direction you will turn and name of street straight ahead.

HoustonMidtown - 10/31/2011 7:21:51 AM

0 Boost

I agree -- I have had several cars with HUD and miss it when it's not there....

rob9193 - 10/30/2011 11:16:47 AM

+3 Boost

I want augmented reality! Head's up displays are so 90's lol.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 10/30/2011 8:31:52 PM

0 Boost

i have been driving the new BMW 5-Series for a couple of months now.

The navigation instructions are displayed on 2 screens:
1- The Big Screen used for all I-Drive functions.
2- A little screen at the bottom of the Speedo and Rev Counter Binnacle.

For some reason this little screen is positioned so low that when i am driving {Wheel Position is Fully In Dash and UP} i am unable to see over the top of the steering wheel Central Hub to see the instructions such as distance to exit or lane positioning hence i have to keep Big Screen on Split so i can see this info, In that case the Heads Up Display is an absolute must as it makes your life a whole lot easier.

In VWs and Audis HUD is not so much a need because the Secondary Navigation Screen is {Much Larger Than BMWs} positioned between the Rev Counter and Speedometer at the same height so you have an uninterrupted view of the screen.

AlleVier - 10/31/2011 2:13:37 PM

+2 Boost

I find it mostly gimmicky in it's current implementation and not a huge contributor to safety. A car is not a jet, so there are few things that need to be constantly monitored. Speed? Bah, I've done pretty well knowing the speed limits and judging my speed relative to surrounding traffic or occasionally using cruise control. Navigation? Better off with a good voice implementation.

For the few moments you really need to glance as some data, the fact that the HUD is more at the level of the road is good, BUT, make no mistake about it, if your focus shortens to read the display, your eyes are effectively off the road. As rob9193, said, bring on the augmented reality (in full 3-D).

Joe_Limon - 10/31/2011 3:32:03 PM

+1 Boost

"BUT, make no mistake about it, if your focus shortens to read the display, your eyes are effectively off the road."

Well if you want to get that particular about the details, if you're looking at the car ahead of you your eyes are effectively off the road as well! lol.

vdiv - 11/2/2011 9:02:49 PM

+1 Boost

The trick is that the focal distance of the HUD image is set further ahead of the windshield so that you don't have to refocus your eyes and that obstacles ahead are in you field of view. The point is well taken though, if the display is too distracting (like a blonde driving a convertible in front of you) it could be considered dangerous.

Joe_Limon - 11/3/2011 12:20:49 AM

+1 Boost

I don't think peripheral vision is very much affected by focal distances. And it's mostly peripheral vision that you use to scan the road for hazards. If you're focusing on a hud and someone pops up at you, you'll notice them just as well if not better than if you were looking at a sign on the other side of the street. (due to angles)