BMW 5 - Manual (Page 28)

BMW
Media
Information
11/2009
Page 28
The electromechanical parking brake comes complete with an Auto-Hold
function. This combination quite unique in the market serves in particular to
enhance motoring comfort in stop-and-go traffic. As soon as the car comes
to a standstill, Auto-Hold automatically holds the car in position by exerting
constant pressure on the brakes also on a gradient, until the driver presses
down the gas pedal. So he is not required to keep the brake pedal
pressed down while the car is at a hold.
The Auto-Hold function is activated and deactivated by a separate button
on the centre console.
Driving dynamics intelligently controlled: Integrated Chassis
Management and FlexRay technology.
The systems incorporated in the new BMW 5 Series Sedan in the interest
of enhanced driving dynamics are perfectly connected by Integrated Chassis
Management (ICM). This high-performance electronic control function
analysing the car’s driving behaviour by evaluating numerous sensor signals
at one central point, coordinates the drivetrain and suspension functions
within fractions of a second to provide maximum stability under all driving
conditions. And even when conditions change suddenly – for example on
changing surfaces, when spontaneously turning the steering, accelerating
or applying the brakes abruptly – ICM responds by intervening precisely
in the DSC actuators and, where fitted as an option, by acting on the
Integral Active Steering and Adaptive Drive.
Interaction of the car’s suspension control systems and the drivetrain is
equally unique and unparalleled, the high-speed FlexRay data transmission
system serving to coordinate all systems and sub-systems fast and reliably.
Developed by a consortium of specialist companies to production standard
under the guidance of BMW, FlexRay offers a data transfer capacity never
seen before, 20 times higher than with a conventional data transmission
system. BMW is the world’s first car maker to introduce FlexRay technology
in its production models.