BMW’s new 5 Series does CarPlay without the wires

BMW has recently unveiled the new 2017 5 Series saloon and with it, a whole host of technologies to improve the driving experience. Chief among them is the addition of Apple CarPlay, but the 5 Series is the very first car to deliver wireless CarPlay.

• What is Apple CarPlay and which cars support it?

Wireless functionality has been built into Apple’s in-car system since iOS 9, but car manufacturers haven’t installed it in their cars. To access the features at the moment, you need to plug your iPhone into the car’s USB port.

With the new 5 Series that will be a thing of the past, as your iPhone connects through BMW’s iDrive system and presents the familiar CarPlay interface on the car’s 10.25-inch touchscreen display. Everything is controlled via BMW’s iDrive Touch Controller, voice commands, gestures and by pressing on the touchscreen itself.

BMW’s infotainment system is capable of multi-tasking apps and services and also offers a split screen mode, which can be used with CarPlay, meaning for example, you can view car data on one side and Apple Maps on the other.

To keep the car wire-free, you can also have a Qi-based wireless charger installed in the 5 Series, and BMW will also sell you an iPhone 5 or iPhone 6 wireless charging case. Other technology highlights in the car include a head up display, assisted driving modes, adaptive cruise control and an optional Wi-Fi hotspot.

• BMW promises autonomous vehicles by 2021, partners with Intel, Mobileye

The new BMW 5 Series will be available from February 2017 with prices yet to be confirmed.