Cars are one of the few things that haven’t really changed all that much in the last 100 years. Think of the Model T Ford available in 1908: four wheels, an internal combustion gasoline engine mounted above the two front wheels, two round headlights at the front, a steering wheel connected to the front wheels, 18 mile-per-gallon fuel economy, spring-coil suspension and two front seats and a rear bench seat. Does this sound familiar?

Sometimes, we hit the mark right away, meaning that there is little need for a total design rethink. Look at the clock, or the knife and fork, or the light bulb — all these things have stayed pretty much true to their hundreds (or thousands) year-old designs. All the keen innovator can do with such things is to tinker around the edges, adding bells and whistles to the original prototype in an attempt to make their mark on the product.

In the case of cars, the bells and whistles are coming along just fine — pity the new car that doesn’t come standard with an LCD TV screen, GPS navigation system, 12 speaker sound system and more airbags than windows. How many additional gadgets and gizmos can a new car really handle? After test-driving the new BMW 5 Series, the answer is simple: plenty.

A perpetual favorite among the business class set, the BMW 5 Series is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest cars, with the current E60 generation (on the market since 2004) heralding a new era of technological innovation for the German brand. In January this year, BMW released an updated version of the 5 Series, incorporating a minor exterior facelift, changes to the engines and power-train and significant new technological innovations.

That update is now available in Egypt, and needless to say, the new 5 Series is a wonderful car in all the ways you would expect it to be — and all the ways that the model has been for the past 10 years or more. It rides smooth and quiet, even at insane speeds (speeds at which I shouldn’t admit to driving in a magazine article). It handles with balance and poise — light, easy steering at an inner-city pace and tight, computer-assisted traction when flying around corners at the previously not-to-be-mentioned speeds.

The real joy of the new 5 Series is its suite of well-implemented electronic driving technologies. For me, the star of the show was the new adaptive cruise control system. Like normal cruise control, this system keeps your car moving at a steady, pre-set speed. But as an added benefit, this cutting edge technology uses a combination of technical trickery to track the speed of the car in front of you, ensuring that you stay a safe, steady distance from it — so if the car in front slows down (say, for a traffic light), you also slow down, all the way to stopping if necessary. When the car in front takes off, you also take off, accelerating at the same pace, but keeping the distance — never once touching the pedals.

Adaptive cruise control could be the answer to surviving Cairo traffic. In addition, the iDrive in-car control system lets you navigate through entertainment options, GPS navigation, comfort settings (seat positions, climate control) — even your mobile phone — with a single, easy-to-use ‘dial’ located in the center console. The car comes with excellent integration options for MP3 players and mobile phones, both of which can be easily plugged in and operated through the iDrive system.

A remarkably futuristic option is night vision — yes, real, straight-from-the-movies night vision. Using an infrared camera mounted in the front of the car, the system displays people or animals up to 300 meters away (far enough to be out of sight, even with powerful headlights) on the car’s video screen. As if things couldn’t get more F-16 fighter jet than that, the car also includes a heads-up display (HUD), displaying important driving information onto the windscreen in front of the driver.

It may seem as if we are embellishing the ingenuity of these tricky new electronics, but they really have to be seen to be believed. When a car has the fundamentals — powerful engine, smooth transmission, excellent breaking, beautiful design — down pat, as BMW does, it is the bells and whistles that really finish the job. In the case of the 5 Series, perfect fundamentals meet with the most impressive set of bells and whistles this reviewer has ever seen in a car. Test drive one and you’ll understand. It’s just that good. et

New BMW models available in Egypt include the 523i, 525i Business, 525i Executive and the top-of-the-line 530i. For more information, visit your local showroom or see bmw.com