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Car technology I'm thankful and unthankful for

The past few years have seen a surge of tech features in new vehicles — everything from cloud-based content to semi-autonomous driving. While some of it makes the driving experience better, not all tech is useful or well thought out. Automakers who are adept at drivetrains, ride quality and in-cabin comforts often fail at infotainment interfaces and connectivity. From testing dozens of vehicles each year and in the spirit of gratitude, here are three car tech features I'm thankful — and a trio I could live without. Thanks Connected search: This seems like a no-brainer since everyone already has it on their smartphones, but not all automakers include it in the dashboard and as part of their nav systems. The best ones, such as Toyota Entune, leverage a driver's connected device to search for a range of services and don't charge a subscription or require a separate data plan for the car. I also like how systems like Chrysler Uconnect use Yelp or other apps to find everything from coffee to gas stations and allow searching via voice recognition. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: It took two of the largest tech companies to get in-dash infotainment right. While they have their disadvantages (you're forced to use Apple Maps with CarPlay, for example), the two smartphone-integration platforms make it easier and safer to use their respective native apps for phoning, messaging, music and more behind the wheel by transferring a familiar UI to the dashboard — with no subscription required. Heated seats and steering wheels: I really appreciate these simple but pleasant features come wintertime. It's easy to get spoiled by bun-warmers on frosty mornings and using a heated steering wheel to warm the cold hands. I recently tested a 2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 Coupe that also had heated armrest that added to a cozy luxury experience. Bonus points for brands like Buick that allow setting seat heaters to turn on when the engine is remotely started. No thanks Automaker infotainment systems: Automakers have probably poured millions into creating their own infotainment systems, with the result largely being frustration on the part of most car owners. And Apple CarPlay and Android Auto coming along to make them obsolete. While some automaker systems, such as Toyota Entune and FCA's Uconnect, are easy and intuitive to use, it seems that high-end systems (I'm looking at you BMW iDrive and Mercedes-Benz COMAND) are the most difficult.

Preserving automotive history costs big bucks

$1.8 million is spent each year to maintain GM's fleet of 600 production and concept cars.
When at least two of the Detroit Three were on the verge of death a few years back, one of the tough questions that was asked of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler execs - outside of why execs were still taking private planes to meetings - was why each company maintained huge archives of old production and concept vehicles. GM, for example, had an 1,100-vehicle collection when talk of a federal bailout began.

BMW brings first diesel 7 Series to US with $82,500* 740Ld xDrive

After almost 40 years on the market, there are probably few things the BMW 7 Series hasn't offered, but when it comes to the US market, one of those things just happens to be a diesel engine. That is all about to change, however, as BMW announced that it will unveil the 2014 740Ld xDrive at the Chicago Auto Show before sales commence later in the spring.
Offered only on long-wheelbase models with standard all-wheel drive, the new diesel 7 is powered by BMW's 3.0-liter inline-six producing 255 horsepower and a stout 413 pound-feet of torque peaking between 1,500 and 3,000 rpm. While BMW has yet to release any type of fuel economy figures, it did say that its diesel technology is usually good for an improvement of 25 to 30 percent over the gas models - just for fun, that means that the 740 Ld xDrive could get as much as 24.7 miles per gallon in the city and 36.4 mpg on the highway, but that's just doing the math and there is nothing official behind those numbers. Acceleration will take a little longer than in the 740Li xDrive (shown above) with BMW stating 6.1 seconds from 0-60 compared to 5.4 seconds for the gas model.
Another small increase over the gas version will be in price, with the 740Ld xDrive getting a starting MSRP of $82,500 (*not including $925 for destination), which is just a $1,500 bump over the 740Li xDrive. For comparison, the Audi A8L TDI starts at $78,800, while the previous-gen Mercedes S350 Bluetec was priced at $93,000. Scroll down for more info on the new diesel-powered 7 Series, and stay tuned to our live coverage from Chicago in a couple weeks as we'll have live images and hopefully more info.