SO you think your new car has the works - a smooth and powerful drivetrain that reminds you of the silken bean curd from your favourite shop, beautiful wood and leather, and a great audio system. But what do you do when you need to check the traffic or stock market? Whip out your smartphone at the lights?

If you had BMW's Connected Drive, however, you and your car will be seamlessly plugged into the environment. Connected Drive refers to the German luxury carmaker's intelligent network technology. It all begins with a SIM card - built into each BMW that leaves the factory - to open up a world of convenience, safety and infotainment.

With Connected Drive, the news, weather and real-time traffic information (RTTI) are streamed to your BMW's centre display. Check your stock prices (there is a 15-minute delay though) or listen to Web radio. If you're on the move, the text-to-speech function can read out your calendar or a news story you've chosen. The BMW software is the most natural-sounding on the market and it can even read out your messages and e-mail, unless you prefer not to because those are X-rated and there are other people in the car.