HUD information...
 

test drove the x5 the other day... vehicle had HUD option... was not aware of the option until the test drive and the salesperson did not expand on it... from what I have gathered, the HUD will display speed, nav (turn/dist-to-turn), cruise-control status (on/off) and briefly display when the CC speed is set/adjusted. There is a pic on the bmwusa page for the HUD that shows a pedestrian warning:

BMW X5 : Head-Up Display

Is this a Euro-version, future version, artist's rendering, or the currently shipping version? Is there any info I'm missing that is displayed on the currently shipping HUD for the X5 35i prem???

I love the HUD in my car. It's really awesome. As of right now it projects: Real Time Speed, Check Control Messages, Navigation Instructions and Cruise Control Status

The picture is a half truth. Certainly thats what the display looks like. Basic colors, large lettering with speed, warning messages, nav prompts and cruise status. I could see a symbol like that popping up if there was a night vision system in the X5 .. but there isn't ... so that graphic doesn't properly reflect the x5 HUD ... and is somewhat misleading.

In Germany the HUD would display the speed limit on the autobahn as it changed during your trip.... just saying.

Personally I thought it distracting in both the US and Europe.

I find the HUD extremely helpful on my '08 X5 4.8i. I also included the HUD display into a new build (expecting delivery of '12 X5 50 sometime in January). It's extremely helpful when using the navigation system, since you don't have to look at the display. As far as the pedestrian on the picture, it would be my speculation, but maybe you get that option when a vehicle is equipped with Active Cruise Control.

I don't have it in my '11 X5, but the '11 535i MSport has it. Speed is displayed in White during the day and Orange at night when the lights are on. The NAV, in full color is excellent, and will actually separate lanes as your coming to an intersection or if there is a turn off.

I always use the HUD and never the speedo. Once your used to it (10 minutes) it really is a neat feature and helps to keep your eyes on the road.

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicle...up_display.jpg

Ah. Yea. That feature is getting introduced in the USA this march with the intro of the new 3 series. Expect it for sure on the new x5 in a few years!

Kinda depends on which version of the HUD (ie car year model) you saw, and what features are available in your country.

My ozzie 2011 X5 40d's HUD paints the basics you describe above.

I specifically mention the country differences, as we quite a few of them DownUnder which supposedly are available elsewhere. eg :-
- no pedestrian detection mechanism for X5 (it's only available on the ozzie 7 series)
- no speed limit detection; it was recalled from Ozzieland (as trucks here have safety signs on the back advertising their safest legal speed, and apparently the BMW software was mistaking this for the current road speed ...)

IMHO, some points I'd make are :-
- any HUD is better than no HUD (as you see your exact immediate speed, which helps cut down on speeding fines),
- even the basic HUD's navigation aids are quire useful in directing which street and when to turn (dunno that you could safely navigate only using the center console as a visual navigation system), and
- you can't retrofit a HUD on a non-HUD X5 (according to my dealer)

For these reasons I got the HUD; very happy with it; only one disappointment, regarding information is painted in single colours; when projected onto the windscreen looking out onto a car of the same colour you can't seed the HUD information. (Hence, the multicolored versions in the next gen HUD system).

It also displays whether or not the Lane Departure Warning system is active.

No. There is NO pedestrian warning system in the X5. Period. It doesn't matter what country you are in. It simply does NOT exist for the X5.

The pedestrian warning system is a feature of the night vision system, and when the system detects a pedestrian, the system notifies the driver within the night vision display as well as the HUD.

You can all speculate all you like about whether this exists or not ... but I'm telling you .. since night vision is not available, you don't get pedestrian warning.

The link to the picture the OP provided is not accurate (for the X5).