BMW M Offers Steering Wheel with Integrated Computer and Readout

Trimmed in carbon fiber and alcantara, the tiller is slick enough, but it also features two readouts to convey all sorts of vehicle information. Two color LED strips at 11 and 1 o'clock swing from green to red with engine rpm to serve as a shift light, and they can also be reconfigured to act as a drag-strip Christmas tree for timing your quarter-mile mile runs.

A small LCD display sits at 12 o'clock, and can be set up to convey everything from vehicle speed and g-load to oil and coolant temperature. We're a little less smitten with the notion of shoving yet another display in our faces, but the gadgetry is slick. Of course, the wheel isn't free. BMW offers the wheels on 1 Series, 3 Series and M cars built since 2006, and the upgrade will set you back $1,700. That's a lot of coin for something that won't make you any quicker around your favorite track.