swajames

That's much more forward thinking and more visually impressive than anything I've seen in the latest generation of iDrive.

vrondados

it probably is better and it should be better but does BMW get credit for the innovation or get a break for what they have introduced to the industry? I like MB too and think they make great cars but i just cant stand the bashing BMW cars get in reviews because of the idrive, whether it is justified or not, dont degrade the whole car because of one silly option that like very other technology will get better with age, the new idrive in the new 7 is supposedly alot better and easier to use so we will see

vrondados

look at all the products it has spawned in numerous cars including MB

swajames

I've been pretty consistent in my position in my posts on this over the years. I've always maintained that BMW deserves a lot of credit for having the balls to introduce the concept in its production vehicles - the problem is that what we as owners got was a great concept let down by poor execution. The areas that iDrive fell short were clear - a lack of speed, a very inconsistent and unintuitive interface, problems with haptic feedback, and crucially, it was made so integral to the very essence of the car that what you describe as one silly option had a fundamental impact on the overall ownership experience when it was executed as poorly as the initial releases.

The reviewers who made the observations have one critical benefit when they form their opinions - they weren't encumbered by the bias of ownership. Almost uniformly, the reaction to iDrive was as I state above - appreciation for the concept, and criticism in light of the poor execution. This wasn't one or two bad reviews - this was an industry wide perception that BMW had missed the mark.

Owners here and on other BMW forums tend to argue that those of us who criticize iDrive just "don't get it" or can't adapt to technology. I take the absolute reverse position. It is those who are so easily pleased who are the ones with the lack of appreciation for technology and a lack of vision for what iDrive could have and should have been - my take is simply that BMW owners and BMW vehicles deserved better. It is only now, in the sixth model year that we're really starting to see a properly functional iDrive, and BMW isn't even planning on giving E60 owners access to the new generation that they are now rolling out in other models. 5er owners will need to wait for the F10 to get access to that.

So - BMW does indeed deserve credit, but the reviewers weren't necessarily wrong. I'd argue that owners did themselves a huge disservice by making excuses for the poorly executed product that BMW delivered in the first four to five model years. If owners hadn't been so ready to make excuses, BMW might have addressed the very obvious shortcomings earlier than they did. As owners, we should be grateful to those reviewers for telling it like it is. Had we done the same, we might have driven a more appropriate response out of BMW quicker than the four or five model years it took to give you guys a functional solution.

As a former E60 owner, I can confirm that I also made the same excuses when friends were playing around with my car and were critical of iDrive (mainly speed and usability). I also thought that they didn't get it and that we were right and they were wrong. Now that I'm also unencumbered by the biases of ownership, I know now that it was the other way around.

Rudy

If you look closely, the video makes a point of showing that the guy pulls over (or otherwise stops the car) before using the web browser and/or reading email...

vrondados

I agree that the idrive was not up to par and knew it before i bought the car, but i fell in love with the actual car and everything that it had and provided, style, handling, speed, comfort, etc. The idrive was a minor problem in my eyes and the pros of the cars far outwieghed the shortcomings of idrive and maybe ur right that i was guilty of overlooking a huge flaw but the car meant more to me that that specific option that i felt was minor.

swajames

I think most of us feel the same way, the E60 is indeed a wonderful car. My post focused really on iDrive itself, as I do believe that the criticism we saw upon release was largely justified (accepting, again, that BMW deserve much credit for bringing the concept to the marketplace). As you say, the car gets you past much of it. I will, say, however, that the straw that broke the camel's back and initiated the sequence of events that led to my car being bought back was yet another bogus error message on iDrive!

Taizen

This is system is early developement/concept. It is not something you'll find in the MB's in the next couple of years, but it's an interesting insight on what's to come.

kekkos

I've been using the i-drive the last two years and I don't have any problems with the speed. I agree with the others that myCOMAND system presented in the above video is closer to today's standards and that BMW has to upgrade graphics and functionality on future i-drive systems. On the other hand I love i-drive and when I'm driving my girlfriend's X3 which is not equipped with i-drive system I appreciate it even more.