I never said it was an interface for the blind! Who cares if I can recite the commands without looking?

A quick glance of the eyes from the road to the screen a couple of times while the hand deals with ONE button to me is much more efficient than other solutions I've seen. The position of the screen makes this a pretty effortless and fluid event. (I also spend time in an M-B S-Class and I find it difficult -- especially with my aging eyes -- to refocus my glance so far down on the dash. You can't just move your eyes either, you need to move your head to be able to see the screen on the S.)

My biggest complaint now with the E60, as I become more and more proficient at everything after only about 6 weeks of ownership, is that the car can't keep up with my clicks! I'm way ahead of the interface and find myself having to slow down to allow time for the screen to respond.

I'm just now beginning my learning curve with voice activation. I'm now able get directly to a screen or directly execute a command even quicker.

 

My observation, that has not been mentioned by anybody else since I reviewed these forums, is that iDrive makes the cockpit a simpler layout. In contrast, look at the upsclae competitors, MB, Lex, Jag, Audi, Volvo... most easily to do, look in May Consumers Reports where they show dash pictures of all of them. I see miles and miles of buttons. Easily 40-50 buttons in each implementation, other than in the BMW. Now, imagine driving one of these loaded cars and wanting to change from FM to AM. Where is the button? is it the 3rd or the 6th button on the 2nd or the 4th row? How long will you stare at the maze before you find that button...while driving? At night? Extrapolate to other lesser functions like looking up a trip computer or defrosting the back window. How many buttons on your computer?...over 100.
BMW is trying to clean up or streamline the cockpit. All cars are becomming more complex and the iDrive attempts to place less needed functions behind a common interface. Many here just want a stick shift and a wheel and accelerator and the rest isn't important, others want a cell phone and DVD or even TV up front. iDrive is an intelligent compromise. Find out about how many of those 50 buttons or features in a MB or Jag fail after the car is off the showroom floor. The bane of all these cars is electrical problems.
I would like to see common AC controls put back into the iDrive so I can adjust by voice. Keep the few buttons for novices' comfort factor.

 

A. 40-50 buttons is not necessarily a bad thing.

B. i-Drive is not necessarily a bad thing. The idea of single force feedback wheel that you don't have to reach for is probably a very good thing.

What is bad is BMW's programming. Actually awful!!! Menus scrolling off the screen. Too many pushes to get to simple functions. Some simple functions buried in i-Drive that should be at the top (like the top vent cold/hot dial).

What is a shame is that BMW was first, and now with Audi, Infiniti, and Acura having similar interfaces, BMW is worst!!! That is the problem

Great concept. Poor execution.

Other bad ideas: rear headrests that block the view, passenger must reach over the console to adjust the radio with iDrive, Nav screen binacle so high it blocks the view (and is hard to read with bifocals), interior trim stolen from Proton.

 

This is funny. Hit the voice button, say "center vent temperature" and the iDrive knob becomes the red/blue temp dial. That was without looking, even. Pretty much all of the buried iDrive submenus can be accessed directly with a voice command.

Sam

 

I didn't opt for Nav so there is no Voice Recognition on my car but you do bring up a good point that VR does provide an easier alternative to I-Drive. Now that I think about it, they could have made the car much easier to use simply by making VR standard instead of tying it to an $1,800 (US) option. $1,800 is a lot of money to spend just to be able to easily set the hot/cold air mixture.

 

VR is no panacea. If someone is speaking, or speaks between activating VR and entering the command, it could end up anywhere.

After the novelty ran off, I use it pretty much for phone dialing only.