I-Drive . . . there's no turning back
03-31-2009, 09:17 PM
#1
Contributors
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 2,114
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2005 BMW 545i, Silver Grey, Sport Package, R. Shades, Cold Pkg, Sat. Rad., Prem. Sound.
I was looking for a new Lexus LS for my father recently, and all those buttons on the dash made me dizzy. The I-drive is so much more cleaner look and less cluttering. Maybe I'm just bias . . . 
It seems overly "buttoned" for every control. A button for vent seat, a button for heat seat. What ever happen to consolidation and using electronics to make more efficient selection? There is no luxury in a car with bunches of buttons to press. Come on, Lexus car should not look like a cockpit of an airplane.
It seems overly "buttoned" for every control. A button for vent seat, a button for heat seat. What ever happen to consolidation and using electronics to make more efficient selection? There is no luxury in a car with bunches of buttons to press. Come on, Lexus car should not look like a cockpit of an airplane.
03-31-2009, 09:27 PM
#2
You might be a bit biased. The HVAC control in the iDrive is the worst and most impractical I've seen.
It's almost as bad as this:
The new iDrive has more buttons to make it more practical. More buttons isn't always better but there should be a sensible balance.
It's almost as bad as this:
The new iDrive has more buttons to make it more practical. More buttons isn't always better but there should be a sensible balance.
03-31-2009, 09:47 PM
#3
Contributors
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Posts: 4,119
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera S Convertible. Midnight Blue, 6 Speed.Retired - 2007 997 Carrera S, Midnight Blue, Grey leather, premium audioRetired - 2007 550i, Monaco Blue over Beige, Navigation, Logic 7, Cold Weather Pack, Comfort Access, Sport Package
Model Year: 2008
The later versions of iDrive are very good and are now really starting to do the concept justice.
But the earlier versions were, frankly, awful. Slow, buggy, unresponsive and unintuitive, poor software running on underpowered hardware and all underpinned by very poorly implementated haptic feedback. The features and improvements in the latest versions address all of these issues and are finally taking iDrive to the level it always should have been - and demonstrate that BMW also recognized these same areas of concern. iDrive used to be a great concept let down by poor execution. Now, it's much better. But those early criticisms were entirely justified...
But the earlier versions were, frankly, awful. Slow, buggy, unresponsive and unintuitive, poor software running on underpowered hardware and all underpinned by very poorly implementated haptic feedback. The features and improvements in the latest versions address all of these issues and are finally taking iDrive to the level it always should have been - and demonstrate that BMW also recognized these same areas of concern. iDrive used to be a great concept let down by poor execution. Now, it's much better. But those early criticisms were entirely justified...
03-31-2009, 10:04 PM
#4
This made me want to surf on over to the Lexus site to see how cluttery it is, and it doesn't look that bad at all:
My brother just bought the Lexus RX Hybrid 08 and it's super easy to use, esp the HVAC. But, he says that my 530xi has a much better implementation of bluetooth than his car. And we both have the same model cell phone. Lexus is definitely behind BMW in that dept.
My brother just bought the Lexus RX Hybrid 08 and it's super easy to use, esp the HVAC. But, he says that my 530xi has a much better implementation of bluetooth than his car. And we both have the same model cell phone. Lexus is definitely behind BMW in that dept.
03-31-2009, 10:41 PM
#5
Senior Members
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: KillaCali!
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2008 528i: Alpine White/Creme Dakota Leather/Bamboo Anthracite Wood Trim; Premium pkg, Ipod USB (6FL), Xenons, sunroof, Eibach pro-kit 1.2" drop all around, limo tint all around. LED license plate festoons.
Soon to come: M6 replica 19" rims, Angel Eyes mod, fog light mod.
Originally Posted by neoe60' post='832537' date='Apr 1 2009, 01:27 AM
You might be a bit biased. The HVAC control in the iDrive is the worst and most impractical I've seen.
It's almost as bad as this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA
The new iDrive has more buttons to make it more practical. More buttons isn't always better but there should be a sensible balance.
It's almost as bad as this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA
The new iDrive has more buttons to make it more practical. More buttons isn't always better but there should be a sensible balance.
04-01-2009, 03:57 AM
#6
Senior Members
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Northern Virginia - USA
Posts: 421
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2007 550i Jet Black|Black
Options: Sport|Premium|Cold Weather|PDC|Nav|Satellite Radio|Active Steering|Convenience Entry
Mods: Trinity Side Skirts|Trinity Black Grilles|LCI Tail Lights with Bruce V6|Fog Light Bezel Rings|MTEC V2 Angel Eyes|LED License Plate Lights
The iDrive on the 07 550 needs more buttons. There are essential features I should be able to access with a "single" action when controlling the car. With IDrive I am forced to go through often 3 or 4 clicks/selects to get what I want. This requires me to take my eyes off the road, and move IDrive out of the mode I was in (thus requiring more clicks). Anyone who has ever been involved in designing user interfaces knows it is simply poor design. From what I have seen of the newer IDrive, there are a number of "user definable" buttons as well as the preset buttons around IDrive. I think this is a move in the right direction.
On my old e39 I could get to what I wanted quickly (changing the heat on the vents was a wheel right in front of me). This is not the case on the 07 e60.
I owned a 2008 Acura RL for a brief period and they had a user interface that was very well thought out. Essential functions were just a click away making control of the car/environment in the car a much easier and efficient process.
From what I have heard / seen IDrive is taking incremental steps in the right direction. I must admit that for a company that builds such great cars, they are taking a long time to work out the user interface.
On my old e39 I could get to what I wanted quickly (changing the heat on the vents was a wheel right in front of me). This is not the case on the 07 e60.
I owned a 2008 Acura RL for a brief period and they had a user interface that was very well thought out. Essential functions were just a click away making control of the car/environment in the car a much easier and efficient process.
From what I have heard / seen IDrive is taking incremental steps in the right direction. I must admit that for a company that builds such great cars, they are taking a long time to work out the user interface.
04-01-2009, 07:20 AM
#7
Senior Members
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Marshfield, WI
Posts: 280
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2004 545i Sport loaded
Let's keep something in mind here, guys.
BMW was the innovator of iDrive, of cleaning up the cockpit. They did it FIRST.
Doing ANYTHING first is always difficult. The people that come after you have the luxury of learning from your mistakes.
BMW was the innovator of iDrive, of cleaning up the cockpit. They did it FIRST.
Doing ANYTHING first is always difficult. The people that come after you have the luxury of learning from your mistakes.
04-01-2009, 07:54 AM
#8
Contributors
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Washington DC Suburb
Posts: 470
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: '07 550i with SP, Nav, Logic7
Originally Posted by exx1976' post='832863' date='Apr 1 2009, 11:20 AM
Let's keep something in mind here, guys.
BMW was the innovator of iDrive, of cleaning up the cockpit. They did it FIRST.
Doing ANYTHING first is always difficult. The people that come after you have the luxury of learning from your mistakes.
BMW was the innovator of iDrive, of cleaning up the cockpit. They did it FIRST.
Doing ANYTHING first is always difficult. The people that come after you have the luxury of learning from your mistakes.
04-01-2009, 09:17 AM
#9
Contributors
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 827
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2008 535i 6MT
I-drive in a nice concept but BMW's execution of it sucks. Navigating menus to a funtion is a PITA. Once your done navigating it works quite well as a multiuse knob. The LCI dash shortcut buttons are a huge improvement. I don't get the new I-drive controller. The button functions already exist on the old controller and work much simpler in the old application.
04-01-2009, 12:06 PM
#10
Contributors
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Bay Area California
Posts: 928
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2005 BMW 545i Sport Package, Jet Black
M166 OEM Wheels
M5 Style Body kit
RPI Scoop
BMC Air Filter
Valentine One Radar Detector
35% tint all around
yes the first i drive was an innovation but as usual first try is full of issues. i like how they cleaned up the console which looks neet but I wish they had important buttons (as they have now in the new idrive) and i wish they kept the console turned to a driver's side as they had on older models - i think that was an advantage