My LCI has bluetooth & Pro nav but the voice activation button on the steering wheel does not function. There does not appear to any activation menu for it from iDrive, is this likely to be a programming error pre delivery?

 

I believe the button is standard on all E60, but you have to have Extended Voice Control option for it to work.

 

I didn't have ext voice on my 2004 E60 and that worked OK for the phone.

 

Sorry nmc are you referring to the voice activation button? or the phone button?

My phone button works ok with Bluetooth, but my voice activation button does not work as I don't have Extended voice control.

Someone else might be able to shed somelight on this; Rudy? Olli? aybeesea? anyone

 

Basic voice works if you dont have Nav. If you have Nav then the voice is REMOVED. You then have to specify the Extended Voice Input option to get it back. I know it sounds stupid but I too had the same issue.

You should look to retrofitting Extended Voice on your car if you want it back.

 

My 525i has business navigation and has both buttons on the steering wheel working (phone and voice for the phone book). I do not have the extended voice option.

From my memory I think it goes something like this...If I want to call a number I say "dial name" the car then says "which number do you want to dial?" I then say the name, eg "John Smith", car then says "Did you mean John Smith?" I then say "yes", car then says "dialing number".

Works fine. But it means you need to programme each entry in to the voice phone book (not the same as the phone book the car uploads every time you bluetooth your phone).

Hope this makes some sense!

 

Sorry I should have been clear in my note about Nav being Professional Navigation. Business Navigation is not affected and can be read as car's without Nav in my note.
In Professional Navigation with voice the Save Name feature does not work and you dont have to 'teach' the car any names from your phone book and there is no concept of a Voice Phone Book. It attempts to do a Voice to Text search directly on any entry in your phone book.

(since can't work out why people take Business Navigation when the cost difference is about ?500 between the two system in an almost ?40K car)

 

Sorry to everyone that has replied. I should have explained myself better. My former E60 had bluetooth and business nav. The voice button on the steering wheel allowed me to (a) input names & (b) use the voice control to phone those names. That was it.

The LCI has bluetooth and pro nav. The brochure says that these options allow voice control of the phone book (via the voice button on the steering wheeel, I presume) by repeating phone book names which are then dialled and, control of nav by enunciating the place name required. As far as I can tell this doesn't require extended voice control a la using it for multiple vehicle functions. I could have made a complete horlicks of my interpretation. In which case is it a reprogrammable option, or have I had it?

 

You obviously didn't read what I wrote earlier.

Bluetooth + No Nav = Basic Voice for phone only
Bluetooth + Business Nav = Basic Voice for phone only
Bluetooth + Professional Nav = No Voice
Bluetooth + Professional Nav + Extended Voice = Extended Voice for phone and iDrive

 

Hi Bruce,

can you confirm if the Media Pack as sold on the UK cars includes the Extended Voice you mention or is there another Voice option over and above that included in the media pack?

Cheers