Newsday Pans M5 and 550 Sport; iDrive a Safety Hazard
08-18-2006, 01:40 PM
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Originally Posted by swajames' post='323821' date='Aug 17 2006, 08:44 PM
In my view it is the comparative slowness of the BMW interface that is by far its most significant shortcoming.
08-18-2006, 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by VIIV' post='324194' date='Aug 18 2006, 02:40 PM
I don't have Nav, and can't say I find iDrive frustratingly slow. I do see where lots of others here complain about it. You point out that Nav is particularly slow. I wonder if that perception takes hold for other modules or if there is some difference in overall responsiveness in Nav equipped cars?
08-19-2006, 02:53 AM
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Originally Posted by swajames' post='324235' date='Aug 19 2006, 01:33 AM
... but in my experience nav equipped cars in general do seem slower across the board than non-nav cars.
08-21-2006, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Wilchwitz' post='323988' date='Aug 18 2006, 07:41 AM
Living on Long Island I've been reading this guy's auto tests for several years, mostly for comic relief. His reports are generally shallow and superficial with none of the substance one would expect from a reporter who actually understands his subject. More often than not he completely misses the point.
His discussion of I-drive is a repeat of what others have said, most of it old news. Unfortunately, in today's media, if you repeat something often enough, it becomes accepted as fact. This is, I believe, the situation with I-Drive. The original which appeared on the re-designed Seven completely confused the automotive press. They didn't understand it, they didn't know how to use it and they didn't try to learn. This impression continues to this day in spite of many other cars now copying the concept. For a writer with limited knowledge, like Incantalupo, it's much easier and safer to follow the crowd.
I think that BMW is paying the penalty of leadership with I-Drive. It was the first and those car companies that followed have all made improvements. So will BMW in future versions, I am sure. As cars become more complicated and buyers (that's you and me) demand more features, a user interface along the I-Drive concept will become commonplace in all cars. Maybe then a writer with limited scope will finally "get it".
His discussion of I-drive is a repeat of what others have said, most of it old news. Unfortunately, in today's media, if you repeat something often enough, it becomes accepted as fact. This is, I believe, the situation with I-Drive. The original which appeared on the re-designed Seven completely confused the automotive press. They didn't understand it, they didn't know how to use it and they didn't try to learn. This impression continues to this day in spite of many other cars now copying the concept. For a writer with limited knowledge, like Incantalupo, it's much easier and safer to follow the crowd.
I think that BMW is paying the penalty of leadership with I-Drive. It was the first and those car companies that followed have all made improvements. So will BMW in future versions, I am sure. As cars become more complicated and buyers (that's you and me) demand more features, a user interface along the I-Drive concept will become commonplace in all cars. Maybe then a writer with limited scope will finally "get it".
I fully agree with your post. But, so many writers are panning the Idrive, even big car guys like Clarkson at top gear. Are we as BMW fanatics too subjective on this subject??
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08-21-2006, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by CVTBenhogan' post='325062' date='Aug 21 2006, 10:59 PM
I fully agree with your post. But, so many writers are panning the Idrive, even big car guys like Clarkson at top gear. Are we as BMW fanatics too subjective on this subject??
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The computer is a big help, even though it could be better.
W/o it a lot of systems wouldn't be available.
I really don't care what they say, I love it.
WTF IS Clarkson? Just some poor guy that has some TV time. I don't care what he thinks.
08-22-2006, 11:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Iceman' post='325075' date='Aug 21 2006, 04:46 PM
Nope.
The computer is a big help, even though it could be better.
W/o it a lot of systems wouldn't be available.
I really don't care what they say, I love it.
WTF IS Clarkson? Just some poor guy that has some TV time. I don't care what he thinks.
The computer is a big help, even though it could be better.
W/o it a lot of systems wouldn't be available.
I really don't care what they say, I love it.
WTF IS Clarkson? Just some poor guy that has some TV time. I don't care what he thinks.
08-22-2006, 12:22 PM
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Anyone who says they are truly happy with iDrive is either kidding themselves, wearing BMW-tinted spectacles or is maybe just easily pleased 
. As a concept, iDrive and similar systems are undoubtedly the way forward and are here to stay. BMW to its eternal credit had the balls to do it first. In execution, however, much as I like iDrive, in its current form it is flawed and much as we may not care to admit it the motor press (and respondents to the JD Power survey that Ray highlighted) really aren't a million miles away from the truth. Slow response speed, clumsy interface design, inability to handle basic tasks such as navigation by specific POIs plus others. BMW just backed the wrong horse when they outsourced the development and used under spec components. I have no doubt that future iterations of iDrive will be awesome, and as a big spender and early adopter of technology I totally respect the intentions and objectives - but in its current form iDrive isn't quite good enough to be in a BMW. Whether we're talking about Clarkson, Incantalupo or countless other commentators we are wrong to dismiss it by saying they they don't get it, that they don't read the manual or that they are all wrong and we are all right. Do they overstate the issue? Probably yes. But they do have a valid point of view.
. As a concept, iDrive and similar systems are undoubtedly the way forward and are here to stay. BMW to its eternal credit had the balls to do it first. In execution, however, much as I like iDrive, in its current form it is flawed and much as we may not care to admit it the motor press (and respondents to the JD Power survey that Ray highlighted) really aren't a million miles away from the truth. Slow response speed, clumsy interface design, inability to handle basic tasks such as navigation by specific POIs plus others. BMW just backed the wrong horse when they outsourced the development and used under spec components. I have no doubt that future iterations of iDrive will be awesome, and as a big spender and early adopter of technology I totally respect the intentions and objectives - but in its current form iDrive isn't quite good enough to be in a BMW. Whether we're talking about Clarkson, Incantalupo or countless other commentators we are wrong to dismiss it by saying they they don't get it, that they don't read the manual or that they are all wrong and we are all right. Do they overstate the issue? Probably yes. But they do have a valid point of view.
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