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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > AUDIO/VIDEO + BLUETOOTH + Electronics/Alarm/Software > How come nobody hates their iDrive?????



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      09-24-2005, 08:16 PM   #1
StewtheBassman
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Talking How come nobody hates their iDrive?????

Jeez, people, come on!!!

The automotive press with unanimity HATE and DESPISE iDrive!!!!

Why don't you owners complain about it??

All I ever read here is how much you use it to control stuff and how easy it is to use.

What do those journalists know that you don't???


(Also, how about those "idiotic" turn signals that are supposed to be so bad....why don't you comaplain about those too?????)
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      09-24-2005, 08:26 PM   #2
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'cause they don't give it a chance, those idiots
Also, i guess it takes a wee bit of gettin' used to... and they don't spend enough time in the car to really get used to everything.

Once you're used to it, it must be like 2nd nature...

ALTHOUGH, i wouldn't really know as i haven't recieved my baby yet.

my $3.25i
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      09-24-2005, 08:34 PM   #3
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I was a little worried when I first read those reviews about the idrive. But, now that I have figured out how to navigate through the screens, I really love it. It is made for anyone with a little bit of geek-tendencies...that is, that you love gadgets and being able to control things with mouse-like item in your right hand.
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      09-24-2005, 08:35 PM   #4
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I once postulated that "Nav is for Sissies", and then promptly headed for London when I should have been going to Marineland!

If the Nav didn't cost so much it would have been in my car too!
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      09-24-2005, 08:39 PM   #5
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... mostly 'cause it works fairly well. Could definately use some user interface workflow enhancements and also quicker response. Other than that it works pretty well. I could nit pick quite a bit but really no need to.

And for the turn signals. First of all you can disable the 3 flash option. I have it enabled and actually like it quite a bit. I actually forget that it's not there in my wifes pilot (maybe I'll have to get another e90 and trade in her truck ).
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Last edited by Pyrat 2; 09-25-2005 at 09:48 AM..
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      09-24-2005, 08:42 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdemange
... mostly 'cause it works fairly well. Could definately use some user interface workflow enhancements and also quicker response. Other than thet it works pretty well. I could nit pick quite a bit but really no need to.
could that be done with a software upgrade?
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      09-24-2005, 08:48 PM   #7
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We would like to think that BMW is very hard at work trying to come up with a software upgrade to improve the user experience ASAP!!!!



That and a fix for E46 window regulators....
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      09-24-2005, 08:48 PM   #8
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The journalists really don't spend enough time with most cars to fully appreciate what they really have to offer, unless they carry out one of those long term tests.

Maybe it's a quick convenience issue they are talking about when they bag iDrive. How easy is it for the non BMW enthusiast - and there are more of those than us enthusiasts - to get in and use iDrive setups & presets? They are thinking it's too long a process as this kind of user controls are readily available to the driver.

It's realtively new to cars with BMW & MB & a few others setting the example & trend, so it takes time for people to become accostomed to this exciting (in my opinion) technology.

They don't realise that a high percentage of presets via iDrive are just that. Set and (almost) forget user preferred presets. Do you want visual indication of locking/unlocking doors? Usually a set 'n forget iDrive adjustment.

When you really get stuck into iDrive - and it's not a hard thing to do, it is
very easy to operate. But you do need to perhaps think about a few presets over time.

It took me a while to become confortable with some of the presets, but after that, I haven't changed anything.

From the moment I saw and understood what iDrive was, looked like and offered, I was SOLD! To my mind, it completes the otherwise spartan look of the dashboard without it. Please don't get upset non iDrivers.

As for the "idiotic" turn signals, I don't know what that is. My indicator and wiper stalks are great with the wonderful microswitch type feel if that's what they are talking about.

I am so very happy with my E90 as a complete package, which is what BMW is all about as you know.

It's a great car, no matter what configuration you choose.
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      09-24-2005, 08:51 PM   #9
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David, it was your remark in another thread that sparked this thread....you love that damn car, don't you! I would love to have that kind of adjustability, but my needs are for a car to go 180kms a day, same route, with xDrive (which I hear is awesome), and with adaptive headlights for the 9 months of the year that I'm driving in the snow and the dark!!!!! I just couldn't justify the second wave!
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      09-24-2005, 09:59 PM   #10
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My first car with iDrive + Nav and boy I love it!
I was offered Nav with my last 4 cars & I thought who needs it?
I always felt I'm fantastic when it comes to directions, etc.
This Nav. is so much more than maps, directions, etc etc.
I will never buy a car again that doesn't have it, worth every penny + some!
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      09-24-2005, 10:08 PM   #11
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Please don't hate it , please.
The mindfokup dealer here charges us USD5200 incl.tax for it.
:mad:
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      09-24-2005, 10:11 PM   #12
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...iDirive rocks!!...the first thing my friends asked about was the controller...they like that thing more than the whole car!!!..lol..
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      09-24-2005, 10:51 PM   #13
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Nav is fine. I like it a lot. It just takes about 20 minutes to master. Auto journalists are not the brightest people. And they are like lemmings.
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      09-24-2005, 10:56 PM   #14
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I think that many of the complaints about iDrive are from people who haven't had enough time to actually read the manual. Most of the basic features of iDrive don't require any reading at all if you are familiar with computers, in a general sense.

Some of the more in depth features can easily be figured out within a few minutes. It took me maybe a full day to get completely comfortable with the system. I got all of my features customized to my liking, and now I can control most of the features simply by speaking to the car.

One of my favorite features using voice command to return pages from the hospital just by pressing the steering wheel button and reading out the number.

Today, my wife and I test drove a Lexus GS300 with navigation. The touchscreen was nice, but I actually prefer the iDrive interface. Not to mention that the iDrive maintains excellent visibiltity in even the brightest sunlight and you never had to worry about fingerprints on the screen.

Michael
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      09-24-2005, 11:18 PM   #15
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I think much of the iDrive criticism comes from the fact that it was introduced in the 7 series, which is not a vehicle where cutting edge technology of an interactive nature should have been introduced. While BMW drivers tend to be younger and more technology oriented, the average age of the 7 series driver is well over 50; not exactly a demographic that is adapt at learning a whole new interface paradigm for how to operate the features on their car.

This problem gets compounded by the press- the 7 series, along with the MB S class and Audi A8 are not vehicles that get reviewed by the automotive journalism world's young, eager, tech savvy writers. The folks who ink articles and reviews about the flagship product of major international corporations are old enough to have earned the privilege, and this puts them right in the ranks of technophobes who are predisposed to not liking the iDrive. Add on top of that the fact that the iDrive got all of it's press as a V1.0 product (which has been substantially improved since) and there is not much room for a good first impression.

I think BMW needs to do something, even if it is a minor technical change coupled with a massive PR effort (call it iDrive 2.0) to undo the negative press. Right now, the journalists are all towing the "iDrive sucks" line because it has momentum and journalists are stuck between a rock and a hard place: they cannot review a BMW (with iDrive equipped) without mentioning the iDrive and they cannot tow a line other then "iDrive sucks" without dedicating a massive amount of ink to explaining why the rest of the automotive journalists are wrong. Honestly, I don't think iDrive elicits enough of a response from journalists to either really critique it or to begin changing the party line- it is easier for them to just go with the momentum and that is precisely what they do.

BMW is suffering a great amount of hubris these days, and I think their general attitude towards the bad press about iDrive has been horrid. They have basically stuck their fingers in their ears and started scraming like bratty children "THIS IS THE NEW WAY, WE WON'T CHANGE IT LA DE DA DA DA." While doing this, they have made many subtle improvements to the system and I think it is much better now then it was when it first appeared on the 7 series, but without BMW publicizing these changes, the press will keep on touting how much the iDrive sucks... which is actually amusing considering Audi and Mercedes have essentially copied the iDrive concept without much complaint from the automotive ink world.

I think customers have a generally negative opinion of iDrive though. My neighbor has an A8L with MMI and when we were talking about cars, I asked if he liked it (MMI) and he said "Yea, it's better then BMW's iDrive." When I went to turn in my E46 off the lease and put down a deposit on an E92 slot, I took my dad with me because he wanted to look at the new 7. It took lots of directions from the sales guy to get him going (the paradigm of the 7 isn't complicated, but it is very different from the cars my father has driven for the last 50 years). Last week, he called me up chuckling and told me about a nightmare- he bought a new 7 and was driving it along when the thing suddenly just stopped and he couldn't figure out how to start it up again... That just about sums up the public opinion about the iDrive and BWW needs to change that because it is a great technology.
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      09-25-2005, 12:20 AM   #16
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I'm a nerdy computer freak, that's why I'll never ever ever ever hate the IDrive no matter how hard it is to use.

Honestly though I can't imagine ANYTHING being SO HARD to use as the editors seemed to think. EVERYTHING can be mastered no matter how hard it is, just takes more time.
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      09-25-2005, 12:59 AM   #17
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iDrive is a step forward IMHO.... Sure, there are minor issues such as the response time and other issues reported by other owners, but it is a superb option.

Once you get used to it, you merely glance at it and control it without the need to stare at the screen.... In less than two weeks I was absolutely comfortable using it .... and it's not just a useful gadget, it also enhances the look of the dash

In the first few days of owning the E90, I struggled with the 3-flash turn signal and cancelling the turn signal.... it drove me nuts :mad: , but by the end of the first week, I was used to it.

If I was a journalist, after driving the E90 for one day, I would have had a long hate-speech to write about iDrive and the turn-signal .

So yeah, iDrive is an expensive option but I have no regrets whatsoever about getting it... It rocks:rocks:
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      09-25-2005, 01:09 AM   #18
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wow, everyone wrote an essay about how they like it??? its too long. here's my opion of iDrive.
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      09-25-2005, 01:21 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by longtran
wow, everyone wrote an essay about how they like it??? its too long. here's my opion of iDrive.
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      09-25-2005, 02:42 AM   #20
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i am a designer. and so are BMWs designers. the iDrive works so awesome, better than my acura TL's nav. the iDrive is a remarkable design.
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      09-25-2005, 03:11 AM   #21
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I must admit up front that I am an IT person - though I will say that iDrive was very straight forward in my opinion. Some Aussie journalists are now begrudgingly saying that iDrive isn't too bad, but Audi seem to have stolen the PR march with MMI.

Having used both systems, I must say that MMI and iDrive are of equal complexity to operate, so I don't understand the journos saying otherwise.

I think iDrive 1.0 dispensed with most of the buttons in the cabin and this was one of the major criticisms. BMW have since wisened up and included buttons for common functions, and I think that the 2 programmable buttons on the steering wheel is a very nice touch.

As for the turn indicator, the BM having it was a great plus for me. My Audi has it, and it is so useful when changing lanes and weaving in and out of heavy traffic. In Australia the indicators are on the wrong side - same side as the gear stick, driving is safer with "automatic lane change" as Audi calls it. The BMW implementation with the soft switches is excellent, and feels better to use than my Audi.

I laugh when journalists don't get it, sometimes I think that they forget that a car has to be lived with day in and day out, as well as taken for the odd fun fang on your favourite back road. Luckily the BMW can fill both roles easily.
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      09-25-2005, 03:53 AM   #22
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The concept of iDrive is definitely great, the interface needs to be improved though. The lag, and the occasional need to do Ctrl+Alt+Del (or what's equivalent to it in our car) is definitely a hinder when you are trying to focus on driving. Instead of using windows as the OS, maybe they should try to work with Apple, afterall, the iPod's interface is excellent, and perhaps the iDrive should work just as well.

iDrive lags like a PS2 when it should work like a game cube. You pop a disk in and the game starts, instead of waiting for it to load this and load that.

Now for the younger generation, this is a mere inconvinience that is mostly made up by the "cool gaget" part of the iDrive. For the older people who are slightly less computer savvy (as are many car mag writers), I can understand why they dread it. They cannot understand they have to deal with moving a cursor around and waiting for things to load when it use to take a push of one clearly marked button.
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