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Tags: BMW, iDrive, 2010, stop, rumor, rumors

Tag Links: BMW, iDrive, 2010, stop, rumor, rumors

IS BMW STOPING iDRIVE IN 2010?
Before I took the job at Honda's Design & Development Department, I worked at BMW of Arizona. And with iDrive, I had to deal with FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) with customers. I would reassure the customer over and over. But if iDrive was discontinued, there would not be any FUD to deal with. The point is BMW's sales decreased because of iDrive and Mercedes Benz's COMMAND System is so simple to use, Mercedes Ben's sales increased. I believe BMW is stopping iDrive in 2010 because at the Shanghai Auto Show, Bimmer unveiled in CS Concept 4 door the interior had no iDrive controller or any screens of any type inside. If BMW DOES stop iDrive, it will probably still be available as an additional option, but not standard, it will be replaced with a simple NAV or DVD based system.



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pacotacololpacotacolol - 6/5/2007 9:34:19 AMView My AgentSpace
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kpaxxkpaxx - 6/5/2007 10:13:01 AM
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My mother's car has the iDrive and once you know how to use it you'll at least like it. I think it just got bad PR.

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MurderFaceM6MurderFaceM6 - 6/5/2007 9:49:28 PM
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i agree, iDrive is a wonderful thing - no hassle or nothing - i think people are just being pissy.

all i ask is for custom colours. that reddish brown command start menu isisnt very pretty at all_ im a M6 i test drove it has a beautiful silver start menu..

wonder if there is a hack..


BMWRocksBMWRocks - 6/5/2007 10:45:06 AM
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Once you get to know how to operate the system, it is nice to use. I have no complains. It is just a matter of preferrence.

Making iDrive an option is a much better idea for BMW.

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pacotacololpacotacolol - 6/6/2007 8:10:13 PMView My AgentSpace
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i think making it just an option would just make a lot of people happier... it tends to be difficult when just starting with iDrive but apparently, it ends up being fairly simple.


Will_Will_ - 6/5/2007 11:05:18 AM
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iDrive.

Nice idea, bad integration.

Having had touchscreen systems for years now, one wonders why all manufacturers adopt it. No fuss, no frills, no excessive submenus.

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Will_Will_ - 6/5/2007 11:06:09 AM
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...all manufacturers DON'T adopt it...


They should.


TheSailorTheSailor - 6/5/2007 1:54:43 PMView My AgentSpace
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Well maybe because not everybody drives around with white gloves on and wash their hands three times before they get in the car! ;P

The problem with touch screens is that the display gets messy after no time at all. Also, you have to stretch out and direct all your attention towards the screen when you need to operate anything. That isn't the best solution! Once you've learned to operate the iDrive, you can operate the most commonly used functions almost without looking at the display! People like Jeremy Clarkson are just affraid of changes and have not taken the time to familiarize with iDrive and therefore they hate it... Which is a rubbish attitude!


SevorbeupstryIsBackSevorbeupstryIsBack - 6/5/2007 5:22:35 PM
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The new COMAND (CL, S, C) system and revised versions of MMI are alot easier to use in my opinion. But currently BMW offers favorite buttons for iDrive which make things a bit easier.


GLoverGLover - 6/5/2007 11:27:22 AM
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I liked that BMW has made it standard on most of the vehicles, with that said it is not the easiest system to navigate. The problem is the demographic that this system is targeted at (50+). Someone in my age group would enjoy the benefits of this.
This system shows that they are moving their vehicles into the future.

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amazinBimmeramazinBimmer - 6/5/2007 11:31:10 AM
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its easy. morons please buy an audi or lexus.

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pacotacololpacotacolol - 6/6/2007 8:18:17 PMView My AgentSpace
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CHILL! dude, Bimmers are frickin' nice vehicles!
1. Lexus is a cool company, with the automated parking thingie, but Lexus tends to be some what boring interors (no offense to any Lexus-Lovers)
2. What's the hype for Audis all-of-a-sudden? Sure, they got the [fabulous] R8 and the [true sports car] TT and all of the convertibles. But the sedans ,[personally] really aren't that special (no offense to Audi-Lovers)


TauronB2GTauronB2G - 6/5/2007 11:48:04 AM
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While I am no big fan of iDrive I will admit that its not soo difficult to use. But its not an attractive interface and its unecessarily complicated to do easy things. There is no reason to make things difficult just because. I personally like touch screens and voice controls a whole lot more.
T

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gothemi8gothemi8 - 6/5/2007 1:18:41 PM
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My parents have both a 530 with iDrive and a Pilot with touch screen and I must say iDrive has to be the simplest of the two. When i use the touchscreen sometimes it wont read that I pressed a letter and beep and I would have to sit there for much longer then i would like to. The iDrive was simple from the moment I used it. You just have to get a hang of how to go through menus and headings and then its as easy as could be. I'd just love for a company to come out with an iDrive like system to install in anycar like they have touchscreens now. You can sit back and just glance barely down at the screen. You don't have to lean forward to select something you literally have all those controls in the palm of your hand. Yes it may take an extra couple seconds to change something but once youu get the hang of it you can go to the desired menu with your eyes on the road and look for a brief second at how far you are from the desired item, the controller feedsback when you moved one item and then just select and go. Its really very simple. Touchscreens i find to be more of a distraction and annoyance then iDrive.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 6/6/2007 1:47:33 AMView My AgentSpace
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And now there's even voice control for it.


EnnNorakEnnNorak - 6/5/2007 1:43:58 PM
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There used to be a saying "keep it simple stupid". Needless complexity is not reserved for wags like kpaxx, Glover, and amazinBimmer. I think it's a European industry practice based on flawed marketing vision. I have a Philips hard drive video recorder and it takes three different menus (with 3 different buttons on the remote) to operate all the usual functions. Beware also that auto execs occasionally hatch a sinister plot to get their customers used to some weird technical gimmick in their cars so they will be more reluctant to switch to a competitor when the car wears out.

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jannojanno - 6/5/2007 1:48:31 PM
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IDrive is not that bad we have Idrive in 2 cars we own and once ur used to it it works pretty well


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TheSailorTheSailor - 6/5/2007 1:48:31 PMView My AgentSpace
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Well, if they were dumping the iDrive, why is it there in the 2009 7-series? Just wondering... Why not start with the first car of a new model generation?

I don't get all this fuzz about the iDrive anyway. I like it when i drive my brothers cars, even though I don't use it on a daily basis, I have absolutely no problem using it and think it is far better than a unit mounted so that you have to reach out to operate it!

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ChipChip - 6/5/2007 6:09:55 PM
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Youre totally right Sailor, the new 7 does have it and so will future BMWs. I cant wait to see how they improve on the current system.


r_driver04r_driver04 - 6/5/2007 4:01:16 PM
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iDrive has hurt the "Ultimate Driving Machine" since it came out. They need to kill it off next MY.

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Beemer4uBeemer4u - 6/5/2007 5:02:33 PM
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It seems that most owners of i-Drive BMWs like and understand the system. All of the negative comments are coming from ignorant souls who, at best, tried i-Drive for a couple minutes and gave up. "It's too hard, I don't like it, I miss my Lexus"

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ChipChip - 6/5/2007 6:07:06 PM
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All this moaning about iDrive is hilarious. The thing is, unless you own a BMW equipped with it, there's really no way for one to say its better than this or that. My 335i coupe that Ive had for a couple months is equipped with iDrive and I am in love with it. If you can work an iPod, cellphone, or a computer, then you easily adapt to iDrive. I find it amazing actually. Im really puzzled as to why people complain about it so much, but in my opinion, most of those people dont like BMWs for other reasons and use this as a scapegoat.

In my opinion, touchscreens suck, because the screen ALWAYS looks messy.

And for the record, I think iDrive isnt going anywhere. If anything, its just going to get more sophisticated and advanced.


TheSailorTheSailor - 6/5/2007 6:12:03 PMView My AgentSpace
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This is funny... Everybody who have actually done some serious miles all agree that the iDrive is very good... Only people who have just taken a quick test drive or only seen it on top gear are talking about how bad they think, THINK, it is!


gothemi8gothemi8 - 6/5/2007 6:13:18 PM
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look at whos the biggest complainers, the journalists reviewing cars. How long do you think they have with the car? About a day, maybe two. They have way more things to look over in the short amount of time they get to fully understand the iDrive. It took my dad two weeks or so of driving to fully understand it my mom still hasnt mastered it and we're coming up on a year with it. More time and patience is needed to understand but it is a very very good system.


MunichRobMunichRob - 6/5/2007 6:54:09 PMView My AgentSpace
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I hope they do at least keep it as an option, I've mastered i-Drive & hands down prefer it to a touch screen. I hate having to lean forward, hold that position, play around with the touch screen, & drive at the same time.

With i-drive you can be lazy & lean back in your seat, move your hand of the shift lever to the controller, watch the road & screen (as the screen is located high on the dashboard), & control anything in the car which is quick & easy when you know what your doing.

I feel the reason I-Drive has gotten such rotten reviews is because the auto-experts are to old or haven’t spent enough time with it.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 6/6/2007 1:45:34 AMView My AgentSpace
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What a stupid article. This Honda guy knows nothing.

"The point is BMW's sales decreased because of iDrive and Mercedes Benz's COMMAND System is so simple to use, Mercedes Ben's sales increased."

First of all- BMW's sales have increased consistently over the past few years.

Otherwise, Mercedes's sales didn't increase because of the COMAND controller! They increased because they're making better cars, and more people want them!

No, BMW has no plans to stop iDrive in three years. Their entire lineup has it but the Z4/X3 (which are due for a redesign), and because a CONCEPT car doesn't have a fully functional interior, you think the rest will be like that? How naive.

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pacotacololpacotacolol - 6/7/2007 11:13:43 AMView My AgentSpace
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S4cabriofoxone... you hate me don't you?! You know i'm right and every one else knows. this is about the contents of the story, not the person who wrote it.


pacotacololpacotacolol - 6/7/2007 11:16:00 AMView My AgentSpace
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you talk about the story for most of you comment, but some is about stuff about me


motomoto - 6/15/2007 10:48:26 PM
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S4 - Which manufacturer had to offer the most vehicle rebates to sell cars in 2006? The answer is: BMW, at an average of over $5000 of incentives per vehicle. Granted, BMW is an expensive car to start with and the exchange rate has been killing them in US sales, but their sales numbers have not been anywhere near what they hoped. Bangled styling and iDrive are big turnoffs to many clientele, who are drawn to the "more handsome" Audis or the "less offensive" Lexus/Infiniti/Acura. (Their words, not mine).

The iDrive is a flop not because it is too complicated or because people can't use the interface. The problem is that you can't do two things at once. You have to constantly scroll from one thing to the next and back. If you happen to have a "significant other" who is constantly changing settings and micro-tuning climate control, radio, navigation, etc -- the whole thing becomes a headache. Separate input controls should be offered for separate functions. There is absolutely no reason in the world to over-integrate different systems.


pacotacololpacotacolol - 6/6/2007 8:21:33 PMView My AgentSpace
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thanks for backing me up


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MunichRobMunichRob - 6/6/2007 5:51:23 AMView My AgentSpace
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No you know what, I'm sure S4's dead-on, I didn't read the article before I commented the 1st time, I assumed it was from a good source. Then I read the article & was shaking my head, who is he kidding?

BMW's sales have been on an upward climb since the introduction of the 02' 7-series, how does he figure it's ended up hurting them?

Plus Mercedes COMMAND system hasn't been widely praised as the most intuitive, in fact I've heard the new COMMAND system (found in the CL & S-Class) in most cases to be less intuitive than Audi's MMI, but then again they say the same thing about i-Drive, & I love i-drive.

The all-in-one control interface in these cars looks great IMO, much nicer & more upscale looking than a touch screen, one of the reasons I feel the LS's interior just isn't on par with it's German competition.

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M53RM53R - 6/6/2007 7:07:05 AMView My AgentSpace
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If you can use a computer, then you can use an idrive. Most people complaining about it either have not tried it, or are just to old. I learned how to use it from day 1. You just need to use your brain.

I dont want to bash Lexus here but when I test drove the GS430 2006 I felt it just has a crowded interior. Too many buttons but I guess that is what people like..... the stuff they are used to.

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Will_Will_ - 6/6/2007 9:12:15 AM
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I've used the new COMAND system. I have a touch screen.
Touch screens are way more direct. See the operation you need, press it on the screen. Call it "lazy" call it "not German," whichever way you choose to bash touch screens, they are more user-friendly than control knobs, which is what "luxury" should be about.

I know how to operate a computer, (I'm doing it right now) so there's no need to call people on here stupid because they don't prefer iDrive or COMAND. Was the introduction of iDrive on BMWs vehicles done to make cars easier to use? I don't believe so.

Also, touch screens get messy only if you're hands are really greasy. Keep your hands clean and there wont be a problem. When it gets dirty, a soft cloth and Windex does the trick.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 6/6/2007 12:16:19 PMView My AgentSpace
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Will, you're not going to convert everyone. Do you know how predictable it is that the BMW fans like iDrive, and the Lexus fans like touch screen? Don't you know that if you switched the badges, they'd love touch screens and you'd call iDrive "the latest innovation from Lexus?"


motomoto - 6/15/2007 10:50:30 PM
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Will, are you using a touch screen computer right now? Why not?


weaponXweaponX - 6/6/2007 9:19:16 AM
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iDrive is fairly simple once you get the hang of it. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but not challenging by any means. And yes…even now I can manipulate it confidently while driving.

I agree that the reason that most journalists hate it is cause they don’t spend enough time on it. Same thing with SMG.

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