In the meantime, you probably already know that BMW has said goodbye to the IDRIVE controller. With our exclusive view of the Idrive X and the IX3 in July the question was. “Were there to keep the Rotary Controller?” Our panoramic view expert, who was still showing us in the system at that time, did not fall. In their eyes, the haptic controls on the steering wheel completely replaced the iDrive controller. This seemed to be a simplification; After all, the iDrive controller has launched almost every single BMW, which has been made since his debut in 2001. Fortunately, BMW really seems to have looked through this. Our guidelines resulted in an output of the reasons why leaving the hedgehogs simply made sense.
The real reasons why the IDRIVE controller is no longer
The first reason quoted was one with whom we were already familiar. “We know that there are many markets in which you did not use the IDRIVE controller or not,” said the expert. They made it clear to say that even in markets in which it was used occasionally, it was usually only parked. “We wanted something to use while driving,” she continued, “and in this case it is ideal to put it on the steering wheel.” We will admit: mostly sound lodge logic. So count two reasons for leaving the controller: most will not miss it, and the steering wheel is a logical place for it.
As it turns out, there are several other convincing reasons why BMW lost the button. On the one hand, IX3 and IDRIVE X cars offer improved voice commands. So they keep the ability to access menus over different ways if they really have the touchscreen against using (or not using) the touchscreen. Ah yes, then there is the screen. “Everything had to be in a list for an iDrive controller,” says our experts. “Now we are much more flexible.” We also agree there. While Idrive X still uses many lists (which is okay), it is generally intuitive than a system designed with the IDRIVE controller.
Another advantage in the loss of the iDrive controller: ergonomics. Eliminating the controller (and possibly one or two buttons) completely opens the cockpit. Reaching the display is not a route (word game intends). The drivers can essentially achieve it by just expanding their hand from the steering wheel. Thanks to this repositioning and a design that prioritized from scratch, voice and steering wheel, we do not believe that we will long for the missing button. Unless they catch us on a particularly nostalgic day. But then we assume that BMW has hardly designed the new class for the nostalgic types.
Here you can see our complete BMW IDRIVE X demo:
