Exclusive Test Drive + Videos: New iDrive System

[Jonathan Spira]

BMW's new fourth-generation iDrive system will be available in the 1 Series and 3 Series starting with September production. Also featured in the new F01 7 Series when it comes to the U.S. in 2009, the new system is very different from earlier iterations of iDrive—and it's very different from what the competition has to offer (Audi MMI and Mercedes COMAND) as well.

The new iDrive main menu is more intuitive.

While I liked earlier iterations of iDrive, there was still much to criticize (it was too slow, menus weren't always logical, and so on).

The full-screen map has a perspective view.

BMW first introduced iDrive in the 2002 7 Series. At the time, it represented an innovative solution to a problem that all manufacturers were facing: an increasingly unmanageable number of buttons to control all the newfangled wizardry that carmakers were including, especially in luxury vehicles.

The 2004 5 Series brought with it a new and simplified version of iDrive (Generation 2, based on the CCC, or Car Communication Computer), which served as the platform for all subsequent BMWs with iDrive except for the 7 Series. That version has been updated several times, most recently with the addition of Favorites direct-select buttons (iDrive Generation 3).

The latest-generation iDrive, however, is built on an entirely new platform, the CIC (Car Infotainment Computer), and is being manufactured by Becker, which currently makes the M-ASK (MMI Audio System Kontroller) iDrive system used in MOST-bus vehicles without "Professional" satellite navigation.

Now iDrive can display an iPod menu.

The latest version of iDrive not only addresses the shortcomings of earlier systems but adds significant new functionality and features. I recently had an opportunity to spend some time in a new 335d and 328i—both with the new iDrive—and the difference is great. The improvements are clear from the moment you start the car, thanks to the sharp, high-resolution display. The CIC comes with a hard drive that supports maps, contacts, music, and more—and it starts up faster.

Gone are the four cardinal compass directions for Climate, Entertainment, Navigation, and Communication. Instead, the top-level menu has seven options which bring you to critical functions faster. Most of the time you will either push the controller to the left or to the right or turn it; to make a selection, just as with the older-generation iDrive systems, you depress it. The display will always indicate navigation options.

Favorites buttons do more and can store HD2 and HD3 stations.

I found the white-on-black menus are very easy to read, and the menu structures very logical in terms of organization. They provide more options, which in turn reduces the number of levels a driver must scroll through.

Direct selection buttons surround the controller for CD, radio, telephone, and navigation. I found these very comfortable and intuitive to use— and unlike Audi's MMI buttons on the center console, I didn't have to look down at the new iDrive controller's buttons to select one, because each is shaped differently. Another improvement is the BACK button, which backs you out of where you don't want to be—most of the time.

Entering a destination (waypoints are now supported, by the way), whether by using the controller or via voice command, is faster—and touching the controller no longer cancels the Voice Command feature. Once you select a destination, the system displays a preview for several routes, as well as an "efficient" route that should use less fuel to get there. The map can be full screen (previously not possible), and you can display two different map types in two different scales in split-screen mode.

Selecting a previous destination is easy.

Inserting a CD or music DVD into the drive starts the process of copying to the car's hard disk (it asks you politely if it should copy it), which happens efficiently and in the background, not interfering with or slowing down other operations. Separate from the iPhone/USB option in the center console, a USB port in the glove box facilitates transferring music to the CIC.

If things go as planned, the new iDrive system will be available in the X5 and X6 starting with March 2009 production. The 5 Series and 6 Series will continue to sport the CCC (Gen 3 iDrive) for the time being.

If you are a European Delivery customer picking up a car at the BMW Welt with the new iDrive system, European maps will be preloaded onto the hard disk for your convenience at no charge.—Jonathan B. Spira

Check out our videos below for a more interactive experience!

BMW's new iDrive: Navigation Options


BMW's new iDrive: Entertainment Options


(all photos and videos by Jonathan B. Spira)

[Rudy]

Thanks Jonathan...

The new system seems to be more refined and another step in the right direction. I'll look forward to it (or something even more refined) in a future car!

[rmorin49]

I am looking forward to the new iDrive in my 09 335i convertible. The one drawback I see is having to pay for updated maps to be installed by the dealer. Any idea how much this will cost?

[carsnoceans]

Mr Spira does it again!

[premde]

When I first viewed this excellent review I remember viewing videos. I don't see them anymore. Where did they go?

[Roundel]

Originally Posted by premde

When I first viewed this excellent review I remember viewing videos. I don't see them anymore. Where did they go?

Take a look: They should be there. Call it an editing glitch: You may have noticed some changes to the formats, mainly to help certain geezers in terms of readability. Working with tags and code is not exactly duck soup for those geezers, either—at least this one.

By the way, the October issue talks about the iDrive system in the new Seven at some length. But I'm afraid there are no video links in the magazine! —Satch Carlson