BMW has unveiled the latest version of its iDrive system. That looks clearly different than before and now works with more windows on one screen. The BMW iX has the scoop.
BMW already gave a preview of its latest eighth generation iDrive during the CES tech fair last January. Now the brand is disclosing all the details. iDrive, which has now existed for 20 years and debuted in the E65 generation of the 7 series, is completely ready for the future. After its debut in the iX, the new iDrive will find its way to the all-electric i4. In the coming years we will see more and more BMWs with large infotainment screens and the renewed iDrive is fully equipped for that. It looks tidy and uncluttered, partly because of the possibility to display several windows side by side. At the same time, its operation is housed under fewer ‘buttons’.
Organize yourself
On the far left of the screen you will find the main menu again, but that now consists of fewer parts than was previously the case. Here you can choose from ‘menu’, ‘media’, ‘communication’ and ‘navigation’. These things are normally also next to each other in separate windows, but by pressing these buttons you get to more advanced settings per part. You can also maximize these things in the main window or adjust the layout of the main window. For example, do you want to have navigation on the left of the screen and also information about the media being played or rather the other way around? The choice is up to the driver. At the bottom of the screen you will find the climate control. This also applies: tap the ‘climate menu’ and you will see more advanced settings.
The digital instruments work seamlessly with the main screen and can also be arranged in various ways. For example, you can go for a minimalist setup with only the speed and the map in view, but also, for example, display the media being played. However, BMW’s main goal was to avoid constantly having an overload of information right in front of you. There are three modes that recall a preset layout, “Drive”, “Focus” and “Gallery.” With the former you can largely select yourself which information you want to see on the screens. With Focus it is all mainly focused on driving information and with Gallery there are many different things to be displayed in different windows.
It must also all be more intuitive to operate than before. Those who prefer not to tap their screen while driving, can still operate everything with the physical iDrive button. In the iX that is a glass copy, something that we will probably see in more new BMWs. Around the round button in the iX are ‘buttons’ with haptic feedback with which various menu items can be opened. There is also a rotary wheel to adjust the volume and below it more touch-sensitive buttons with which you can go to a previous or next song.
More personal
If you prefer to operate it as little as possible with your hands, the new speech assistant offers a solution. You can give it a name yourself and use it to call up and give assignments. The assistant is increasingly adapted to the driver’s behavior, just like the infotainment system itself. The brand calls that personal ‘BMW ID’. A personal profile per driver is stored under BMW ID and can be called up by means of a pin code or the personal key. For example, based on previously selected routes or destinations, the system will make suggestions for, for example, the navigation system or other functions of the system, but also address them personally and set the car as they wish. This also applies to the screen layouts; the personalized arrangement of the different windows can be saved, just like the car settings, under ‘My Modes’.
The navigation system, BMW Maps, also works more with artificial intelligence. Previously driven routes are suggested and optimized at similar times and a free parking space can be found, for example. Among other things, iDrive makes more use of data from other BMW drivers. This also determines, for example, the fastest route or warned in time for potential dangers on the route.
Updates
Finally, the eighth generation of iDrive also offers more extensive options for downloading over-the-air updates. Larger updates that bring new software for (semi-) autonomous driving to the car, for example, can also be downloaded with the new iDrive. Of course you can also get new apps and functionalities to the car. As mentioned, we see the new version of iDrive first in the iX and then in the yet to be revealed i4. They will both be on the market this year.