[Success Story]
Can BMW's iDrive Pass Its Road Test Now?
After a catastrophic debut and a major makeover, BMW's iDrive infotainment system is gaining acceptance with critics, competitors, and customers.
BMW's 2001 introduction of iDrive, its pioneering driver information/entertainment system, was arguably the biggest corporate disaster since Coca-Cola Co. decided to tinker with the formula for its eponymous beverage.
To say that the automotive trade press and nearly every contributor to a Web discussion of the system hated iDrive is a huge understatement. How, one wonders, could anything in an automobile priced from $75,000 generate so much venom, especially considering the design objective and the fact that a driver didn't have to use it?
"The (iDrive) project started in 1998, six years ago," recalls Joe DiNucci, senior vice president of Immersion Corp. Immersion designed haptics profiles—programmable touch feedback—for the system. "BMW deserves credit for seeing over the horizon that the driver interface was becoming increasingly complex, literally overwhelming, and that adding more individual controls was not the answer."
What happens with both semiconductor chips and luxury cars is that market conditions continually force manufacturers to pack more functionality into, at best, the same space occupied by the previous version. For BMW, that meant the portion of the cabin within easy reach of the driver and/or the front-seat passenger.
Eventually, thought the Munich automotive electronics design team headed by Michael Würtenberger, there must be a limit to the number of switches, buttons, and knobs that a driver and passenger could manipulate effectively.
Würtenberger's colleague Hermann Kunzner, head of the group that designed the iDrive user interface, says the design goal was the ability to control a vehicle's climate/comfort, entertainment, and navigation systems via a single-input device that's roughly equivalent to a computer mouse. "We looked at different possibilities for the input, different screen sizes, and which functions had to be accessible through buttons," Kunzner recalls. "There always must be compromises, and iDrive for the 7 Series was the best compromise possible at that time."
A LEARNING EXPERIENCE The iDrive system on the 7 Series features a display screen, quite large by auto dashboard standards, and a knob or dial located on the center console (Fig. 1). Here, drivers gain access to eight application menus: Climate, Communication, Navigation, and Entertainment, plus BMW Assist, Vehicle, Help, and Configuration.
Operating somewhat like a standard shift, the knob must be pushed in one of eight compass directions to access a particular menu (Fig. 2). Beneath the "hat" and the shell of the knob, which is manufactured by ALPS Electric, are an encoder and belt drive (Fig. 3). The belt wraps around the drive spindle, which is directly mounted to the motor shaft.
"I was in the BMW booth at the auto show when they first introduced iDrive," says Mike Levin, vice president of industrial solutions at Immersion. "People would walk up to kiosks where iDrive demos were set up, try to use it, and get confused. But if I spent 30 seconds with them to show them how to shift from one function to another, rotate through the menu for that function, then press for the selection they want, they were able to move between functions easily and get stuff done. If you go through a little effort, it becomes a very useful system."
The iDrive system gives drivers the ability to control hundreds of functions, far more than can be controlled on other vehicles, with less "clutter" than is typically found on a dashboard. But, the system does involve a learning curve. One showroom salesman estimated that a comfort level could be reached in as little as two weeks.
"[The iDrive] can frustrate some people who have been driving since age 15 and think they should be able to drive any car without having to take a class or read a manual," says Levin.
When the time came to port the iDrive to 5 and 6 Series BMWs, the automaker simplified the system, cutting its menu options in half (Climate, Communication, Navigation, and Entertainment). "This made it quicker to use. Tactile feedback was also changed, and speech processing was improved," says BMW's Kunzner.
"The great advantage in the 5 Series, which is the top of the art, is that the driver can use the system without looking at it," Kunzner adds. "In competing systems, the screen is in a deeper position and the driver can't look at it and look at traffic at the same time."
The circuitry supporting iDrive was a group effort and continues to be a moving target. Firms contributing electronics technology and/or design assistance to iDrive, in addition to Immersion Technology, include ALPS, Analog Devices, Freescale Semiconductor (formerly Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector), Harman Becker, NEC, Oasis Silicon Systems, Renesas Technology, Sharp, Siemens, STMicroelectronics, and Toshiba.
"Our priority was to have a roadmap approach that would allow us to reuse chips in whole or in part," says BMW's Würtenberger. "We talked with silicon suppliers, told them what we would like to do, and did our best to align our roadmap with theirs. We wanted solutions that would allow us to change partners, if that became necessary."
BMW first deployed a communications network (ARCNET) inside a vehicle a decade ago. "We could build customized designs then, but automotive electronics systems today are much larger, more sophisticated, and more complex, and we've had to change our mindset and our culture in order to embrace industry-standard solutions," says Würtenberger.
"Automakers simply can't keep up with the pace of technology without staying on the main road in terms of system design and architecture," he continues. "We can't afford separate, dedicated solutions, so we're using standard operating systems, standard interfaces, like the I2C bus, and standard links like USB. We also have versioning systems and other automated design tools that weren't available 10 years ago."
I've been fighting my '07 X5 for 2 weeks now. The joyous comments above are of-course written by BMW sales. The i-drive is surely annoying, and un-reasonably complex. But for me the greater aggravation is the wimpy shift lever. Coated with anonymous black buttons, shifting from drive to reverse to drive is hopeless. This maneuver is required because the X5 will not U-turn in a reasonable space. And why is it “backwards” ? You talk of joysticks….but pushing the lever forward puts the X5 in reverse. And don’t forget the requirement of completely stopping with the brake mashed down. 3 times. Yeah….give me my Pathfinder back please.
Brad -July 31, 2007
Rating Only
Rating Only -July 06, 2007 (Article Rating: )
I have driven a 645 for three years now. I HATE the idrive, and I will not drive another BMW as long as the system remains in its current configuration. It requires too much clicking around and jumping from menu to menu to get what you want. I don't even try to listen to the radio- it i such a pain in the *** to change the station. I love BMWs in virtually every other respect, but I will not fight that user-unfriendly mess in another vehicle. Especially not an $85K vehicle.
Jim -May 16, 2007
I am writing an essay in my studies. Pass me sone information about iDrive and its failure causes on mail2jatin@gmail.com
Jatin Solanki -December 25, 2006
I've had my 750i for a month, have read the manual front and back about the nav and still can't get it to work (always says 'address book is empty', even when trying to enter route guidance). I agree with the other guy that said you should be able to familiarize yourself with any new system in hours or at best a couple days, not weeks and months. I-Stink; right on, buddy.
DanMann -July 19, 2006
iDrive is just the one. Checked the M6 and i cant even dream about the useless mercedes COMMAND
Mayeso -July 06, 2006
I just bought a 2007 525xi and just learned to use the i-drive. Once you read the manual and learn how to use it, it is fine and user-friendly.
Erwin -May 28, 2006
I agree with many of the comments on i-drive and re-iterate my own of last November. Especially "Doc Rings" of April 06. Even if I were to master the thing, what about my poor wife or someone else I lend the car too? Bottom line, I bought the Mercedes. Shame on BMW.
Mike Sarlin (again) -May 08, 2006
Test drove a 7 series with I-drive... the test-drive was so frustrating for both me (computer nerd/geek) and especially my wife, we went over and bought a lexus with the touch-screen NAV unit.
My concern was, I could learn I-drive in a couple weeks, but as soon as an unfamiliar driver got in to borrow my car (like my wife, parents, etc.) they would be dead in the water to do anything useful like tune a radio station, run the AC properly. It's like saying "but DOS was so easy once you learned it over a few weeks!" Not until a real GUI came out did computers reach the masses. BMW needs to trash the i-Stink and get something more usable to the masses, and intuitive in the first 10 seconds.
Doc Rings -April 13, 2006
I drive a new 530i with I-drive, when married to the voice control functionality and the programmable buttons on the steering wheel for the more commonly used functions, it works very well.I use one to mute the entertainment system (it doesn't work on the kids unfortunatley!), and the other to toggle next entertainment source. These are easily set under the vehicle settings menu on th i-drive.
There are supplementary switches next to the CD drive for quickly changing tracks or indeed radio stations. Many drivers do not even realise their purpose.
It does take a little time to learn, once learnt, it is very easy. BMW USA have a series of video downloads on their website which are very helpful.
It isn't that hard to master, if it all gets too hard, use the eye-drive and walk!
Dr Jarslon Luxoembourgiuose -March 28, 2006 (Article Rating: )
To drive a car, one should be required to turn the ignition key, wait 10-15 seconds for the "system check" lights to go off or switch from red to green, await the buildup of oil pressure then drive.There should not be a need to re-set anything.
I am looking to buy a new car. If operating iDrive requires relearning "how to drive" I shall buy another brand. There is nothing wrong with good old fashion knobs and levers. They are intuitive.
Anonymous -March 13, 2006
no comment
Anonymous -January 08, 2006
What a loada bollocks
Anonymous -January 02, 2006
bit pointless if you ask me! stop being lazy and use the normal stuff
Anonymous -December 30, 2005 (Article Rating: )
ha!
Anonymous -December 19, 2005
its shite!
D.Miller -December 03, 2005
Uses Microsoft Windows??? That says it all. i think thats the proof of how unreliable it is going to be.
Microsoft are rubbish, meaning iDrive is going to be rubbish. Why dont they use a more reliable operating system along the lines of a linux based system??
Why anyone would use Microsoft beats me!!
Anonymous -November 30, 2005 (Article Rating: )
Haven't had huge experience with iDrive, but I did have a courtesy car (an Audi A6) for a couple of weeks with MMI.
It sucked, but not as much as iDrive.
Mercedes' COMAND system is a little better, mainly because the controls are located either side of the screen, where the in-dash CD player would normally be located.
Fortunately I drive an A4, which doesn't have MMI or any other rubbish like this. The other huge problem with MMI is that it prevents you from replacing the factory sound system with a high quality aftermarket unit. This would be fine if manufacturers actually fitted top quality audio equipment, but it seems that even in a "prestige" vehicle like Audi or Mercedes, the audio system isn't as good as it perhaps could be.
With the A3 and A4 this isn't a problem. I've replaced the stock unit with a Sony MEX-1HD. Left knob for volume, right knob for radio preset or track selection. M (Menu) and F (Function) buttons, with 3 multi-function buttons to the right of the display, with labels that appear on the dot matrix display of the unit. Basic functions can be used immediately as the unit behaves completely in an expected manner. Advanced functions are available through the menu system, easy to understand. In fact I don't think I've actually needed to use the manual once, which for a complicated unit like this is highly commendable.
Glenn Richards -November 28, 2005
I am a rabid BMW fan. I come for trhe performance. I am about to trade my '98 328i, for a 2006 3 series. I want a navigation system. I have experimented with the i-drive and it is a disaster. I am forced to choose between buying a new car with a ridiculous interface for everything or buying one without a nav system and adding an aftermarket system. The Japanese have done it right. My wife's Lexus is all touch screen, perfect. She's a technophobe and she mastered it with 3 minutes of instruction. It's all intuitive. Why has BMW been so arrogant and stupid about preserving their original idea?? They should have tossed it when the public got so upset. Better yet, they should have known it was a disaster by doing some market research. Or simply copying the japanese who are hte masters of ergonomics. I may have to buy the new Lexus. Sigh.
Mike Sarlin -November 14, 2005 (Article Rating: )
i do like iDrive in its new version (as supplied with the 5,6 and lately the 3 series) and don't think that it is complicated to use it. But I'm 25 years. My father, who has been driving BMW for over 30 years, sat in a 5 series and was unable to get a radio station tuned. As he realised that he was not going to be able to "drive" that car without reading its manual and training for a while, he decided to remain with his old 5 series. I think that people like my father (he is in his sixties) are far more potential BMW customers than I or other 25 year old are. BMW should have thought about that before implementing iDrive the way they did. Independent radio controls would (at least) have been necessary. Nevertheless BMW has been brave and provides a system which is much more future-oriented than Command from Mercedes. Probably it's just a matter of old customers passing away...
Anonymous -October 18, 2005
BMW's iDrive System
Ranjith Abraham -October 03, 2005 (Article Rating: )
for those ppl that thought that iDrive sucked in the 7, drive the E90 and realise something? it still sucks
Anonymous -September 28, 2005
Hello. I am a i-drive fan and i wolud like to know if is available on the web an i-drive simulator. thanks. Answers to:eduardoar@netcabo.pt
Eduardo Ribeiro -July 05, 2005
I have a BMW 528i and also a 545i and found the transition to iDrive fairly painless and worth the effort to learn it. As a software developer, I didn't find iDrive at all imitimidating, but it does take some effort, about 30 minutes, to learn it. Car owners need to face up to the fact that as our vehicles include more features and functions, we will need to invest more in learning how to use and control them. The 545i has many more features and settable options than the 528i. If it weren't for iDrive, the 545i cockpit would be like that of a '70's passenger plane, full of switches and gauges. I think iDrive nicely meets requirments. The features that need frequent access are easily found and used, those that are less frequently used are appropriatley further down the menu chain.
Anonymous -June 09, 2005
I have a 2005 545, my second BMW, and IDrive is great. It takes some learning (and there are shortcuts that BMW doesn't put in the manual), but the location of the mouse makes it easy to use without interfering with the driving experience (unlike the M45 Infinity or Audi MMI). After using it for several months and getting used to it, I prefer it over conventional controls (with one cavaet -- the AC section of IDrive is a bit worthless -- it's easier to just use the dash controls).
For anyone who doesn't want to use IDrive, you don't have to -- there are steering wheel buttons and AC Dash buttons that keep you from needing IDrive for basic functions.
Anonymous -June 09, 2005
If I could do away with the legal warning everytime I start the car and default to the previous screen, the system would be great. It's a nuisance having to go through several steps everytime I start the car. Otherwise, the system does all it is advertised to do and is easy to operate once you've done a little training on it.
Anonymous -May 27, 2005 (Article Rating: )
I´m a very statisfied BMW E39 customer. Last weekend I had the chance to test a new BMW E60 with the IDrive navigation. My fazit: handling of telephone, climate is not userfiendly. In my eyes, this (r)evolution is absolutely contra productive.
BR Johann
Johann Rueckerl -April 18, 2005
I don't mind all of the features that the I-drive has BUT the biggest pain is you have to manually hit the mkouse everytime you get inthe car to accept the "disclaimer" and then move to your screen you prefer (doesn't go back automatically) and then the worst of all is if I shut my radio and air off as I drive, when I return to my car the next time, the radio and air are back on and I have to shut them off again to go back to the mode I was in the last time so add all of that up and I have to do the BMW genuflection every time I get in the thing. They say I can take it in for a "memory reset" but I haven't done that yet and they won't undo the waiver thing at all just the reset....
J -April 09, 2005
iDrive was the simplest thing in the world to use. Remember that as cars advanced, the drivers need to do the same. The way you drove a 1970 Fiat is not going to be the same way you drive a 2005 BMW - so why in gods name does one expect simple controls when purchasing complex cars, is beyond all reason. It would never hurt to practice using iDrive for 30 minutes every few days - and enjoy your next drive with full confidence to operate it.
On a personal note, I do prefer the E46 style of computing and air-con, but still had no objection to learning iDrive. In response to an earlier question, I belive iDrive uses Microsofts' Windows "CE".
Ray -April 06, 2005 (Article Rating: )
Hi. I am doing an essay in college about the ergonomics of the radio and heater controls, etc. in car interiors. I am focusing in particular on BMW's iDrive system and would greatly welcome any feedback you could give me on it and how you find it to use. E-mail me at 0352993@hermes.ul.ie --thanks!
DMC -March 29, 2005
It uses Microsoft Windows CE operating system.
Anonymous -March 29, 2005
What is wrong with the iDrive system? At times it can be slightly difficult to operate but once you know what you are doing, its easy. The dash looks far better because it isn't cluttered and the screen up the top looks cool! Does anyone know what operating system it uses?
Jake -February 13, 2005 (Article Rating: )
Useless system on my 7 series.
Gordon -November 10, 2004
I just purchased a 530. I am very computer literate and an electronic gadget person. The iDrive system is the most user unfriendly system I have ever used. Compared to my other car, the Acura Navigation system, the iDrive Navigation is 10 years behind. The climate controls are useless, and the radio is a cumbersome process that makes me want to just keep it off. Unfortunately, the AC fan is so loud, I can not hear myself think. Please do yourself a favor and research before you buy.
Gary Lustberg -September 23, 2004
A gross overkill. Why are you trying to make it look good? This is an attempt to do away with knobs. Very commendable, but... the execution stinks. The market told you so. What more do you want?
Kris Rutecki -July 02, 2004
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