[Wolf359]

Why is it my nav keeps calling me Dave and asking me to open the sunroof and go out repairing the EA-35 antenna?

[StewtheBassman]

Now this thread is getting downright hilarious, thank you, thank you!!

Squawks, when I put down my dictionary I'll get back to you on your posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[johnfkitchen]

Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

OR

Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

OR even

I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.

[Squawks]

I would find it pretty obvious that navigation is an amenity preferred over having nothing. Whether it's worth $2,000, however, is up for debate.

Of course, if money is not an issue, can't complain.

Ledzep: sorry you had to learn the hard way, pal

Socom: so far, so good. I don't have any local friends stupid enough not to know their way around. In fact, the friends I have with navigation rarely ever use it in the local city. They just leave it on the radio/climate display.

[StewtheBassman]

Originally Posted by johnfkitchen

Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

OR

Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

OR even

I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.

Why do I sense that you have these committed to memory, John?

[johnfkitchen]

Originally Posted by StewtheBassman

Why do I sense that you have these committed to memory, John?

Where the hell'd you get that idea, HAL?

Nah. I cheated just a little to get the exact wording

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/quotes

[raleedy]

If BMW would just put half a dozen pushbuttons on the radio, this issue would disappear. Their not doing this is sheer stubbornness. There is a problem, though, with complex systems like iDrive and Nav systems generally: because they are not standardized, they can be intimidating to occasional drivers. I rented a Mercedes C-Class in Germany the other day and was given a 2-page primer on "the basics" of the nav system. It was helpful, but it wasn't enough information to make full use of the system. These problems don't affect a sophisticated owner very much, but they can be frustrating and distracting to the occasional user. That may explain the press reaction.

[F32Fleet]

Just thought about something else concerning I-Drive. BMW designed the dash with the I-Drive as a major piece. Because of this, the cockpit feel of the BMW has now become a thing of the past. You really can't design a nice looking dash that has I-drive and is driver centric.

Go figure.

Now..If BMW will only find a way for me to play BF2 on the I-drive, I'd think about having it as an option.

[Tater]

My original order was without iDrive. I've wanted nav since a friend of mine got an Acura with it several years ago, but all the bad reviews turned me off, and I figured I'd have to settle for an after market Garmin cluttering up my dashboard. Now after talking to actual owners and reading some of these posts, I've changed my order to include iDrive. Like someone said, it's a want, not a need. I travel a lot and move to a new city about every three years, but I'm pretty handy with a map. While mapping out a route is easy enough to do and getting un-lost is a breeze, getting through a new city by stopping every mile or so to check the map can be tedious, to say the least. And I love the idea of quickly finding an alternate route when I start to run into bad traffic or when I want to head for the blue highways instead of the interstate.

[StewtheBassman]

Originally Posted by Tater

My original order was without iDrive. I've wanted nav since a friend of mine got an Acura with it several years ago, but all the bad reviews turned me off, and I figured I'd have to settle for an after market Garmin cluttering up my dashboard. Now after talking to actual owners and reading some of these posts, I've changed my order to include iDrive. Like someone said, it's a want, not a need. I travel a lot and move to a new city about every three years, but I'm pretty handy with a map. While mapping out a route is easy enough to do and getting un-lost is a breeze, getting through a new city by stopping every mile or so to check the map can be tedious, to say the least. And I love the idea of quickly finding an alternate route when I start to run into bad traffic or when I want to head for the blue highways instead of the interstate.

Yay! Now BMW can send me my commission cheque.

[CC 330i]

My company makes a system that uses GPS and mapping to help route personnel, and the maps are always out of date, especially out here in the West. It seems like most of our customers are the ones in fast growing cities that have lots of new streets. We buy the map files from another company, and they only update them every 5 years or so. So we get complaints all the time about how bad the maps are. Imagine how it must be for I-drive maps... They may update them more frequently than the company we do business with, but it's still a PITA. I know from experience what a headache this is, so I just do things the old fashioned way.

[Squawks]

I personally think that iDrive enhances the interior aesthetics. Of course, it's a subjective thing; some like it simple while others like the sophistry. I especially like BMW's incorporation of the iDrive into the dash - Lexus's, Acura's, Audi's, and even Masteratis have their screen placed in the center panel - poorly designed because this doesn't prevent as much glare as BMW's design on top of the fact that BMW's placement of the LCD screen allows the driver to just slightly glance down in order to view information whereas other vehicles force the drivers to literally turn their heads down.

In regards to map updating, it is true that quite a few businesses move around and/or new neighborhoods are built in the suburbs that aren't included in the stock DVDs but will be purveryed through BMW (with an added cost, of course). It is indeed a PITA when realizing certain amenities/locations are no longer extant but regardless, those instances occur in paucity. Many big businesses seldomly move/shutdown within a time span of 5 years. Note that 5 years is a heavy toll for a car's age, as well. This issue is not consequential enough to spurn iDrive entirely, well, at least for me.

There are other features iDrive has the capacity to carry out, as well. In Europe, it automatically re-routes and apprises the driver of any traffic conjestions, as the car receives traffic information through radio signals. In CA, you can buy little gadgets (~$20) which show all the traffic congestion in Los Angeles, real-time, through data from CalTrans. The U.S. has traffic information transmitted through radio waves, but they are not yet completely compatible with vehicular navigation systems.

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by Socom

Now..If BMW will only find a way for me to play BF2 on the I-drive, I'd think about having it as an option.

Now I wonder when they'll ship iDrive with the ability to play Karaoke? It would be such a sight to have every driver follow the yellow dot, singing along...!

[JamieA]

Originally Posted by Wolf359

Now I wonder when they'll ship iDrive with the ability to play Karaoke? It would be such a sight to have every driver follow the yellow dot, singing along...!

LOL @ Wolf, that would be a hot option I think

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by Wolf359

Now I wonder when they'll ship iDrive with the ability to play Karaoke? It would be such a sight to have every driver follow the yellow dot, singing along...!

Ahh...to sing "Tiny Bubbles" with all my fellow BMW Enthusiasts(sp?)

[ben1364]

I think this thread may be mis-identified. I see little indication that either journalists or "real people" <g> hate i-Drive. On the other hand, I don't see evidence that serious drivers perceive i-Drive as an advantage.

[StewtheBassman]

Ben, I think someone buying their E90 for "track use" will not buy iDrive. Then again, most people aren't buying their E90 for track use. I consider myself a serious driver, since I log about 50,000kms a year, in all weather. Oh, and I don't have iDrive, but only because I can't afford it.

Is "serious" a semantic argument? Yes indeed. We're all enthusiasts here, which is why we spend out ime posting in a forum instead of pulling out weeds in the backyard.

Does the press "hate" iDrive? If you can find me ONE (!) article in the last three years that actually embraces iDrive instead of panning it, then I'll publicly honor you with a little "respect" emoticon.

[StewtheBassman]

And what the heck is a 330iA anyway? Automatic?

[StewtheBassman]

Originally Posted by Wolf359

Now I wonder when they'll ship iDrive with the ability to play Karaoke? It would be such a sight to have every driver follow the yellow dot, singing along...!

Yes, but then we would need a "heads up" display to sing while driving, right?

Actually, if the heads up were available with iDrive then it would be that much more tempting to own and use.

[poldim]

Originally Posted by Socom

They don't want to admit they paid $2K+ for a feature that isn't reliable OR, they don't mind paying $2k for a feature that isn't reliable because it has "I'm cool" appeal.

Just like cellphones, NAV is for the most part pointless for 99% of us. It's all about marketing a preceived "need" and most people fall for it.

Auto journalists hate it because they know BMW sucks when it comes to building this type of stuff (5 and 7 series owners have/had numerous problems with their I-Drive). BMW has been forced to compete in an area it is weak and it's competitors are strong..Electronics.

PC's are for rebooting...BMW's are for driving. If you want bling bling electronics buy Asian.

Back from the dead.



Wow, reading that, lost any respect for you that I would have orignally had. Please stop bashing a product that you have yet to fully experience.






I've driven the 760iL, the 545i, and now my 330i. All with iDrive. Given I am an advanced computer user, I wouldnt mind if they switched it to a linux platform rather than the Windows Automotive Edition. This would probably get rid of all of the lag problems. In all three cars, I didnt have the system crash on me. My E90 has about 6000 miles on it, and not a single problem with it as of today.

I love the perspective view on NAV and usually have that running at 400FT zoom while driving. Its often switched to the entertainment setting to view and change my MP3 tracks. I would love it if they update the random setting where its not broken, but I did expect FYM problems.

Money isnt a problem for me. I had more than 60% downpayment for the car, and financed through my Credit Union for the rest. When I considered my options, I got everything I wanted, which was everything except Active Steering and Active Cruise Control. I thought those two were just not required for my driving tastes and their price. At that, my car still had $10,000 in additional options over MSRP. This cames out to about $5.48 per day over my planned 5 year period of ownership. I am more than happy paying 6 bucks a day to drive my perfectly customized car. I was going to spend ~37K anyway, might as well make it 46 and enjoy every bit of the car.


I think that if you want to be considerate of the system, you need to drive the car for a week before you go judging a system like iDrive. No one that buy's iDrive plans to drive the car one day every six months. Most people wont be renting a car with iDrive. This system shouldnt have to be designed for a user to "hop-in" and be an expert. Although if you can use a mouse on a computer, it is VERY intuitive.

[poldim]

Originally Posted by Socom

Ahh...to sing "Tiny Bubbles" with all my fellow BMW Enthusiasts(sp?)

I thought its singing "London Bridge"????

[cntlaw]

I am 50% regret not getting it but my decision was 100% right. This damn local BMW charges us $5000 for it. Fck it.

And you know what, I asked BMW the other day, why Bluetooth is not on the option list;and the reply is this option is not offcially made available as an option in HK. However, customers who can afford paying a rediculus premium price can ask for a custom order of it.
Shty things like these do happen in Asia. At least, I know the place I live in, money can buy everything.