Dash comparison

[sparoz]

Or the original post!

[Aussie_in_London]

Originally Posted by sparoz

Or the original post!

take a chill pill man before you blow a gasket, its only the interweb

the portable buggers will occlude your vision stuck to the windscreen more so than the oem jobbie, hows that for reference

[tkbr0wn]

I guess it all depends on what your biggest priorities are.
Mine was that I did NOT want Power Seats. That basically kept me away from Premium and that in turn kept me from getting Convenience (Nav).

Also, with Nav in my 135 (flip up version), I found myself flipping the screen down on track days so I was a little disappointed with the permanence of the nav on the newer 1's.

[rogbmw]

If you really want to add visibility, then take out the rear headrests for a couple of days and drive without them. You would be amazed at how much better you can see out the back.

[Fundahl]

Plus the Nav can display CAN data on it's screen. There is a thread with a Procede v5 displaying many engine datastreams on the iDrive screen, kinda like a new GTR.

Very cool

[b33g33]

I happen to be a tech geek who also loves cars. Buying a car in 2011 without an integrated infotainment system, specially one as accomplished as the BMW system is turning out to be, would be equivalent to buying the latest and greatest smartphone and turning off the data plan.

Also, for everyone who thinks having an ugly lump of portable Nav system stuck on the middle of your Windscreen is the preferred option: How, exactly, is that less intrusive than the built-in Nav?

Finally, if you're going to bring up weight saving so can shave that 1/100th of a second at the track, it's been discussed before.

Just my opinion.

[tkbr0wn]

Originally Posted by b33g33

Also, for everyone who thinks having an ugly lump of portable Nav system stuck on the middle of your Windscreen is the preferred option: How, exactly, is that less intrusive than the built-in Nav?

I would never stick a nav unit on my window. Most likely I will figure out a way to prop the iPhone up in the storage area in front of the shifter for any Nav needs that I have. (which is very rare)


If I could've gotten just manual seats, comfort access and maybe Nav, I would've considered it. The manual seats were a deal breaker for me though.

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by Aussie_in_London

take a chill pill man before you blow a gasket, its only the interweb

the portable buggers will occlude your vision stuck to the windscreen more so than the oem jobbie, hows that for reference

I am chill Just the usual Aussie sarcasm. You must have been away for too long.

[Aussie_in_London]

Originally Posted by sparoz

I am chill Just the usual Aussie sarcasm. You must have been away for too long.

thats what near on 10 yrs in London will do to you, I could do with some sun also

[///M1]

Originally Posted by DTNJNQ

The idrive is more than just navigation. I got it for all the other features.

+1 I had no Nav in my 135i (when needed I used a Garmin which came handy even in Europe thx to a fellow board member loading up the Euro maps on a SD card), but I opted for the Convenience option on the 1///M for far more reasons than just the Nav. BMW Apps is pretty cool, iDrive has been greatly improved from it's earlier variations, and a lot more features will be released as time goes by. Not sure if relevant to you, but through the aftermarket I am sure you can hook up cameras (rear and front), Nav-TV, etc. (and of course you already get YouTube, album covers/artwork, etc.) I know for some folks it goes against the basic principal of 'this car needs to be light and stripped', but to each their own. I felt I needed a modern day upgrade and a tad more creature comforts relative to my 135i.

As far as visibility, no issue at all. Perhaps I drive with my seat high (I am also 6' but plenty of clearance on on the no-sunroof 1///M), but never once did I feel it intervenes with my visibility. FWIW, am even thinking of doing the NAV binnacle in Alcantara with orange stitching to match the main binnacle (and reduce any glare and reflexion from the windshield).

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by Aussie_in_London

thats what near on 10 yrs in London will do to you, I could do with some sun also

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[bmw13]

this is a drivers car! Fuck the nav!

[bmw13]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

+1

[M3 Adjuster]

After reading all the posts... agree that there are going to be two camps..Those that buy nav and probably use it a lot... and others that simply have little or no use for Nav, other than on an occasional basis. For me, the 1M is a weekend or track toy.. I don't normally need directions to the track.... and when the track is far away, then I can throw a GPS on the dash.

For those that are buying the car as a daily driver... no reason not to get all the creature comforts you can... It's a shame that BMW cobbles the nav with power seats.. but then again... that's good old german thinking... you vant comfort? ok.. now you have comfort!

[b33g33]

Originally Posted by bmw13

this is a drivers car! Fuck the nav!

This horse has been beaten to death and back but what exactly makes a Navigation unit anti-driver for you?

[Pinta]

Originally Posted by iDave

I actually like the nav , to me it looks bare without it

I didn't want the Nav but rather than getting the clean look dash I have a sun glasses pocket in the middle of my dash! I would prefer a plain dash like I had in my 118 M Sport. In fact if you use a stick on sat nav you can't even open the sun glasses pocket if you need too!

[fastauto]

i think it looks better without it. that being said i did get my car with nav. i also think the spot for the nav is perfect if the car is a daily driver as it is in a location to view where you do not have to take your eyes off the road. if its a dedicated race car then obviously you should get it without the nav.

[Dan Parker]

iPad + silicone = problem solved

I can almost feel the love!

[tkbr0wn]

I need to figure out how to get this into the coin holder area in front of the shifter....

[Oaktree]

I have used iDrive on three models and I still think it’s over engineered. There is a reason they are adding more buttons to the dash again. If you like tech then get the Nav for all the other iDrive features. Watch DVD's when stopped, BMW apps, have the choice to scroll through a million music channels, see cover art on the songs, neat car system warnings, backup camera etc. I got it on the X5 because it was cool and packaged together. Looking back on it, it wasn;t a great investment but it is fun. I didn't get it on the 1M though.
Per the Nav, I'm finding the Nav on the X5 it to be very inaccurate on route and length of time. I actually create a route on google them e-mail it to the car.

[eeghie]

Originally Posted by tkbr0wn

I need to figure out how to get this into the coin holder area in front of the shifter....

Do you know what is involved with getting this to work on a stripper 1M? Curious if it can work as an alternative yet portable idrive display

[tkbr0wn]

Originally Posted by eeghie

Do you know what is involved with getting this to work on a stripper 1M? Curious if it can work as an alternative yet portable idrive display

Have no idea. This looks like one of those things that either isnt advertised heavily or isnt widely used. Seems like if it worked well it would definitely cannibalize iDrive sales.