Last Minute Vehicle Ordering Question

[OrangeDeep]

I just ordered my car last week and I am wondering if I should have optioned idrive on my my car. I originally was going to order it, then decided against it. My main motivation is for managing my music library on my ipod using the idrive. I know that this topic has been debated before; however, I would like to get 1 series drivers perspective on this. Is the idrive really worth the money?

[Vectors2final]

Have you been on the BMWNA website and read about it thoroughly? Is it something you think you'd want? Would you rather fumble with your iPod or a little knob tied into the screen. I picked the option and I don't think I'll regret it.

[OrangeDeep]

I have done the research; it would be between using the standard radio and the idrive to control my ipod. Is there anybody who has not liked using the non-idrive radio to navigate their libraries? My collection is very large.

[dicker]

It sucks to navigate through the radio, scrolling takes forever and for the most part I just play all and put it on random. If you could use the nav (or if you have an iphone or blackberry) I would get the nav if you're on the fence.

- Someone without Nav.

[jmcphillips1]

You need to get the iDrive

[rps]

iDrive is definitely worth it, I love mine

[gordongekko]

Originally Posted by OrangeDeep

My collection is very large.

That's what she said.

Oh yea, and get the iDrive.

[zamboni]

Originally Posted by rps

iDrive is definitely worth it, I love mine

Same here this is a must have option.

[amancuso]

iDrive is worth it 100% Every loaner I get has iDrive in it, and it makes me regret not looking for that option when I was car hunting.... Still love my car though.

[OrangeDeep]

The thing that really irritates me is that BMW forces you to order "BMW Assist" in order to get navigation!

[GO135i007]

I don't have the iDrive as I bought my car from a friend who didn't want it. I use my iPod constantly and I have an iPhone4 now. I really wish I had iDrive and navigation now.

[amancuso]

Originally Posted by OrangeDeep

The thing that really irritates me is that BMW forces you to order "BMW Assist" in order to get navigation!

I have Assist, which also comes with bluetooth as a part of the premium package... Bluetooth was also a must have.... Love dialing a number at the touch of a button, hands or eyes, never leave their proper positions.

[KingOfJericho]

I have the idrive and don't think I could ever go to a car without it. It ties the entire car together and makes navigating through my huge music library a snap. It's also great to see the oil level and TPMS data on the screen as well. The Nav is probably the worst feature on the unit as a Garmin could probably do a better job but I quite like the traffic data for my commute and to be honest, I almost always know where I am going. The new units also have Pandora which I think is invaluable if you like music. It's money VERY well spent in my opinion and I would recommend it to anyone.

It turns the 135i from a "car" to a "mobile command center."

[Ash83]

I know iDrive is a $2000 expensive option.. Mmost people thinks this is just a nav bcz of the similar price to other manufacturers.. BUT idrive is not just the NAV it is an enhanced new way to interface with your car and manage the on board entertainment systems..


I am not a sales man but i will say Just buy it.. I will buy it on every car i get from BMW.

[pinmagic]

It's a cool gadget, cause it does let you do so much, but the nav system in it is THE WORST. And the whole knob and buttons routine is pretty god-awful. Every time I get in a friend's car with a touchscreen, I wonder why BMW hates its customers so much.

[doublevanosrc]

I didn't get i-drive(car didn't have it either) i just don't like the way the screen is incorporated in the dash. I prefer the 2008-2009 option where it pops up. For my ipod i usually use the shuffle feature and rarely scroll for a song. As for scrolling for a song on the radio it is a PITA for sure.

[Vectors2final]

I think touch screens look kinda on the cheesy side, especially since I cannot stand finger prints. I also don't like the way the old ones pop up, I like the way it is set up currently, I think it looks a lot nicer this way.

[N55_BBM]

i don't have the idrive and don't regret not getting it. the only advantages to it as far as i can tell are nav and ipod controls. but it looks ugly and costs over $2000, and that was the determining factor.

i hate nav and don't ever use it, i actually enjoy getting lost and learning sometimes. and it's a fun car to drive so getting lost isn't too painful . especially when you have an iphone with google maps. furthermore, i knew that if i ever were to want nav, i'd be able to get a much better one for what $200 or so?

as for the ipod, I simply could not justify paying $2500 to control an ipod. honestly, I just have playlists and i play those using the knobs on the radio, it's never annoyed me and takes 2 seconds to scroll between each playlist..

and lastly i didn't get it because i think it looks out of place on the dashboard. it looks nice on the 3 series, but with the 1er i get the impression that the way it was designed was an afterthought, like they built the car and went "oh crap we forgot to include nav, where do we put this?"

but to do it justice, if it were free or if the extra money did not make a difference to me, i'd definitely get it. it's just that the cost outweighs the benefits in my case.

[KingOfJericho]

It's so funny that people think it looks out of place but every other nav system I've ever had (OEM, not aftermarket) has been where the radio typically resides. This is flat out unsafe to be looking at while driving! Even the radio controls on a non-nav car are far too low. Having far atop the dash makes complete sense, regardless of your opinion on the look, which is very subjective. I find the 3er dash arch to be complete overkill - I mean a 2 foot arch to enclose a 7" screen? A quick glance over and back the the road is far safer than looking halfway down the dash to the radio.

As for ease of use, I figured out the idrive in about 15 minutes and now it's second nature. If you have a tough time after a few days of use then I'll be at your house later to show you how to work your DVD player, Grandpa.

[KingOfJericho]

My iphone 4 also has the internet but I still have a computer...

[OrangeDeep]

Would you guys pay $850 for bmw assist to get idrive though? With the 2012MY you have to have order "assist" in order to buy idrive, meaning idrive is costing around $3000.

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

My iphone 4 also has the internet but I still have a computer...

lol, yes but your iphone doesn't create Word and Excel docs, doesn't have a USB port, no CD/DVD drive, no typical PC programs etc etc etc. If the internet is all you use your computer for then in that case you really don't need one. Unless of course you want to see pages created with Flash, lol

Anyway..

My point is that the iDrive doesn't do anything that you can't do just as well or better or even cheaper without it. Yes it's awesome to have that little screen there, but you can get (more accurate, more up-to-date, cheaper) navigation with more functions on your phone or aftermarket device. You can see all your car's diagnostics on the onboard computer between where the odometer is. And you can control your iPod through the stereo's knobs. It's just that the iDrive is a little more convenient.

Thus it's a matter of whether that added convenience is worth over $2000 for you. In my case, I've been driving my car for 10 months without the iDrive and haven't needed anything it offers really. $2000 to dial the idrive knob instead of the stereo knob just wasn't worth it for me.

If you have a lot of money and $2000+ doesn't mean crap to you, go for it, why not add the extra convenience. But if you're short on cash like myself and would much rather spend the $2000+ to fix those god awful tires and soft suspension, then I would not waste money with the iDrive.

PS: yes the location where the screen is is much better than on the stereo, but I still think it looks goofy on our cars. Just looks a lit cleaner without it imo... but that's just personal taste, no use discussing this stuff