Is the digital Screen/Nav worth it?

Just asking those 335 owner's with the nav if they enjoy having/using it. Right now I have a 2007 335 without the nav and most days I'm fine with that. However, somedays I wish I had the digital display (almost makes the car look more luxurious). Anyways, I have a buddy with an x5 and he has the nav with the knob you can use to control music, A/C, and more...I found it somewhat annoying to be honest...does it ever become more efficient, or i guess I could ask, do you ever get used to it?

Originally Posted by Viere

Just asking those 335 owner's with the nav if they enjoy having/using it. Right now I have a 2007 335 without the nav and most days I'm fine with that. However, somedays I wish I had the digital display (almost makes the car look more luxurious). Anyways, I have a buddy with an x5 and he has the nav with the knob you can use to control music, A/C, and more...I found it somewhat annoying to be honest...does it ever become more efficient, or i guess I could ask, do you ever get used to it?

This is a personal preference decision. I prefer it and both my vehicles which could have it have had it.

It definitely takes some getting used to and does get easier with time. However it's still clunky compared to a smart phone. BMW should enlist Apple to design the UI for their iDrive system.

Originally Posted by Viere

Just asking those 335 owner's with the nav if they enjoy having/using it. Right now I have a 2007 335 without the nav and most days I'm fine with that. However, somedays I wish I had the digital display (almost makes the car look more luxurious). Anyways, I have a buddy with an x5 and he has the nav with the knob you can use to control music, A/C, and more...I found it somewhat annoying to be honest...does it ever become more efficient, or i guess I could ask, do you ever get used to it?

No.

Originally Posted by Viere

Just asking those 335 owner's with the nav if they enjoy having/using it. Right now I have a 2007 335 without the nav and most days I'm fine with that. However, somedays I wish I had the digital display (almost makes the car look more luxurious). Anyways, I have a buddy with an x5 and he has the nav with the knob you can use to control music, A/C, and more...I found it somewhat annoying to be honest...does it ever become more efficient, or i guess I could ask, do you ever get used to it?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Viere

Just asking those 335 owner's with the nav if they enjoy having/using it. Right now I have a 2007 335 without the nav and most days I'm fine with that. However, somedays I wish I had the digital display (almost makes the car look more luxurious). Anyways, I have a buddy with an x5 and he has the nav with the knob you can use to control music, A/C, and more...I found it somewhat annoying to be honest...does it ever become more efficient, or i guess I could ask, do you ever get used to it?

A personal preference.

I just bought a new 335is and it has nav., I personally find it to be a distraction and turn it off as soon as I start the car.

Thanks for the responses. I'm not asking so much about the nav part, just curious about everything else....controlling entertainment, climate, and more through digital display Instead of physical buttons. It is possible in the F30 series to have the digital display WITHOUT navigation, correct? Or is that possible with the E9x series as well?

Originally Posted by Viere

Thanks for the responses. I'm not asking so much about the nav part, just curious about everything else....controlling entertainment, climate, and more through digital display Instead of physical buttons. It is possible in the F30 series to have the digital display WITHOUT navigation, correct? Or is that possible with the E9x series as well?

E9x cannot have the digital display without the navigation. The F30 can (E70 X5 is like this too). The display makes many things easier but it's not, IMO, worth it just for that purpose. However there was a thread on here a little while ago where someone was making the case it's more than just navigation. You may want to search for it. Unfortunately I cannot give you any good search terms.

Originally Posted by Viere

Just asking those 335 owner's with the nav if they enjoy having/using it. Right now I have a 2007 335 without the nav and most days I'm fine with that. However, somedays I wish I had the digital display (almost makes the car look more luxurious). Anyways, I have a buddy with an x5 and he has the nav with the knob you can use to control music, A/C, and more...I found it somewhat annoying to be honest...does it ever become more efficient, or i guess I could ask, do you ever get used to it?

As I generally lease cars, getting BMW's nav makes no sense, and it's too expensive IMO. Phone nav or a Garmin system is just fine for me.
If you're referring to BMW's iDrive system, it takes some getting used to, but I had no particular gripes with it....even as a "senior citizen." You'll never "get used to it" if you don't follow the instructions and actually use it. I had little use for many of the functions quite frankly. I bought the car to DRIVE...I have computers to play with in my den.

Thanks everyone, this thread just made me realize I want the Idrive system for the wrong reasons. Looks. It looks nice and in theory is appealing, but I guess my personal preference on this subject would be no Idrive. Makes for a less expensive BMW I guess! I would consider the display without the nav if I was in the market for a F30 however. One day.

Originally Posted by pointandgo

As I generally lease cars, getting BMW's nav makes no sense, and it's too expensive IMO. Phone nav or a Garmin system is just fine for me.
If you're referring to BMW's iDrive system, it takes some getting used to, but I had no particular gripes with it....even as a "senior citizen." You'll never "get used to it" if you don't follow the instructions and actually use it. I had little use for many of the functions quite frankly. I bought the car to DRIVE...I have computers to play with in my den.

If you lease, iDrive makes a lot more sense than if you buy. For a fewer dollars a month, you get an enjoyable feature, ad the car goes back to the dealer before the tech is obsolete..

I have a Droid, iPad, and Garmin. None of the offer the utility of iDrive, or replace all the features.

Originally Posted by Viere

Thanks everyone, this thread just made me realize I want the Idrive system for the wrong reasons. Looks. It looks nice and in theory is appealing, but I guess my personal preference on this subject would be no Idrive. Makes for a less expensive BMW I guess! I would consider the display without the nav if I was in the market for a F30 however. One day.

My experience with this topic is that those who passed it up are absolutely convinced it is worthless and that a Garmin is just as good. Most of us who bought it love it and would never do without it.

I think it is a personal preference for sure. But, it is notable that 90% of the naysayers have never used the system on a regular basis, and 90% of those who have it seem to really enjoy it.

Not the most elegant system, but I personally will always have something like it.

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

If you lease, iDrive makes a lot more sense than if you buy. For a fewer dollars a month, you get an enjoyable feature, ad the car goes back to the dealer before the tech is obsolete..

I have a Droid, iPad, and Garmin. None of the offer the utility of iDrive, or replace all the features.

What are the features that are better? When it comes to navigation I've always found garmin and my iPhone gps to be much more efficient than the idrives. Not saying you're wrong, some of the other features could be great, I just haven't had a chance to experience them or even know what they are.

The nav system is expensive, so from an ROI perspective best paradoxically either on a shorter-term lease (as mentioned above) or if you intend to keep it "forever" to stretch out its expensive price tag. The iDrive is ok, and much improved from years past. Audi's MMI has the edge, but both are good at the very least. BMW's margin on the nav/iDrive system must be huge. Agree it's a matter of preference at the end of the day.

I like it. I've had it on several BMW's and will most likely get it on my next. There are better nav apps out there but it's nice to have it integrated into the car. And, iDrive is much more than just the nav. For sure it's a personal preference though.

Originally Posted by Viere

What are the features that are better? When it comes to navigation I've always found garmin and my iPhone gps to be much more efficient than the idrives. Not saying you're wrong, some of the other features could be great, I just haven't had a chance to experience them or even know what they are.

I don't agree that the NUVI is a better navigation system than iDrive - its just different. It does have some features that I wish iDrive had (like a touchscreen, and the neat readout of current speed limits). But, mostly, I find iDrive easier to use. The Droid navigation application though is superior to both.

However, a NUVI doesn't begin to give you all the full range of capacities as iDrive. You don't have the integration with the phonebook, BMWAssist, all your car's music and infotainment features, the PCD graphic. I use iDrive every single day, whereas my Garmin stays in the glovebox.

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

I don't agree that the NUVI is a better navigation system than iDrive - its just different. It does have some features that I wish iDrive had (like a touchscreen, and the neat readout of current speed limits). But, mostly, I find iDrive easier to use. The Droid navigation application though is superior to both.

However, a NUVI doesn't begin to give you all the full range of capacities as iDrive. You don't have the integration with the phonebook, BMWAssist, all your car's music and infotainment features, the PCD graphic. I use iDrive every single day, whereas my Garmin stays in the glovebox.

Touché, I just realize I'm the type of guy that wouldn't take advantage of those things. I wouldn't use Idrive to its fullest potential.

I think you could have got the BT phone list integrated w/o it right, doesn't it show on the radio display? Maybe I'm making that up, I don't have premium pack let alone iDrive. I once asked a dealership about a BT retrofit, and holy crap was it expensive, w/o any guarantee either! I have a BluAnt, but I might have only used it once this year, I don't even take the thing out anymore. If I really cared, I'd probably search Technic's posts, and then ask him if I couldn't find anything.

My Nuvi is great in that I can take it in my truck or on trips to other cities by plane, camping/hiking trips, but my primary complaint compared to an on-board system would be the boot-up or load time, searching for signal, etc. I'm not sure which would be easier to enter destinations with, but anyway for me, I barely use the Nuvi to begin with.

I too would be much more likely to have the system if I leased, not only due to the obsolescence factor, but the worry over failing electronics. (It would suck to have a non-functioning system installed, because I didn't want to spend the money to fix it, but this comes from someone who keeps his car for over a decade at a time.)

What year did the e9x go from the CD based nav to a HD based one? I'm really not a fan of the CD based one at all, and if you have an '07, OP, well, maybe it's not the end of the world. I think the drive seemed like it was always intermittently running (even when not using the nav), making noise all the time, unless you popped the disc out. I wonder how long a drive would last if I what I observed was true. Just sayin', er repeating, my opinion, be prepared for a repeat of everyone else's. (And frankly, I think my interior looks fantabulous as it is, I don't think it needs electronics to help it out in this regard.)

As others have indicated, it makes the overall experience nicer and more accessible to not only the driver (primary) but the passenger as well.

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

If you lease, iDrive makes a lot more sense than if you buy. For a fewer dollars a month, you get an enjoyable feature, ad the car goes back to the dealer before the tech is obsolete..

I have a Droid, iPad, and Garmin. None of the offer the utility of iDrive, or replace all the features.

Kilgore,
Having turned in my E92 not too long ago...as I slowly...and sadly walked away from the car for the last time, I realized that my $2,000 nav system wasn't coming with me! Let's see, that's $667.00 per year. What did my Garmin cost?

I do miss the BMW nav lady's voice, however. We had bonded after 3 years...shared secrets.