I Drive

I am thinking of getting rid of my 330i, and getting something a little larger. I would like to get another bimmer, but I have only read bad things about the I Drive. Coule some of you share your opinions on this matter. Thanks

Originally Posted by BIMMER4LJ

I am thinking of getting rid of my 330i, and getting something a little larger. I would like to get another bimmer, but I have only read bad things about the I Drive. Coule some of you share your opinions on this matter. Thanks

I still can't understand why i-Drive gets such a bum rap. This is my first BMW and I think i-Drive is quite powerful and easy to use. I am saying this because I consider myself computer savvy, I use Macs and PC's and I read manuals before I operate new computers. If you aren't the type to read a manual and learn how to control and use i-Drive, then don't get it. I can get in the car, use voice commands to turn on FM, choose a station, switch to my MP3 player, switch to CD, choose any track, make a phone call, I programmed the door locks, the speed warning, the equalizer and Logic 7, pathway lighting, autoheadlight sensitivity, check my oil, etc. If you aren't willing to spend some time to learn i-Drive, then don't get it. It's like buying a computer for someone who has used a typewriter for the past 20 years- they will never like the computer because it's "hard to use". It seems like all the car magazines that knock i-Drive must be the type of people that want to get in the car and figure everything out on one test drive- it ain't gonna happen. i-Drive would never work in a rental car because it takes time to learn it but once you do it's second nature to use it.

Originally Posted by BIMMER4LJ

I am thinking of getting rid of my 330i, and getting something a little larger. I would like to get another bimmer, but I have only read bad things about the I Drive. Coule some of you share your opinions on this matter. Thanks

Voice recognition is great, would be nice as well as improve safety if you could perform every function except drive (ie. lights, a/c, turn signals, phone, heated seats, power windows, power door locks).

IMO, it would be pretty cool to use voice recognition to unlock the doors and start the engine, to prevent unauthorized access this kind of feature would be used in conjuction with comfort access.

All you would now is someone to drive .

Originally Posted by rad21

I still can't understand why i-Drive gets such a bum rap. This is my first BMW and I think i-Drive is quite powerful and easy to use. I am saying this because I consider myself computer savvy, I use Macs and PC's and I read manuals before I operate new computers. If you aren't the type to read a manual and learn how to control and use i-Drive, then don't get it. I can get in the car, use voice commands to turn on FM, choose a station, switch to my MP3 player, switch to CD, choose any track, make a phone call, I programmed the door locks, the speed warning, the equalizer and Logic 7, pathway lighting, autoheadlight sensitivity, check my oil, etc. If you aren't willing to spend some time to learn i-Drive, then don't get it. It's like buying a computer for someone who has used a typewriter for the past 20 years- they will never like the computer because it's "hard to use". It seems like all the car magazines that knock i-Drive must be the type of people that want to get in the car and figure everything out on one test drive- it ain't gonna happen. i-Drive would never work in a rental car because it takes time to learn it but once you do it's second nature to use it.

Ditto. This type of interface is the future--now. With all the features on cars these days, it's not manageable to control them all with a maze of tiny dedicated buttons on the dash (look at the Porsche 997 as an example). Audi and Mercedes (and some of the Japanese cars) have similar interfaces. The E60 version is much improved vs. the original 7 series version. If you get nav it comes with voice command, which combined with iDrive is great. Remember when PCs didn't have a mouse? One day we'll say remember when cars didn't have an iDrive-like controller?

Originally Posted by rad21

I still can't understand why i-Drive gets such a bum rap...I can get in the car, use voice commands to turn on FM,..

The voice may happen be packaged with idrive, but that's not the portion that people are b$#ching about. It's the menu thing and usefulness of functions that idrive support. I tend to agree to certain extent. (who cares if lock confirmation is flash or accoustic? ) But the main thing tha necessitated idrive was nav and communication, I believe. (That and the desire to simplify the dash). And, in the future, there'll be more things where idrive will come in handy. It's just that some people are too quick to generalize and dismiss idrive without carefully thinking what the alternatives are. MB guys apparently thought through the problem and came to same conclusion as BMW, 5 years later.

Originally Posted by BIMMER4LJ

I am thinking of getting rid of my 330i, and getting something a little larger. I would like to get another bimmer, but I have only read bad things about the I Drive. Coule some of you share your opinions on this matter. Thanks

IMO I think I Drive got a bad rap from the magazine writers,I feel its great as do so many others.If you can move the mouse around on your PC and get what you want you shouldn't have any trouble with the I Drive.Good luck.
cheers
vern

Frankly, the more I practice voice commands the less I use I-drive. Not that I hate I-drive, but the voice command set is awesome. You will rarely need to twiddle the dial.

I like my idrive, and I didn't even read the manual! (Okay, I looked up how to install my bluetooth phone...it didn't help and had to go to the dealership). But I think it's intuitive. I also like voice command, but I want to know how I can use German commands!