View Single Post
      04-30-2008, 10:00 PM   #18
TwiBlueG35
Private First Class
1
Rep
137
Posts

Drives: 08 Lexus IS350 Obsidian/Black
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by fq1 View Post
Congrats on what appears to be a great vehicle! Please post some pics.

I would totally disagree with you on iDrive operation friendliness though. I have not used the current X5/X6 iDrive but have used it on E60s and E65s and had none of the learning curve issues that you (and most American journalists) mention. On my 02 745, the salesman did not have to give me much of a tutorial and I had the hang of it in a couple of minutes. Within the first 15mins of use I had mastered it. My 7-year old had mastered most functions (music, climate and nav) within the first two long rides in that car. And remember that that first gen iDrive did not even have the home/menu button and in the E65 the controller moved in 8 different directions/menus as opposed to the current version's 4 from the home screen. In fact, in my opinion the dumbing down of iDrive from that original version (because of all the journalists' moaning) has made it less user friendly. Now, I would not consider it perfect but it was still very very good. The addition of the soft keys was a necessity and making it faster will move it in the right direction.

I don't know which Infinity you are referring to, but I rented an M35 for a week and found its "idrive" to be much less user friendly than BMW's. [Edit, just saw your sig that states you have/had an M45]
I have to disagree with you on the i-Drive issue. My father has a 07 530i sedan and I am the only one who has mastered this thing in my family(only my father and me would use this car anyway). It is not about how easy to learn it, it is how easy to use it. Everything of this system is very logical and being used in a step by step process, however, it wouldn't match the Japanese cars' one button one function method. No matter how good you are at using it, you need to press, twist, slide the silver knob in order to finish one of the steps, and you need to repeat these twisting pressing pushing things multiple times in order to finish one job. And without the touchscreen, which I found extremely convenient, BMW's navigation system is the most troublesome navi I have used(I have used Infiniti's, BMW's, Lexus', Honda's, and several aftermarket portable ones). It takes much longer time to enter information, and the A-Z alphabets are not on one single page, which pisses me off. Besides this i-Drive system, BMW vehicles are just so good. I guess many BMW owners do not buy BMW for its electronics, and they buy it for the style and handling and steering feel and engine performance. BMW is still behind Lexus and Infiniti and Acura and even Honda in reliability and electronics user-friendliness.
__________________
2008 Lexus IS350 sedan
2012 Volkswagen GTI 4 door
2007 BMW 530i sedan
Appreciate 0