[Nalod]

Many chim in how they "couldn't live without iDrive" and that its a must.

Had it on my E60 2007 530 I drove for 3 years..

One could get them without NAv which I did.

My 07 coupe (Sport, 6mt, premium) does not have it. To me it was not a deal breaker as the car, condition and price was first considerations. Things like Heated seats, iDrive or premium radio are all nice and I would have paid for it.

Have had the car 6 months and not a day goes by where I miss it. In fact, I prefer to not have that obstruction glowing at nite. Those screens are pretty things that people like but the reality is they are distractions and the information offered is not critical.

THe BMW dash is a nice serious low key place. I use the blue tooth all the time and my serious radio.

BTW, I never found the design or any thing wrong with the IdriVe. IM not hating on it like many journalists did. The base radio on the 07 coupe is good. Not as good as the Logic7. I miss that more than the iDrive.

I am enjoying really enjoying this car BTW! Very well connected with the road and comfortable to drive.

Avg 21 mpg around town and 30 on the hwy. Runflats kind of suck but i'll decide on that come November.

[WWONG]

So basically, what you're saying is that you are not as into technology as another person and feel the need to rationalize your lack of iDrive on a post. Plus, your only experience seems to be with the older iDrive "+" layout.

I drive a 2010 335i Coupe w/o Nav and then I drove a 2011 550i F10. I feel extremely stupid for not waiting for a car with iDrive.

[jt335i]

I have the iDrive with NAV on my 335i. It's a nice thing to have and is more updated than the 07 iDrive, but I could live with or without it. My other cars (05 Stang, 97 Corolla, 83 Benz 380SL) don't have any kind gadgets like the iDrive, so I'm used to not having such added features. On the other hand, I have a portable NAV that I could easily transfer between the three of them.

[Verbiage]

I'd rather have it and not use it often than not have it and wish that I got it. I really like how options and such can be tweaked through the computer (DRL's, triple turn signal, climate control), etc. Awesome.

[michael1284]

same here, it's not the nav that i really like (i barely ever use it). it's just the fact that i can control my options from a screen, not to mention i can see my playlists through my ipod

[D.B.S]

I personally like having it... When I had my ride in for the dread HPFP, and they gave me a 328i without Idrive/Nav as a loaner... Needless to say, the only place I drove was home and to work... I didn't have an external navi system to mount in the car, (at the time) so, I didn't bother driving anywhere where the potential to get lost would have been high... I guess I could have googled it before hand... but you look quite the fool with papers in hand, trying to drive somewhere... atleast IMO

[Verbiage]

Or, you could just use the nav on your smartphone, if you have one. That's what I used to do before I had nav in my car. And even with nav, older gen idrive models cannot find certain addresses (even with the map update). Gets kind of annoying, sometimes.

[Kruz]

I like watching the iDrive elevation rise and fall as I go up and down hills really really fast.

[D.B.S]

Originally Posted by Bavarian III

Or, you could just use the nav on your smartphone, if you have one. That's what I used to do before I had nav in my car. And even with nav, older gen idrive models cannot find certain addresses (even with the map update). Gets kind of annoying, sometimes.

Yeah I noticed that in a recent trip up to Fort Drum... Idrive wanted me to drive 40 miles to my destination, while my HTC Evo, gave me directions that were half of that, and the evo directions were the right ones... If I'd actually followed idrive, I would have gotten lost...

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by Army335xi

Yeah I noticed that in a recent trip up to Fort Drum... Idrive wanted me to drive 40 miles to my destination, while my HTC Evo, gave me directions that were half of that, and the evo directions were the right ones... If I'd actually followed idrive, I would have gotten lost...

iDrive fail.


HTC Evo? How do you like it so far? I have a Blackberry Tour and was considering it.

[Nalod]

NAV is a different conversation.

IM talking about the idrive and that in my opinion not having it reminds me how annoying the screen was.

I think technology is wonderful and am pretty well into it. MY garmin a wonderful toy and for me I need it infrequently. Im more impressed with the simple function of our new Ipad. I have seen auto intalls of that and that could be the way of the future having a personal device to plug in or out.

I never said "IT SUCKS", nor worthless. Im just saying that I don't miss it and thought I would.

My car is not a vessel to holding my self esteem.

There life out side of idrive. I have seen it and its ok.

[Kilgore Trout]

So, you've come to an Idrive forum to grouse about how you doing fine without Idrive, and now you are feeling a tad defensive about the response you are getting? To me, that would be a lot like showing up at a New York Yankees forum, announcing that you don't NEED to watch baseball to enjoy yourself, and then getting surprised when the response you get back is not self-fulfilling.

Its nice that your car is not a "vessel for self-esteem" but what the hell does that have to do with Idrive? I also have to wonder why, if you are so confident about self-esteem, you need to convince others that your purchase choices are optimal.

And, yeah, "there is life beyond Idrive" - what's your point? Nobody here has ever tried to claim that you couldn't enjoy a BMW without Idrive, or that you should feel bad about yourself if you opted not to spec it. Its a nice feature that many of us feel enthusiastic about. Nobody tried to claim you couldn't live without it though.

Idrive is like any other gizmo on the car (PCD, L7, CA, etc). Some like it. Some don't. If it increases your enjoyment of the car, and the cost works for it, it makes sense. If you don't like it what it offers, or don't like the cost benefit equation, make sense to do without it. That is part of what is nice about the "ala carte" order system for BMW - you can get exactly what you want.

Personally, I freakin' love Idrive and wouldn't consider buying a BMW without it. Its a fantastic system that greatly increases MY enjoyment of my vehicle. But, that is simply my choice. YMMV. Different strokes for different folks. Either way, I think the E9x is a great ride and think it is a ton of fun to own with or without gizmos.

[chemgeek]

To me personally, when you start chopping options from a BMW, you start taking away from what really is a BMW. These cars are extremely complex, and that is what you are paying for, a car that pushes the envelope of technology. People start to rationalize chopping options when they just can't afford the car. In this example, it is a 2007 328 (based on gas mileage) coupe with no iDrive, no heated seats, manual trans and no premium sound. 328s with packages like only premium and sport are what I like to call the "status cars." Dealers stock cars like this for people who want to "squeeze" into a BMW but don't want to pay for it...the car has the badge so the buyer can tell everyone about the BMW they drive, but it lacks the soul of BMW (the technology). I just shake my head every time I pass a 328 with no iDrive and even more when it doesn't even have sport package. I think to myself, "you could have had a loaded G35."

[PiperD]

^^^ BMWs are more than electronic doodas. And they certainly don't have the best tech toys either.

Even a base BMW is supposed to be a driver's car. Premium, Sport, etc. should not be required.

By all accounts, European drivers aren't so conceited about loading up their Bimmers. And that's saying something, given that it's a European car...

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but to say that somebody driving a base 328 is only doing so for the "status" - that's passing judgement so it's a little unfair.

[Kilgore Trout]

I agree with you, Piper. Buy the car the way you want it and that makes sense for you. And, again, that is part of what makes BMW so cool - you can build a car exactly as you want it.

[chemgeek]

Originally Posted by PiperD

^^^ BMWs are more than electronic doodas. And they certainly don't have the best tech toys either.

Even a base BMW is supposed to be a driver's car. Premium, Sport, etc. should not be required.

By all accounts, European drivers aren't so conceited about loading up their Bimmers. And that's saying something, given that it's a European car...

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but to say that somebody driving a base 328 is only doing so for the "status" - that's passing judgement so it's a little unfair.

False. What part of a BMW is not an electric dooda? Even the oil dipstick is electronic. I can search Google in my car for crying out loud. The headlights are so over-engineered that you can see them shine on street signs 2 miles away.

Up until BMW and Mercedes started to try and capture a larger marketshare by producing a more "budget" automobiles, your statement about even the base model...was correct. I remember the adds by both companies about 10 years ago...X# of 3 series models under $30K and X# of C-class under $30K. Of course inflation has boosted the prices slightly, but...

Believe me, in Southern California where BMW probably sells the most cars in all of the US, people buy cheap BMWs all the time just to say "I drive a BMW." That is the marketshare BMW is/was after. Why would you buy a stripped 328 when you could have a fully loaded Acrua TL or G35 (I don't particularly like either car, but just saying...at least you get some creature comforts)?

There's a huge difference, at least when I've driven both, between a 328 non-sport and a 328 sport package. In my opinion, a BMW should not be available without the sport package. For example, a 335 without the sport package just doesn't feel like a safe car IMO.

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by chemgeek

False. What part of a BMW is not an electric dooda? Even the oil dipstick is electronic. I can search Google in my car for crying out loud. The headlights are so over-engineered that you can see them shine on street signs 2 miles away.

Up until BMW and Mercedes started to try and capture a larger marketshare by producing a more "budget" automobiles, your statement about even the base model...was correct. I remember the adds by both companies about 10 years ago...X# of 3 series models under $30K and X# of C-class under $30K. Of course inflation has boosted the prices slightly, but...

Believe me, in Southern California where BMW probably sells the most cars in all of the US, people buy cheap BMWs all the time just to say "I drive a BMW." That is the marketshare BMW is/was after. Why would you buy a stripped 328 when you could have a fully loaded Acrua TL or G35 (I don't particularly like either car, but just saying...at least you get some creature comforts)?

There's a huge difference, at least when I've driven both, between a 328 non-sport and a 328 sport package. In my opinion, a BMW should not be available without the sport package. For example, a 335 without the sport package just doesn't feel like a safe car IMO.

I understand your larger point - why spend $35,000+ on an upscale vehicle and then skimp on features that you might want or enjoy. I also agree that stripped vehicles don't really feel like true luxury rides. The loaners, with vinyl seats and no features that I get from the dealer feel like Hertz rent-a-cars to me.

But, you are assuming option choices are about $, and that is probably not true. Some of us (myself included) simply didn't want ZSP. The ZSP suspension was too stiff for me and I did not want staggered tires. Given that I use my E91 to go car camping and take my bike on rough roads, a suspension that tight make little sense for my needs. For me, the base suspension was the optimal ride/handling tradeoff. Money had nothing to do with it because it would have cost just a few $ more a month for ZSP. Heck, I could have had a sedan with ZSP for less than I paid for my wagon without ZSP.

And, no offense, but the idea that a E9x without ZSP "isn't safe" is just flat-out ridiculous. The handling characteristics are quite similar, overall. Not saying that the ZSP doesn't handle better - but the basic characteristics are the same.

In the same way, some potential BMW owners just plain don't want Idrive and other gizmos. There are probably some guys who wouldn't take Idrive if it were free.

You shouldn't presume that everybody wants their car equipped exactly like yours, or that a car is not a "true BMW" if it doesn't have the exact same options you chose to order.

For me, that kind of attitude is just as misplaced as those who argue that a real sports sedan shouldn't have stuff like Idrive.