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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > ConnectedDrive / I-Drive / Navigation Related Discussion > i-drive feedback....



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      12-21-2007, 01:55 AM   #1
majin ssj eric
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i-drive feedback....

So, does anyone here know why the car rags hate on i-drive so much? Several of you guys have it, is it really that bad? Just wondering because I decided two cars ago that I would never again get one without nav and, seeing as how the only way to get nav on the 3-series is with i-drive, I'm kinda stuck. I saw a couple of demonstrations on youtube and it looked pretty cool to me.....


I hope this isn't a
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      12-21-2007, 02:04 AM   #2
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IMHO, if you are under 50 and grew up knowing how to use a computer, iDrive shouldn't be hard at all to figure out. Both my parents have BMWs with iDrive (they're in their 50s) and can use it easily. It is very intuitive, and after messing around with it for 30 minutes or so, you'll get the hang of it.
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      12-21-2007, 02:24 AM   #3
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can't live without iDrive
ppl have this negative image of iDrive cuz the first time it was released it was slow and dodgy.. or so I read.. but when a friend of mine got iDrive on his car and I saw it, I decided to try it for myself and loved it
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      12-21-2007, 03:22 AM   #4
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Idrive takes a little time to get use to but it isn't as bad as the magazines say it is. I'm not sure about others but for me I-Drive can be a bit sluggish at times.
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      12-21-2007, 04:16 AM   #5
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The newest Progman got rid of much of the sluggishness, but it may be too little too late for the reviewers to change their minds. I personally like it a lot, and can live with its slowness at times.
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      12-21-2007, 05:36 AM   #6
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The reason of their rant is that iDrive has the steepest learning curve of all car user interfaces out there.

However that learning curve shouldn't take you more than 2-3 hours. Honestly.

Once you know how to use iDrive, it's the most intuitive and easiest system to use.

I have driven several cars recently - BMW without iDrive (loaners) and other cars, and I always miss my iDrive.
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      12-21-2007, 06:23 AM   #7
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I agree with everyone's thoughts. I-drive is very easy to learn and very intuitive and I doubt I'd get another Bimmer without it...
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      12-21-2007, 06:30 AM   #8
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It takes about half an hour to learn if you have half a brain. I like it because there's not buttons all over the console and around the screen so it is a much cleaner look than in most cars.
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      12-21-2007, 06:32 AM   #9
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Menu structure is deep and can be confusing, partly because of the number of menus and what it can do - music, navigation, bluetooth (phone book), climate control, car settings, trip computer, and a lot more. All through one interface, and one menu system. It is all integrated. The magazines started complaining about it when it was new, not as good as it is now, and slowwwweerrrr. Since then, they have never taken the time to learn it. With the amount that it does, it will take a learning curve.

I was not sure I wanted it - expensive, "hard to learn", and bad press. We are very glad we got it. Wouldn't get another BMW without it.
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      12-21-2007, 08:18 AM   #10
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I disagree. It is awful and if you dig deep you will find that I was a fierce advocate for it when we first got our E90.

Since then I have been in many other cars with similar interfaces. iDrive is truly the worst. Even the Nav on our family's '03 S Class is better. So are systems on 'lesser' vehicles like the 07 Camry and a buddies Buick Ranier SUV. There's now no excuse.

Recently I timed a few voice commands. The command 'Sat Channel One Hundred Twenty Four' took 16 seconds from the moment I started talking to the moment I heard 124. Way to long especially if you are listening to music. Other commands take just as long leaving you with long periods of silence - and that is assuming that it recognises you command the first time.

It's clunky, illogical and a PITA to program any destination in the Nav.

And before you bitch at me, I have two engineering degrees, currently work in IT and have owned the car two years - long enough to get to know iDrive.

When EVERY review of the system is negative, (find a positive one that wasn't written by JSpira) you have to give up the fanboyism - hard though that is, and succumb to the realization that they are right. It stinks as an interface.

PS, try that new Ford system. It is as good as it appears in the commercials.

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      12-21-2007, 08:36 AM   #11
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I disagree with people who thinks that the Idrive is Awful and etc.!

Tell me which car have a sophisticated and intelligent computersystem like the bmw Idrive and have responstime of 200 m/s! And SteveMD i dont believe you, because your Idrive must been broken or you can not use it! when you tell the Idrive a command it actually adapt the word 12000 times in a second!
No ferrari, lamborgihni and other hot and expensive cars have such a sophisticated system! If you are fast enough and say 12000 voice commands i a second the car actually will be able to respond your voice commands!
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      12-21-2007, 08:47 AM   #12
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Those that talk bad about the NAv is because they can't afford it!
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      12-21-2007, 09:01 AM   #13
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it drove me crazy at first cos i couldn't find anything...took me a week for fully figure out although i never gave it more than 10mins at a time. i am used to it now and its not so bad. as some other said, it has a steep learning curve but rewards the patient with advanced features...
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      12-21-2007, 09:08 AM   #14
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I have ai dirve an dlike the flexibility and options it give.

My Hangup is that for whatever reason, the software hangs on you from time to time. - ne regularity, but it occurs every 3-4 months or so and I can;t listen to the radio, use nav, or get past the first screen.

Damn computers...
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      12-21-2007, 09:43 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by exo-ak-dk View Post
I disagree with people who thinks that the Idrive is Awful and etc.!

Tell me which car have a sophisticated and intelligent computersystem like the bmw Idrive and have responstime of 200 m/s! And SteveMD i dont believe you, because your Idrive must been broken or you can not use it! when you tell the Idrive a command it actually adapt the word 12000 times in a second!
No ferrari, lamborgihni and other hot and expensive cars have such a sophisticated system! If you are fast enough and say 12000 voice commands i a second the car actually will be able to respond your voice commands!

Yes. mine is broken and I do not know how to use it.

You are telling me that the iDrive could respond to 12000 voice commands in a second? I just demonstrated how it took 16 seconds to simply change the sat radio channel.

That Danish crack must be pretty good dude. Send some over.
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      12-21-2007, 09:44 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by parachute View Post
Those that talk bad about the NAv is because they can't afford it!
Clearly not the case here. Just being honest.
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      12-21-2007, 09:55 AM   #17
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It isn't reliable. When they get the electronics working properly, we can discuss other issues like the below-average user interface, etc.
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      12-21-2007, 10:06 AM   #18
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Quote:
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can't live without iDrive
My family absolutely love it. My wife even said that iDrive will be a must on our future Bimmers.
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      12-21-2007, 10:10 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sinnet112 View Post
The newest Progman got rid of much of the sluggishness, but it may be too little too late for the reviewers to change their minds. I personally like it a lot, and can live with its slowness at times.
+1

Agreed, progman updates helped a ton. Apart from the Nav I enjoy being able to visually and easily access all the different settings.
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      12-21-2007, 10:19 AM   #20
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Horn tooting around here are we? My dad, and 3 best friends are all engineers at ford here in the good ole motor city with advanced degrees. Have used fords and my idrive. Both different, but liked mine just the same. I have a 2008 not that that should matter. Very easy to use, very precise. I love it!
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      12-21-2007, 10:20 AM   #21
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I have the I-drive in my 335 and a Garmin Nuvi 660 in my e46 330. The
Garmin is by far, the better of the two systems. Try doing a POI search
with the I-drive...it takes much longer. Try finding Pep Boys or Autozone...
I couldn't. If BMW could only fix the POI search by just spelling out the
name and not catagorizing it, it would work much better. The I-drive's
other functions other than the nav, works okay.
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      12-21-2007, 10:24 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveMD View Post
Even the Nav on our family's '03 S Class is better.
Is this a joke?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveMD View Post
So are systems on 'lesser' vehicles like the 07 Camry and a buddies Buick Ranier SUV. There's now no excuse.
This clearly must be a joke.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveMD View Post
I have two engineering degrees, currently work in IT and have owned the car two years - long enough to get to know iDrive.
Ok, now I'm actually puzzled. You have two engineering degrees and you think the '03 COMAND system is better designed than the current generation iDrive?

You didn't have a hand in designing Windows Vista, did you?:
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