CREATE A MIGHTY OPERATING SYSTEM
STEP 3 ‘WE HAVE A LONG HERITAGE OF PERFECTING iDRIVE’
Don’t fret. BMW isn’t killing off its rotary controller yet. Unlike so many other car makers, Munich knows a physical controller is still king. With this new iDrive OS 8.0 it’s what’s at your fingertips that’s evolved.
‘We have a long heritage of perfecting iDrive,’ says Frank Weber, BMW’s head of development. ‘It’s a perfect interaction between the driver remaining focused on what the vehicle is doing, but at the same time being able to interact with the car’s systems. Having a powerful system with quick responses is an enabler to this interaction.’
Weber isn’t kidding about the power. With five central computers, standard 5G and gigabit ethernet technology tying the whole lot together, BMW says the iX SUV – the first car on sale with iDrive 8.0 – can transmit all the data stored on a DVD in a single second. ‘To put that into context, we have the ability to send data back and forth 20 to 30 times faster than previous iDrive generations,’ says Weber.
For the iX, this new system is set into the brand’s new curved display – a 12.3-inch screen for the driver’s instruments that sweeps into a 14.9-inch central display. These large screens clear clutter from the dashboard, taking on functionality like ventilation control. BMW’s research suggests occupants adjust the climate so infrequently that it can remove dedicated controls. While you can modify these settings via the screen, BMW also points out that iDrive 8.0 will automate much of the climate control. If it’s cold, for example, the seat, steering and heating will turn on automatically.
iDrive is also getting more personal. The voice assistant has been upgraded, you can name it, and it is able to distinguish who’s making requests of it, and from which seat, enabling it to respond more accurately. Gesture control, meanwhile – a gimmick of iDrive 7.0 – has taken a back seat, with
Weber saying it’s ‘not a primary way’ of controlling the car. You’ll still be able to twiddle your fingers to adjust volume or answer a call, but BMW is focused on voice control.
‘More speech and more touch, but there are still a lot of people who like physical controls,’ says
Weber. ‘In China the preference is voice. In Europe it’s a balance of physical controls, touch and speech. The US is somewhere in between.’
The transition to electrification and the prevalence of smartphones has influenced iDrive 8.0’s development. Your BMW ID, linked to your phone, will unlock the car when you get within 1.5 metres of it, and set the car up to your liking. Drive modes have evolved, with Ecient, Sport and Personal replacing EcoPro, Comfort and Sport. And all of this can evolve. Given the huge computing power at each new BMW’s disposal and 5G connectivity, over-the-air updates will keep existing cars as fresh as the new ones rolling off the factory lines.