[ramparts]

Originally Posted by london_v

Congrats dude, wishing you many happy miles in it! Would be keen to hear your thoughts vs the X3 once you've had time to review.

Sure thing, will pop back

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Just concerned that there is so much info on those screens and whether it would be a hell of a distraction.

However I know that it is all personal butI quite like a minimised look. I have the centre console set to the reduced info setting (easy to bring up other info when needed) and hardly ever look at the iDrive screen.

[bmnut]

Originally Posted by Charlie (Wessex)

Just concerned that there is so much info on those screens and whether it would be a hell of a distraction.

However I know that it is all personal butI quite like a minimised look. I have the centre console set to the reduced info setting (easy to bring up other info when needed) and hardly ever look at the iDrive screen.

Agree with you Charlie on that one, sometimes it can be information overload and as you say a distraction.

I rarely look at the idrive screen myself unless for something specific most of the time it seems to be there for passenger amusement as much as anything! If the missus is in the car with me she usually puts it on 'energy flow' which I've got on a hot key and now she's found out which one it is regularly changes it to that, it seems to keep her amused watching the schematic changing all the time!

For me when driving I mostly just look at and through the HUD, the most important thing for me is keeping an eye on the speed limit since this thing is so bloody quick and responsive!

Although as has been mentioned before I wish the camera wasn't so distracted by side road speed limits and other numbers it sees and displays the wrong limit for the road you're travelling on at the time.

[PaulJoseph22]

Originally Posted by davidoff86

Touch screens are back atm.

i wouldn't care too much about idrive 8, unless you LOVE android. they've removed all the physical buttons and menus, and now it's just a huge list of apps.

And the hardware itself looks "tacked on". much prefer the current cockpit myself, which is why i'm happy to get a week 1 2022 build

That’s a no no for me. I prefer physical buttons and that just looks like a copy from the Mercedes CLA.

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by PaulJoseph22

That’s a no no for me. I prefer physical buttons and that just looks like a copy from the Mercedes CLA.

iDrive 8 definitely a step back. Trying to emulate Tesla's big screen. And that's crap; dangerous trying to ferret around changing settings in there. Knobs and buttons much easier. And safer. e.g. adjusting wiper settings on the screen?! Bad idea. And temp too. Easier to do with a button you can feel (and you don't need to look at it).

[Charlie (Wessex)]

It's very easy for us with i7 to say that i8 is a step back, but I do think - trying to be objective - that it isn't something I'm overly jealous/envious of (as that is what it oft boils down to when a new model comes out). While touch screen & voice seem to be the way things are going, I think most agree that things such as heating are far far better the old fashioned way.

Touch is distracting and voice is unreliable (and thus annoying). As it is with i7, I often find myself having used the touch screen and realise that I haven't paid the slightest attention to the road, and frankly it is quite concerning. Goodness knows what i8 would be like!!!? I look at the other cars here...the wife's Scooby Outback doesn't have too much ICE to distract. My Amarok has pretty much nothing and the 2014 Polo I got my daughter is bog standard. Being wholly honest, all 3 are absolutely fine and when I drive them, I don't think "gosh, I wish I had more screens".

[bmnut]

Originally Posted by Charlie (Wessex)

It's very easy for us with i7 to say that i8 is a step back, but I do think - trying to be objective - that it isn't something I'm overly jealous/envious of (as that is what it oft boils down to when a new model comes out). While touch screen & voice seem to be the way things are going, I think most agree that things such as heating are far far better the old fashioned way.

Touch is distracting and voice is unreliable (and thus annoying). As it is with i7, I often find myself having used the touch screen and realise that I haven't paid the slightest attention to the road, and frankly it is quite concerning. Goodness knows what i8 would be like!!!? I look at the other cars here...the wife's Scooby Outback doesn't have too much ICE to distract. My Amarok has pretty much nothing and the 2014 Polo I got my daughter is bog standard. Being wholly honest, all 3 are absolutely fine and when I drive them, I don't think "gosh, I wish I had more screens".

Brings back fond memories that Charlie and I agree with all you’ve said there being in my sixties!
Remember fitting Clarion stereos and electric window kits to my E30s!

[ramparts]

Originally Posted by G82Dude

iDrive 8 definitely a step back. Trying to emulate Tesla's big screen. And that's crap; dangerous trying to ferret around changing settings in there. Knobs and buttons much easier. And safer. e.g. adjusting wiper settings on the screen?! Bad idea. And temp too. Easier to do with a button you can feel (and you don't need to look at it).

Hold up, the windscreen wiper settings are in the screen now?! That's just silly and surely more dangerous if you need to adjust them quickly for visibility reasons

[4monks]

Originally Posted by davidoff86

Hold up, the windscreen wiper settings are in the screen now?! That's just silly and surely more dangerous if you need to adjust them quickly for visibility reasons

Looks like normal stalk controls.

[ramparts]

Good! Although less buttons than normal ?

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Originally Posted by bmnut

Brings back fond memories that Charlie and I agree with all you’ve said there being in my sixties!
Remember fitting Clarion stereos and electric window kits to my E30s!

Ha! While I am just into my 50s, I had a Clarion AMP for my E36, and boom box in the boot. Can't recall the radio, as it kept on being nicked!

Those were the good old days when BMW didn't supply you with a radio as standard, and the paper cone speakers were embarrassingly bad.

But I'm easy to please. I buy used cars and take what they come with. I rarely pay any attention to what options a car has as I'm not really that bothered by them. I'm far more interested in engine, chassis and how practical it is. So maybe I'm not really the best person to comment on i7 vs i8!

[4monks]

Originally Posted by davidoff86

Good! Although less buttons than normal ?

I believe it's the same.

[paulockenden]

It's thinks like the climate controls, the demister, the 1-8 buttons that are gone.

BTW, in the video above, am I the only person to notice the stuff going on in the background, outside of the car, at around the 6:10 mark? Seems quite animated!

[4monks]

Sorry thought you meant buttons on the stalk; yes - climate and memory buttons missing. The temperature +/- is always on the screen but to change fan speed etc, it's click / swipe up to get to it.. not good.

[beerglass007]

Originally Posted by PaulJoseph22

That’s a no no for me. I prefer physical buttons and that just looks like a copy from the Mercedes CLA.

That is awful

I like tech but that looks like a cheap amazon kindle fire stuck on the dash board

At least make it look good BMW. The problem BMW will have is the making a good UI design, its not easy and unless they have very good software engineers it will be awful. Currently these people and skills are in high demand and short supply

[willougs]

Originally Posted by beerglass007

... unless they have very good software engineers it will be awful.

you've used iDrive 7 yeah? Lost count of the number of times I've needed to reboot for various reasons.

[225]

I'm sure it's fine when driving but the dash does look like a retro fit screen now.

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by davidoff86

Hold up, the windscreen wiper settings are in the screen now?! That's just silly and surely more dangerous if you need to adjust them quickly for visibility reasons

...on a Tesla!!

[beerglass007]

I heard the next version will be touch screen only with the tongue so you can keep both hands on the wheel

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Originally Posted by willougs

you've used iDrive 7 yeah? Lost count of the number of times I've needed to reboot for various reasons.

I've never had to reboot iD7. Why have you had to? What issues have you had?

[willougs]

Originally Posted by Charlie (Wessex)

I've never had to reboot iD7. Why have you had to? What issues have you had?

Apps missing, sat nav update hung, screen blanking out whilst driving, specific settings going missing… are the few I can remember.

You only have to read threads on here to see how often people suggest a reboot in order to resolve various issues.

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by beerglass007

I heard the next version will be touch screen only with the tongue so you can keep both hands on the wheel