[Randyg]

I bought a 2022 VW Golf R sight unseen. The tech was awful! Glitches all the time, tiny screens, and impossible (almost dangerous) to adjust anything while driving. I sold it.

I'm very happy with the 2023 G20 idrive 8. It is a HUGE improvement over the VW! I've owned several BMW's over the years and the LCI version is super easy to adapt to - even for a 65 year-old senior like me!

[chrish_22]

Originally Posted by g21

I struggle to touch anything accurately while driving and looking at the road.

No way I will be better at giant touch screen vs buttons.

But I'm am old man, I prefer mouse and keyboard, read books and don't own a Kindle, have a wife and don't use tinder.

Haha, I struggle with it as well, but I do agree and wish they had some more buttons for more important/heavily used features.

[Aleq]

Is there any way (customizable button or something) to quickly change Air Circulation mode? There's dedicated button for it on my E90, G20 pre-LCI had one under the vents (to my best knowledge), but LCI? Is it buried down in the touch screen menu only?
Thx

[darthry]

Originally Posted by Aleq

Is there any way (customizable button or something) to quickly change Air Circulation mode? There's dedicated button for it on my E90, G20 pre-LCI had one under the vents (to my best knowledge), but LCI? Is it buried down in the touch screen menu only?
Thx

Probably setting a short cut for fresh air and/or air circulation? Sadly, I think if you wanted both, you’d need to occupy two short cut options.

[Aleq]

Many thanks for quick answer. So shortcuts are possible (although "expensive").
And a shortcut - is that something like a two taps on a touch screen?
That's still way worse than any button which could have been pressed without looking, just by touching a memorized spot.

It used to be so nice to have it just at a figner-tip

[zlatko]

Aleq - yes, it is way worse than what it used to be, but beware saying it out loud as there are certain members of this community that get personally offended and very agitated if you prefer physical buttons ease and safety of use to touch screen bloat
The eight touch sensitive physical buttons were the best interface feature for easy access to favorite functions&actions I have ever seen implemented in a car! Period!
iDrive 8 and its touch controls are one step ahead and four steps behind iDrive7 with touch+physical buttons!!!

[G22b58]

Originally Posted by darthry

Probably setting a short cut for fresh air and/or air circulation? Sadly, I think if you wanted both, you’d need to occupy two short cut options.

With iDrive 7, clicking the physical button "Option" brings up "Screen Off" alternative so perhaps you can regain one shortcut if iDrive 8 also has that.

[BMWBruce]

I agree, this is probably the way of the future, and we aren't going back but it is weird to me that you can't drive and talk on your phone without a hands-free device in some places, but it's required to scroll through an ipad in new cars hahaha.

[cyam]

I have had both for extended period.
When its time for me to buy my next car the question for me is not LCI or Pre-LCI. It's BMW (LCI_) or another brand.

Personally the biggest issue I have with the LCI dashboard is how cheap it looks. Just this pathetic kid-like screen graphics with this stuck on screen - its not a fantastic, cockpit, sports-car style dashboard.

Porsche know how to do a dashboard. this direction BMW have gone with the "stuck on screen" look and cheap looking graphics, is just such a big turnoff to me.

I will likely just go back to a Porsche - and the dashboard is big reason for it. It's the thing you look and use the most and it is so, so disappointing to me.

At least the pre-LCI was more of a dashboard, the LCI was an improvement in many ways, but that stuck on screen and cheap looking graphics made me glad to get rid of the LCI I had.