It has been nearly a week since BMW took the wraps off the all new 3 Series sedan. I’ve read complaints ranging from the exterior is bland to the interior is too busy. I have yet to be confronted with the issue that iDrive will be standard. Where are all those that gap their own spark plugs and rock out to 8 tracks? Seriously, less than 5 years ago I recall many complaining about how BMW will be ruined if they make iDrive standard as nobody wants that screen and system in their car, a car is for driving and all those electronics are just distracting.
Looks like those detractors were wrong, and I for one am glad that iDrive is standard. Sure it adds complexity to the car, and additional cost but the fact is we live in a society that is more connected and demanding connectivity than even a few years ago. Is it necessary to have a large screen in the car? No probably not, but the easier to use interface with limited options means that driver who is going to make a call is not trying to fiddle with things on a phone while driving.
The recent BlackBerry outage produced one interesting fact to me. While service was disrupted the amount of minor traffic accidents (Read: Rear endings) decreased immensely; coincidence I think not. So to have standard bluetooth and a larger screen is a huge benefit, it also makes accessing infotainment easier. The easier and less distracting the better.
I’d love to see more connectivity options as standard- make BMW Apps included, this would decrease the need for some people to post to Facebook while driving. They are going to do it so why not make it safer/easier than using a phone? I may be in the minority here but I am all for technology as long as the technology doesn’t impede on my ability to drive how I want to.
The screen really looks at hone on the dash now, I can’t picture a car without it.
Author: Michael
Source: http://www.bimmerfile.com/2011/10/20/op ... rd-idrive/