It's commonly accepted that BMW's iDrive was a disaster when initially launched a few years ago. I didn't conduct a thorough research of Web archives to find out whether or not any automotive journalist actually had anything positive to say about it-too late to look for any allies at this point-but I'm fairly certain that it's safe to state that few if any made a note to themselves to start saving for a new BMW with the revolutionary, if you will, electronics control system. No point in burying the lead: Yes, I liked the iDrive.
Why the controversy? When BMW introduced the system in their 7-series in 2001, it was universally damned for being complicated in its simplicity and therefore pretty much useless. You may have noticed Derek Lee's rant in last month's "Troubleshooting." I doubt that the simpler version of the iDrive now found on the 5- and 3-Series would convince Derek that it's any improvement. I can understand the frustration some people might feel. But ease of use on any product is to a fairly large degree a subjective matter. It may sound odd to say that an aesthetic sense is tied to how a system works (or how we interface with it), and not just the way it looks, but I think that's always at play.
Having said that, I don't mean to discount an "objective" side to judging a given product. In this instance we can point to BMW's radical approach: A single knob and a monitor for controlling everything is an extreme solution for dealing with the increasing number of functions a new vehicle's electronics system offers. Objectively, that doesn't seem to be the best way to make things easier and more convenient. Some might think that it's a case of BMW out-thinking itself. I disagree. After spending a little time getting used to the system, I had a more favorable opinion of it than, say, the setup in the Cadillac CTS with its more pedestrian layout of buttons (practically one for every function) to the left and right of the in-dash monitor. For starters, I love where BMW has placed the single control knob, on the center console, more or less in a spot where your right hand will very naturally rest. The knob itself functions like a computer mouse: push down on it to make it "click" and shift it up, down, left and right to "point." Your choices are Climate, Communication, Entertainment and Navigation. These are easily viewed on the in-dash monitor that is of a sufficient height for relatively safe viewing while driving and recessed enough so that bright daylight won't wash out the colors on the screen.
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