If BMW sells a 500 series without "iDrive", I have probably bought one. (Because MB's E-series has horrible-style Garfield-looking headlights.)

If drinking water involves opening a can, would you buy that brand?

So....if changing a radio channel involves 5,6,7 steps of turning and clicking, why would a sane person buy that car?

I am already very pissed when I could not find fan speed control switch on LS430. You can imagine how iDrive would drive me nuts.

 

I sat in a Bimmer 7 series with the I Drive, and even thou I understand tech and use computers everyday and built my own last summer. The I Drive system is annoying at best, IMHO tech has gotten out of hand, whether the motive of the manufatuer is to make life easier for the driver (I doub"t tjhos assuimption,) but just to justify higher prices is the real question? Thi9s statement is not just about I Drive, but all of these self governing systems that are popping up on cars these days.

I do think the active cruise control on the New S Class is quite slick, however, I can see faults with a system that stops a car if IT feels like you might be in an accident

 

Excerpts from that article about the new guy heading M-B:

 

600 extra functions? I don't even use all the features on my cell phone. A Bimmer driver after getting used to HIS car would probably forget how to adjust the seat in a Chevy.

 

That's 600 across the entire fleet of M-B vehicles.

I think it was the same article that said the manufacturing and customer options for each platform were so numerous that they confused the factory workers. It's no wonder why the cars don't work like they used to. The workers in the factories don't know what they're doing.

The world can use a slightly dumbed-down, bullet-proof M-B again.

 

My bad. I thought you were talking about the new BMW's. My '01 seems easy enough to understand. I guess MB is always trying to one-up Infinity and Lexus. Those companies are famous for copying other company's designs and features. Too many features and automated systems are moving us away from the shear pleasure of operating our vehicals.

 

My point was that M-Bs are just as complicated as BMWs, maybe more.

 

all i can say was that bmw was designed by british and they always do funny designs. this is only from my technical point of view.

it's about 700 functions.

The iDrive concept is divided into two sections:
• The "Driving Area" (steering wheel and immediately adjacent
controls operated by driver only); all driver-operated functions
are concentrated in the area immediately within the driver's
reach.
• The "Comfort Area" (in the middle of the dashboard) which
gives both the driver and front passenger easy access to all
convenience functions.

Advantages of iDrive:
• Reducing the number of switches and controls creates an
uncluttered driver environment.
• Operation of controls is simple and logical.
• Apart from the instrument cluster, there is only one other
display, the control display. Instead of a multiplicity of
individual displays it provides a better, simpler and quicker
means of indicating a whole range of different information.
• The excellent ergonomics and intuitive controls mean that the
driver is far less likely to be distracted from what is happening
on the road.

 

BMW was designed by the British?

 

not all.

most of the people on their drawing board are british. you will notice it in many ways. my trainors are always british. managers mostly british. languages used are british english. they adapt many british designs which i commonly find on jaguar and rover.

just last week i got an XJ8l fault code which says "flight data recorder stored" i feel i was checking the boeing cockpit system.

it is still the remnant of east and west germany polital differences.