Next-gen iDrive revealed

BMW has reached the latest stage of development with its iDrive system. A new home screen with clearly arranged functions offers greater ease of use on the BMW Curved Display. The system’s QuickSelect concept additionally brings an improved menu structure that takes its cues from consumer electronics devices. The new iDrive plays a unique role in delivering a focused, assured driving experience by showing the right information in the right place. The new iDrive system will be gradually introduced in current models over the course of 2023.

With its new graphical interface and optimised menu structure, iDrive will in future focus even more squarely on interaction by using the touchscreen and natural language. The BMW Curved Display will continue to serve as the point of interaction for the multi-sensory iDrive experience. The next-generation iDrive turns the home screen on the Curved Display into a permanently viewable user interface. Other individually configurable graphics can also be displayed here at all times as an alternative to the navigation system’s map view. The new zero-layer principle means that all relevant functions and information are shown on a single level, making it possible to select a desired function without having to enter a submenu first.

Instead, live widgets appear in a vertical arrangement on the driver’s side of the user interface. These function icons can be selected with a swipe of the finger and also configured individually. The QuickSelect functionality makes it possible to directly select entertainment programmes, contact lists and vehicle settings, start interaction with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant or activate other menu options, all by touch. And once the relevant settings have been chosen, a quick tap on the home icon at the lower edge of the display is all it takes to return to the home screen.