Goodbye, buttons – BMW’s new panoramic iDrive system gives all its cars a huge head-up display with AI assistant
- The new iDrive system will be seen for the first time in the Neue Klasse X electric SUV
- A full-width head-up display extends from pillar to pillar
- A new, more powerful operating system X supports the technology
BMW has revealed what the infotainment offering will look like in its upcoming Neue Klasse range of electric vehicles at this year’s CES 2025 show. Look away now if you don’t like screens.
The infotainment offering, called BMW Panoramic iDrive, consists of an innovative head-up display (HUD) that spans the entire width of the windscreen and beams information onto a black printed surface in the lower part of the glass.
According to BMW, this does not require a special windscreen, which keeps repair costs low. But most windshields that are compatible with HUDs have a special coating to improve visibility, and these are generally more expensive to replace anyway.
The content displayed in the so-called BMW Panoramic Vision is highly customizable and drivers can personalize the space to display content and information that is most important to them, with the car remembering the settings for individual users. A 3D effect ensures that the graphics stand out for both driver and passengers.
In addition, there is a 3D head-up display that sits directly in the driver’s line of sight, providing even more content and information that BMW says complements the full-width panoramic vision module nicely.
For example, the Panoramic Vision will display details of the current driver assistance systems that are active, while the 3D HUD will provide turn-by-turn directions when navigation is activated.
The German brand has also introduced a new central touchscreen display that is angled towards the driver. The display should make it easier to reach and operate for those in control, and runs BMW’s latest OS X operating system developed in-house for a slicker, more intuitive user experience.
@techradar
♬ original sound – Ny Breaking
It’s based on an Android Open Source Project software stack and offers plenty of customization options, allowing you to drag, drop and pin your favorite applications, and upload personal photos as desktop-style wallpapers.
Despite the current clamor from many modern car owners for easier-to-place physical buttons, BMW has pretty much done away with them all, instead entrusting much of the functionality to the central touchscreen and multifunction steering wheel, complete with haptic buttons. , surface-mounted buttons.
BMW says it’s all part of its new “shy-tech approach,” which uses artificial intelligence and the use of large language models developed with Amazon to encourage drivers to use voice commands instead.
According to the brand, in the early stages, users will be able to use more natural language to navigate to a destination, but higher levels of functionality will come later via over-the-air updates.
The introduction of OS Should the driver choose to ignore these suggestions, the system quickly learns not to intervene.
Analysis: Banning buttons can backfire
Controversially, BMW has said that this panoramic iDrive system will eventually appear on all its future vehicles, essentially freeing everything from traditional instrument panels and physical buttons. This is especially relevant for a brand that once marketed itself as ‘The Ultimate Diving Machine’.
Soon, BMW owners will be confronted with a huge amount of information on every journey, some of which will be at the furthest reaches of the windshield, rather than directly in the driver’s eyeline.
Only time will tell if the panoramic iDrive system is easy to navigate and intuitive to use behind the wheel, but we already know that several manufacturers have faced a backlash for entrusting so much key functionality to hard-to-find digital menus or haptic feedback buttons that change their functionality depending on modes or settings.
This makes it nearly impossible to acquire the muscle memory needed to perform simple tasks like defrosting the windshield with one touch or locating the radio volume without delving into countless menus.
Volkswagen, for example, had to go back to the drawing board with its infotainment offering in the ID lineup of electric vehicles because so many users and reviewers complained that the sparse interior made key functionality nearly impossible to locate while driving… or in the dark.
However, BMW already foresees a time when its autonomous driving systems will do most of the heavy lifting and the panoramic iDrive system will essentially become a way for the driver to easily monitor the situation while enjoying hands-off/eyes -off travel.