So how did we get here? Well, let’s take a look back at the history of iDrive - which was in some ways revolutionary - to see how this all came about. While iDrive has always been a contentious bit of tech, the move towards touchscreens feels disappointing, especially if you’re used to both methods of control.

The new X1 doesn’t have an iDrive knob at all, and BMW’s current iDrive 8 is set up more for touchscreen use than remote use. Translated into normal-person speak, BMW sees the iDrive rotary controller as legacy tech. The BMW Curved Display’s touchscreen functionality and dialogue using natural language represent the contemporary form of interaction between human and car. Swiping, tapping and speaking are the most common methods of interaction. Scrolling and clicking on a desktop became turning, pushing and pressing in a car – intuitively and with minimal distraction from the road ahead.Īfter about 20 years, the digital user experience is dominated by touchpads, touch-sensitive smartphone displays and voice assistants. The BMW iDrive Controller therefore acquired the status of universal control device as we knew it from a computer mouse. When the BMW iDrive system was first launched in 2001 with the new BMW 7 Series, its main purpose was to use one display and one interactive element for as many functions as possible in order to cut down on the number of buttons, controls and displays. However, buried deep in the press release are two paragraphs that suggest BMW is philosophically moving away from a part of its iDrive infotainment system that dates back to the Chris Bangle days – the rotary control knob. BMW hasn’t gone into much detail about these two next-generation operating systems, but they’ll arrive as soon as this year and feature the promises every manufacturer makes about improved connectivity and flat interface design.

It seems like only yesterday that BMW launched iDrive 8, but iDrive 8.5 and 9 are already on their way.

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