BMW debuts new Panoramic iDrive at CES
An interior a lot like this is coming from the end of 2025 - here's the need-to-know
Believe it or not, BMW’s iDrive infotainment system has been with us for almost a quarter of a century now, having first appeared in the 2001 E65 7 Series. Criticised when new (along with a lot of that car), iDrive has become one of the best such systems around, incorporating mandatory tech with good usability and a very easy-on-the-eye interface. Now it looks set to undergo its most significant transformation in well, a couple of years probably - or a lifetime in tech terms - since the Curved Display was introduced: say hello to BMW Panoramic iDrive.
Revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Panoramic iDrive is what we can expect to find in the Neue Klasse cars, then the rest of the BMW lineup, from the end of this year. The system at the show is said to be close to full production, and promises to bring unprecedented levels of personalisation and intelligence to the in-car experience.
The new look is underpinned by BMW Operating System X (for some idea of how fast things are moving, 8 came in with the iX, the 8.5 and 9 have arrived since), which is an in-house OS using an Android software stack. The big advantage to this technology, says BMW, is the ability to be both backwards compatible (i.e. work with existing models) and offer greater upgradeability than before; apparently Panoramic iDrive ‘will keep vehicles at the cutting edge of technology over a long period of time’. A lot of it sounds very clever already, with the ability to upload your own images for background displays and a personal assistant that can now do things such as suggest the Sport Mode on suitable roads if not already selected. But then also learn if you ignore the prompts, don’t take the car up on its suggestion - or shout something rude at it - it will not suggest the mode change again.
The driver’s perspective of Panoramic iDrive consists of four elements: BMW Panoramic Vision, the multi-function steering wheel, the central display and an optional 3D head-up display. The pano display is probably the biggest change, a black surface that can show information from A-pillar to A-pillar. The important stuff for the driver will be above the steering wheel, and the entire interface is customisable, with the ability to bring icons closer or further away. On top of that, BMW says the interaction between Panoramic Vision and the 3D Head-Up display (expect that bundled into a pricey tech package soon) is ‘presented in a neatly coordinated way’. The new HUD offers integrated nav and automated driving information in one display. Indeed sat nav looks set never to be the same again, with information in the centre, between the pillars and on the HUD.
The main central screen will probably look most familiar to existing iDrive users, with familiar menu structure and icons. Widgets from the screen can be moved from the dash to the panoramic display and the steering wheel. The latter also looks pretty much production-ready with indicator stalks and recognisable buttons, and it uses haptic feedback as well as ‘well-judged, relief-like surfaces’ to make the required function easy to find on the move. Similarly to current BMWs, the buttons on the left-hand side of the wheel control assistance, those on the right deal with content. ‘Hands on the wheel, eyes on the road’, is BMW’s approach, so let’s see how that pans out in reality.
And if it doesn’t, then you have fellow BMW drivers to blame. As well as looking at the data from 22 million connected BMW vehicles, usability labs involving 3,000 customers were used to help develop Panoramic iDrive. ‘Every decision on the various aspects of the operating logic is therefore based on data and made in a structured manner.’ So, in theory, the swap from, say, i4 to Neue Klasse saloon should feel like the most natural thing in the world from an infotainment perspective. Not long until we find out.
A final thing to mention about Panoramic iDrive is the sound; not in terms of a fancy stereo, rather what the driver hears when driving an electric car. The big news not so long ago was a Hans Zimmer soundtrack for various BMW i cars, and now there’s something called the ‘HypersonX sound experience’. An in-house creation from the BMW Group Sound Design Studio, HypersonX features a ‘multi-dimensional spectrum’ that ‘adapts the sounds precisely to the driving situation at hand and, in so doing, creates an emotional interaction between the driver and their BMW.’ So expect quite a big difference between Personal mode and Sport, for example. Given how prominent the Zimmer sounds have been in i5s, i7s and the like, too, HypersonX surely won’t go unnoticed. Wouldn’t be a proper BMW without a memorable soundtrack…
A lot to pack in, then, clearly the most significant update for iDrive in a long time. And fitting for cars that promise as much as the Neue Klasses. “The overall concept of the new BMW Panoramic iDrive with Operating System X has been enabled by a large technological leap forward”, said Stephan Durach, Senior VP of BMW Group Connected Company. “It offers intuitive operation, emotionally engaging experiences and specific personalisation. The new BMW iDrive with Operating System X demonstrates the potential of a software-defined vehicle.” This is the long-term future of BMW cabins, basically, coming this year and with more apps than ever. So best start getting used to it…
tIt also seems a certainty that they're removing the rotary controller... which I think would be a deal breaker for me as every car I've driven with touchscreen-only infotainment has ended up driving me mad.
Very few new cars have these now.
I'm on my 2nd new car without them and TBH - screen controls work fine
No, they don't...and anyone that says they don't cause at least some distraction is, and I'm putting this diplomatically, wrong. We have both touch screen controls and physical buttons / dials in the Defender and the former will only ever get used by the passenger or when stationary because using a touchscreen on the move is very obviously dangerous.
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