The major overhaul of the current seventh generation BMW operating system is barely six months old, and the next evolution is already being presented in Munich. And the BMW iDrive 8 can do a lot more than just integrate a beautiful curved display into the interior.
Above all, it is the function-on-request that surprises at first glance. At BMW, it has been recognized that the multitude of variants due to the countless options in the price list is an expensive logistical effort in production. In the future, you will therefore send every car fully equipped to the customer and the customer can then activate his options if desired.
It is up to him whether it is always the same or only periodically, for example for a vacation trip. Matrix LED light is always on board, but if you don’t pay the extra subscription, you can drive with static headlights. The same applies to the high beam assistant, assistance systems or seat heating.
Switchless integration enables extras on subscription
This function is made possible by the more seamless integration of the buttons with BMW iDrive 8. The climate control, for example, also moves to the screen – it is not noticeable if the seat heating function is available or not. But the new operating system has other advantages that go beyond generating new sales.
Above all, it’s nicer and faster. The instrument panel now measures 12.3 inches diagonally and the directly docked control display even measures 14.9 inches. Both are arranged in a beautiful curve and carry the typical BMW driver orientation of the cockpit into a digital age. Nevertheless, the front passenger should still be able to operate the center display easily by touch.
The iDrive controller is retained
In general, BMW remains rather conservative with the possibilities. Because the once reviled and now beloved turn-push control in the center console is also retained in the BMW iDrive 8. There is this haptic input option, the touch control, but also the operation by gesture or voice. Of course, everything is even more fluid and faster than in the old generations.
What is exciting, however, is a new approach to information processing. BMW calls it the “Act, Locate and Inform” principle. For example, on the head-up display, a specific instruction with a recommended lane and distance to the maneuver is shown as an “act”. A detailed map section is shown as “Locate” in the instrument panel. The central display then shows a large-scale overview of the map as “Inform”. You want to eliminate duplications in the flow of information and inform the driver as best as possible and still only with minimal distraction.
The interior design extends into the display graphics
The fact that the BMW iDrive 8 moves into the interior with an even higher resolution and behind anti-reflective glass is just one of the advantages in terms of design. Perhaps the biggest plus is that the graphics and layout take up the interior design, as you could already see in the first pictures of the BMW iX (vehicle not yet for sale, homologation pending²). In addition to the BMW i4 (vehicle not yet for sale, homologation pending²), it will also be the first series BMW in which the new OS 8 can be tried out. (Text: fm, tv | Images: manufacturer)