BMW unveils the next-generation iDrive, and it’s wild

The next generation of BMW electric vehicles will offer one of the biggest changes in infotainment systems we’ve seen to date. The new iDrive system features what BMW calls it’s operating system X (or OSX), but this is far more than a software update.

The iDrive OSX comprises four main parts, including new steering wheel controls, an unusually shaped central screen, a 3D head-up display and the star of the show, the panoramic vision. This is a screen that is projected onto the very bottom of the windscreen to provide driving information and media across the full width of the car that’s visible to all.

I got to see the new system in all its glory at a preview event last year, where BMW executives gave a deep dive on the product and got a full demo of different functions, both in a VR environment and inside a car.

Four key elements

While the panoramic vision display and new central screen have been a feature on the Vision prototypes, this is the first time we have seen how the whole system works together. It’s a big jump from the current OS8.5 system that runs on some of the latest BMW models, like the BMW i5 or BMW iX2 which is why BMW has chosen not to simply name it OS9 or OS10.

Perhaps more unusual than the panoramic vision is the shape of the new central display with matrix backlight technology. This is angled towards the driver at precisely 72 degrees in order to make it easily reachable from the steering wheel. This results in a non-rectangular screen, extending beyond the standard 16:9 shape.

The BMW group has not been shy to challenge the traditional display formats, with the latest Mini displays being circular OLEDs. However, this angled display has an extra challenge in that it must be reversed between left-hand drive and right-hand drive cars – meaning that both the display hardware and the software needs to be different.

The steering wheel has gone big on the number of buttons and controls it offers. These provide a mixture of press and swipe controls for your infotainment on the right hand side and driving features on the left. The controls are more tactile than they initially look, with some buttons slightly raised or at a slight angle rather than completely flat, which makes it easy to navigate without looking down.

A nice touch on the steering wheel is that some functions illuminate when active or become available. For instance, the phone symbol turns green to allow you to accept a call, and the adaptive cruise control on the left hand side, also turns green when in use.

There’s also a new 3D head-up display which sits in the driver’s view, above the Panoramic Vision. This provides driving data and navigation functions to avoid the driver having to take their eyes off the road.

System integration

The important part of this new iDrive system is how each part works together. The items on the panoramic vision can be customised from the main screen by dragging features up to the menu bar. This custom display is then saved as part of the driver profile as part of the BMW ID.

There are six main tiles across the Panoramic vision to customise. These can display everything from the weather and time through to currently playing media or time to destination. The area above the steering wheel is not customisable however, as this displays the speed, range and battery level. It would have been nice to at least see some options here, with different versions of the driver display – as you do on most current cars. I would particularly like to see a retro display option as an alternative to the modern look.

On the central screen, you can quickly swipe between widgets, while the map remains constant as a background to all screens, so you can always quickly return to it if needed. Meanwhile, commonly used features such as music, phone, climate control and car settings sit along the bottom. Similar to the new Mini OS, you can also set your own photo as a background on the display.

A new car hub is available on the central display. This gives you a complete overview if the vehicle settings before starting your journey. You can also customise your driving profile, including power train and steering settings to make the car drive exactly how you like it.

Controls on the steering wheel provide quick options rather than reaching for the screen, such as an accept call button or a swipe to dismiss a call. There’s also a new voice assistant which uses a large language model to allow more natural conversation, including follow up questions. You also get a visual avatar of the voice assistant on the Panoramic vision in the form of a 3D ball with glasses and eyebrows.

Behind the wheel

To try the system out for myself, I sat in one of BMW’s test rigs and put on a VR headset. With the headset on, I was transported to the inside of a new BMW concept car on a highway. With a real steering wheel in front of me, and a touchable centre screen I was able to experience a full demo of the iDrive system on the road.

The Panoramic Vision is far less intrusive than it can initially seem, and appears more like the menu bar, or famed touch bar on a MacBook Pro – providing information about your drive in a space that would otherwise just be plain car dashboard.

This display is actually projected from just below in the dash but it looks as though its a solid LED screen, due to the black background and high contrast projection. It’s certainly very impressive to view and I can see it becoming a natural part of all new BMWs.

The buttons on the steering wheel aren’t flat, as is the case with some haptic buttons. Instead there’s ridges and angles, gentle rockers and indents to allow you to operate them without having to look down for more than a few seconds.

I really like the way that the adaptive cruise controls are evident across all four parts of the system; showing in the head-up display, panoramic vision, central display and steering wheel. It makes it very clear when it is engaged and easy to move both in and out of the system. This will be especially useful when BMW moves to level 3 autonomous systems and the driver is allowed to fully disengage from the driving process.

This new iDrive system will be featured in the first new BMW models later this year, with one of the X-series models – likely to be based on the new X3. I can’t wait to see how it performs inside a real car, as based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s really impressive.