The Hindu Business Line : iDrive: Controls at fingertips

The large, aluminium finished knob of the iDrive allows the driver access to and control of nearly a hundred different functions, by just pushing the controller up or down or from one side to another.

THE IDRIVE controller with LCD display as seen in the 7 Series. — S. Muralidhar

Car manufacturers are constantly trying to add more features and technologies into their new products to make the ride more comfortable for users. Competition amongst carmakers to woo new buyers, particularly in the luxury car segment, has meant that the limits of usability and automation are constantly being tested.

From the days when the car's lighting and mechanical parts, such as wipers, were the only features that needed manual controls, we now have climate control, in-car entertainment, satellite navigation, cell phone or car phone, variations to the on-board display and changes to adjust the seat position, all of which require controls.

Imagine having a main control knob or button for each of these functions and then some sub-functions too. The car's dashboard would look more like an airplane cockpit with a confusing array of switches and buttons. The more luxurious the car, more the number of features that require access and controls.

The issue that luxury car brand manufacturers were grappling with was how to integrate the myriad controllers into a more manageable set. Of course, the most ideal situation was bringing it all together into a single regulator.

Though many luxury car manufacturers today offer a similar unified controller, what seemed like a utopian ideal then, it was first to introduced by BMW. The technology that the German luxury brand developed first was such leapfrog compared to what was available then that it was promptly misunderstood and pooh-poohed as being a flop.

The BMW iDrive — as the unified controller was called — was first showcased and demonstrated by the company in 1999 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The iDrive concept was then taken forward and refined a bit for use in a production model for the model year 2002.

The iDrive combines a rotary control knob that is positioned on the floor console between the driver and front passenger and a large, dashboard mounted LCD screen display. The iDrive screen is located at the top of the dashboard centre console and is clearly within the driver's line of vision, thereby keeping the distraction to the driver to the minimum.

Using the controller

The large, aluminium finished knob of the iDrive allows the driver access to and control of nearly a hundred different functions, by just pushing the controller up or down or from one side to another.

After choosing one of the four main functions, such as communication, comfort, navigation and/or entertainment, the user can just rotate the knob for scrolling through the options or sub-menus that are thrown up on the screen. The controller needs to be depressed for choosing any of the options. To return back to the previous or main menu, BMW's iDrive features a simple Menu button right next to the rotating controller.

A device such as this, which makes do with one knob instead of an array of switches, should have been considered a big boost to car ergonomics and the novelty that it offers luxury car owners (with its simple, yet elegant construction) should have increased BMW's fans following. But surprisingly it didn't during the first couple of years after introduction in a production model.

For one, the initial version had eight different sub-menus to choose from and another complex set of options under each head. BMW was also attempting to educate the customer about the system, by offering some of these tips as features to choose. The problems for the iDrive control came from some initial glitches too, after it was offered in the 2002, 7 Series model.

The second generation of this technology was simplified with just four main menus to choose from and with a few preset options being offered on the dashboard. The technology is being further refined for easier input and use of the satellite navigation system and in-car entertainment functions.

But, in hindsight, much of the criticism during the past five years for the iDrive control has come from the reluctance of drivers to learn how to use the system. Give a technophile a new home theatre system or a iPod or a Blackberry phone and in all probability he/she will read up the manual first before attempting to operate the equipment.

In a car, somehow, most people just want to get in and drive off with out bothering too much about learning how to operate equipment that is offered with it. This is even more the case, with luxury car owners, who expect extreme ease of use to be a standard feature. BMW had mentioned that a couple of weeks of dabbling with and using the iDrive controller would have been enough to make most users comfortable with the system.

Now, with the third generation of the iDrive control due out soon and with further refinement on the current systems for improving its reliability, acceptance amongst users will continue to rise.

The much acclaimed and much criticised iDrive control will be part of the package for the 3 Series and 5 Series that will be offered in India.