[fbuzila]

I think I'm getting old but I'm not so much impressed. I still like the current one from F15. If I want full digital HUD is much cooler...

[MParallel]

Very disappointing. You want that detailed map right in front of you. At least make it an option.

It looks ugly, overstyled and not even modern. And reversed tacho just for symmetry? Really?

Fail.

[raysspl]

Cool cockpit demo!

[saporitj]

Originally Posted by stvding

LCI is what I am waiting for. But I doubt there will be completely new interior design. Just idrive 7 and new dash i think.

Does BMW ever upgrade the iDrive SW or what have is what you get. I'm getting a 540i with iDrive 6 and a dynamic digital display.

[stvding]

Originally Posted by saporitj

Does BMW ever upgrade the iDrive SW or what have is what you get. I'm getting a 540i with iDrive 6 and a dynamic digital display.

I don't think BMW ever update your iDrive OS. Just some bluetooth update patch and map OTA update recently. You can't upgrade from idrive 6 to 7. Not from BMW anyway. They are old fashion not like Tesla. But there are aftermarket solution out there

[JayPichardo]

I was told that 7 needs the two digital screens to work and cant ve retrofitted

[cfm56d7b]

Digital gauges have their place but analog gauges - even if rendered digitally - are easier to read. It would be nice to have "classic" view as an option.

[JayPichardo]

Wait until you see in person before passing judgment. It is really cool

[saporitj]

Originally Posted by NH_F36

I was told that 7 needs the two digital screens to work and cant ve retrofitted

When you say two digital screens are you talking console and iDrive screen? My 540 will have both but I'm thinking no upgrade from what has been said.

[einscot]

audi did it, audi did it

[ScottMZ3]

You can’t upgrade iDrive 6 to 7. It is an entirely new hardware platform that interfaces with and allows control of almost every aspect of the car.

[saporitj]

Thanks. Thought I would ask. I like the BMW better then the Audi but Audi seams to have made better use of their digital display.
Not to mention you can't currently get a A6 right now because of their recall.

[avengerboater]

Originally Posted by NH_F36

Wait until you see in person before passing judgment. It is really cool

This. I'll reserve judgement until seeing it in person and actually trying it out. As it currently stands, though, Audi and MB does have BMW beat in their digital cluster.

[Timujin]

Thanks for the demo.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Timujin

Thanks for the demo.

IMHO digital displays will always eventually look dated, while analog displays become vintage. After sitting in a digital display X3 loaner for a week, once the novelty of changing the color of the dials wears off on the first day, I started to feel like the display was boring and cheap. Hopping back into my F80, I immediately felt like the analog displays just looks so much better and read better.

[AP]

Not liking this personally. Seems gimmicky.
Ergonomics wise I think putting a map here is the wrong place and a HUD is a much better location.

Whilst the new rev counter is logical, having it go anti-clockwise would take some getting used to after using dials for the last 30 or so years.

This just feels like they are competing with Audi and MB rather than genuinely offering something good from an ergonomic standpoint.

I don't even like the eco pro or sport displays on my g30 and prefer to have the standard comfort one in all modes.
I hope they offer the more traditional disks at least as an option in the future as that would at least please everyone as we have seen , us on these forums are a hard bunch to satisfy!

[MJBO]

I'm disappointed in this trend towards complete digital instruments. It feels a bit like mechanical watches vs. digital watches, I much prefer the happy mediums we've seen already that combine digital elements with real guages.

[DeeKay]

Originally Posted by stvding

Why 5 and 7 don't have this but 3 has...doesn't make any sense. Premium buyers pay more for less?! Come on.

Newer gen 3 - The 5 and 7 will most definitely have it with next LCI

[DeeKay]

Originally Posted by MJBO

I'm disappointed in this trend towards complete digital instruments. It feels a bit like mechanical watches vs. digital watches, I much prefer the happy mediums we've seen already that combine digital elements with real guages.

The two here although great, is more like a compromise (at the time) than the future.

The flexibility of the X5 version compared to these are massive. But yeah - at the moment I'm more jealous of the big iDrive display than digital clusters

[MJBO]

I don't see it as a comprise at all, I see it as incorporating the familiar with the added benefit of a driver centric customisable display.

I'd argue slapping a big LCD across the whole cluster is easier than integrating a display amongst traditional instruments.

A lot of these all screen clusters don't feel like they take advantage of that customisability anyway, with superfluous graphics and poor information density.

[msportxdrive]

I'll admit the BMW speedo is not the best and it's definitely not the worst, it just needs some getting used to. All you guys and girls who are saying that the AUDI virtual cockpit is far superior you're right it's a great tech feature to have, but for me that's overkill. Who the hell drive and stares at the speedo.

[Astrodoge]

Originally Posted by msportxdrive

I'll admit the BMW speedo is not the best and it's definitely not the worst, it just needs some getting used to. All you guys and girls who are saying that the AUDI virtual cockpit is far superior you're right it's a great tech feature to have, but for me that's overkill. Who the hell drive and stares at the speedo.

Did you ever see the Virtual Cockpit from Audi in action with Google Maps? When i am using the navigation system in my A3 i turn on Google Maps fullscreen and i personally would never want to go back to solely rely on navigation by speech or a simplified 2D map. Imo that system is the benchmark and already available in A3s from mid 2016 and up. Their advantage probably was that the system was already close to market when the aquisition of Here happened. I want Here to succeed and my next car will likely be a BMW, but that display right there is a bitter pill to swallow coming from Google Maps.