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Once upon a time, cars were temples of analog knobs, toggles and gauges. Now? Digital multi-function iDrive silliness. But what if a modern supercar (not Spyker) were just analog switchgear? We think the cockpit'd look like this dearly-departed Concorde. [Wikipedia] More »
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British drivers have blindly following their navigation systems before, but Robert Jones took it to the extreme, driving his BMW 5-series down a rocky path before a fence barely stopped his plunge off a cliff. More »
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BMW's unholy technological tour-de-force iDrive continues to get additional impressive features. This time around, iDrive is going super-customizable with unique screensavers, backgrounds, sound effects. Of particular interest, via iDrive users will now be able to make performance tweaks like adjusting engine boost levels and transmission shift points. So, how does it work? That's where the fun lies. More »
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Remember BMW's ConnectedDrive—the service that gives your in-car information system access to Google Local Search and pairs it up with the navigation system? BMW is taking it one step further by no longer limiting what you can and cannot access with ConnectedDriv, meaning you will be able to browse all of the porn sites you can handle inside your car. There are a few catches, though. More »
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With Lieberman out trying to wring a straight flush from three of a kind, today's Question of the Day comes from frequent tipster Sean. More »
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Gabe and his MINIons over at Motoring File are convinced the next Mini Cooper will be fitted with BMW's iDrive interface, which has been the victim of more negative column inches than "Ishtar," "Waterworld" and Lindsay Lohan's dad combined. Interface geeks that we are, Jalopnik's complaints about iDrive have been directed not at the complexity of it, but the manner in which it sucks a driver's eyeballs from the road (a bad move on the New Jersey Turnpike). According to MF, the Mini system will mitigate distraction issues with voice activation. Nonetheless, the Mini's climate control switches will remain on the center stack, which removes one major iDrive sticking point. More »
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Looks like gadget creep is starting to effect luxury cars' quality ratings. As CNET reports, JD Power's Initial Quality survey has begun tracking usability of cars' insides. What they found is that advanced technology systems, like BMW's iDrive, Mercedes's COMAND and Audi's The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, are confusing the hell out of most drivers. They're "difficult to use" and "poorly located," say consumers. The study also uncovered flaws in nav system and HVAC controls, and voice recognition systems that don't. Read on (it's the button on the left). More »
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