07-28-2015, 11:26 AM | #1 |
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Is iDrive must have?
Hi all,
I'm considering buying a (used) X1, and trying to figure out what I will miss out if I'll get a car without idrive. I guess I don't care much for GPS (esp. considering that map updates are expensive?), but what else is there ? I probably will play music off usb drives, does idrive make it a lot easier to browse, or standard stereo screen is good enough? Cheers! |
07-28-2015, 12:08 PM | #3 |
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I wouldn't have gotten the car without the idrive. The USB integration into the screen is very nice, browsing songs is super easy and I love how it shows the song info and album art as well. Personally I think the compartment that you get instead of the screen is pretty ugly and a combo of the poor appearance plus lack of any kind of screen in a 2015 BMW was a deal breaker for me.
Finally my wife wanted NAV, so as the saying goes, Happy wife...... |
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07-28-2015, 01:54 PM | #4 |
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I don't have it, and have to play all my music with flash drives. It only displays the song playing, and there's not much control over playback. I had to reformat the flash drives using third party software, to allow truly random playback, which is my preferred mode. It sounds OK to me, after I ditched the RF tires.
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07-28-2015, 02:03 PM | #5 |
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07-28-2015, 02:09 PM | #6 |
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I use USB playback with iDrive, and the random option is not really random. It's like it generates a random playlist, then just plays them in that order. So if you are playing song A, and it is followed in random mode by song B, it will always go in that order. So playing song A in random will always be followed by song B. I assume the random list is rebuilt whenever you change the contents of the USB drive.
Anyway, it's a bit annoying, but I can always just manually pick a new track if I find I'm in a section of the random list I've already heard. But it would probably be a lot more annoying without being able to manually skip around with iDrive. |
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07-28-2015, 02:18 PM | #7 |
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07-28-2015, 02:29 PM | #8 | |
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Oh, and iDrive is very handy for finding a specific song by name. Not sure how that works with the base stereo. |
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07-28-2015, 06:34 PM | #10 |
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My 2011 328i didn't have iDrive, the X1 does. No contest: look for iDrive.
Now the original iDrive that started in the 7 & 5 series 10-12 years ago: that was universally panned in the motoring press. However they got it right starting later on, including the one available for the X1.
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07-28-2015, 11:08 PM | #11 |
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I'm into tech so I opted for pro nav even though business nav already came with the car so that I don't miss out on anything Also, i guess it depends if you are into tech or into storage My perspective - iDrive makes the interior look better as well esp. the pro one. Also, nav is a must have for me. Besides, with the phone integration option you can make calls using center console screen, check msgs & emails (even get the car to read out to you) and watch DVDs while waiting for someone etc..
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07-28-2015, 11:29 PM | #12 |
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I have had pioneer AVIC nav systems in the last three cars and a ford oem system before that. No nav/multimedia is a deal breaker for me so I had to get iDrive.
That said, it also does seem that in the very very near future our phones will be the brains for media and navigation and the car will supply a screen (for mirroring the phone) and the amp to play the music. I have noticed that half the time my wife will use Waze on her phone rather than the Pioneer nav system she has in her car. |
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07-29-2015, 05:27 AM | #13 |
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07-29-2015, 07:32 AM | #14 |
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I bought the X1 because I like the way it drives. I chose NOT to get the iDrive because I don't like having my car full of gadgets and distractions. A personal choice, and I don't miss it. I connect my iPhone to the car and clip it to the air vent with a Kenu Airframe http://www.apple.com/shop/product/HH...unt-for-iphone.
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07-29-2015, 11:07 AM | #15 | |
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07-31-2015, 05:33 AM | #16 |
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I wouldn't choose a car just because of X Drive..
The X1 I selected doesn't have it and I'm not fussed. Besides I've drove E36 & 46. I'm used to not a lot of luxury haha |
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07-31-2015, 09:47 AM | #18 | |
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Considering the price manufacturers charge for a nav system + update costs people would happily opt for a dumb terminal+smartphone combo, imo. Though I guess the price they're able to charge is very much the reason |
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08-02-2015, 07:55 PM | #19 |
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I did not want nav and not see the need for backup cameras, especially in this sized vehicle; so I went without the Idrive package. Once I plugged in my USB drive, I realized the mistake I had made. I really wish I had Idrive just for the better music control interface. I even hate the look of the screen on the dash because it looks like it was added as an afterthought, but I now wish I had it.
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08-02-2015, 09:06 PM | #20 |
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I mean, it's nice to have. But has it really gotten this bad?
It's a car people. You use it for transportation and/or driving enjoyment. We all managed just fine 10 years ago when none of this stuff was in most cars. Hardly a deal breaker, unless your idea of driving is trying to accomplish a trip thinking about anything but. |
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08-03-2015, 12:27 PM | #21 |
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I think part of the problem, is we expect complete connectivity these days, and get it on Hondas, to Kias, for no extra charge. I admit, I bought mine assuming the USB/BT was like almost every other car, cheap, or pricey, included as standard equipment. Well, they are there, just partially disabled. Big BMW turnoff for me, just for being misleading.
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08-03-2015, 01:49 PM | #22 | |
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While I'd want the connectivity, would I not buy the car I wanted (from a powertrain/chassis/etc. perspective), simply because it didn't have a USB port for playing music with my ipod or whatever? That seems insane to me. I'd buy the car, and if I really cared about it, I'd spend $100 to install whatever I needed to make it work. Now I get I'm not an average consumer in that regard, quite the opposite. But it's hard for me to wrap my head around. I was reading a thread the other day about a guy who couldn't decide between an '08 convertible E93, or an '09 coupe. He really wanted the convertible, but liked the newer idrive better. He bought the coupe. To me, it's insane that you would sacrifice the type of car you want (vert), for something like a better navigation unit. I don't even feel the need for in-dash navigation these days given wide-spread cellular coverage.
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