BMW IDriving Machines Tout Connectivity
BMW has announced that the upcoming iX and i4 electric vehicles will be equipped with iDrive 8, their latest interactive buddy to keep you busy while you motor about.
When you are the self-proclaimed ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’, it would seem less is more, at least that was my experience in owning a 535iS and two M3s. Of course, that was then and this is now, and to keep up with the digitalia that has proliferated, you’ve got to have a more robust driver-vehicle interface, certainly a larger or more impressive dash, and a digital assistant that encourages greater personalization.
Not only is the BMW iDrive 8 processing your data, but it is doing likewise across the entire BMW Group vehicle fleet. According to BMW, this will allow implementation in a more contextual way. Suppose the drive you take to go over the river and through the woods to a distant getaway spot isn’t what the amassed data indicates is the optimal route. Will the iDrive chide you, or worse, light up the expansive curved display like a Christmas tree?
Speaking of Christmas, there’s a new routine, a customer experience BMW has initiated that welcomes you into your iX or i4 by lighting the area around the car before it unlocks itself, and your onboard assistant preps the cabin for you, roughly approximating what a flight attendant does. Think that’s a little overboard? Well, by using My Modes, you can set the mood inside your Bimmer, including ambient lighting.
iDrive 8’s sophistication is such that it will accept more third-party apps than ever before, onboarding them into your BMW’s operating system. We use WordPress daily to create our editorial content, but I can’t fathom how this might be iDrive-integrated so that in using the iX’s vocal recognition capabilities I could compose this article and drive at the same time.
Keep in mind with the purchase of your new iX or i4, you’ll be permanently, immutably connected to the BMW Cloud, along with 14 million other connected BMWs that are traversing the road. All that long-term, real-time data that BMW is collecting, includes but is not limited to: How fast you drive, where you’ve been, or where you’re going.
[Images: BMW]
With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.
More by Jason R. Sakurai
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My car simulates Android phone when I use Android Auto. I actually don't use it in my car, but can, because I do not need to. But use it in rental cars.
Fedora? Trilby? Bucket? Tinfoil is easy to shape. Your vehicle already stores this information. Your GPS also gives away your location and speed. Your cell phone contributes more information. It doesn't stop when you get out of the car; that discount fob from the grocery store tells them what you bought and your debit or credit csrd told them how much you paid. You're not off the grid, not an itty bitty.