We recently had a chance to go hands-on with an early version of the iDrive in the Neue Klasse concept car and found it to be as revolutionary as it looks. The new iDrive you see pictured here isn’t a concept but an early look at the production version that will be coming to BMWs in just a few years. An entirely new concept, this new iDrive reimagines the idea of infotainment with an eye towards simplicity and a more driver focused experience. And in our early experience, it does just that.
There are three key components to this innovative; a Central display with matrix backlighting and local dimming, the Panoramic Display and a 3D (augmented reality) heads-up display. All three are interesting but it’s the HUD and Panoramic Vision that feel unlike anything we’ve seen before.
We tested a very early version of the new iDrive and Panoramic Display with the Vision Neue Klasse so we expect many small but important changes as BMW refines it for production. But the core concept felt incredible in person and is easily the most innovative in-car experience we’ve ever seen. Perhaps more importantly it’s not overwhelming despite the increased functionality and added experience it brings.
