This is a big moment, ladies and gentlemen: BMW has revealed its all-new iDrive infotainment system at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and it represents a complete rethink on how to weave tech into a car. The iDrive system completely starts from scratch, a clean slate, or hits Ctrl+Alt+Del on the past. Buckle up, because sacrifices have been made.
The rotary controller, first seen on the 7-Series in 2001, is gone. BMW says usage was down, so they’ve taken it off completely. More radically, the instrument cluster has been removed, too. Yep, it is quite a la Tesla.
Instead, BMW has come up with ‘Panoramic Vision,’ a full-width panel that you can see running along the entirety of the windshield above. It’s not a screen, but one long head-up display (HUD) that sticks driving info like speed, range, and battery level in the driver’s line of sight. And it still has room for six more customizable widgets along the rest of it.
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You also get the option of a more conventional 3D HUD for automated driving info and navigation. All in the name of keeping your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road— BMW’s words exactly.
Let’s move on to the wheel. It’s covered with haptic buttons, but they aren’t quite buttons. Different functions will light up when available for use and will go out when not. An example of this ‘Shy Tech’ is the phone symbol glowing green when you get a call. Hmm...suddenly we’re afraid of turning left and engaging the radio by accident.
Finally, there’s the matrix backlit touchscreen. It’s slanted and nestled up closer to the wheel to make it easier for the driver to reach. The menu structure has been updated, and customization is the name of the game here, too. You can even make the family dog your background image—just like on your phone, tablet, and computer.
Worryingly, the temperature controls sit permanently on the touchscreen. Is there a danger of iDrive becoming a digital hellscape? It’s all about finding a balance, BMW says. “We believe absolutely in the power of buttons,” BMW vice president of user experience Joern Freyer told Top Gear at a special preview event in Spartanburg back in November. “To make that super clear. So we really went through button by button, where is a button the best interface?”
And so the windshield heater gets a button, because you might want to use it with gloves on. And the gearshifter, the mirror adjustment, and the volume also retain their physical controls. Phew, what a relief.
The screen runs BMW’s new in-house Operating System X (OS X) software goes big on third-party apps. You can download more than 60 apps, with Zoom coming at a later date. Don’t worry, Apple CarPlay will still work.
Meanwhile, BMW expects more use of voice control, so its Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA) is based on Amazon’s Alexa. When the Neue Klasse cars start arriving later this year, BMW says it’ll allow more extensive navigation commands. How well it deals with a thick regional accent remains to be seen. Oh, and the IPA has other tricks up its sleeve. It’ll suggest Sport mode on suitable roads, and learn what prompts drivers might want more or less of. And finally, Personal Mode will let you choose your favorite settings for the throttle response and steering sensitivity.
Naturally, there’s a fancy new soundscape called HypersonX to go with all this. All told, there’s 43 sound signals designed to create an ‘emotional interaction’ between you and the car.
Panoramic iDrive and OS X will be fitted to every new BMW from the end of 2025, starting with the Neue Klasse iX3 replacement and the de facto electric 3-Series. Is BMW on the right track, or has it gone overboard with the digital stuff?
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
