Tromping around L.A. this weekend in the 2009 BMW 750i (flat-free), it's hard to deny that BMW has managed to resurrect the once maligned iDrive multimedia interface. Much of the credit goes to the standard display, a high-resolution widescreen monitor that shames nearly any other in-dash piece on the market today. And it's not just the acreage or near Cinemascope aspect ratio of the screen that makes it so effective. The crisp resolution paints sharp graphics with such authority, you can't help but have faith in such precision.
Compared to other smaller, low-def displays (such as in our LT Volvo XC60) the BMW's panoramic screen sits proudly, high in the dash. Its near hi-def images, whether it be maps or radio information, are so crystalline on the screen, that you say to yourself, "Well, look at how exact that is, it must be accurate..." The display, which uses a white-ish gray for roads, could actually use a little more color at the expense of cleanliness.
Unlike other systems that categorize road type by color (black for surface streets, red for interstates, etc.), the BMW display keeps all roads white, making it more difficult to anticipate where freeways morph into surface streets. It does however, have excellent interstate markers, and the white street color with thin black borders allows it to break down complex interchanges with exceptional clarity. This large BMW screen is just a preview of things to come, as more of the dash itself is quickly headed towards customizable displays.
- Paul Seredynski, Executive Editor @ 27,825 miles
roar02ram says:
07:48 AM, 03/22/10
Why is the screen on this car always zoomed out so far? I don't know about others, but usually prefer one of the closest zoom ranges...
bimmerjay says:
08:09 AM, 03/22/10
@Paul,
"Unlike other systems that categorize road type by color (black for surface streets, red for interstates, etc.), the BMW display keeps all roads white, making it more difficult to anticipate where freeways morph into surface streets. "
That's not entirely correct. The screen view you are showing is the enhanced traffic display. This mode removes the color from the roads so you can see the traffic speed colored lines more effectively. If you turn off this mode, the system recolors the roads similarly to your description, and the traffic display changes to gray arrows to indicate the location, intensity, and direction of backups.
You can also show this view in 3D perspective, with topographical geography, satellite-based surface imagery and 3D buildings in urban areas. There is a night view as well.
You also get the lovely, ultra-hi-res HD widescreen (1280 pixels wide) on all BMWs with the new iDrive, down to the 1-Series. The LT M3 has it as well. The 7 does have a slightly larger screen and some extra functionality though.
mercedesfan says:
10:45 AM, 03/22/10
This was the one feature on the new 7 that blew me away. It really is the clearest and crispest display on the market today and displays information extremely logically and efficiently. In fact, iDrive in general is probably my favorite of the infotainment interfaces nowadays.
evil1487twin says:
10:51 AM, 03/22/10
You know, BMWs may be expensive but you could argue that you are getting what you pay for. Plus, they are so well engineered that they have their own feel of the road.
seredynski says:
12:30 PM, 03/22/10
@bimmerjay
You are absolutely correct, and I failed to mention that the roads are white only in the mode that allows you to see the traffic alerts (a must have in L.A.), which is the mode we tend to leave the display in.
Paul S.
trjjjjj says:
09:54 AM, 04/ 5/10
show us how the rear view camera works i want to buy one and want to see how it works