The earlier dashboard design has also been lightly updated for the i8 Roadster and facelifted i8 coupé, with the latest version of BMW's iDrive system now offering either touch control on a free - standing 8.8 - inch monitor or rotary control via a dial on the middle console featuring among other subtle changes.
Not exact matches
Advocates of the current
dashboard say it's still in the
early stages of
design.
The open space around the
dashboard recalls the interior layout of
early Porsche 911s, and the cabin's overall
design direction lends it a contemporary, tech - savvy feel.
American manufacturer Tucker built the world's first padded
dashboard in 1947, while Swedish manufacturers developed proto - seat belts in the form of a safety cage in 1949, although the simple two - point
design had been around since the
early 1900s.
In fact, the faux leather - and - stitching and the
design elements on the
dashboard space made me think of the Corolla I tested weeks
earlier — and that's a good thing.
Inverted dial needles within the instrument cluster are evocative of
early Bentleys while the entire
dashboard and console
design is a subtle reminder of the Bentley wings motif.
Earlier this month, Microsoft released a new
dashboard for its Windows Analytics service, which it said is
designed to help IT admins understand which patches they should and shouldn't install on their IT estate.