The infotainment system, meanwhile, offers an 8.8 - inch screen, controlled by
the familiar iDrive knob just south of the gear shifter.
Yes, the X5 still has
the familiar iDrive jog - dial on the console with buttons labeled Menu, Media, Radio, Tel, and Nav.
Last but not least, the user - machine interaction (in this case, driver - car or passenger - car) can be done via
the familiar iDrive controller or touch, voice and gesture control.
The familiar iDrive selector is also here to stay.
Not exact matches
A three - spoke steering wheel with a shape similar to that of the 7 Series anchors a driver - oriented cockpit featuring a digital gauge cluster, BMW's
familiar electronic shifter, and
iDrive rotary controller, though its infotainment screen looks tacked on and not unlike the sort of digital picture frame you'd find in your grandmother's house.
Inside, it's pretty much business as usual, so an interesting mix of light, stiff fibreboard, grained wood and faux leather, contrasted by
familiar BMW features such as the
iDrive controller.
Porsche's approach may be the more straightforward presentation, but we've become pretty
familiar with
iDrive and can easily navigate through the menus now.
Through the front windshield we can see the
familiar shape of BMW's
iDrive infotainment system, and from behind the Z5 we can make out a dual exhaust setup positioned beneath large circular taillights, though those lights could only be there for testing purposes.
Materials are rich and the layout of the dash and the controls — complete, naturally, with
iDrive — is
familiar.
The
familiar interface should give Remote Touch a leg up on some of its competitors, like BMW's
iDrive and Mercedes» Comand, but it doesn't.
Yet even those who aren't
familiar with BMW's way of doing things will get used to the interior quickly, thanks to its sound ergonomics and ever - improving
iDrive infotainment system.
Cunningham, more
familiar with
iDrive, attempted the same task using voice command.
Many things remain
familiar; big and well supported front seats, chunky steering wheels that are just the right diameter, the centre stack with the rectangular sat - nav and the long strip of favourites button and the big
iDrive controller sitting on the centre console.
On the inside is BMW's excellent
iDrive and 10.25 - inch widescreen media display, with a
familiar menu layout and a totally intuitive interface based around a rotary dial on the lower centre console.
Below the new monitor on the centre stack are the
familiar favourites buttons and controls for the dual zone climate control with the
iDrive controller falling easily to hand on the centre console.
But there are still
familiar BMW design cues, such as the steering wheel and
iDrive infotainment system.