BMW Presents the New BMW iDrive 8.5 & 9. Launching With July 2023 Production

[RichF90M5C]

I can’t help thinking that massive touchscreens will eventually be phased out, as they’re bloody distracting and dangerous. It’s illegal to use your phone while driving in the UK, so how this technology gets approved is bizarre.

I’ve just today bought my wife a new 128ti, which has IDrive 7, deliberately before the LCI is announced with IDrive 8 or 8.5 in a few months time.

[pizza240]

As long as the iDrive controller remains, I will be satisfied. I know they removed it from the X1. Hopefully just cost-cutting on entry-level models and not a sign of things to come. One of the reasons I'm getting out of Porsche as a DD and back into BMW is the infotainment and hand controller in BMW.

[michael.bramblett]

Originally Posted by diablo2112

Me, too. The reason I came back to BMW was the controller-based interface. Most important was the instant map zoom by turning the controller. I use this constantly. My prior Toyota required you hit a + or - button on screen. Way, way more complex and you had to take your eyes off the road. I adore the iDrive controller, and its elimination will nearly certainly widen my search for a replacement to other brands such as Audi that aren't all-in on this 100% touchscreen nonsense.

Ha. I came from a VW Arteon with MIB III, prior to that idrive 4.2 in my 435. I liked it as the tuning knob could still be used for certain things but I still preferred idrive 4.2. It was very much snappy like an iPhone with pinch to zoom and other features but the cleaning… I literally had to clean it after every trip I took. I got used to it sort of but the glass they use is not finger print resistent at all. . But they’re going away with controllers too. MIB III 12.0/14.2 is the new standard ie: golf and ID.4 and will shift into Audis in America in the next year or so now that they’ve replaced the NA CEO and his atomic bomb dropping of ID.4 and software

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Personal experience
Your timing is off. 2023 is iD8.

You’re referring to MY, my post was referring to calendar year, which doesn’t make a difference anyway - the number of years when BMW releases an “update” remains more/less the same.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

You’re referring to MY, my post was referring to calendar year, which doesn’t make a difference anyway - the number of years when BMW releases an “update” remains more/less the same.

You said 2021 is iD8. Neither CY or MY 21 had iD8 unless you mean the electric variants which were the first to have them. I have two 2022s MY. One delivered in CY21 and one in CY23. Both iD7. Had a 2023 MY with iD8 in CY22. The reality is they have
these variants (iD7 & iD8) out there and are rolling them out across the lineup.

[Habber]

Originally Posted by Mako

This is the shitty part about car buying today. Infotainment tech is making cars feel dated that shouldn’t be and will really hurt values down the road. Electric cars will be even worse as you are just buying a piece of tech like a phone. Imagine trying to sell a 5-6 year old electric car that only has 75% charge when solid state batteries arrive.

Yes technology really hit me hard when I sold my rusted 2005 TJ Wrangler for $10k. Technologies change all the time and BMW hold their values pretty well so there’s nothing new here with regards to resale.

[Ritu_o0o]

I still don't understand why would they not upgrade the current iDrive 8 to 8.5!! 8.5 after all is Linux based just like 8, 8.5 is a curved touchscreen base system. I understand 8.5 may add support for additional hardware to support Highway Assist but it still should support other hardware which is being run on iD8!!

I am really hoping that my LCI X7 will get 8.5 OTA!!

[isenc2]

I would go up to ID7 and that's it, I need my shortcut buttons!

[RCtennis3811]

Yeah it sucks that us iDrive 8 owners aren’t getting iDrive 8.5’s zero layer UX - frankly I like the way it lays things out.

Meanwhile in Stuttgart, MB announced that the new C-Class and S-Class are getting OTA updates to the latest MBUX…which also includes a zero layer UX.

https://www.motor1.com/news/651890/m...ux-ota-update/

No need for them to wait for a certain build week for a switch.. 🤯

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

Yeah it sucks that us iDrive 8 owners aren’t getting iDrive 8.5’s zero layer UX - frankly I like the way it lays things out.

Meanwhile in Stuttgart, MB announced that the new C-Class and S-Class are getting OTA updates to the latest MBUX…which also includes a zero layer UX.

https://www.motor1.com/news/651890/m...ux-ota-update/

That’s great for Benz because Audi still requires a 6 hour service visit for a software update

[RCtennis3811]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

That’s great for Benz because Audi still requires a 6 hour service visit for a software update

LOL that’s absurd!!

The only thing I think Audi MMI does right is being able to manually force OTA map updates by state/region. Everything else, BMW wins.

[boxdotjpeg]

I have an allocation for a MY24 X5 50e thats supposed to be built in April… Really hoping this update is retroactive considering how odd it would be to have 3 months of production that would stay on an “outdated” system. Regardless, I believe that user friendliness was peak with iDrive 6 and 7 and this is just the new norm. I love my 3 series with iDrive 8 the most due to the size of the screen for CarPlay and crisp graphics, but it would be nice to be able to have the changes they mentioned to make the OS even better. It looks way more refined and it’s a no-brained to have the shortcuts at the bottom of the screen rather than a large strip of black that just says “Climate Menu”.

[AlienInChicago]

Would 8.5 be a SW update for a car having 8?

[ProteinFart]

Does anyone actually use the bmw system? Like surely everyone must use CarPlay by now so why all the concerns over their idrive numbers.

[ihbase]

Originally Posted by Habber

... and BMW hold their values pretty well ...

Excluding the temporary impact upon supply caused by pandemic shortages, the Canadian resale market appears to be very different from the rest of the world.

[tonymac1]

Such poor software product management from Bmw, they need a better pm and better product roadmapping

[GuyOh]

Idrive 7 is the goat

[mjr24]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

Yeah it sucks that us iDrive 8 owners aren’t getting iDrive 8.5’s zero layer UX - frankly I like the way it lays things out.

Meanwhile in Stuttgart, MB announced that the new C-Class and S-Class are getting OTA updates to the latest MBUX…which also includes a zero layer UX.

https://www.motor1.com/news/651890/m...ux-ota-update/

No need for them to wait for a certain build week for a switch.. 🤯

You aren’t really comparing MB to BMW in terms of software rollout, right? You obviously have never been in a Benz then. They have the same issues as BMW.

They are runnning three different systems in their cars, too. MBux…MBUX 2.0 and models like the G wagon are still running COMAND.

[RCtennis3811]

Originally Posted by mjr24

You aren’t really comparing MB to BMW in terms of software rollout, right? You obviously have never been in a Benz then. They have the same issues as BMW.

They are runnning three different systems in their cars, too. MBux…MBUX 2.0 and models like the G wagon are still running COMAND.

I’m familiar. But at least their new W206 C-Class with its 11.9” portrait screen is getting its OS updated to the newest-gen OS, not just getting patches like we are with the 3, 7, or 11/20xx updates. Heck even before the zero layer update, they had an OTA for Apple Music and Dolby Atmos for compatible cars.

I with BMW would do the same with the current hardware with iDrive 8, especially since iDrive 8.5 uses the same 14.9” screen and Linux base, and since 8 is still pretty new.

[Ritu_o0o]

Originally Posted by AiC73

Would 8.5 be a SW update for a car having 8?

PPL are saying no, iDrive 8 will not get 8.5 version but I strongly feel it will be an OTA to iDrive 8.

[eddj]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

I’m familiar. But at least their new W206 C-Class with its 11.9” portrait screen is getting its OS updated to the newest-gen OS, not just getting patches like we are with the 3, 7, or 11/20xx updates. Heck even before the zero layer update, they had an OTA for Apple Music and Dolby Atmos for compatible cars.

I with BMW would do the same with the current hardware with iDrive 8, especially since iDrive 8.5 uses the same 14.9” screen and Linux base, and since 8 is still pretty new.

Idrive 8.5 will not use the same screen, see their statement: "It will continue to be based on Linux and will be combined with the largest version of the BMW Curved Display."

so maybe not only the screen but also other hardware inside the new 8.5 headunits will be different than those of idrive 8 which we have now.

Personally, I dont think they'll be upgrading ever from 8 to 8.5 and people will be forced to buy new cars if they want the upgrade...

[RCtennis3811]

Someone needs to update the press release in post 1. Seems like there was an update to the release per BMW USA News:

https://www.bmwusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=4113&mid=

BMW Operating System 8.5 and BMW Operating System 9 lay the foundations.

The new BMW iDrive with QuickSelect is a further development of the BMW Operating System 8 fitted in current BMW models with BMW Curved Display, and is based on the latest-generation infotainment head units, which is also responsible for graphic processing.

The new BMW Operating System 8.5 will be introduced incrementally – either in production or via a remote software upgrade in certain vehicles already running Operating System 8 – in the following models beginning in the summer of 2023:

BMW 7 Series
BMW iX
BMW i4
BMW X5
BMW X6
BMW X7
BMW XM

It will continue to be based on Linux and will be combined with the largest version of the BMW Curved Display.

The new BMW Operating System 9, based on Android Open Source Project software, will appear in the compact class first in the 2024 BMW X1.