2006 BMW 3-Series
As a follow-up to my 'New 3 in the Wild' post below, I decided to explore the MotorWerks lot as I typically do as part of my usual weekly Sunday drive. Sure enough, the silver 3 I saw yesterday was on the back lot. I saw about two or three other new 3-series, but this one was nicest as it was equipped with the sport package (as well as the Premium package).
In the additional photos I took (visit ChicagoCarNews on flickr), there's a not-so-clear shot of the interior that shows this specific model without iDrive (BMW's approach on simplifying the cockpit by abstracting many of the typical controls into a computerized interface). The other models I saw on the lot also didn't have iDrive either.
On the 3, the iDrive is optional - you get it when you opt for navigation. I don't know if this is an indication of MotorWerks' read on customer preferences for the nav package in the 3-class, or whether it's a response to the general poor reception iDrive has received in the marketplace.
I'm certainly not some Luddite and love gadgets and technology in general, but I'm not fond of the iDrive execution. They should have called it 'iFiddle'.
In the additional photos I took (visit ChicagoCarNews on flickr), there's a not-so-clear shot of the interior that shows this specific model without iDrive (BMW's approach on simplifying the cockpit by abstracting many of the typical controls into a computerized interface). The other models I saw on the lot also didn't have iDrive either.
On the 3, the iDrive is optional - you get it when you opt for navigation. I don't know if this is an indication of MotorWerks' read on customer preferences for the nav package in the 3-class, or whether it's a response to the general poor reception iDrive has received in the marketplace.
I'm certainly not some Luddite and love gadgets and technology in general, but I'm not fond of the iDrive execution. They should have called it 'iFiddle'.