If BMW had to decide on a picture for instance what “much less is extra” means, it could most likely be the iX3’s cabin. Ever since iDrive 8 debuted with the iX 4 years in the past, the corporate has been stripping again dashboards by steadily eradicating bodily controls. The second-generation iX3 goes a step additional by eliminating the rotary knob. The dial was already an endangered species, having been dropped from BMW’s newest compact vehicles.
The 17.9-inch touchscreen has enabled BMW to consolidate entry to most features into the supersized infotainment. The intent is to “make the consumer interface modern and configurable, that’s the purpose,” in keeping with Falk Schubert. However in an interview with CarExpert, the superior driver help techniques (ADAS) engineer for the 2026 iX3 acknowledged that shifting too many buttons right into a display screen generates security issues.
“We see that the longer you are taking to press a button, the extra your eyes are off the street, and the extra harmful issues turn into. You must steadiness it out and be taught over time. The extra buttons you cut back, and the extra you set them right into a display screen, the better you’ll be able to reprogram this stuff. There must be consensus sooner or later. However yeah, it’s a sizzling dialogue proper now, so let’s see how issues evolve over time.”
Whereas some folks inside BMW are pushing for an excellent better discount, not everybody agrees. The iX3 nonetheless has a handful of bodily buttons and retains its steering-wheel stalks. Nonetheless, the separate local weather controls are gone, which means drivers should depend on the touchscreen. Even easy changes, equivalent to directing airflow, at the moment are handled through the display.
Schubert acknowledges there’s a “battle” about how far the discount in conventional controls ought to go earlier than it turns into a security hazard. Even when BMW revisits the consumer interface sooner or later, the 40 new or up to date fashions arriving by the top of 2027 will share a lot of the iX3’s inside format. iDrive X is ready to unfold throughout your entire lineup. It’ll be present in autos as giant because the next-generation X7 and as small because the rumored i1.
Notable exceptions embrace the Z4 and eight Collection, each of that are bowing out with out replacements. The iX additionally received’t transition to iDrive X since a second era isn’t deliberate. The two Collection Energetic Tourer is unlikely to undertake BMW’s newest infotainment tech both. The 4 Collection has reportedly had its life cycle prolonged to mid-2029. Along with the two Collection, these fashions will possible be the final BMWs to make use of the previous format.
Supply: CarExpert
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