Central steering wheel BMW (imported)-BMW i4
ID8 makes the car more concise.
The design of the carriage is still the familiar BMW 3 Series and 4 Series, and the carbon fiber pattern is added to the decorative board running through the center console. The biggest change in the center console is the giant "fish screen". The conjoined LCD instrument panel and multimedia display screen are one of the important elements in the design of the latest generation of BMW cars, and it is not too abrupt to join this set of interiors that have been used for many years.
M sports steering wheel has heating function, which is also a full-round shape that we are familiar with, and the grip and ring thickness are in place. The multi-function button arrangement of the steering wheel is also consistent with the ordinary 3 series and 4 series, and has not been upgraded to the simplified button arrangement like iX. I4 doesn’t keep the paddle behind the steering wheel, so it doesn’t provide the function of quick adjustment of kinetic energy recovery.
The 12.3-inch virtual instrument panel is the same model of BMW iX, and the speed and power output percentage instruments are still represented by two opposite boomerang-like progress bars, which is also a part of the brand-new iDrive 8 operating system, with a refreshing interface and rapid system response. One of the features of this new operating interface is the minimalist menu design, which has no deep secondary menu except switching the display theme and displaying information, so as to avoid being distracted by operating the menu while driving. The only pity is that except for the small M logo in the upper left corner, the graphical interface does not reflect that it is an M-performance car. I hope BMW can push a more sporty instrument interface through OTA in the future.
Different from other families who can’t wait to fill the center console with the screen, BMW has established the appearance of BMW’s car screen in the next few years through the opportunity of launching the new iDrive 8, that is, the horizontal and wide dual-screen design. The screen module of i4 is basically the same as that of BMW iX. It is supported on the center console through a thin bracket, and the integrated design of dual-screen curved surface is very similar to the advanced TV set at home. Although it is not unconventional, the implicit and concise design is also good.
BMW’s iDrive system has always been one of the best car systems in the industry, and iDrive 8 operating system (hereinafter referred to as ID8) has evolved better on this basis. The resolution of the 14.9-inch narrow-border multimedia screen has reached 200ppi, and the air-conditioning interface has also been integrated, so the operation fluency is second to none. In addition to touch operation and voice control, BMW still retains the control mode of knob and shortcut key that iDrive system has always used, which is much more convenient for blind operation while driving. In addition, because the ID8 system has integrated shortcut keys into the drop-down menu similar to smart phones, BMW’s original six iconic digital buttons have finally been cancelled, and only a few commonly used function shortcut keys are sparsely arranged in the button area.
BMW has always had very close cooperation with companies such as Apple and Google in vehicle interconnection. It is important to know that BMW was the first to support wireless Apple CarPlay, so what’s new with the launch of ID8 this time? In addition to supporting full-screen wireless Apple CarPlay and wirelessly connected Android Auto, ID8 can also project the map into the LCD dashboard in real time when using Apple or Google Maps for navigation, eliminating the action of turning to look at the screen. Furthermore, in the future, ID8 system can interact with Apple’s mobile phone in two directions, and automatically recommend charging piles or gas stations through iOS system when the vehicle’s battery life is insufficient, and more functions will be expanded through OTA in the future.
The second-tier system menu of ID8 is very similar to that of smart phones. You can install an APP for function expansion, and the menus can also be arranged according to your personal preferences, so users of smart phones can get started quickly. This i4 M50 comes with a panoramic driving recorder APP, and supports anti-theft function similar to Tesla Sentinel mode, which is very practical. In the future, the i4 model entering the China market is expected to be equipped with small scenes developed in cooperation with Tencent and functions such as on-board WeChat. By cooperating with major Internet vendors to further create a rich APP ecosystem, the application scenarios will be more abundant than those in the European market.
The lever area is still familiar to us, the big iDrive knob is still there, the electronic lever of "Little Chicken Leg" has a circle of blue decoration, and the one-button start button has also turned blue, which shows the identity of its electric car. The driving mode can still be quickly switched through the three buttons of Sport, Comfort and ECO, which is not difficult for drivers who have driven the new BMW.