I do not think I have read a bmw review this past year since I have started that does not comment on I-drive being confusing and hard to use. Are these people 80 years old or completely slow. I just got a 07 530i and took me probably 10 minutes to get the thing down and I was in my parents 7 series and maybe took 15 minutes to get down. I just am awe struck at how many comments people make-especially in these car mags about how confusing it is-you would have to be pretty damn slow to not find these pretty simple. If you have ever operated a computer, palm, DvD play for that matter-then these are a sinch-just blows my mind-anyway else actually like I-drive-I love having no knobs or anything and everything on the screen keeps things look neat and is easy to only have to look at one spot for everything.

I figured out the i drive while I was driving as soon as I purchased my ride. it is a piece of cake, almost very similar to an ipod.

Funny you shld mention this. I have been listening to the auto journalists who have proclaimed this system "confusing, overly-complicated, confounding," and all other manner of adjectives to describe something that is nowhere near those things. I figured it out in the first half hour of ownership of the 06 530xiT I bought the other day. I'm glad I got past the stigma put on the iDrive by the all-knowing auto people.

i-drive took about 3 minutes to figure out.

It's not too bad, but it's a stupid system compared to the touch-screen panels used on many other vehicles. This is especially true with respect to the NAV functions.

I-drive is easy to get to know on the current 7's and 5's, but man, the first year of i-drive in the 7's, holy over-complicated Bat-man! But when it was re-done on '04 - presto, they figured out which menus were unnecessary and got rid of them! Even someone who's not a techno-geek should be able to become comfortable with i-drive within a couple of days of driving, and familiar enough with it to change the heater settings and the radio within 10 minutes.

yeah, the worst was the early E65 7's. They had no menu button, so some people couldn't figure out how to get back to the home screen.

For the 2008 models 5 series facelifted models, they've added 6 programmable buttons for quick access to commonly used fuctions.

this system has to be one of the easier systems to use. It beats hands down the touch screens. "no finger prints. it has been placed right in the spot where your hand rests, no unused movement. A fighter pilot had to of designed it because of the placement

Im getting a 2008 535i Sport- I cant wait. Its only 66 pounds heavier than the 335i sedan, gonna be lots of fun.

iDrive is not difficult to use at all. All these reviewers just aren't used to it. I mean, look at Mercedes' COMAND system...

I know it's not difficult, but an iDrive with touch screen would be much better. I have a Garwin touch screen GPS in my other car and it takes me a 1/10 of the time to enter an address.

I know it's not difficult, but an iDrive with touch screen would be much better. I have a Garwin touch screen GPS in my other car and it takes me a 1/10 of the time to enter an address.

Yes, a touch screen for the vehicles with the nav would be great! :)

I Drive is not difficult to learn. But, in my 2004 530, the I Drive is absurd to use and a royal pain in the butt. Ridiculous.

I hold I Drive in the same high esteem and regard as I have for run-flat tires.

JMOs.

Jim