New BMW iDrive 8.5: revamped interface design with flat menus, new OS planned

A revamped home screen and new menu structure feature in the latest iteration of BMW's iDrive suite, which sees some big changes afoot. When it comes to infotainment systems, iDrive is one of the most comprehensive. Though the whole thing can be pretty overwhelming to the uninitiated, BMW said it has now made it more simple, embracing flat menu structures.

Before you think this is a spin-off of the Flat Earth Society, hear us out. Flat menus aren’t deep - they give you the main menu, then a set of options in a layer of sub menus. Taking it to the extreme, BMW has embraced a ‘zero-layer’ principle. The fancy new home screen, featuring softer colours and widgets galore, will permanently display icons to make it quicker to access various functions. You get to pick which ones you want there, thankfully.

By comparison, nested menus go far deeper, creating more sub-menus and sub-sub-menus until the function you didn’t know you wanted is buried so deep, you’ll never come across it again until you’re randomly hunting down a factory reset, prepping to sell the car.

The German car maker introduced the Curved Display last year and intends for these changes to have the most impact here. However, it also plans on rolling out the new system to current models gradually over 2023.

By minimising the sub-menus, flat menu structures are easier to navigate and give users a greater understanding of what their system is capable of. Smartphone and tablet devices tend to have flat menu structures, and these have inspired BMW to make the changes to the iDrive system. Fewer layers mean fewer clicks, meaning less distraction. At least in theory.

Stephan Durach, senior VP of BMW Group connected company development, said: “Today, BMW iDrive is more than just a control and operating system – it’s a digital world of experience allowing human and car to interact with one another and exchange information. As we said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2023, we are continuously enhancing the associated user experience based on the latest available technology.”

BMW also confirms there’ll be more frequent remote updates and better info on electric car charging points. Updates will include those to the current operating system, upgrading to BMW OS 8.5 and paving the way for the OS9 release. OS9 is being developed, based on Android OS project software.

The new approach reflects the increasing use of digital touchscreens and voice assistants, leaving us to pine for more buttons. Only us?