Categories: Cars

BMW Unveils iDrive X Infotainment With High-Tech Displays

The Neue Klasse lineup won’t be just about a family of next-generation electric vehicles. BMW is also ushering in its revamped infotainment, dubbed Operating System X. Debuting today in Las Vegas at 2025 CES, the new iDrive X brings major changes over the 8.5 and 9.0 systems found in current cars.

BMW previewed the setup with its 2023 Vision Neue Klasse and 2024 Vision Neue Klasse X concepts. For this year’s CES, it brought a supersized version of what you’ll find in production models. The next iX3, which premieres later this year, will lead the way. The purely electric crossover is getting a completely revamped dashboard with a large center screen.

Bigger than the 14.9-inch touchscreen found in existing models, the new display of the iDrive X sits closer to the driver. Highly customizable, the enlarged infotainment contains a column of fixed icons on the left side of the display. At the bottom, it features the usual climate controls and other often-used functions. Making the most of the increased diagonal, the icons are farther apart, reducing the risk of accidentally pressing on the wrong item.

Panoramic iDrive

The bigger novelty of iDrive X is the Panoramic iDrive positioned at the base of the windshield. Stretching from pillar to pillar, it’s actually a projection rather than a screen. It replaces the traditional digital driver’s display by featuring three tiles on the left side. These show all the relevant information the person behind the wheel needs. The displayed information includes speed, gear, mileage, range, parking brake, the battery’s state of charge, and driver assist. On the right side, there are six additional widgets the driver can customize or turn off for a more minimalist look.

Don’t go looking for an iDrive rotary knob because Neue Klasse models won’t have it. Instead, you’ll use the steering wheel to browse through settings and make adjustments. Featuring a new look, the futuristic wheel has capacitive-touch buttons. The keys for driver assistance functions are located on the left side. BMW put the buttons for multimedia content on the right side.

The German luxury brand is confident that you will find the right button without taking your eyes off the road. The controls have a “well-judged, relief-like surface.” In addition, active haptic feedback is included. The buttons on the steering wheel are illuminated to highlight available functions. It means certain keys will light up only when they’re ready to use.

iDrive X With Optional 3D Head-Up Display

Additionally, iDrive X includes a newly developed 3D head-up display. BMW will offer the next-gen HUD as optional equipment. As shown above, it will sit on top of the three left tiles of the Panoramic Vision. It’s directly in the driver’s line of sight and offers intuitive graphics without overburdening the driver with information.

Although the new tech premieres in Neue Klasse models, it won’t remain exclusive to EVs for long. BMW intends to roll out iDrive X to cars equipped with combustion engines as well. The 7 Series LCI arriving in 2026 could lead the way for ICE models. BMW engineered the new infotainment to eventually replace both iDrive 8.5 and 9.0. It has been developed completely in-house on an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) software stack.

During development, BMW says it spoke with about 3,000 customers, asking for feedback on how to improve the infotainment. The new iDrive X has greater support for future updates and additional functions that will be added later.