Quote:
Originally Posted by IROC
They must have made it more difficult after 2007. On ours, you just rotate the driver's side air temp knob cooler (or warmer) and speed the fan up. You don't even have to access iDrive. Same for the radio - just hit the "mute" button on the dash and then use the steering wheel controls to scroll through stations, adjust the volume, etc. I actually don't use the iDrive for anything unless I am checking fuel mileage, etc.
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I can only try to adjust the temp and the fan speed without using iDrive. To control where the air comes out I have to go to iDrive and I get this screen:
You twiddle the knob around and push it forward and backward and the screen changes. There is no immediate change in the air movement, so you have to watch the screen to see if you got it the way you want it. One thing I often want is to turn the dashboard vents on blazing hot to warm up my fingers. I've been so frustrated trying to get the BMW to do this that I don't bother any more. If it's cold out I drive my truck.
The controls are so simple I don't have to take my eyes off the road to use them. And they are immediately effective. You can tell where the air direction is set by where the air is coming out and it changes instantly when you move the knob.
To be honest, my new Murano has some pretty stupid controls too. Not as bad as the BMW but like the BMW how a control functions when you change it depends on where it is currently set. Its operation is relative. There is a single button on the dash that you push to cycle through the options. You have to look at the dash to see if you've set the control properly. Any system that makes you take your eyes off the road is bad one IMHO:
The controls on the Toyota pickup are absolute. All the way to the right is defrost. Doesn't make any difference where you are starting from. I can turn the defroster on and never take my eyes off the road. I like that.