Why is it that the Germans have shunned the touch screen when it is inherently superior in so many respects? Instead they continue with the dial knob solution which while improved is still comparatively clumsy. I have NEVER managed to get my head around this point. Being logical Germans however, there must be some reason to it?

My Experiences.

Lexus: Current GS300, IS250
Touch screen - Brilliant
Layout/interface - Shocking. There is no logic to the way some of the menus are arranged and what's in them. Furthermore there is a real mash up of of 'true' buttons and touch screen buttons that just don’t make sense. Why can I not select 'CD' from the touch screen? Why can I only scroll radio frequencies through a 'true' button? Why does there appear to be no integration between the central unit and the display in the speedometer? Functions are awkwardly split between the two. Ergonomics though there is nothing to complain about, its just a hand reach away.

BMW: Current X5
Layout/Interface - Mostly excellent layout with some quirks. It's slow with navigation and certain other functions. Why must I wait over a minute for a street name to load? Why must I wrestle with the control knob just to wind down to another selection while it loads so slowly? The soft keys are an excellent concept but a bit flawed in execution. They are limited in what you can select as a soft function. For example the reversing camera is absolutely useless at night, in which case I prefer to use the parking sensors. But to switch between the two you must delve into sub menus to change from one to the other. Why can't the soft keys be programmed to switch to useful functions like the reversing camera or journey computer?

I drive controller - I Despise this thing. It is so awkwardly positioned. If the passenger is using the arm rest you have to shove them out of the way to comfortably hold the knob. And even if you've got it all to yourself your arm still needs to bend awkwardly. Because of this it often takes various nudges just to get it to do something so simple as access the entertainment menu. After years of experience with the old Mercedes command system I was really looking forward to using I drive. And quite frankly it sucks. Mercedes old command was better.

MMI - Too brief to comment

Command II - Too brief to comment