I’m all for new technology. I have a full suite of Apple products – Mac, iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch – and like them all. I also use and like all the interactivity of things like SkyQ and Amazon Music, but I’m not driving and in charge of a potential killing machine when I use any of these things.
I love BMW iDrive because it has all the functionality of modern infotainment systems but you can also control everything with a rotary dial, which is far easier and safer to use when driving. I’ve even opted for Head Up Display on our new BMW X1 so as to reduce still further the need to take my eyes off the road. So I guess that I’m not really a Neanderthal, but I must confess that there have been one or two occasions when I have nearly come a cropper faffing about with the rubbish system in our current Tiguan, which is only part touchscreen, so I fear that the tipping point has now been exceeded. I wish that EuroNCap would add a new safety rating of ‘driver distraction’ to their safety scores. That would soon see this issue get back in balance.