I ordered a new 3 series (2023) which does away with those buttons and a few others. I would have preferred having at least the temperature controls as physical buttons but other than that they do have the navigation knob/joystick which is well positioned to control the system. It feels like a reasonable compromise.
The joystick in BMW's is awesome. Gives you access to every function in the car with minimal glance at the screen needed. If you get the one with the HUD, no need to even look at the map.
Mine displays navigation and media information along with speedometer and street signs. It does not have all the car's info available.
Was looking at [1] and even with the joystick it is less than ideal. I would need to try though. The joystick is good to navigate the screen but navigating a screen while driving is still not the way it should be.
