I was fine with touchscreens before I had my Mini but as soon as I played with iDrive for a bit I was a convert. It's also a touchscreen and I used it as such literally once when I first got the car.
Some advantages of a controller-based system:
- No fingerprints on the screen
- Can use the controller with gloves
- Don't have to concentrate as hard on the screen when interacting with the system
- Navigating through menus is quicker because you don't have to awkwardly scroll with your finger
- iDrive also has shortcut buttons to various screens like home, media, map, nav, etc
The newest versions of iDrive really are fantastic. And they keep improving them. The version in my Clubman is noticeably better than the version in my wife's Cooper.