I really liked the rotary knob control in my Mazda 6. It sounds like it is very similar to BMW's iDrive. You still had a touchscreen with menus but you could us

I really liked the rotary knob control in my Mazda 6. It sounds like it is very similar to BMW's iDrive. You still had a touchscreen with menus but you could use either one very effectively. I think the key for either more physical buttons or virtual control like that is to allow the user to make these changes by feel without having to look away from where you are driving.