Embodiments of vehicle gesture recognition systems and methods are disclosed. An example vehicle gesture recognition system comprises a data interface configured for receiving 2d image data from a 2d sensor and/or from a portable device camera via a portable device interface. Additionally or alternatively, the data interface is configured for receiving gesture data indicating a gesture. A vehicle processing unit is configured for controlling user interfacing with a user interface based on the gestures recognized from the 2d image data and/or as indicated by the gesture data.