[Jonathan S.]

Local sales guy called me to say one of his customers cancelled, so instead of being #5 on the dealer wait list, I could jump to #2.
So sounds like this could actually happen by the end of 2023!

Build posted here:

Build Your Own Car: Luxury Car Customizer by BMW USA

Customize your own luxury car to fit your needs. Build and price a luxury sedan, SUV, convertible, and more with BMW's car customizer.

www.bmwusa.com

I've bolded the items where I'm especially interested in feedback, thanks!

Shadowline:

• I can barely tell any difference on the configurator. (By contrast, the Black Optics on my Audi A6 Allroad makes a big difference, essentially a chrome delete, and that's even without considering its roof rails.)
• In person, sales guy showed by another customer's build order awaiting pick-up, and I could barely see the Shadowline difference.
• So doesn't seem worth the cost differential, even the trivial $400

Color, exterior:

• Paying for color seems silly, but white will show springtime bugz too much.
• Tempted to get something subdued since I don't want this car to stand out in a flashy way, but ...
• ... the only special car color I've ever had was blue, and the Portimao blue looks good both on the configurator and in the various pics posted in this forum (thanks!).
• Also seems snazzy yet still friendly.
• The more expensive Tanzanite blue seems even snazzier, but the delay warning is discouraging.

Wheels:

• Definitely 19" and definitely all-season (although I'll probably sell them almost immediately and get the Vredestein Quatrac Pro for the true all-season capability, including light snow, despite the range hit).
• I chose the Bi-Color Midnight Grey (instead of the Y-Spoke Black) since they looked a little friendlier on the configurator -- does that match up with reality?

Interior:

• Need leather to get ventilated seats (which after experiencing on two other cars, there's no going back).
• Black with blue contrast looks nice, but ... loses the ventilation?!?
• Ditto for Oyster and Red, but too light and too flashy respectively.
• Mocha, hmm, looks interesting, but reminds me of chocolate too much, so will make me hungry all that time.
• I think that leaves me with Boring Black, oh well.

Trim:

• Definitely wood.
• I like the lighter color of the ash, but I'm worried that the high gloss will make it look too plastic-y? Any feedback on this one from owners?
• So I've selected oak grain for the moment.

Add'l Packages and Options that are open to feedback:

• Drive recorder, seems like it could have some value, and at only $100, whatever, sure, I'll take it!
• Headlights, I didn't do any research on this, but I'm assuming it adds some functionality and isn't just marketing bs.
• Wireless charging, my A6 Allroad had a chip delete on that, and the forums said the charge rate is really slow anyway. But looks like my iPhone 14 will nestle nicely in the charging tray, so for $200, seems worthwhile.
• eSIM 5G, research at this forum seems to make it worthwhile for enhancing your phone signal, and at $300, eh, sure.
• Upgraded sound system, I won't notice the difference with NPR and Audible, and it would take up space below the cargo floor, so unless the stock system sounds like an AM radio station, I'm not bothering with this.

Home charging:

• Given the long lag until the car arrives, my plan is to shop around then for a home charger, and also get recs for local electricians.
• Our home was built in 2005-06, and the garage was recently retrofitted with a solar panel control system, so I don't have any worries about the ability to set up a charger in there.
• I'm also going to wait until the car arrives, since I'm not telling my family about this ahead of time! Even if the charge installation is delayed, my calculations show I can add three miles of range per hour off a regular outlet, and I have a few public chargers just a few blocks away from my house, so I can drop off the car there and jog home then jog back once finished.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[J_P]

Wireless charging

There are a few threads about this but worth checking out Is there an issue with the wireless charger?

 

[BW13]

The biggest difference with Shadowline is the grill. Without shadowline the grill border is all silver and makes it really stand out. With Shadow the silver is a slim border inside the black and the middle part in between the 2 kidneys is black. It's definitely personal preference and looks different depending on whether you pick a dark or lighter car. I definitely prefer the shadow and think it looks much better with Portimao : )

 

[david594]

And before the 35% tint

You want my car!

 

[david594]

You get the laser lights and do the euro coding for them. 100% not a gimmick.

I'll be honest and say the seat ventilation seems underwhelming compared to my x5. And you lose side bolster adjustment which is kind of a bummer. Granted I haven't sat in seats with the sid ebolster adjustment so I don't know what I am or am not actually missing out on.

I dont use the wireless phone charge. My phone overheats in it, so I use a vent mounted anker charger instead.

I have mocha leather with the fine Ash and like its. I can try and grab some photos for you.

I have the esim. Not sure if I will ever use it or benefit from it.

Drive recorder seems like a no brainer for $100.

PAP and DAP are definites as well as HUD.

 

[BW13]

You get the laser lights and do the euro coding for them. 100% not a gimmick.

I'll be honest and say the seat ventilation seems underwhelming compared to my x5. And you lose side bolster adjustment which is kind of a bummer. Granted I haven't sat in seats with the sid ebolster adjustment so I don't know what I am or am not actually missing out on.

I dont use the wireless phone charge. My phone overheats in it, so I use a vent mounted anker charger instead.

I have mocha leather with the fine Ash and like its. I can try and grab some photos for you.

I have the esim. Not sure if I will ever use it or benefit from it.

Drive recorder seems like a no brainer for $100.

PAP and DAP are definites as well as HUD.

Totally agree about the esim, recorder, DAPP, Pap and the wireless charger. I've heard several people say the ventilated seats aren't all that. Skipping that gives you so many interior color options and so many of the interiors look great with Portimao, especially the oyster or the black with blue stitching.

 

[rbenjamin]

I had this same question, and the biggest difference is that it makes the front grill look a bit less obnoxious - especially with a darker paint color. I ordered Tanz Blue (with Mocha and ash).

 

[linerjoe]

The LaserLights do not have full functionality in the US, but can be coded to turn them on. I love them. Certainly the best headlights I've had on a vehicle.

The wireless charger is definitely "meh". PAP, DAPP, and HUD are all extremely useful in my book, and I wouldn't want one without them. (PAP because 360 cameras are very useful to me, and DAPP for ACC at a minimum.) Drive Recorder seemed like an easy answer for $100, but whether it's actually useful is still debatable.

 

[BlackKnight]

If you like wood trim, perhaps consider Oak Grain. Love it. And here's a pic with a black leather interior.

 

[cjbeckmann]

I ordered the Personal eSim, but note that currently in the US it only works with T-mobile and AT&T. I hope they eventually enable it for Verizon, but don't count on it.
I also ordered the open-pore oak grain trim rather than the high gloss ash (the others didn't appeal to me), mostly because I saw a review somewhere complaining about sun glare off the glossy finishes. But we'll see if I actually like it once I finally get my car

 

[Jonathan S.]

Many thanks for all the feedback.

So let's see here:

• Ah, now I see the difference with the Shadowline! My sales guy pointed it out to me on a build order awaiting pickup, but I didn't get that it was the outline of the [fake] grill that's different, as I was instead focusing just on the grill. Hmm, interesting. Definitely would like that grill to be less prominent. Noticed a random 3 series in the showroom and the understated grill was so much sharper looking. I know that the i4 is following the 4 series with this, but if anything the 4 series grill less performance-oriented than the 3 series. So maybe I'll add the Shadowline just to deemphasize the grill. (Grill Delete! Or at least, Grill Deemphasize option.)
• Tinted windows, hah, not in New England, about the last thing we need is less sun!
• Disappointed to hear about the weak ventilated seats. But anything has to be better than nothing. My first experience with ventilated seats was when I took my nearly new vehicle on a long complicated roadtrip one August to DC, NYC, and upstate NY for a mix of business, more business, friends, and family. Driving in DC in the summer wearing a business suit made me appreciate seat ventilation, so no going back now!
• Headlights, my 2022 Audi can be coded. The Audi forums pass around the WhatsApp number of this one guy who codes them remotely. At first I was thinking about doing it, but I find the lights so amazing good as is, although the videos showing the coded lights are wild. Frustrating that they're now approved in the U.S. but the enabled regulations have yet to be promulgated. But at the least $1k lights will give that possibility of coding.
• The wireless charging does sound borderline dysfunctional in that thread, yipes, thanks for the warning! I noticed two posters also had an iPhone 14 series phone like mine, so that's a bad sign. I might delete from the build once I get an allocation.
• Thanks for the wood grain pic. Looks exactly like my current Audi interior color!
• Disappointed to hear about no Verizon support for eSim. Perhaps that will change at some point.

 

[ssh]

• Headlights, my 2022 Audi can be coded. The Audi forums pass around the WhatsApp number of this one guy who codes them remotely. At first I was thinking about doing it, but I find the lights so amazing good as is, although the videos showing the coded lights are wild. Frustrating that they're now approved in the U.S. but the enabled regulations have yet to be promulgated. But at the least $1k lights will give that possibility of coding.
• The wireless charging does sound borderline dysfunctional in that thread, yipes, thanks for the warning! I noticed two posters also had an iPhone 14 series phone like mine, so that's a bad sign. I might delete from the build once I get an allocation.
• Thanks for the wood grain pic. Looks exactly like my current Audi interior color!

You can code the lights with BimmerCode on the i4 in Expert Mode. No big deal.

Yeah, the wireless charging is a mess.

The glossy ash isn't that glossy; I prefer ash grain to oak, so that's what I have.

 

[Jonathan S.]

Looks sharp, thanks!