Probably won’t apply to the current i4 but maybe we’ll see this in future models (LCI?).
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BMW iDrive 8.5 and iDrive 9
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i4M50Guy
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I love your optimism
iDrive 8.5 will never come to iDrive 8.0 cars, but happy to be proven wrong.
Canceled - i4 eDrive40 M Sport, alpine white/mocha, ventilated, DAPP, PAP, lasers, HK, shawdowline
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Only i4 with build dates in 7/23 or after will have 8.5. There’s a hardware change that prevents 8.5 from being installed on the previous builds.
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My decade old computers can still take OS upgrades but I'm sure BMW has good reasons to block a minor version update due to "hardware incompatibility".
This right here.
2023 M50 - Tanzanite over tartufo full individual leather, 20" wheels, fully loaded.
...I have no idea about.
I haven't looked at it.
I'm almost certainly not getting it because BMW aren't going to make it available to me.
Rather than making yourself miserable pondering over superficial changes you can't have, hop in your car and just enjoy taking it out for a drive. It's what the i4 does best, and will continue to do best, with or without iDrive 8.5, 8.51, 8.7, 8.99, 9.0, 9......
But that’s the kind of pondering that is important when thinking about what car to get the next time, do I really want to give BMW $90k for another i4 M50 the next time around if I know how fast they leave customers behind? Most likely I’ll be voting with my wallet and go elsewhere, that’s the way to get change.
Owning something is just a continuous evaluation of the product.
you can ask the car to turn on the heated seats without going to the screen. Much easier
I don't know what you will do next time.
Or anybody else.
But I read these sort of statements and the expression 'hot air' comes to mind. Personally, I'm going to choose my next car on what is the best car (IMO) at the time. Being able to select settings easily, is a factor. How well the manufacturer is going to support the car going forward, is a factor. Does it look hot and sexy and going to be a babe magnet, is a factor.
But 80% of choosing a car, for me, is how it drives and, for me, there is nothing that comes close to the M50, unless I spend substantially more. Give me the purchase price again and I will still come back with an M50, despite all I know about it and even though, shock horror, I will never be able to turn on the heated seats directly from the main screen. I don't know how I get through the days sometimes.
So, when people say things like, "I'm going to punish BMW by cutting off my nose and buying something else", I would make the following points:
- BMW don't care.
- You probably won't. You'll buy the best car at the time.
- You're kidding yourself if you think this is an issue for BMW only.
- You're overestimating the importance of trivial interface changes.
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This may be an unpopular opinion, but am I the only one that does not want my UI to change ? iDrive8.0 isn’t the most user friendly, but I have it figured out (mostly) and the lag issues are almost resolved, I don’t want to start fresh.
I didn’t purchase the i4 for the UI, I purchased it for its driving capabilities, comfort, sportiness and versatility, and frankly, I wouldn’t want to start over learning another UI, I just want to keep enjoying the car without having another learning curve (and dealing with a new set of bugs and quirks that need fixin').
Of course I will buy the best car at the time, but infotainment is a part of a car these days (and is just becoming more and more important). Especially as we are heading into the age of level 3 self driving in the next few years, that’s when you really want more functionality on the bigger screens in the cars. So when the market is heading one way and BMW is staying put it means that other cars gets an upper hand in that regard.
If driving dynamics was my biggest factor there are other cars I’d pick over the M50 (ICE cars), it’s a sporty and fun daily driver but no true sports car. Hell if fun driving is what I want the most I’d rather have an old Z4 M than the M50. Due to being an EV I think it shines more in being comfortable than it does in pushing it to the limit, the versatility is where it is at for me where I can have a easy to drive comfortable daily driver that overtakes most things in a straight line.
💯
It's a CAR! It's not a entertainment system, mobile device, or even a computer/tablet. It's a car! I want it to work well as an enjoyable driving machine, I want it to avoid distracting me with crap UI or changes which I have to try to figure out while driving, and I want it to be 100% reliable.
...and that's all...
I cared for one hot minute. Then was incredibly underwhelmed when I saw the previews on BMWBlog with BMW's head of whatever. I'm not worried at all about the future of BMW...I think they're going to be around for a while
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I want more than just a “car” in 2023 when it’s offered by others. BMW have mastered how to deliver an excellent car. So have many other brands. With the new CarPlay coming and it’s ability to take over a “car” I would absolutely love to customize “my” car because it “is” also a computer.
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the climate screen and the bottom bar is the only thing thats different. everything else is essentially identical to iDrive 8.0.
i4 will only get iDrive 8.5 from 07/2023 production forward. some other 2023 BMW's like G70, IX, U11 with certain production cut offs will receive iDrive 8.5 from a software update. and mostly all of these will be receiving iDrive 8.5 from factory as of 07/23 production.
I think that in 2023 a car is more than just A to B transport on four wheels, it is integration with your connected devices and as you say being a computer in itself. Since EVs are still changing and advancing fast the manufacturers aren't fully aware of what functions to ship with the car so it is important to have a manufacturer that is willing to update the cars with these new features as they make them.
Since we are on the cusp of legal level 3 self driving I think this will just become more important as that will fundamentally transform how a car is used for many people.
I don't care about 8.5 or 9 in my car.
As long as what I bought gets big fixes and continues to function, I don't care about the latest interface.
My M50 is a car first and as long as the functions I paid for work, I'm good.
What I don't want is. Tesla experience where things come and go, and sometimes fundamental features you pay for are disabled.
Leave my car alone.
2023 M50 - Tanzanite over tartufo full individual leather, 20" wheels, fully loaded.
As long as what I bought gets big fixes and continues to function, I don't care about the latest interface.
My M50 is a car first and as long as the functions I paid for work, I'm good.
What I don't want is. Tesla experience where things come and go, and sometimes fundamental features you pay for are disabled.
Leave my car alone.
2023 M50 - Tanzanite over tartufo full individual leather, 20" wheels, fully loaded.
I see that to be caused by the same reason they make the i4 infotainment legacy after not even 2 years. They have the old car manufacturer way where they only give new things and improvements to people who haven’t yet given them their money. Once they get your money you aren’t important to them anymore, that mentality is exactly what I don’t think belongs for a premium vehicle in 2023.
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