BMW ICE 5 years behind?
Discussion
Small rant, maybe regretting a purchase...
I've recently bought a 2016 320d, and are suffering a little bit of buyers remorse. Having had Audi's before, the level of tech in the car is proving quite disappointing and even compared to my previous Focus (hardly an upmarket brand) there are some things nowhere near as good. The car has ProNav, running iDrive 4, so no Car Play/Android Auto, it has no wireless phone charging, even the duel zone air conditioning doesn't have a sync button (!!!!). The "auto" mode on the aircon doesn't seem to do much, as you can (have to?) still change the fan speed yourself. The reversing sensors seem to take ages to register anything behind them after engaging reverse, and it is very easy to get very close to something before they start complaining. Even the seats are manually adjustable, which on a car of the price point even 6 years is ridiculous!
The car does drive beautifully, very balanced and good through the corners, while the engine and gearbox are fantastic, but honestly, the level of tech is so far behind the Audi equivalent, and I'm finding iDrive to be quite complicated for no apparent reason, lots of menus and settings, while some seemingly obvious things are simply missing.
FWIW an A4/A5 of the same age would have Android Auto, CarPlay, wireless charging, fully digital dash, a sync button for the duel air con, and reversing sensors which started working when you engaged reverse, rather than 20 seconds later.
Maybe I was expecting too much, but for a premium brand the user experience so far isn't proving to be anywhere near as premium as I was expecting. There doesn't even seem to be any aftermarket OEM solutions either, I can put a genuine iDrive 6 system on the car to get CarPlay (for £1500!), or fit an MMI box which piggy backs off the aux port, but neither are particularly satisfactory tbh. There appear to be no solutions to get the 2 air con zones to sync up, which is incredibly annoying.
I've recently bought a 2016 320d, and are suffering a little bit of buyers remorse. Having had Audi's before, the level of tech in the car is proving quite disappointing and even compared to my previous Focus (hardly an upmarket brand) there are some things nowhere near as good. The car has ProNav, running iDrive 4, so no Car Play/Android Auto, it has no wireless phone charging, even the duel zone air conditioning doesn't have a sync button (!!!!). The "auto" mode on the aircon doesn't seem to do much, as you can (have to?) still change the fan speed yourself. The reversing sensors seem to take ages to register anything behind them after engaging reverse, and it is very easy to get very close to something before they start complaining. Even the seats are manually adjustable, which on a car of the price point even 6 years is ridiculous!
The car does drive beautifully, very balanced and good through the corners, while the engine and gearbox are fantastic, but honestly, the level of tech is so far behind the Audi equivalent, and I'm finding iDrive to be quite complicated for no apparent reason, lots of menus and settings, while some seemingly obvious things are simply missing.
FWIW an A4/A5 of the same age would have Android Auto, CarPlay, wireless charging, fully digital dash, a sync button for the duel air con, and reversing sensors which started working when you engaged reverse, rather than 20 seconds later.
Maybe I was expecting too much, but for a premium brand the user experience so far isn't proving to be anywhere near as premium as I was expecting. There doesn't even seem to be any aftermarket OEM solutions either, I can put a genuine iDrive 6 system on the car to get CarPlay (for £1500!), or fit an MMI box which piggy backs off the aux port, but neither are particularly satisfactory tbh. There appear to be no solutions to get the 2 air con zones to sync up, which is incredibly annoying.
Edited by Condi on Wednesday 6th September 08:17
halo34 said:
A 320d isnt premium really is it -
Is it not? BMW in general are a "premium" brand, but the pretty basic spec of the whole thing feels a bit cheap. It's not one single thing, but just in general, I mean, no sync button for the duel A/C, come on, every single car I've driven with duel zone A/C has that!! SteBrown91 said:
Sounds like you have an early 2016 car, as the MY17 cars (from July 16 onwards) got iDrive 5 with optional Carplay if you had pro nav.
Additionally, A4/A5s of that era would only have a digital dash, wireless carplay, leccy seats etc if it was specced.
It was registered in September, so not that early. And yes, unfortunately I did think it was iDrive 5 rather than 4, but there we go. Additionally, A4/A5s of that era would only have a digital dash, wireless carplay, leccy seats etc if it was specced.
Fully digital dash was an option on the A4 (quite a popular option as part of the tech pack), but I think all the S-Line models had a digital display in the dash which showed mapping, stereo, etc, all controlled from the steering wheel, and S-Line seats were all electric too, from memory.
worsy said:
Trouble is your are looking at a car originally released in 2011 and coming to the end of it's build period versus the Audi which would have been a brand new model in 2016.
Yes, I agree. It just surprises me a bit that BMW were quite so far behind, whereas I always thought/assumed that the competition between the 2 would mean they were always quite similar. Anyway, as you say, I shall enjoy the driving experience for now
.... and then probably quite quickly change it, either for a newer BMW with some decent toys or back to an Audi! MitchT said:
. I would imagine the electronic handbrake is a similar affair. Solving a problem that doesn't exist and every so often a little light will come on telling you it's about to hold you to ransom.
Jesus, why is PH so full of people who think the world is against them at the moment? Every thread seems to be full of it. Electronic handbrakes have been around a long time and never has anyone been "held to ransom" by it, which is ironic given this is a thread about BMWs, and BMW's last great idea was charging people a subscription to use the heated seats!! I'm sure there are good engineering reasons why most (all?) manufacturers use them, even the most basic of brands - Dacia - comes with one.
rassi said:
All these perceived shortcomings would have been known at the time of buying the car, so what made you buy the car if these features were important for you?
That is a fair point, although in 10 min test drive you are more concerned about how it drives, knocks, rattles etc, than diving into the iDrive system to check the air-con sync'd, especially as it has done in every other car I've owned with split AC. Hardly outrageous to assume that as my mates E90 series has it, and I knew how to do it on a G20 series, the F30 would also have it! Equally, I had thought the car was fitted with iDrive5, not 4, so lesson learnt there. It is not one particular thing which is important on it's own, more there is a feeling that everything is just behind where I would expect it to be, and for a "premium" brand, it is not quite what I was expecting.
Oh, another thing I noticed, why doesn't the "automatic" wiper function remember it's setting??? Every other car does, but BMW does not. I just want to leave it in auto, not have to set it to auto each time I get in the car! Same with the stop/start, but at least other cars tend to be the same and it can be coded out.
Court_S said:
That’s proper first world problems since the auto function is activated by the press of a button at the end of the stalk! 
Yes, but it's indicative of how the user experience hasn't been a priority, and how really simple things have not been put in place to make life as good as it can be for the driver. It's not even a cost thing, just nobody has thought of it! rottenegg said:
Exactly 
This has to be one of the stupidest threads I've ever seen, but then again, it is Pistonheads. The sensitive little flower should bugger off back to his beloved Audis, where he can rejoice in having to only turn one temperature knob instead of 2. I'm sure his life would improve 38% after being so hard done by by BMW. Jesus wept.
Sensitive little flower? Okay, dear! This has to be one of the stupidest threads I've ever seen, but then again, it is Pistonheads. The sensitive little flower should bugger off back to his beloved Audis, where he can rejoice in having to only turn one temperature knob instead of 2. I'm sure his life would improve 38% after being so hard done by by BMW. Jesus wept.I am just surprised that a brand with a "premium" reputation has given so little thought to how customers actually use their products, and that they are so far behind the competition. Also makes me wonder why so many people buy them, I can only assume it is badge snobbery, because the in car experience leaves a lot to be desired.
Clearly I am not alone, either, go on BMW forums and there are pages and pages of posts about the lack of a sync button!
MrBen986 said:
Condi said:
I am just surprised that a brand with a "premium" reputation has given so little thought to how customers actually use their products, and that they are so far behind the competition. Also makes me wonder why so many people buy them, I can only assume it is badge snobbery, because the in car experience leaves a lot to be desired.
I guess it depends on your priorities in a car. My daily is a 2015 435i M-Sport coupe, in which I've driven over 50,000 miles and I can't say that the outdated pro nav, the climate controls or the automatic wiper control has ever bothered me. It's one of the best cars I've owned because it has a great engine and chassis and I enjoy driving it. I appreciate a 320d doesn't have an inspiring engine, but they do still have good chassis balance and nice controls and I have found them to be considerably more fun than the equivalent Audi which left me cold. But that doesn't really excuse some of the decisions made about the interior. Clearly BMW knew that it was a problem, hence why newer models have most of the issues fixed or changed!
Court_S said:
Your actual car, a 320d was towards the end of its life. 2016 is a facelift model which was replaced in 2018.
Arguably, arguably not. The F30 was released in the UK in 2012 and continued to be sold until mid 2019 (and for another year in F34 guise). A 2016 car is maybe more towards the end of it's life than the beginning, but I wouldn't agree it was late model car. To add to the cluster-f
k of things BMW don't think it sensible to include, today I found out folding rear seats were an option! What the juddering fk? On a car designed to be the ideal family mobile, why the hell did they think folding rear seats needed to be an option?! It's been standard on every car I've owned in 20 years, but oooooh no, not the 3 series... not the car designed for families!
FFS, it's a fking joke. Can't take my mountain bike anywhere now, especially when away for days at a time, can't pick up lengths of timber from B+Q, struggled to bring some gardening tools back from a mates place earlier as the boot had to be strapped down. I think this maybe one "option" too far, time to look for something new. As well as the car drives, if I want something entirely impractical but good to drive, I wouldn't have bought a fking 4 door 3 series.
k of things BMW don't think it sensible to include, today I found out folding rear seats were an option! What the juddering fk? On a car designed to be the ideal family mobile, why the hell did they think folding rear seats needed to be an option?! It's been standard on every car I've owned in 20 years, but oooooh no, not the 3 series... not the car designed for families! FFS, it's a f
king joke. Can't take my mountain bike anywhere now, especially when away for days at a time, can't pick up lengths of timber from B+Q, struggled to bring some gardening tools back from a mates place earlier as the boot had to be strapped down. I think this maybe one "option" too far, time to look for something new. As well as the car drives, if I want something entirely impractical but good to drive, I wouldn't have bought a fking 4 door 3 series. 
d_a_n1979 said:
Mind the door doesn't hit you in the back of the head on your way out... Tatty bye
Sorry, have I burst your little BMW fan boi bubble by pointing out all the things you expect but don't get? Or that you could spend £15k on a Focus and have all the things which BMW charge you extra for? If not, I don't really understand your attitude. I'm simply pointing things out which any reasonable person would expect to find on a £30k "premium" car.... Jamescrs said:
SteBrown91 said:
Have you not sold it yet?
Just accept it you bought the wrong car and move on.
Glad I'm not the only one wondering why the OP doesn't just sell the car and move on. Just accept it you bought the wrong car and move on.
This thread is simply a list of things I am amazed are not standard on a car costing £30k. The reason I keep adding to it is because I keep finding new things which nearly every other car has but a £30k BMW does not.
On a test drive folding rear seats was not something I looked for as every other car has them! It's like buying some gloves and finding the thumb is missing. Wtf?! It shouldn't be a thing any buyer needs to look for. Now I know it is, I'll be more cautious next time.
Are there any other options I need to look out for? Were the airbags optional? ABS? All 4 wheels?
d_a_n1979 said:
Accept the car as it is and stop fecking whining.. Don't like it, sell it & move on... Like it; STFU and enjoy it for what it is... 
It's getting boring now
Problem is that I don't know what the car is - or isn't - because there are new things which are seemingly missing all the time. As and when I find new ones, I'll add to it, as much as a warning to anyone else. It's getting boring now
Feel free to unfollow the thread, it's not hard. Other people may find it useful to read it in future, so when they buy an F30 they know to what to look for.
steve_n said:
Non folding rear seats have some advantages. Granted your average driver won't notice but they are considerably lighter and provide more structural rigidity to the chassis. Ergo, there's a choice.
What is the difference in weight..... 4 or 5kg at most? On a 1600kg car that is a 0.25% reduction, or about 1 gallon of fuel. There is absolutely no way that is why BMW didn't fit them as standard, like they did in all other F3x variants. There is a choice because BMW are a
holes. I can't even believe it saved any money, the costs of having 2 different sets of parts must have been at least as much as the saving on 2 latches and 2 hinges. d_a_n1979 said:
Nothing is missing, it just wasn’t spec’d.
Sounds more like you rushed into its purchase without knowing what the car had/didn’t have rather than waiting until you found the right car with the right spec
It is missing because any reasonable person would expect it to be there. I didn't rush into the purchase, more simply didn't know that things which are standard on a Ford, Audi or Toyota would be paid for extra's on top of a car which was upwards of £30k new, especially on something which is supposed to be a practical family wagon. Sounds more like you rushed into its purchase without knowing what the car had/didn’t have rather than waiting until you found the right car with the right spec
d_a_n1979 said:
Condi said:
d_a_n1979 said:
Nothing is missing, it just wasn’t spec’d.
Sounds more like you rushed into its purchase without knowing what the car had/didn’t have rather than waiting until you found the right car with the right spec
It is missing because any reasonable person would expect it to be there. I didn't rush into the purchase, more simply didn't know that things which are standard on a Ford, Audi or Toyota would be paid for extra's on top of a car which was upwards of £30k new, especially on something which is supposed to be a practical family wagon. Sounds more like you rushed into its purchase without knowing what the car had/didn’t have rather than waiting until you found the right car with the right spec
As for the seats not folding on Audi's, I wasn't aware of that - certainly my S reg A4 had them - but the cars referenced in the thread are from 2003/4, not 2016!!
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