BMW 435i M Sport: PH Fleet
OK, so it's not an M4 but it can do social media on the M25
Trim additions aside it's not a bona fide M though. So let's be fair and not try and compare it to one.
Web browsing about cars ... in your car
After bed hopping between various cars such as happens in this business the low-slung driver's seat of the 4 Series is always a welcome place to find myself. All that you touch and interact with feels thoughtfully tactile and the design is clean and fuss free. But I couldn't help notice there was a whole swathe of features on the screen I'd not delved into.
As part of this car's £1,000 Media Package I've got BMW Emergency Call, BMW Tele Services, BMW Online Services, BMW Apps, BMW- oh, you get the picture. Exploring all this stuff is the kind of thing long-term loans should be about. But I was baffled and went to see BMW's Dan Knight, who's an expert in all this. Like a teenager showing granddad an iPhone for the first time he patiently talked me through all the gadgets and gizmos fitted to my car I've so far ignored.
Shame on me but I hadn't even realised that the £95 Internet option means the car has its own in-built internet connection entirely independent of the phone that's paired to it for making calls and using Bluetooth audio - the extent of my connectivity thus far. Clearly I don't lead the correct manner of lifestyle to need all this stuff but through it you can seek out all manner of distractions, be it restaurants or whatever, scan online reviews and then get the directions programmed into the nav. Or via the Connected Drive website and the car's dedicated login do it at home on your computer or tablet and, via Google, send the information directly to the onboard computer. I've also now got logins to BMW's online music provider of choice Rara and installed the necessary apps onto my phone in order that I can - joy - keep touch with Twitter and Facebook in the car.
Having patiently nodded through Dan's explanation of this, dutifully downloaded various stuff onto my phone and readied myself to join the online revolution I promptly abandoned the 4 Series and instead mucked about with screaming M V8s and other delights. But now BMW has its M3 back and we won't get to drive the M4 for another few months.
Stand by for badly typed Facebook updates and Tweets live and direct from somewhere stationary between junctions 17 and 12 on the M25 each morning henceforth...
FACT SHEET
Car: 2013 BMW 435i M Sport
Run by: Dan
On fleet since: October 2013
Mileage: 6,047
List price new: £48,160 (Basic list of £41,435 OTR plus £670 for 19-inch M double-spoke 442M wheels, £360 for Adaptive Headlights, £515 for Adaptive M Suspension, £350 for enhanced Bluetooth, £300 for folding mirrors, £825 for head-up display, £460 for Interior Comfort Package comprising memory electric seats, 'extended storage' and sun protection glass, £95 for internet, £675 for Harmon/Kardon speakers, £570 for M Sport brakes, £1,000 for BMW Professional Media Package, £325 for online entertainment, £330 for reversing camera and £250 for Variable Sport Steering.)
Last month at a glance: Great interior even more appealing now Dan knows what it does
Previous reports:
The 435i joins the PH Fleet
4 Series whets our appetite for the M version
Ultimate driving machine or disappointingly aloof? Time to find out
Rack or ruin for the 435i
Ali.
Ali.
There was talk of BMW becoming a MVNO (a bit like Tesco and Asda branded networks) and owners buyinng a BMW branded SIM which piggy backed a mobile operator network(I wont name which one :-) ) and owners paying their data bills direct to BMW, which was then passed on to the network operator.
There is/was also the option of BMW teathering via bluetooth to your mobile phone.
You could also pop a 3G USB Bluetooth enabled dongle in the cars USB slot too and then pair your devices to that.
Ive given the kids the same service in my car by connecting a wifi router with 3G back haul to the 12 volt output in my car. Only they can use this when im driving.
Its only ever gonna be as good as the coverage the car has
""ConnectedDrive, available on most BMW models, offers a variety of features designed to improve the comfort, safety and entertainment value of your journey. Arguably the most exciting of these is BMW Internet, a feature that gives users unlimited access to the Web via a browser on the car's integrated display.
From a stationary vehicle, the driver and front passenger can surf the Internet via the car's iDrive user interface, twisting and pressing the joystick on the centre console to control an on-screen cursor.
Previously, Web browsing capability came courtesy of the car's built-in SIM card, but, as of this month, BMW is allowing its customers to get online in a couple of new ways. Firstly, drivers can tether a 3G mobile phone via Bluetooth, utilising their handset's data connection to access the Web on the car's integrated browser.
The company will also roll out a Wi-Fi hotspot function that allows users to connect a 3G broadband dongle via one of the car's USB ports. Again, this allows users to go online via the car's own browser, but also to access the Web on laptops and tablet PCs over a Wi-Fi hotspot created by the vehicle.
As if that wasn't enough, Google has also supplied ConnectedDrive with a variety of Google services that are accessible outside of the browser. When entering an address into the sat-nav, users have the option to view 360-degree images of their destination using Street View. The driver can also view images uploaded to Google's Panoramio website by the general public.
Finally, BMW has updated ConnectDrive with a variety of phone-based mobile-office features. The system will read aloud emails and texts received on BlackBerry smart phones and display calendar entries and contacts (complete with pictures) on the vehicle's integrated display.
Thanks to support for updated Bluetooth features in the Apple iOS 4 operating system, BMW users can also control almost every feature on an iPhone 4 via the car's central display or the remote buttons on the steering wheel.
ConnectedDrive is available on most BMWs, including new 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, hybrid, M, X and Z4 models, and can be retrofitted to older BMW models.""
Or, is it locked down so you can only use it when stationary?
Think, live Google Maps traffic updates, streaming Spotify/Soundcloud etc., custom news alerts (not just BBC/local radio via RDS) and a lot more.
Also, any passenger with a phone/tablet/etc. can use data services perfectly legally.
I'm interested in the costs too though. I suspect that the £95 is just for the SIM interface to be fitted or enabled (cheeky, but entirely possible) and you'd then need to pony up for a data plan for the car.
In a sensible world (ha!) this would mean chucking £10/mo at GiffGaff, but probably means paying BMW £25/mo for the privilege.
I have only used it a couple of times to see what is like and each time it was very slow to download pages and I couldn't see ant benefit over using my phone instead. I haven't tried using Google maps yet as I have Sat Nav as this may be the only benefit I can see for car based internet.
This option came with the car when I bought it, as I wouldn't have paid £95 for a gimmick. I don't pay any monthly charges and as far as I know never will.
kers says that gt86 is expensive!Quite fancy an F32 next (420i or 428i). E92 owner at the moment and going by how that drives I cant imagine the F32 will be much improved which kind of puts me off a little.
F30 a better option?
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