[ipilcher]

Originally Posted by 34.50

- Routing is excellent - I've compared the directions to Google Maps on my smartphone, and the routing is similar.

I've had it tell me to turn right, drive 1/4 mile, make a U-turn, drive back 1/4 mile, and turn right on the original street – rather than simply going straight through the intersection.

Originally Posted by 34.50

- Advance warning of multiple actions - gives you plenty of notice to take action. The directions are clear and concise.

I only ever get the next action, even when the following turn is less than 50-100 feet away (at highway speed). On one particularly egregious occasion, my wife (who isn't usually tuned in to these things) remarked on the fact that it would be impossible to follow the instructions.

It almost seems like we have different systems.

Originally Posted by 34.50

- Interface - this I agree with. I use Google Maps/Send to Car app to send directions to the system. This is so much easier than entering an address using the iDrive system.

Too bad this isn't reliable.

And something that I forgot in my previous post ... the fact that the entertainment system isn't muted when the navigation system is giving directions is another facepalm "feature".

[ipilcher]

Originally Posted by GSAL55

Check which route you have selected - ie fastest, shortest, most economic... that changes the routes drastically. Factory setting is eco I believe. I changed mine and have no issues (then again I am not getting it in my order because I already have a $60k car on order, I have nav on my phone)...

See my previous post for an example of the completely non-sensical routing that I'm getting. Unless it's set to "scenic" (and it considers the local fast food joint to be particularly noteworthy), its decisions simply don't make sense.

[BavarianFanatic]

The whiney owners.

[GSAL55]

Originally Posted by ipilcher

See my previous post for an example of the completely non-sensical routing that I'm getting. Unless it's set to "scenic" (and it considers the local fast food joint to be particularly noteworthy), its decisions simply don't make sense.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse but DID YOU CHECK YOUR ROUTE PREFERENCES? Or are you just blowing off what we are suggesting you do?

[GSAL55]

Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic

The whiney owners.

[Bluelondon]

428i m sport

-wind noise, very annoying
-the little creaks here and there don't bother me as much because as long as I don't press on those particular parts, it doesn't creak
-electric steering, just feels a little weird
-EMI buzzing sound coming from the dash. If there's music playing or people talking, I can't hear it, but if I'm driving alone and the music is off, it's noticeable and gets annoying

[ipilcher]

Originally Posted by GSAL55

I don't mean to beat a dead horse but DID YOU CHECK YOUR ROUTE PREFERENCES? Or are you just blowing off what we are suggesting you do?

I'm not blowing it off, but I have a hard time believing that the routing I described is rational for any routing preference.

[BavarianFanatic]

Originally Posted by ipilcher

I'm not blowing it off, but I have a hard time believing that the routing I described is rational for any routing preference.

It sounds like the GPS or VSS isn't correctly calibrated.

[ipilcher]

Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic

It sounds like the GPS or VSS isn't correctly calibrated.

AFAICT the car does always know where it is. I haven't seen it do any worse than others at figuring out whether I'm on the freeway or the frontage road, for example.

In all honesty, the routing (as annoying as it is) bothers me far less than the other issues that I mentioned. Routing is hard, so I have a degree of sympathy for the developers.

• Muting entertainment audio when giving directions? Not hard.
• Advance warning of which side of the street one's destination is on? Not hard.
• Advance warning of a turn which quickly follows the next one? Not hard.
• Reliable send to car functionality? Hard to make it 100% reliable, but not hard to make it far more reliable than it is.
• Ability to adjust the spoken direction volume without madly (and sometimes dangerously) lunging for the volume knob when it starts to speak? Not hard.

Unfortunately (for me at least), I have a very low tolerance for badly designed software.

[dL.]

Originally Posted by alpinweiss 335i

Lots of comments so far about the technology, iDrive menu and controls, plasticky interior. Not much about the steering, handling, road feel or powertrain. BMW sure is attracting a new type of consumer. Their new marketing strategy at work.

Thanks for liking the thread idea, first of all.

I am one of the "new type of consumer" that BMW has attracted. I've always hated BMW for their super stiff steering back in the E90 and told myself I would never get a BMW unless they change that. And sure enough they did, and here I am.

I just wish there would be less body roll and stuff... it's a bit too soft. H&R spring sorta fixes that but it becomes bouncy at times and bottoms out also.

dL

[swamy]

Map routing algorithms are as complex, if not more than the engineering challenges bmw faces so hopefully they will just get out of it & subscribe to teleatlas or navteq with auto updates or better yet, let users directly pick their vendor through the aps. better off focusing on just their core competence where they have plenty of opportunities to improve

[zenmaster]

Door wind noise, dash with 1" gap at windshield, awkward looking LCD mount, poor support for Android phones, ridiculous map-upgrade fees.

[Christos]

Originally Posted by Bluelondon

428i m sport

-wind noise, very annoying
-the little creaks here and there don't bother me as much because as long as I don't press on those particular parts, it doesn't creak
-electric steering, just feels a little weird
-EMI buzzing sound coming from the dash. If there's music playing or people talking, I can't hear it, but if I'm
driving alone and the music is off, it's noticeable and gets annoying

This wind noise thing perplexes me, I don't notice anything out of the ordinary. And I consider myself to be very astute. How can some have so much wind noise and others not?

[M3AWD]

- N55 should've come with PPK standard
- M Sport should be lower stock
- Electric Steering
- Temperature adjustment for the different zones
- A/C starts by itself
- No rear LED lights

[Michael Schott]

The lifeless steering is my biggest issue.

I do not have nav and find the iDrive system to be a bit awkward especially when playing from my iPhone.

I wish the dual climate controls would sync.

The large gaps between body panels. This is a common 3 series issue and was present on the E90 as well. The corner of the trunk lid where the horizontal panel becomes vertical is very poorly stamped.

I wish there was more storage in the console.

[Christos]

I love the HUD but absolutely hate the reflections from the sun in the windshield caused by the frame around the HUD. I can't believe the engineers at BMW did not catch this. It's very distracting.

[34.50]

Originally Posted by ipilcher

I've had it tell me to turn right, drive 1/4 mile, make a U-turn, drive back 1/4 mile, and turn right on the original street – rather than simply going straight through the intersection.


I only ever get the next action, even when the following turn is less than 50-100 feet away (at highway speed). On one particularly egregious occasion, my wife (who isn't usually tuned in to these things) remarked on the fact that it would be impossible to follow the instructions.

It almost seems like we have different systems.


Too bad this isn't reliable.

And something that I forgot in my previous post ... the fact that the entertainment system isn't muted when the navigation system is giving directions is another facepalm "feature".

I've had a Garmin GPS that has done even worse - I was going to Watkins Glen for a track day, and I was slightly late because it had me drive a good 2-3 miles, then told me to make a U-turn to drive back the 2-3 miles and then still get confused after that.

I guess it may depend on location - our exits on highways are spaced far apart, so I have more time to follow the actions. That does stink though.

Luckily the times I have pushed directions to my car, it has worked 100% of the time. The one time I did have a problem - the Messages section disappeared entirely out of my iDrive system. It took a simple call to the support people, and they had to push an update to my car. But, yeah, it has worked for me.

I do agree - I wish the music source would fade more when it gives you nav directions. Luckily, nav is also displayed on HUD, so it's nice to see that. I also love how when you split content on iDrive (Nav on left side of screen, music on right side of screen), it shows you lane guidance on the right side of the screen, when you're exiting off a highway for example.

[djw007]

OK HERE WE GO....

SUSPENSION (I have adaptive). This is the worst suspension system i have experienced on any car in my life. From the lumpiness and hollow rattles to the body roll...this is a complete fail by comparison to other cars. My car seriously feels like a 40 year old taxi. (My steering column has been replaced twice to alleviate the hollow rattle... still not good)

RIDE HEIGHT AND EVENESS. My car slopes to the RHS and is 30mm lower on that side. I am sick of it leaning and looking like it is broken every time i look at it. BMW Australias response is "it's within spec"... seriously 30mm is within spec on a sports sedan. You've got to be kidding!!

PLASTICS / RUBBERS. They mark and wear very easily. The rubber strip around the doors is just not designed to be exposed to the elements, mine is deteriorating badly. Furthermore why is that ugly thick rubber strip there in the first place, it looks like an afterthought when they realised the door seals were inadequate. Other models don't have this...why???

ENGINE NOISE. Tinny, no character metallic whine. I understand it sound OK outside the car. But inside it feels like it's going to blow up at high revs. Unfortunately i only drove an M135 prior to ordering my car and the lying sales rep told me that the 335 sounds exactly the same. Yes, i know the 135 cabin engine sound is artificial but i loved the way it sounded inside the car. I was so dissapointed when i drove away in my car for the first time.
PS, i added on the M Performance exhaust thinking that would help, makes no difference inside the car.

RATTLES AND NOISE. Constantly chasing fixes for all sorts of rattles, very disspaointing.

PPK. Not available in Australia yet and looking unlikely. Again, lied to by the salesman when purchasing.

POWER / PERFORMANCE. The one series is faster, more HP, more Torque and CHEAPER. I just don't get that.

PRICE. My car, although fairly well optioned was $127,000 AUD (YES, you read correctly) When you pay this much for a car you want it to be perfect, considering most of the world are paying approx 60k for the same car. Australians get screwed at every turn...

SATNAV. No apps or any of the functionality that every other country enjoys.
Map data is also unreliable, e.g turn right where there is a NO right turn sign.

GEARBOX. Changing from 2nd to 3rd in manual mode is very jerky. Other gears are fine. BMW says "it's within spec"

Other things people have mentioned...
WIND NOISE. I don't see a problem there
STEERING. I like it

Apart from all that i love it.

[Pungschter]

- no sync for climate
- no << >> on steering wheel
- display doesn't fold down
- button to open trunk on drivers side not conveniently located
- lock/unlock button location
- center console could be deeper
- robot arm for seatbelt
- limited android apps/integration

[_bdiddyb_]

1. Brakes squeal when cold
2. ASS - lamest tech design ever
3. autostart A/C - wtf?
4. Torx bolts everywhere! I had to buy new tool set

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by djw007

PRICE. My car, although fairly well optioned was $127,000 AUD (YES, you read correctly)

Mind blown

[Bluelondon]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque320

Mind blown

Everything's more expensive in Australia. And the Aussie $ is around the same value as the US $.

They really do get screwed over