[cruzer666]

I was lucky enough to test drive a pre-release IX yesterday, I only drove the car for about 20 minutes but it was long enough to get some initial thoughts as a regular driver, not someone that reviews cars for a living.

Here they are:
- First thing I noticed when I opened the door was the carbon fiber panels. I can't say I even saw that on a car and all I'm thinking this is going to be VERY expensive to fix
- This could be an adjustment period, but the "analog" controls on the car weren't very responsive/straightforward. I can't put my finger on it but they didn't feel right
- The idrive 8 screen is beautiful.
- I used the navigation and I tried to route outside my range, maybe it was configuration (BMW rep didn't know how to do this either) but it will not tell you when, where and for how long to charge your car on your trip. Mileage and charge management on a road trip looks to be on the driver, without much help from the car besides saying you won't be able to finish your trip without charging
- This car was fully loaded so it had the most expensive sound system, by no means a through test of it, it just didn't sound $3000-$4000 worth. I'll stick with Harman Kardon.
- The panoramic sunroof is cool. It will turn white opaque at a touch of a button, I've never seen that in a car before.
- I put the car in sport mode (no sport boost available like in the m50) and I gotta say the iconic sounds are just as satisfying as I thought they would be, very natural, had I not known this ahead of time I would say that's how the engine sounds. Very well done.
- Driving dynamics; I drive an X6 as a daily driver and this car just felt too heavy to me. It could be that the day of I was hoping off a 3 series and there were 3 people in the car, but from a driving perspective you get a heavy, not sporty SUV. Yes acceleration is quick though.

All the BMW branding is covered because the car is not officially released to the US market.

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by cruzer666

- I used the navigation and I tried to route outside my range, maybe it was configuration (BMW rep didn't know how to do this either) but it will not tell you when, where and for how long to charge your car on your trip. Mileage and charge management on a road trip looks to be on the driver, without much help from the car besides saying you won't be able to finish your trip without charging

It is supposed to:
How does BMW Maps help me plan charging stops for my BMW i with BMW iDrive and Operating System 8?

How does BMW Maps help me plan charging stops for my BMW i with BMW iDrive and Operating System 8?
BMW Maps in your BMW i with BMW iDrive and Operating System 8 constantly shows the available range while driving, taking into account the driving style, route profile and outside temperature. In "Efficient" mode, your BMW i proactively recommends the most efficient route to your destination and calculates the required amount of energy. If the remaining amount of energy is not sufficient to reach your destination, BMW Connected Charging will recommend available charging stations along the route.

And CarPlay will also incorporate EV route planning.

[cruzer666]

Needing a phone with an app is not an acceptable solution, BMW navigation should have this functionality built in.

Second point on Apple Maps functionality: first thing that's wrong is the requirement of having an iPhone, second thing is the same as the first point. On a personal note, I don't like Apple CarPlay.

Let's give BMW the kudos where appropriate and make them do better where they're not doing so good. BMW maps needs to be properly "electrified" 🙂

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by cruzer666

Needing a phone with an app is not an acceptable solution, BMW navigation should have this functionality built in.

iDrive 8 is supposed to have this built-in. Maybe we can ask iX owners to confirm.

[BimmerBahn]

Originally Posted by cruzer666

Needing a phone with an app is not an acceptable solution, BMW navigation should have this functionality built in.

Second point on Apple Maps functionality: first thing that's wrong is the requirement of having an iPhone, second thing is the same as the first point. On a personal note, I don't like Apple CarPlay.

Let's give BMW the kudos where appropriate and make them do better where they're not doing so good. BMW maps needs to be properly "electrified" 🙂

You're not required to have a Carplay or Android Auto-capable device. It's built into the iDrive8 SATNAV. You will also have the capability in Apple Maps on Apple CarPlay... and I assume Google Maps on Android Auto.

Cheers!

[spool twice]

I am hoping to play with this feature on my March 8th "reveal" of the i4, I hope I have enough time to do so.

[cruzer666]

I stand corrected, it does show up nicely. I found this doing a google search. Fairly straight forward.

[footie]

I drove the iX a few weeks ago (UK) it was the 40 too, my first impressions were ride wasn’t as good as I was expecting, you felt rough road surfaces more than I would have expected and more so than in an X5. Acceleration is strong but tailed off too quick though for normal driving it’s perfectly fine and probably better than your typical X5 40i.

Wasn’t a fan of the steering wheel, can’t quite get my head around why something which has worked perfectly well for over 100 years needs to be reinvented but at least they haven’t been as stupid as Tesla and gotten rid of it completely. LOL

The interior is absolutely beautiful and the fit and finish are superb but personally I prefer the traditionally dash design of the regular BMWs. Seats are very comfortable and supportive and the space in the rear is huge, I think pull the rear bench forward 6-8” and give it a better boot because for the size of the car it’s not the biggest.

Couldn’t comment on its dynamics because my route didn’t allow for any spirited driving, but as it’s AWD too I think the 50 would be the pick of the range, it’s added performance and range.

One thing I loved and new to me was the way the cruise control read the road signs and allowed you to press SET as you approached it and the car adjusted its speed to suit.

[cruzer666]

I'm excited to test drive the i4 m50 tomorrow !

[MXNSITH]

Originally Posted by cruzer666

I stand corrected, it does show up nicely. I found this doing a google search. Fairly straight forward.

This is a feature on the i3 as long as you were not viewing the map in perspective view.

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by footie

I drove the iX a few weeks ago (UK) it was the 40 too, my first impressions were ride wasn’t as good as I was expecting, you felt rough road surfaces more than I would have expected and more so than in an X5. Acceleration is strong but tailed off too quick though for normal driving it’s perfectly fine and probably better than your typical X5 40i.

Wasn’t a fan of the steering wheel, can’t quite get my head around why something which has worked perfectly well for over 100 years needs to be reinvented but at least they haven’t been as stupid as Tesla and gotten rid of it completely. LOL

The interior is absolutely beautiful and the fit and finish are superb but personally I prefer the traditionally dash design of the regular BMWs. Seats are very comfortable and supportive and the space in the rear is huge, I think pull the rear bench forward 6-8” and give it a better boot because for the size of the car it’s not the biggest.

Couldn’t comment on its dynamics because my route didn’t allow for any spirited driving, but as it’s AWD too I think the 50 would be the pick of the range, it’s added performance and range.

One thing I loved and new to me was the way the cruise control read the road signs and allowed you to press SET as you approached it and the car adjusted its speed to suit.

The speed limit setting thing was in iDrive 7 - useful most of the time but for some reason, they can't seem to fix map data that shows a 30mph speed limit area as 100mph - pretty fkng dumb when it should be smart enough to realise you are in the UK (hello GPS) and show no limit or error.

On the whole it's good and more suited to A roads and motorways.