[TheMaxXHD]

Originally Posted by j luke

Perhaps I'm not quite understanding the concept but what you say is not my experience. I have the 2022 with adaptive M suspension and an "adaptive" mode button. When on the same section of road near my home the car is bouncier in comfort mode than it is in adaptive mode. I pass this way almost every day and it seems to bounce more in comfort mode than it does in adaptive mode. Adaptive seems to settle the car quicker. This is going the same speed as I did in comfort mode. So, when taking this section of road, whatever the car does behind the scenes in comfort mode not the same as what I feel it does in adaptive mode. Just my 2 cents.

Per TurtleBoy

"I asked BMWGenius to explain Adaptive Driving Mode in more detail, including whether or not it switches between comfort and sport depending on the situation. Here's what they said.
The Adaptive Driving Mode is a unique driving mode, separate from COMFORT, ECO PRO, and SPORT. While driving in Adaptive Driving Mode, the vehicle does not switch to COMFORT or SPORT mode automatically. However, characters of COMFORT or SPORT will be implemented, depending on the situation.

The vehicle is considering many factor to determine the optimal drive feel. Along with acceleration, steering, and speed, the vehicle is also factoring in driving conditions, braking, cornering speed, input from the xDrive system and Navigation data.

When the Navigation system has an active guidance, the Navigation data is used to anticipate curves, crossroads and type of street or road that you are driving on. For example, it can select the optimum transmission gear in advance, potentially enhancing efficiency.​

I responded with this:
One more question: Some have suggested that Adaptive Driving Mode learns how you drive over time and adjusts itself based on that history. Is that true? Or does it just adapt based on the current situation without regard to history?​

Here is what they (a different person) said:
In Adaptive mode, the following influences on the driving style are taken into account, among others:
• Longitudinal dynamics
• Current speed
• Pedal sensor position
• Cruise control (sensor data from ACC radar sensor) *If equipped
• Sport shift gate for automatic transmission
• Turn indicator
• Steering wheel movements
• Navigation data

"ADAPTIVE" reacts to the current driving style. The affected control units can change their parameters on the basis of the detected driving style. This system will not use previous driving tendencies to change settings for the current trip.​""



If that is indeed correct, then it is merely adapting to settings it already has that the user can select, just dynamically, based on a number of conditions and calculations. Based on this information, "softer than comfort" that you are experiencing does not make sense, based on "However, characters of COMFORT or SPORT will be implemented, depending on the situation.". FYI, this post by TurtleBoy tracks with what most on this forum believe it is actually doing. It is possible we are all wrong, but this is the information we have.


For the record, even if this is not actually what is happening, this is probably why it is a good thing they are getting rid of it, because nobody knows what it actually is doing such that a driver can make a solid choice in whether or not to use the mode. I personally like azwillnj 's idea that they should've just made adaptive settings part of the sport individual settings you can tweak instead of a separate drive mode.

[LPTyler]

Originally Posted by TheStoic

Geez, I almost wish I didn't read this thread.

I don't know what NEW car I'd get besides a '23 M340i.

Most of the "negatives" listed don't mean much to me, but I'm curious about the laser lights, are they really that big of a deal?

I love my lci. I looked at every competing car and no other one was close for me. The headlights on the LCI are great, by far the best in any car I have ever owned or driven. I imagine the laser lights were better, but I wouldn’t have paid the money for them. I saw in one of the BMW videos, the laser lights were discontinued because of the extremely low take rate. Not worth the money for them to rework the lasers into the lci shape so almost no one will purchase them.

[anandn]

Detailed review and informative. I guess people value different things. My 2023 440i convertible is a replacement for my 2018 911 so the driving experience was most important to me. Obviously, the 440i is no 911 but with my limited seat time, I find the car to be comfortable but not remotely sporty. The engine however is a gem. Suspension tuning and steering feel are very average in my judgment. In comfort mode, the car is soft and the steering is terrible. It wallows. Sport mode is much better. Adaptive mode feels more like comfort mode to me. It is nothing like Porsche’s PASM. Overall, I’m happy with the car for half the price of a 911 cab. And because I drive in Florida with its flat roads and zero curves, the 440i is perfectly suited for this kind of driving. If I had the car in NH where I live for half the year, I don’t think I would enjoy the BMW on backroads. Can’t comment on the tech but it seems adequate to me. Lack of passenger lumbar seems cheap but that is my main complaint. Idrive7 seems like overkill to me and I mainly use CarPlay. The physical buttons are nice and what I had in my 911.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

LaserLight is gone in all LCI G20s worldwide, but the new Adaptive Matrix LED headlights (option 552) retain all of the good lighting tech...outside of the US again. And it seems like, according to folks here who have owned the pre-LCI with LaserLight and now own the LCI, the new headlights are just not as good.

Frankly, I'm still hopeful that BMW will offer an OTA upgrade via purchase through ConnectedDrive in the new year. The X7 LCI doesn't have LaserLight anymore, but in the "all you need to know" YouTube video from BMW's official channel, they mention that there will be a lighting upgrade available in the future. Since the lighting is also Adaptive Matrix LEDs on that, I'm wondering if they mean it'll be an OTA purchase.

You mean there is OTA purchase that can further enhance the matrix LED?

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by TheMaxXHD

If that is indeed correct, then it is merely adapting to settings it already has that the user can select, just dynamically, based on a number of conditions and calculations. Based on this information, "softer than comfort" that you are experiencing does not make sense, based on "However, characters of COMFORT or SPORT will be implemented, depending on the situation.". FYI, this post by TurtleBoy tracks with what most on this forum believe it is actually doing. It is possible we are all wrong, but this is the information we have.

I don't think OP has stated experiencing "softer than COMFORT" while on ADAPTIVE on the way home. If I'm reading it correctly, OPs comment aligns with the rest of your post that quotes how ADAPTIVE works in theory. I would actually expect that to be the behavior based on OPs reported experience. That's exactly how it was explained to my by the foreman. On bouncy roads it SHOULD stiffen. On curves the dampers will also stiffen to minimize body roll. So OPs comment seems to be apt that while on ADAPTIVE the car tends to be less bouncy than COMFORT on the same road.

[TheStoic]

After reviewing, I want to thank OP for posting review. I appreciate it, but will take it for what it is. It has to be easier for a person like me to not know what they're missing, having never spent time behind the wheel of a pre-LCI M340i.

Originally Posted by LPTyler

I love my lci. I looked at every competing car and no other one was close for me. The headlights on the LCI are great, by far the best in any car I have ever owned or driven. I imagine the laser lights were better, but I wouldn’t have paid the money for them. I saw in one of the BMW videos, the laser lights were discontinued because of the extremely low take rate. Not worth the money for them to rework the lasers into the lci shape so almost no one will purchase them.

I test drove 2 LC1 M340is and they seemed good enough for me to order one. Hopefully gets here in a month or so!

As long as the headlights are equivalent to the current X3 in brightness, I'll have no complaints whatsoever.

[TheMaxXHD]

Originally Posted by zazzau

I don't think OP has stated experiencing "softer than COMFORT" while on ADAPTIVE on the way home. If I'm reading it correctly, OPs comment aligns with the rest of your post that quotes how ADAPTIVE works in theory. I would actually expect that to be the behavior based on OPs reported experience. That's exactly how it was explained to my by the foreman. On bouncy roads it SHOULD stiffen. On curves the dampers will also stiffen to minimize body roll. So OPs comment seems to be apt that while on ADAPTIVE the car tends to be less bouncy than COMFORT on the same road.

Yes you are correct, I misread it. Thank you.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by TheMaxXHD

For the record, even if this is not actually what is happening, this is probably why it is a good thing they are getting rid of it, because nobody knows what it actually is doing such that a driver can make a solid choice in whether or not to use the mode.

Considering many users haven't even grasped what adaptive suspension is and how it works, it is not surprising Adaptive Mode is even more confusing.

But... BMW have been pretty clear (in print) from its introduction, what Adaptive Mode is, and how it works. I'm surprised there is so much technical confusion.

How it feels, that is another issue altogether. The user example of bouncy in comfort and less so in Adaptive mode is exactly how it should be, if the road surfaces dictate controlling the body more.

That applies even in manually selecting different suspension modes. Comfort parameters are limited, as it's a map. Overlap that map in Adaptive mode, (sport map is available) if has a wider damping range for vertical control.

Here's part of BMW's description of Adaptive Mode when introduced on the G11/12. Very clear what is involved.

If ADAPTIVE driving mode has been activated via the driving experience switch, the Dynamic Stability Control control unit processes the navigation data to analyses the route and influences the driving program to be activated if necessary. If the vehicle is approaching a sharp bend at high speed, for example, the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) activates Sport mode without any action on the part of the driver. The Vertical Dynamics Platform (VDP) reads in this information and activates the corresponding chassis components for Sport mode.

Conversely, an automatic change in driving program from Sport to Comfort is also possible. If the vehicle exits a twisting section of road through which it has been driven at speed and then drives at constant speed on a straight section, this results in automatic change over to the Comfort driving program. This means that the optimum driving mode with respect to comfort (Comfort) and driving dynamics (Sport) is automatically set without manual operation of the driving experience switch depending on the driving style and probable route. Route guidance need not be activated for this.

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

But... BMW have been pretty clear (in print) from its introduction, what Adaptive Mode is, and how it works. I'm surprised there is so much technical confusion.

How it feels, that is another issue altogether. The user example of bouncy in comfort and less so in Adaptive mode is exactly how it should be, if the road surfaces dictate controlling the body more.

To add to the confusion — we are told that the suspension adapts ALL the time regardless of drive MODE. So taking the post regarding bouncy in COMFORT; should the dampers not have "adapted" if they are adapting all the time? Or is the mapping overlap between COMFORT and SPORTS so negligible that the user experience might feel so minimal in instances where COMFORT damper actually adapts?

[TruthOne]

I have a 21' Model with no lazer headlights. So are the LCI versions the same as these? These are very bright and work great IMO and the Laser lights weren't activated in America right? Didn't you have to code them?

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by zazzau

To add to the confusion — we are told that the suspension adapts ALL the time regardless of drive MODE. So taking the post regarding bouncy in COMFORT; should the dampers not have "adapted" if they are adapting all the time? Or is the mapping overlap between COMFORT and SPORTS so negligible that the user experience might feel so minimal in instances where COMFORT damper actually adapts?

I think we get back to how each model is setup around the spring rate. Therefore differences between Comfort to Sport, in for example, a 330i compared to the M340i.

I know in my 5-sereis there is a big difference between Comfort and Sport, but I have a middle setting, 'Normal'. Clearly my middle mode overlaps (a bit) into both the Comfort and Sport damping characteristic maps.

Back to the G20 models, there can well be situations where the Comfort map, like in the illustration I've added, is not 'wide' enough in adaption to settle the body. Adaptive mode allows that 'wider' adaption to control the body better.

Going back to my 5-series. Say I have the same bouncy conditions where Comfort just can't control the body, just selecting Normal mode settles the body, makes for a more comfortable ride without needing to feel overly firm.

I reason this is what Adaptive mode does in a similar, but automatic way. Uses the Sport mapping but doesn't need the full damping control of the Sport map in this instance.

[LousyShot]

Originally Posted by TruthOne

I have a 21' Model with no lazer headlights. So are the LCI versions the same as these? These are very bright and work great IMO and the Laser lights weren't activated in America right? Didn't you have to code them?

In the US, the laser light option only came into play when the high beams were activated. Low beam lights were still LED. The only benefit of the laser technology was with high beams on.

[Panscan340]

Originally Posted by TheStoic

After reviewing, I want to thank OP for posting review. I appreciate it, but will take it for what it is. It has to be easier for a person like me to not know what they're missing, having never spent time behind the wheel of a pre-LCI M340i.

I test drove 2 LC1 M340is and they seemed good enough for me to order one. Hopefully gets here in a month or so!

As long as the headlights are equivalent to the current X3 in brightness, I'll have no complaints whatsoever.

Have an lci with the shadowline lights and think they are great. Not sure how much better lights can get, they project very far and wide.

Think there is also a cost to attaching piercing torches to the front of car. If you blind the cars approaching you, it's probably a net loss and even though the systems sense oncoming cars , sometimes it isn't quick enough.

Modern lights are to the point where you can see anything anywhere close to the road. I'm not sure they should keep progressing in terms of brightness and projection. People think it's cool but it's no fun when you are driving in the other direction of a car like that.

[LousyShot]

Originally Posted by Panscan340

Have an lci with the shadowline lights and think they are great. Not sure how much better lights can get, they project very far and wide.

Think there is also a cost to attaching piercing torches to the front of car. If you blind the cars approaching you, it's probably a net loss and even though the systems sense oncoming cars , sometimes it isn't quick enough.

Modern lights are to the point where you can see anything anywhere close to the road. I'm not sure they should keep progressing in terms of brightness and projection. People think it's cool but it's no fun when you are driving in the other direction of a car like that.

+1000!!!

[EXE46]

Originally Posted by Chubbiejones

Fantastic review! Thank you for actually taking the time to compile all your thoughts and centralize them in one thread

Yes indeed, OP you made all us 2020 owners who bought out our leases even more contended now. I wouldn't want a newer version of my car missing all these features I have grown accustom to.

[Unbuckled2579]

You can push up on the idrive controller to view your shortcuts and some other things like notifications as mentioned but you can’t pull down to go to the climate controls. This seems really shortsighted, if you could pull down to go to the climate controls I think it would make the horrible climate control system a little better.

The inability to adjust the temperature using the idrive controller is absolute madness. I've been trying to find bmw product managers on LinkedIn to have them fix it lol.

Let me push the idrive controller down twice quickly to engage temperature change mode and then turn the wheel to adjust. Push the wheel up once to exit or exit automatically after 10 seconds. As simple as that and we would have an amazingly useable physical temperature control.

[RCtennis3811]

Originally Posted by TruthOne

I have a 21' Model with no lazer headlights. So are the LCI versions the same as these? These are very bright and work great IMO and the Laser lights weren't activated in America right? Didn't you have to code them?

LaserLights are active in the US, but the brightness has been gimped. Also the selective beam is disabled. Having said that, it actually still is a laser when high beams are activated. And the IIHS did rate the show that the LaserLights have a better range than regular adaptive LED.

Having said that, the IIHS hasn't tested the new adaptive matrix LEDs, so they could be decent. But it seems like for those who had pre-LCI LaserLight even in the US, the new version just isn't as good.

[BullitX]

Add another one to the list:

The hybrid drivetrains in the LCI, doesnt have the Battery Control function anymore, its replaced with Battery Hold… works very differently and 100% a downgrade, had to cancel my order because of this, even though the dealer fought tooth and nail to try to convince me it worked the same way which it clearly didnt after testing it myself….

[BklynNYBMW]

Thank you for posting what is probably the best and honest review of the LCI M340i. It makes alot of difference when the reviewer has experience with the pre LCI. I agree with you with the cons of the new LCI. You review has just solidified my decision to keep my pre LCI when the lease is up. Missing so many features and skipping on certain features while charging more is not sitting well with me or most pre LCI owners. Keep us posted as you continue with the ownership. Thanks again.
__________________________________________________ _______________________
2017 X6 5.0 MSport, Carbon Black Metallic w/ black leather. All options except vented seats and B/O sound system. AKA the Tumbler
2021 M340i xdrive. Tanzanite Blue with W/Oyster with Red Calipers. All options except Adaptive M suspension, Driver Assistance Professional Package, Cooling and High Performance Tire package. AKA Blue Angel
*Retired 04/30/21: 2018 340i MSport Xdrive sedan. Glacier Silver w/Oyster. All options except active cruise control and window shades. AKA Airstream

[TheStoic]

Originally Posted by BullitX

Add another one to the list:

The hybrid drivetrains in the LCI, doesnt have the Battery Control function anymore, its replaced with Battery Hold… works very differently and 100% a downgrade, had to cancel my order because of this, even though the dealer fought tooth and nail to try to convince me it worked the same way which it clearly didnt after testing it myself….

Can you explain this battery control function vs. battery hold?

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Considering many users haven't even grasped what adaptive suspension is and how it works, it is not surprising Adaptive Mode is even more confusing.

But... BMW have been pretty clear (in print) from its introduction, what Adaptive Mode is, and how it works. I'm surprised there is so much technical confusion.

How it feels, that is another issue altogether. The user example of bouncy in comfort and less so in Adaptive mode is exactly how it should be, if the road surfaces dictate controlling the body more.

That applies even in manually selecting different suspension modes. Comfort parameters are limited, as it's a map. Overlap that map in Adaptive mode, (sport map is available) if has a wider damping range for vertical control.

Here's part of BMW's description of Adaptive Mode when introduced on the G11/12. Very clear what is involved.

I will add, given how many BMWs I've had, I would not be nearly as happy with this car if it did not have the Adaptive Mode. I don't love Comfort and I don't love Sport. Like Goldilocks, Adaptive is just right.

[TheMaxXHD]

It's shocking to me how many people lease cars. And upgrade all the time. Nothing against it, but it's just odd to me. I guess that's why I don't seem to connect with these complaints the same way some of you do. Not that they aren't valid, it's just that I'd never consider going from a pre LCI to LCI, because I'd be upgrading from a vehicle 10 years ago like I am now.

I just don't connect with these downgrade issues because I want to keep my vehicles long enough for any "upgrade" to be a proper upgrade. I don't have any drive modes, no apple CarPlay, no ambient lighting at all. I'm just going to be happy I get drive modes at all, a nice big screen, and at least some ambient lighting. A missing light in a door cup holder is just, kinda meh, because right now, my E90 has 0 ambient lighting. It's good to call out BMW ofc for these cutbacks, but it's hard to say it's disappointing for anyone who doesn't upgrade every 3-4 years.

If this were me, I'd buy out the pre LCI leases y'all have, and enjoy the vehicles and upgrade when it makes more sense from a feature and financial standpoint.