[Hofmeister Kink]

Not that BMW will be listening…

1. Make the heated seats (on max) hotter!
2. Be able to control climate using iDrive. If BMW are on a mission to go button-less, touchscreen is not the answer
3. Move the sport/comfort/eco pro buttons forward to avoid me fumbling behind me when I want to overtake
4. Be able to delete M-Sport suspension (like you were able to in the good old days) for those of us who value ride comfort but don’t want an SE
5. Make Apple CarPlay’s graphics look as appealing as BMW’s, rather than like some kid’s phone
6. Offer more than 9 standard colours - 4 of which are grey or black. Driven by factory accountants or just dull designers who have been living in a cave
7. Ban option packs - a mad invention of bundling disparate options, some of which have little or no value. Let the customer choose

Is it just me?

[Herr Gross Byte]

1, I can't say that's a problem for me
2, I don't understand that one. Climate is controlled via ID8 no?
3, agreed. They aren't easy to find.
4, no, adaptive is the answer. Best of both
5, what's an Apple?
6, totally agree. Why they have to bugger about with this I'll never understand
7, I'm neutral

+8, finally accept that Runflats are junk and give customers the option to spec a car without RFT and a space saver kit.
+9, sack the design team and realise that most BMW drivers want smart but conservative looks.

[michael_e]

3. … isn’t there an option to pull a paddle to temporarily get an overtake boost?

5. Doesn’t apple control this?

7. I was told these packages are a result of the emission scandal - every option combination must be tested, therefore less combinations available by bundling.
Couldn’t agree more with the point tho - I love auto cruise control but don’t need the car to steer. ACC now costs £3k or more as it’s in a bundle

[marksandygill]

You have to remember BMW aren't building cars for an individual, and many of your points are your personal opinion!

For my two pennies;

1: You must have a Teflon arse, I never have it above 2!
2: I hate the idea of not having physical controls, just ruins it for me
3: 'M-Sport' should be sporty, have a button on the steering wheel like the I30n!!
4: Suspension has never bothered me
5: Nothing to do with BMW, it's down to Apple or Android!
6: On a 320i you only get 1 colour that doesn't cost you money, I imagine setting up individual colours costs money, but you can have any colour you want!!
7: It's all about money, remember you're sitting in a £40k+ Exec Saloon car that doesn't come with electric seats as standard!!
8: Never had an issue with RFT
9: BMW are selling more cars and making more money than ever, why would they sack anyone?!

How many colours do you need

https://discover.bmw.co.uk/iframes/i...ual-visualiser

[xenon]

Sack the design team?? They design cars which are world-renowned for design and ergonomics and bought buy millions including you! If you dislike the design to the extent that you think BMW should fire them all and start afresh I have to wonder why you bought one.

Also, “fumbling for a button when I want to I overtake”? Can’t say I’ve ever had that issue in mine - a gentle press of the right pedal does the trick.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Hofmeister Kink

Not that BMW will be listening…

Is it just me?

Interesting list, but I'm sure other users could counter argue most of the points raised.

I like the individual options purchase, but understand emissions and costs of type approvals has reduced our choices.

Don't follow the climate or overtaking issues.

Climate Control is a setup and drive thing. Once you find your settings, hardly ever need to change through the seasons. Do we really need loads of buttons, where we set and forget?

The overtaking thing... as said, we have a right pedal. Any mode has full power. A tip is use the shifter to engage Sport transmission, if you want instant response.

[225]

I think the only things I agree with are mode buttons. F series at least you didn't need to guess where sport mode was it was just a rocker switch. Not saying that was better but I'm sure a better placement would help.

Overtaking is fine either way just depends how far you need to flex your right foot, which is engine spec/mode dependant.

Option packs can be a pain more now I'd say. Manufacturers have cottoned on to how much more cash they can make bundling more desirable options with less so.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

1. Like others, find the seats on 3 get far too hot.
2. I'm pre-LCI
3. Have these changed on the LCI
4. I had an SE 5 Touring and it was awful. Swapped for an MSport 5 Touring and that was a bit less awful. Adaptive the way to go
5. BMW do have a good look to their nav
6. Shame no Oxforg Green II or Canada Blue.
7. Agree with this. Some don't make a huge amount of sense apart from fleecing the customer

[dhock_holiday]

Bring back silver!

[sjb993]

Just out of interest, why did you buy the car?

This is why we have test drives and showrooms, if you don't like it walk away and buy something else

[jamiey]

7. I think i have read somewhere is due to emissions regulations and the need to test different configurations.
Which is frustrating as you end up with kit you don’t particularly want or need just to get the one thing.

[GTF]

Of the 20+ new vehicles I have purchased over many years, my M340i has the fewest "complaints" of any other: The BMW horn requires too much pressure. I should be able to easily honk with my thumb.
That's it. (!)
I think the M340i is a terrific bargain. Usually after a couple years of ownership I'm looking for what's next. Still looking. Nothing under $95K would be an upgrade to me.

[Hofmeister Kink]

Interesting to read the replies.

1. Heated seats - maybe it’s a problem with my seats? Will ask dealer to take a look. Not a patch on my wife’s MINI Cooper which has serious heat
2. Climate control change via iDrive - I stand corrected, discovered you can adjust but it’s a major faff and so much easier with a rotary knob
3. Drive modes - good tip about using the paddle to change this, thanks
4. Suspension - would like to go with adaptive but BMW forces you to buy it as part of the M Sport Pro pack so £3k more instead of £700-800. And this forces you to go with 19” run flats which makes the ride worse. Test drove this set up and found too harsh so went with 18” non RFTs. What would be my ideal? 18” non RFT with adaptive and M Sport suspension delete.
5. Apple CarPlay - yes accept BMW can’t change this but still miss my older 3s, 4s, 5s, 7s with BMWs own media controller
6. Paint - yes Individual is an option (thanks for the link, good find) but very costly and impacts delivery leadtime. Makes more sense on an M car as the paint cost as a percentage of list price would be less
7. Options packs - interesting to hear about this being related to emissions. But how would adaptive headlights impact CO2? Or HK and HUD for that matter? And why do some manufacturers E.g. Audi not do the same thing?
8. Runflats - fully agree. Nice to have a choice to opt out. And would also be good to select all-season tyres which would complement x drive.
9. Design - hoping the new 5 series will go down the ‘smart but conservative’ route

Criticism comments - 90% of my posts on this forum have been positive about my G20, it’s an excellent all rounder but that doesn’t mean you can’t identify some areas for improvement And yes I did a test drive before pulling the trigger, but we’re all discovering new things about our cars after living with them for a while.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Hofmeister Kink

8. Runflats - fully agree. Nice to have a choice to opt out. And would also be good to select all-season tyres which would complement x drive.

This a market specific issue. BMW UK took years to support winter tyres. All Season are still not really accepted in the UK, although probably the most suited tyre to our climate.

BMW NA supply most xDrive models with All Season 'tires'. The US has decent specs (like the Continental DWS) which I don't think we can get, even in the aftermarket, several generations on.

[paulockenden]

I think the heated seats run cooler in the Eco modes.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Ah runflats.

I think I'm more cynical about it all. BMW make what, 2.5m cars a year. Spare wheel and tyre costs what $100. So they can save $250m a year while not lowering vehicle price and telling us run flats are wonderful safety measures.

Also frees up space for designers.

[Herr Gross Byte]

Originally Posted by Hofmeister Kink

Criticism comments

I think most of those comments were aimed at me and my "sack the designers" statement. I should have qualified that comment was in relation to certain 'big front grills'. I think I've owned six BMW coupes but they lost me with the last gen. Latest M2 is puke too.

[Funboy78]

Originally Posted by Hofmeister Kink

Interesting to read the replies.

1. Heated seats - maybe it’s a problem with my seats? Will ask dealer to take a look. Not a patch on my wife’s MINI Cooper which has serious heat
2. Climate control change via iDrive - I stand corrected, discovered you can adjust but it’s a major faff and so much easier with a rotary knob
3. Drive modes - good tip about using the paddle to change this, thanks
4. Suspension - would like to go with adaptive but BMW forces you to buy it as part of the M Sport Pro pack so £3k more instead of £700-800. And this forces you to go with 19” run flats which makes the ride worse. Test drove this set up and found too harsh so went with 18” non RFTs. What would be my ideal? 18” non RFT with adaptive and M Sport suspension delete.
5. Apple CarPlay - yes accept BMW can’t change this but still miss my older 3s, 4s, 5s, 7s with BMWs own media controller
6. Paint - yes Individual is an option (thanks for the link, good find) but very costly and impacts delivery leadtime. Makes more sense on an M car as the paint cost as a percentage of list price would be less
7. Options packs - interesting to hear about this being related to emissions. But how would adaptive headlights impact CO2? Or HK and HUD for that matter? And why do some manufacturers E.g. Audi not do the same thing?
8. Runflats - fully agree. Nice to have a choice to opt out. And would also be good to select all-season tyres which would complement x drive.
9. Design - hoping the new 5 series will go down the ‘smart but conservative’ route

Criticism comments - 90% of my posts on this forum have been positive about my G20, it’s an excellent all rounder but that doesn’t mean you can’t identify some areas for improvement And yes I did a test drive before pulling the trigger, but we’re all discovering new things about our cars after living with them for a while.

For what it’s worth:

1. Agree on the seats in my LCI, not as hot even on max setting. Same with steering wheel, my Mrs Kia Sportage much better in both areas.
2. I don’t mind in ID8 but would prefer a physical button for this.
3. Paddle just changes gear, not mode?
4. No opinion.
5. No opinion.
6. Enough for me personally.
7. Option packs should be made simpler, but it’s all about ££££££
8. Runflats never bothered me.
9. Hate the new grill personally.
10. Improve customer service, especially for online services.