[spartanlaw]

Good: Quick, great power, comfortable and smooth ride and a good transition between powerful sport driving to efficient cruising. The slushbox is relatively engaging for an automatic. So far, the xdrive appears to get it right in terms of feeling like a RWD most of the time, though see below. Decent OEM exhaust burble.

Meh: Handling and road feel. Does not feel as engaged with the road or as flickable as it should be.

Bad: lack of customizability and the thin veneer of tech marketed as comprehensive. BMW's obsession with control and being closed undermines any notion that it is a driver's vehicle. Why are there only 3 driver modes with limited customization? There should be a purely custom mode and every single driving setting should be independently settable/adjustable. I shouldn't need to be in sport to open exhaust valves. Being in sport shouldn't prevent me from using auto off or - inexplicably - the higher gears while cruising on the highway.

If the xdrive system is capable of being rear biased, it should be settable. I should be able to disable auto intervention and send 100% of power to the rear.

And its the little things that expose the game: why is there a limited set of "avatars"? Aftermarket HUs have allowed uploaded custom backgrounds and settable colors for years. Why is the "greeting" either F+L or just F? Why can't I tell it to call me Boss?

the digital dash is a gimmick. it should provide complete customization or, at the very least, provide a handful of preset gauge layouts.

but they spent time coding Caring Car instead?


Awful:

the infotainment and media/phone support. I get that Idrive is user-friendly from an interface perspective and BMW's target market is not, as they claim, drivers, but instead wealthy boomers, but idrive 7 is essentially useless.

[TWD1775]

Coming from an 320 F30, I love pretty much everything about the G20 - more power, torque, better handling, and finally a proper M-Sport suspension with xDrive. Annoyances: lost truck space due to the spare tire and the analog-style speedometer. I like the speedo itself but it's only graduated at 10mph increments. Add that to the actual v instrument mph and it makes determining actual speed challenging. Has anyone seen a coding option to turn on a digital speedo like the F30?

[Weiner0123]

Originally Posted by TWD1775

Coming from an 320 F30, I love pretty much everything about the G20 - more power, torque, better handling, and finally a proper M-Sport suspension with xDrive. Annoyances: lost truck space due to the spare tire and the analog-style speedometer. I like the speedo itself but it's only graduated at 10mph increments. Add that to the actual v instrument mph and it makes determining actual speed challenging. Has anyone seen a coding option to turn on a digital speedo like the F30?

It should have a digital speedo in the middle no?? Mine came like that, I remember seeing a toggle option

[TWD1775]

Originally Posted by Weiner0123

It should have a digital speedo in the middle no?? Mine came like that, I remember seeing a toggle option

This is the style I have. So far I haven't found a way to toggle a digital readout on if it's available

[Weiner0123]

Originally Posted by TWD1775

This is the style I have. So far I haven't found a way to toggle a digital readout on if it's available

Ohhh my bad I forgot about those ones, yeah I'm not to sure, probably have to code it whenever that becomes possible,

[Wineguy]

CarPlay sucks! A/C unless in auto is a PIA to turn on/ off.
Love the torque and suspension.

[PandaMobile]

Originally Posted by Wineguy

CarPlay sucks! A/C unless in auto is a PIA to turn on/ off.
Love the torque and suspension.

I agree with you. ACP is spotty and annoying that I have to go into airplane mode every once and a while.

[picaso]

Mine is a bit different because I'm comparing with the F10 (previous car) and Tesla model 3

Now if I just got the G20 without having got the Tesla and coming from a F10:

Pros:
- Steering feedback is amazing! Way better than previous generations! (Had f30)
- Better steering weight
- Engine is awesome! Sport plus mode on the M340i is amazing.
- More luxurious feel on the inside, better sound deadening! Easily drive 95-100mph without breaking a sweat
- Better infotainment system
- Stiffer Chassis! It's so stable in corners.
- suspensions are solid!
- hud is nicer!
- better user profile management

Cons:
- I can't really tell the difference between hifi and Harmon kardon- regardless the sound system still sucks
- start stop is still not so smooth
- turbo lag is still there, no improvement just faster.
- for the amount of power and how isolated you are from the outside world when speeding, the brakes sucks! This cat needs bigger breaks.


Tesla mix:
- The bmw tech has a long way to go! The connected drive app sucks (though BMW assistant is better than Tesla's assistant)
- pair everything once and it works! Continuity is great with audio playback. Bmw I've had to delete and pair stuff multiple times.
- Using your phone (iOS or Android) is solved via Tesla using Bluetooth and some other tech
- More bang for your bucks feature wise with the Tesla
- Subjectively a better interior in the Tesla. Bmw has a better exterior
- bmw feels more assuring at higher speeds compared to the Tesla! I think it's cos it's so weird when quiet
- 0-70 is a blast in the Tesla. 70 onwards is. Blast in the bmw
- Tesla torque makes it a better overtaking machine with 0 lag
- Brakes in Tesla is surprisingly better.
- Tesla has amazing steering! So twitchy like a go-cart (I like that, might not be for everyone) BMW is really good! I just happen to find something that wowed me more
- Tesla sound* system is out of this world good. I think it's better than bang and olufsen (I am no audiophile, it just tingles listening to it) I heard it's some sound manipulation (3D audio?) to make it sound that way.
- better driver mode and profiles. Everything is customizable to a driver! Usability is well thought out.

I hope that helps. Again these are my opinions. Very subjective.

[johnnyg238]

Apple carplay sucks...
Only other major annoyance is the asshat BMW engineer that decided to make the turn signal on the mirror wrap around the cerium trim...but not far enough to go over the inner black trim therefore you can't see if signal light is on or which side it is...which has been possible in almost every other BMW I have ever owned.

[WXdrivefun]

Pros
coming from a Non-BMW product and seeing the F30 generation

Pros:
-Auto Hold! during long traffic lights, traffic stops
-Active Cruise Control with steering, helps so much during rush hour traffic in city, Highway and suburbs
-Harmon Kardon Sound, when playing songs from radio/smartphone and jumping to the next song, it starts off quite then slowly amplifies to normal within a few seconds.
-Steering feel is just as good as Hydraulic Power assisted in my previous 2011 Mazda3 vehicle.
-M-sport brakes definitely bite!
-360 degree view and sensors help and provide more information on boundaries so less chance of bumping into front curbs, walls and other vehicles
-330 has dual exhaust!
-More leg room and rear comfort for passengers
-Quite cabin, suspension and ride much improved. Can take corners more aggressively
-Clear, colourful, and fast user interface for the infotainment. I've seen other infotainment from other vehicle manufacturesr lag even when swiping or navigating the different menus/windows.
-Fuel economy getting close to my previous vehicle (Mazda 3 had 9.8L/100Km) (BMW G20 9.9L/100 km ~ 2000km)

Cons
-Wish had option for Merino Leather on door as option,
-No red LED lighting
-No Rear electric and manual shades, unlike F30
-No Spare tire kit for Canada
-No BMW Connected app for Android phones
-Larger glove box
-Wish kept 12V cigarette outlet under glove box from the F30
-Wish M-Performance parts can be installed from factory instead of dealership
-Wish had option to choose better All Season tires: Michelin Premieres or Pilot Sport A/S (Biased Michelin fan...)
-Still no cooled seats
-Wish BMW also included the remote driving on the Digital Display Key FOB feature like the 5 series and 7 Series
-Why certain markets have the M-Sport seatbelt colours and Canada does not
-Why certain markets have the 'M' on the front side fenders of the G20 if you have the 330 M-Sport

[Antkn33]

Originally Posted by Ilyam5

I agree that it should work. And it does. The issue is - there is so many settings in those cars now and it its not easy to figure them out. ( so it takes time to read the manual or this board to learn)
But if set up right =- they work all the time.
I have it in 2 cars now x5 and M340.
Carplay
Hotspot wifi and
connected services work on both cars everyday.

No, it doesn't work all the time if you set it up right. The dealership set it for me initially. BMW's choice of wireless only CarPlay is just a poor decision. Even if the connection worked all the time music over Bluetooth sounds much worse than over usb.
And connected driver just never works. I've reset the car to factory and it still doesn't work. I've removed and re-added the car to connected drive.
I love everything else about the car. But it is very irritating that BMW releases products that obviously don't work properly.

[Antkn33]

Originally Posted by Wineguy

CarPlay sucks! A/C unless in auto is a PIA to turn on/ off.
Love the torque and suspension.

I think it is more bmw's implementation that sucks. CarPlay is actually great when your car connects to it.

[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by Antkn33

I think it is more bmw's implementation that sucks. CarPlay is actually great when your car connects to it.

Car play sucks compared to iDrive. I drive is more intuitive and easier to use while driving. CarPlay isn’t well thought regardless of BMWs implementation or the implementation I’ve used on various Audi’s, VWs and GM vehicles.

The wireless CarPlay on my 2017 G30 has not had any of the connectivity issues people here are mentioning for the 2-3 weeks I tried using it. After that I’ve turned off CarPlay and rely exclusively on I drive and the Bluetooth paring works flawlessly with my iPhone XS. Have never had an issue making calls or listening to Spotify.

I prefer using BMWs navigation over waze as I don’t trust Google and Waze has been shown to be no faster than Apple maps or Google...they just make the time estimate seem better but in reality you get there about the same time had you just used Apple maps or google. The BMW nav never properly estimated my arrival time, but if I use apple or google maps to get the arrival time then follow the BMW Nav directions, I get there the same time as I would have had I used Google or Apple maps.

[Antkn33]

Originally Posted by ssquared

Car play sucks compared to iDrive. I drive is more intuitive and easier to use while driving. CarPlay isn’t well thought regardless of BMWs implementation or the implementation I’ve used on various Audi’s, VWs and GM vehicles.

The wireless CarPlay on my 2017 G30 has not had any of the connectivity issues people here are mentioning for the 2-3 weeks I tried using it. After that I’ve turned off CarPlay and rely exclusively on I drive and the Bluetooth paring works flawlessly with my iPhone XS. Have never had an issue making calls or listening to Spotify.

I prefer using BMWs navigation over waze as I don’t trust Google and Waze has been shown to be no faster than Apple maps or Google...they just make the time estimate seem better but in reality you get there about the same time had you just used Apple maps or google. The BMW nav never properly estimated my arrival time, but if I use apple or google maps to get the arrival time then follow the BMW Nav directions, I get there the same time as I would have had I used Google or Apple maps.

Originally Posted by ssquared

Car play sucks compared to iDrive. I drive is more intuitive and easier to use while driving. CarPlay isn't well thought regardless of BMWs implementation or the implementation I've used on various Audi's, VWs and GM vehicles.

The wireless CarPlay on my 2017 G30 has not had any of the connectivity issues people here are mentioning for the 2-3 weeks I tried using it. After that I've turned off CarPlay and rely exclusively on I drive and the Bluetooth paring works flawlessly with my iPhone XS. Have never had an issue making calls or listening to Spotify.

I prefer using BMWs navigation over waze as I don't trust Google and Waze has been shown to be no faster than Apple maps or Google...they just make the time estimate seem better but in reality you get there about the same time had you just used Apple maps or google. The BMW nav never properly estimated my arrival time, but if I use apple or google maps to get the arrival time then follow the BMW Nav directions, I get there the same time as I would have had I used Google or Apple maps.

I drive is much better than I thought it would be. Except that in this version there appears to be no Spotify app. Also replying to texts in CarPlay using siri works really well. I don't think you can do that with an iPhone in idrive right?

[BobHen]

330i xdrive…

Wonderful sports car-like handling
Quick and healthy turbo 4
Quick shifting trans
Feels light but also planted and solid
Ergonomic driving position
Bonus is excellent MPG
No nav or digital dash – just dial gauges for me

I purchased the car mostly for its performance attributes, if I wanted a slush bucket with ticky-tacky tech, I would have ordered another sedan.

Bob

[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by Antkn33

I drive is much better than I thought it would be. Except that in this version there appears to be no Spotify app. Also replying to texts in CarPlay using siri works really well. I don't think you can do that with an iPhone in idrive right?

No way that I know of to reply to txt via iDrive, I know thats one big missing feature that a lot of people use CarPlay for. Personally I dont want to be bothered with txts all the time so I dont mind waiting until I get wherever I'm going to see them.

I have iDrive 6 and can use Spotify no problem. Doubt they'd take it away in iDrive 7...you need to have Spotify installed on your phone and have the BMW connected drive app also installed on your phone, and have Apps enabled in the communication section of iDrive. I also have Pandora and it works very well.

[oldmick]

Originally Posted by Wineguy

CarPlay sucks! A/C unless in auto is a PIA to turn on/ off.
Love the torque and suspension.

Just say “hay Bmw” turn air conditioning on/off.

[simsimma777]

Love everything about this car, especially the tech. The main annoyance I have is the turn signal stalk. Especially on right turns, you have to stretch to deactivate when your hand is at the 9 o’clock position. Much prefer the stalks that return to center. Also as someone else mentioned, not being able to see the turn signal on the side view mirrors.

[cstavaru]

I hate the fact that in Europe you can get a new 510hp Giulia Quadrifoglio at the same price as the M340i X-Drive.

[3ismagic#]

Only had my car 2 days but here goes.
Things I like:
1. BMW finally moved heated steering wheel button from the steering column to right on the front of the wheel itself. Why The F did that take so long?

2. I love love love portimao blue. So glad I got an M-sport.

3. Actual sport suspension with AWD.

Dislikes:
1. Run Flats. If I had ordered I would have gone without run-flats. When winter comes I'll put on proper winter tires and then non-runflats in the spring and store the factory tires for turning back in the lease.

2. Preferred the M-sport steering wheel on the E90 and F30 to the one in the G20

3. Pairing my garage door opener never works according the routine BMW describes in the manual (though this has been true for every car I've bought in the past decade).

4. BMW's implementation of car play. I drove a $20k Kia Rio rental sh!tbox down to pick up my car and its implementation of car play is way better than my $53k premium sedan. Not to mention you can only get it by buying a $2800 package and then they have the audacity to make it a subscription service? Beyoootch please!

5. Leather should be standard on a car of this price with vegan choices as a no-cost option for those so inclined. Weirdly I found very few cars on dealers lot with actual leather. Seems like the opposite of my past experience.

6. No Manual (yeah I know low take rate, doesn't shift as fast, blah blah). Just hook a brother a 3rd pedal!

[3ismagic#]

Originally Posted by cstavaru

I hate the fact that in Europe you can get a new 510hp Giulia Quadrifoglio at the same price as the M340i X-Drive.

taxes=the price you pay for living in a civilized society.
We Americans wouldn't know much about living in a civilized society.

[Docalan]

I don't understand the navigation "map" which appears in the instrument cluster. Absolutely useless imo.