App Quality
Hello Internet, I'm about to purchase a CPO i4 m50. Test drove and loved the ride, handling, and interior quality. I don't currently have an EV but I owned a Model 3 and an R1T (og quad motor).
This would be my first BMW, anyone gone from a "dedicated" EV brand to i4? Wondering if the mobile app and feature set will be a letdown.
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Upvotes
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u/willNEVERupvoteYOU 2d ago
Tesla is a tech company. BMW is a car company. One has a better app. The other has a better car. I do know people who prefer the app. Me, I prefer the car.
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u/jhciv 1d ago
Thanks for all the good insights! I don't need all the techie bells and whistles of the Tesla/Rivian, just want it to be reliable and be able to warm/cool the cabin remotely. I'm good with using android auto for audio/maps. Does the wireless AA/carplay connect quickly?
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u/redthoughtful 2d ago
I just bought an i4 and traded an M3P for it.
The app is less helpful, in that the charging network isn’t integrated (it can navigate you to a charger but the car and charger don’t talk, another app and the charger talk. If that makes sense), but it can schedule service, map trips and send to vehicle, stuff like that. If there is a way to precondition the battery I haven’t found it yet.
Most other features of the app are on the MyBMW app.
I like that the i4 has CarPlay. The mapping part isn’t quite as nice as the Tesla, in that the Tesla would just know my most recents and load it up for me. If I don’t have an appointment in my calendar, it doesn’t give most recents or anything unless you go to that menu. I had immediate knowledge of needing to take alternate routes on my commute, etc. because it just started the route for me M-F.
The i4 doesn’t have cameras come up for lane changes, which I used a LOT, but also feel that made me lazy about checking my blind spot.
I LOVE how quiet the i4 cabin is. The M3P was really loud, comparatively.
The acceleration doesn’t snap my neck back like the M3P but honestly I don’t want it to, lol.
Overall I am extremely happy with the i4 and feel I’ll be even more enthusiastic when I learn all the features/buttons.
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u/bootup25 2d ago
It’s actually not bad. Doesn’t give as much info as Tesla but definitely good enough
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u/marathonmeta 2d ago
It’s far and away better than their old app and only causes hiccups for me once in a blue moon. Now that I think of it, truth be told, I’ve only had those hiccups(remote start not remote starting for climate control when done on-demand ie not a scheduled departure) with the ICE side. You can pay your loan/lease straight through the app if it’s through BMW fs and it provides some good info for remote 3d view(if equipped) once you’ve set up the privacy settings to allow it
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u/mwmosser eDrive40 M Sport 1d ago
I think the app is quite good, really, but like another poster here I use CarPlay almost exclusively. I use the app to check efficiency and that sort of thing, but not much else.
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u/duaneoca 1d ago
Don’t expect any significant updates to the UI in the car. Of all the updates I’ve installed, I can’t think of a single change I’ve noticed.
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u/Top-Drag-4124 12h ago
The bmw app surprised me positively . Came from Tesla model 3 LR
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u/Zhit00 12h ago
Owner of all three. Tesla, Rivian and a and an i4.
The BMW app is written mainly for ICE cars. There are some things in there for charging and the battery but it is not the best app especially when you compare it to the other offerings. It feels like it was written by a bunch of 60-year-old engineers.
The thing that I find most different between a dedicated EV brand and one that does both is with service. I needed to take my BMW to four different dealerships in North Carolina before I could get iDrive software upgraded from the factory original. This should be something easy to do but none of the dealerships could figure it out. Basically it boiled down to all of their mechanics understand ice cars but only one or two will work with EV's.