[Game]

Felt like I was watching a Disney movie.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by TXSchnee

I care far more about driving dynamics than the tech in my vehicle.

BMW's driving dynamics, combined with general utility, are why I'm still with the marque. And I'm okay with spending an additional $15K in the aftermarket to get the dynamics adjusted to where I want them to be. The minor tech features in my car have been superfluous, including the now common driving modes.

[M5Rick]

The loons have taken over there.

[oz555]

The future is scary. BMW will no longer be a driver's car. It will be a vehicle for listening podcasts while ambient lighting is changing in accordance to your depression. They will be heavy souless vehicles for souless people who enjoy Driving system professional driving their car. They can even change a name to BNW (Brave new world).

[RPM33]

So I guess this means the radio preset buttons are going away?

[Germanauto]

Anybody else notice how the iX makes the E65/66 7-series look gorgeous? That car looks like a classic BMW compared to this turd.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by oz555

The future is scary. BMW will no longer be a driver's car. It will be a vehicle for listening podcasts while ambient lighting is changing in accordance to your depression. They will be heavy souless vehicles for souless people who enjoy Driving system professional driving their car. They can even change a name to BNW (Brave new world).

Honestly, the current time is a really challenging time to be a car maker and planning for the future. Look at what the market is telling them... On one hand you have users like us who like driving and want a car that is exciting for this. On the other hand you have users who are drooling over a future where cars drive themselves. In a driverless future driving dynamics are useless.

You also have ever tightening safety and pollution regulations. Some places, like the EU, are requiring cars to prevent speeding at all and advanced safety systems require a middleman between you and the car. A computer driver can also be extremely efficient pollution wise. Savings lives is important and we shouldn't discount that in all of this. But it really makes building a "driver's car" really difficult unless you're able to price the cost for missing safety and pollution targets into the vehicle (translation: more expensive niche cars become "driver's cars").

All that said, they could still deliver a better iDrive here. What Mercedes showed off is leaps and bounds better and that's astonishing to me since this is one of the key areas that pulled me from MB to BMW!

[Hoody007]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

Honestly, the current time is a really challenging time to be a car maker and planning for the future. Look at what the market is telling them... On one hand you have users like us who like driving and want a car that is exciting for this. On the other hand you have users who are drooling over a future where cars drive themselves. In a driverless future driving dynamics are useless.

You also have ever tightening safety and pollution regulations. Some places, like the EU, are requiring cars to prevent speeding at all and advanced safety systems require a middleman between you and the car. A computer driver can also be extremely efficient pollution wise. Savings lives is important and we shouldn't discount that in all of this. But it really makes building a "driver's car" really difficult unless you're able to price the cost for missing safety and pollution targets into the vehicle (translation: more expensive niche cars become "driver's cars").

All that said, they could still deliver a better iDrive here. What Mercedes showed off is leaps and bounds better and that's astonishing to me since this is one of the key areas that pulled me from MB to BMW!

This is BMW's problem. In a world where driving dynamics mean nothing, why buy a BMW over a Mercedes or Audi? Both of the latter have better interiors and aren’t trending towards hideous design, and are typically more comfortable. Reliability becomes a moot point with electric drivetrains.

Counterpoint to the “expensive drivers car:” a Miata is much more fun to drive than any new BMW. Honestly, F series and G series BMWs (with the exception of the 2er) are bloated, numb cars - and they were intentionally made this way.

Porsche’s done a much better job than BMW. They’ve capitulated to market trends (the Macan & Cayenne) while still not sacrificing driving dynamics, quality, or style. Their brand identity is intact. A Taycan is undoubtedly futuristic while still looking like a “Porsche.” The iX is hideous, and has none of the characteristic BMW design cues. I’m not an older person either - I’m 24, and will be a part of BMW’s target demographic in the coming decades. Nothing in their new lineup appeals to me, nor do they make a compelling argument for me not to look at a competitor when the time comes for me to replace my E90.

BMW is going to be the new Cadillac if it continues down this path.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by Hoody007

This is BMW's problem. In a world where driving dynamics mean nothing, why buy a BMW over a Mercedes or Audi? Both of the latter have better interiors and aren’t trending towards hideous design, and are typically more comfortable. Reliability becomes a moot point with electric drivetrains.

Counterpoint to the “expensive drivers car:” a Miata is much more fun to drive than any new BMW. Honestly, F series and G series BMWs (with the exception of the 2er) are bloated, numb cars - and they were intentionally made this way.

BMW is going to be the new Cadillac if it continues down this path.

It is their problem for sure and they are attempting to solve it. We're just not happy with their solutions, but that doesn't mean we're right and they are wrong. They are may be seeing the shifting sands better than we are.

I think BMW is, like MB and some others, pushing new "lines" with their shift now as they are probably looking for an easier time aggressively breaking from the past. Meaning they are free to be much different with the iX than an X5 and get a better read of the market...

But the regulatory environment is much tricker now for sure. Many countries are taxing cars heavily, including hefty annual taxes, based on pollution. Car makers also are getting hit with ever aggressive fuel economy penalties as well. Helping to push fun to drive cars that aren't already sold into niche territory.

I'm definitely not going to advocate brand loyalty though. My current BMW is my very first one and if they don't impress me by the time I'm looking to buy again it will be something else. They have a lot of work to do to keep me interested!

I just lament the future where driving is dull and done by the car and we're all just ordering driverless Uber cars all the time.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by Hoody007

This is BMW's problem. In a world where driving dynamics mean nothing, why buy a BMW over a Mercedes or Audi? Both of the latter have better interiors and aren’t trending towards hideous design, and are typically more comfortable. Reliability becomes a moot point with electric drivetrains.

Counterpoint to the “expensive drivers car:” a Miata is much more fun to drive than any new BMW. Honestly, F series and G series BMWs (with the exception of the 2er) are bloated, numb cars - and they were intentionally made this way.

Porsche’s done a much better job than BMW. They’ve capitulated to market trends (the Macan & Cayenne) while still not sacrificing driving dynamics, quality, or style. Their brand identity is intact. A Taycan is undoubtedly futuristic while still looking like a “Porsche.” The iX is hideous, and has none of the characteristic BMW design cues. I’m not an older person either - I’m 24, and will be a part of BMW’s target demographic in the coming decades. Nothing in their new lineup appeals to me, nor do they make a compelling argument for me not to look at a competitor when the time comes for me to replace my E90.

BMW is going to be the new Cadillac if it continues down this path.

+1

[Rux]

Itt:

"get off my lawn!!!"

[MULLET]

Originally Posted by OnlyGerman

Mocking a true legend is a dumb move...who staffs their marketing dept, fresh from college? Gotta say Mercedes would have done it with more class.

That's the problem is that MB seems like too much class, one reason I went Bmw, and now they are reaching for the moon and the stars still as they have been since my mom had a v12 750 from late 90's with those sick bbs that I would clean with all the little holes and that white leather interior and the double pane sound proof glass and maybe a cell phone something??? Anyway that was cool... but the marketing, with the fake noise!?!? And the cut downs and insults!?!?! I couldn't even listen!!!!!!!!!
Problem is that Bmw made such good cars in the past that they have to be the leader in their own way, I'm a fan of Alexa and Siri but I don't use them much, but my 2013 328i f30 with dvd while driving and all the other coding and heads up display and moonroof is honestly all the daily I will ever need, thank god for the endurance warranty I picked up bc the car has 110000miles. Planning for suspension and charge pipe and air filter but that's it I swear.
My e92 M3 is finally done with me renovating the inside... the hard Motorsports door panels had to be extremely trimmed and customized for the window buttons and handles and mounting, but I'm super psyched. The hardest thing was definitely grinding out the curtain airbags but let's just say you have front floor mats and lights and cell phone mount and charge and cup holders, and that's it. I might need to drive it across the country. But anyway I'm definitely buying a 2021 m2 in 2031 or whatever so I still love BMW

[Ikester19]

Whilst their marketing campaign is questionable kudos to BMW to keep pushing the boundaries. idrive has always been industry leading in terms of in car infotainment. The next few years will be interesting to see the rollout of EV's along with the more driver focused models like the next 2'er. I'm staying tuned!

[G80indy]

Originally Posted by Humdizzle

of course BMW hates older cars.... their whole company is a rental agency now pushing leases instead of buying. They want to make those of us with used cars or paid off cars feel bad and get the new thing.

the new video they put out about the weight savings was very misleading too. comparing the heaviest f82 config with the lightest g82.

Funny
They did that comparison with typical loaded e92 M3 with light f80
That was similar BS

[RinconHeat]

Their marketing makes me want to sell my car. It's embarrassing.

[R0ut3r]

While BMW is trying to tell us half-assed voice controls and having a 12 year old big (ok, super-wide) LCD in your car is cool... this is what is actually available:

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/p...ld-video-game/

and MBUX CES 2021 demo a lot more interesting:

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/m...reen-ces-2021/

I personally don't like custom car UXs, I just want the car to be the car (and running as super solid firmware instead of software) and the communications and media center to be CarPlay / Android OS... and everyone to build new features and integrations into Android OS / CarPlay. If car makers invested 1% of their custom UX budget into making Carplay / Android OS better working with Apple / Google... we would have really amazing tech available to us.

[dmboone25]

Awful. Seriously awful.

I wouldn’t take one of those goofy assed electric cars is they gave it to me....no where near Boomer age either.

[gblansten]

On my fourth BMW and my wife drives one and that was the most cringe inducing thing I have EVER SEEN! That video gave me douchechills.

[SteveinArizona]

Most carmakers seem to be navigating toward putting everything on a large touch screen. I am sure it is cheaper that way. BUT...I want buttons and switches for those features which I tend to use while actually doing what a car was designed to do: driving. That means radio volume (not critical if, like my BMW the car has a button on the steering wheel), ac, seat adjustments, driving mode, answering the cell phone. Putting these features on a touch screen where I have to take eyes off the road is a horrendous step backwards.

While I am not averse to questioning BMW decisions, such as the bugs bunny grills and the M235i, this one seems to be an industry wide trend. Just read a review of the forthcoming MB S series and it is going that way also.

So my challenge (which will go unanswered and unnoticed) to all carmakers is: STOP THIS MADNESS!

[Beenz]

+1 for saving some buttons.

Tried a Volvo that has just the screen, lack of buttons was frankly dangerous without a copilot to operate AC, music etc.😡