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      02-24-2020, 07:35 AM   #1
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What is your biggest disappointment in your X7?

I traded in a 2015 Suburban for my 2019 X7 40i. With the Suburban, I came to rely on the alerts I got when in reverse. If I were backing from a parking spot between two cars, the Suburban verbally alerted me to approaching cars from either direction. It also alerted me of a person approaching going to walk behind my vehicle.

The BMW does none of this. I am a careful driver, but I am also an older driver and can use all of the help I can get. If when backing from a parking space I turn around in the seat to my right, I can't see a person who suddenly appears from the left. My Suburban detected that person and beeped, causing me to brake.

I found this disappointment only after I bought the car. Foolishly, I thought it "standard" on all premium vehicles. This seems like a simple and readily available feature, why doesn't my very expensive BMW have it?
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      02-24-2020, 07:41 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joemac8 View Post
I traded in a 2015 Suburban for my 2019 X7 40i. With the Suburban, I came to rely on the alerts I got when in reverse. If I were backing from a parking spot between two cars, the Suburban verbally alerted me to approaching cars from either direction. It also alerted me of a person approaching going to walk behind my vehicle.

The BMW does none of this. I am a careful driver, but I am also an older driver and can use all of the help I can get. If when backing from a parking space I turn around in the seat to my right, I can't see a person who suddenly appears from the left. My Suburban detected that person and beeped, causing me to brake.

I found this disappointment only after I bought the car. Foolishly, I thought it "standard" on all premium vehicles. This seems like a simple and readily available feature, why doesn't my very expensive BMW have it?
It does. Check your settings. Plus, use the camera. It's better than looking at one side and missing the other. Always be careful and be the driver but... the X7 will stop before hitting something. It will even turn the wheel to avoid an accident.
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      02-24-2020, 08:30 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paultattoo View Post
It does. Check your settings. Plus, use the camera. It's better than looking at one side and missing the other. Always be careful and be the driver but... the X7 will stop before hitting something. It will even turn the wheel to avoid an accident.
I actually had to make a choice of shutting off portions of the system (I turned everything possible on during delivery) or changing which side of the driveway I parked on because when it does stop, you can't actually get past that point without shutting these features off.

I have also had warnings of cross traffic that gave a visible and audible signals along with the auto-braking. I haven't had any pedestrian warnings yet, so I don't know what would happen if a kid was coming down the sidewalk on a bicycle or skateboard, but I trust it would do the right thing if I was going as slow as you should be in situations where that is possible.
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      02-24-2020, 09:05 AM   #4
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BMW Genius can help you. Or you can google and watch the YouTube videos. See this one:

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      02-24-2020, 10:28 AM   #5
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In looking at the book I see "The ultrasound sensors for distance measure‐ ments are located in the bumpers and possibly on the sides of the vehicle.
The range, depending on obstacles and environ‐ mental conditions, is approx. 6 ft/2 m." "An acoustic warning sounds in case of an im‐ pending collision at a distance to the object of approx. 27 in/70 cm.
For objects behind the vehicle, the acoustic warning is already issued at a distance to the ob‐ ject of approx. 5 ft/1.50 m."

I guess my disappointment is in the fact that the objects must be very close prior to the audible warning. My old car gave warnings at a far greater distance.
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      02-24-2020, 10:42 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joemac8 View Post
In looking at the book I see "The ultrasound sensors for distance measure‐ ments are located in the bumpers and possibly on the sides of the vehicle.
The range, depending on obstacles and environ‐ mental conditions, is approx. 6 ft/2 m." "An acoustic warning sounds in case of an im‐ pending collision at a distance to the object of approx. 27 in/70 cm.
For objects behind the vehicle, the acoustic warning is already issued at a distance to the ob‐ ject of approx. 5 ft/1.50 m."

I guess my disappointment is in the fact that the objects must be very close prior to the audible warning. My old car gave warnings at a far greater distance.
on mine you can set detection to "early" middle or "late"

you might try adjusting to make sure it says "early".

I have a newer Tahoe and it does seem to work around that 6 foot mark as well. I'm not sure if it's further or closer than my BMW; but I'd wager they are similar detector ranges.

you also have to consider an x7 is closer to a Tahoe than a full sized Suburban in size and dimension. 6 feet past a Suburban is about 8-12 feet past an x7.
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      02-24-2020, 01:19 PM   #7
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Presets is not remembered as last position and instead defaults back to XM, FM, etc. - [This has been corrected in 11/2019.55 - Thank you BMW]

Slowness of 3rd and 2nd row seats - I get the fact that the car is automated in this regard, but it's way too slow to be practical and frustrates the family. And since there are 4 different ways to trigger the movement of the middle row, couldn't one of them have been good 'ol manual mode so that my kids can get in and out in a fraction of the time?

First row seats move when back rows move - Heaven help a pregnant woman in the front passenger seat if the driver has to make a pitstop to pick up someone who has to get in the 3rd row as her seat folds almost perpendicular and slides towards the dashboard unexpectedly.

Captain's Chair passthru wasn't considered - It's like BMW went out of their way to say "nope, not going to let you use this car like a minivan, not going to make it easy for kids to go through the side doors and glide into the 3rd row" when it's something that would be a huge advantage to consumers and against their competitors. The armrests should have been made thinner or removable and that plastic tray cup holder shouldn't be on the floor. It takes almost 40 seconds to get a child into the 3rd row with all the time to wait for the motors to move everything and a second row passthru would have been a welcome addition. It's like BMW doesn't know who is buying these things.

Stunning lack of 3rd row air vents - This one is so outrageous its mind-boggling. If you don't have a tough winter and you think you don't need the Cold Weather Package, guess what- without it, you don't get A/C vents for the passengers in the claustrophobic 3rd row. They should call it a Hot Weather Package instead or at least train their salespeople on the subject. My kids are going to hate me on hot days. What $100K 7-passenger luxury SUV doesn't have rear air vents?

Wireless charger target zone - Every time I lie my phone down on the wireless charging pad it's an adventure, the sweet spot of the coil is too small, and one has to pull it down and towards the right to maybe get a solid connection that will last the duration of one trip.

Wireless charger blue light location - The car must have been designed for the UK as the blue light that indicates your smartphone is actually wirelessly charging is on the left edge of the pad which is impossible to see from the drivers seat unless you stretch your head across the center console.

Awkward way the front compartment opens - I'm not sure who thought that pushing down and forward on a wood door coated in shellac was a good idea but my wife can't figure it out and its a matter of time before she scratches the hell out of it.

Really small glove compartment - For the biggest car in BMW history it surely has the smallest glovebox in BMW history. Can't even fit the usual amount of napkins and papers in there, and it doesn't bow down deep inside. It has an almost flat bottom so keys and pens move all over the place including forward right into your lap.

No red/blue temperature shortcut - For long-time BMW enthusiasts this one is a huge miss, that little red/blue temperature wheel really made a quick and easy business of tweaking the temperature to be just right in winter, spring, summer, and fall. Now it's buried in the climate control menus. And unlike the Sync function, you can't make a 1-8 shortcut button to it. I use this wheel all the time. Now I have to drill through menus and it's awful.

Armrest leather and delicate aluminum trim unprotected with 3rd row folded down - We spend most of our time with the last row stored and use the back space for hockey equipment, groceries, soccer gear, etc. I wish BMW would have engineered for that use case and protect the 3rd row's armrests and aluminum trims so they aren't so exposed and won't get scratched.

No remember last position on auto start/stop - BMW used to, as a courtesy upon request, code the car so that those of us who hate the start/stop feature could have it disabled. Now they don't do it. And the button on the X7 is small, slippery, and doesn't take on the first attempt half the time.

The car can lower itself but it doesn't - I really like this one. Want the car to squat down when you put it in Park? Nope. Want the car to stay low down to make it easy to get back in on the next trip? Nope. Want the stance to be way down for a lower sense of gravity in Comfort or Sport mode? Nope. Want the car to be as low as humanly possible so you can squeeze into a parking garage without decapitating the cargo box on the roof? Nope. What is the point of this feature? It's an airbag to nowhere.

No bottle strap in rear compartment like 4 Series or containment of other types - Over the years BMW has added some nice touches in the trunks and rear compartments of its cars like the elastic bottle strap in my X5 which was the perfect place for a sports bottle enroute to baseball practice. In the X7, the SUV flagship, we get a small space with a tiny net and no other options in the most cavernous rear compartment in brand history.

Big Picture #1: It's like the designers assumed a world where everyone was using all three rows all the time. The electric folding seats are pitifully slow. The leather armrests and aluminum trim are exposed to damage from sliding cans and hockey sticks. There is no sense of tie-downs or nets to hold groceries or water bottles in place.

Big Picture #2: They call this "automation"? To get going on my trip, I need to a) start the car, b) hit the Auto Stop/Start button to off, c) hit the radio menu and d) navigate to Presets, e) drill in menus to get to the red/blue temperature wheel, and f) hit one of the shortcut buttons to set climate control to Sync. That's 6 actions in my X7 that used to be 1 in my X5. Not good.

There are many wonderful things about the X7, but in almost every case BMW has taken a step backwards on consumer conveniences and I can't fathom why. Their User Interface may be the best in the business but whoever is making the User Engagement decisions has most definitely never had kids, never owned a minivan, is never in a rush to get anywhere, and really likes to push a lot of buttons for the sake of a clean looking cockpit.

Last edited by toddwalton; 02-24-2020 at 06:48 PM..
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      02-24-2020, 01:42 PM   #8
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The auto stop and start is now an industry requirement in the US for any cars manufactured starting in 2018 (?), there are two ways around it, coding it to remember it being OFF or pushing the sports button which is how I drive anyway. I agree it’s annoying but don’t blame BMW for it.

Thanks for highlighting all the other things on your list, I am getting my car this week and will be on the lookout.
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      02-24-2020, 01:56 PM   #9
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I agree with most of what you say here buddy. It's fun but aggravating at times.

At first I didn't know what to do with those 8 presets. But it didn't take long to wish I had more!

Of course being able to set up everything the way you like once would be better. Heck, the car even saved profiles! (When that works...)

I'd like to add one more. This seems to be true in every new car, not just the X7: I think the person that designs the screens is on a 40 inch monitor. I'm sure it looks good at that size. But when you bring it down to real life a lot of stuff is just to small to glance at while driving. Make the clock and speedometer bigger! There's room in there. Also, why put in a fancy color tv for the gauge cluster and then design it so bland you don't want to look at it. So disappointing. Put in some color!

Maybe this should be in a separate thread but, don't waste your money on the night vision. If you use it, you lose the nav screen or anything else you'd like to have up there when you turn on the night vision. So dumb.
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      02-24-2020, 02:56 PM   #10
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toddwalton haha you nailed it. I have an M50i and I love it. But yes to everything on this list.

The most annoying thing of all is that each of these things would have been so easy to get right!
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      02-24-2020, 03:20 PM   #11
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I believe they rushed to market to beat the new GLS release. This should have been a 2020+ debut and majority if not all the minor issues early adopters faced would not have existed instead early adopters were real world beta-testers.
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      02-24-2020, 04:11 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toddwalton View Post
Their User Interface may be the best in the business but whoever is making the User Engagement decisions has most definitely never had kids, never owned a minivan, is never in a rush to get anywhere, and really likes to push a lot of buttons for the sake of a clean looking cockpit.


FWIW, if I change the right height, the car remembers it now after I turn it off and on again - even after a few days. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the case before?
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      02-24-2020, 04:26 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toddwalton View Post
Presets is not remembered as last position and instead defaults back to XM, FM, etc. - This is my biggest nitpick with the X7. I would believe most people on Day 1 set their radio stations as Presets and spend the rest of the time they drive the car jumping between stations on the Presets list. Despite this, every time you end a trip and start a new one, the radio defaults to the last band you were listening to instead of the Presets list.

Slowness of 3rd and 2nd row seats - I get the fact that the car is automated in this regard, but it's way too slow to be practical and frustrates the family. And since there are 4 different ways to trigger the movement of the middle row, couldn't one of them have been good 'ol manual mode so that my kids can get in and out in a fraction of the time?

First row seats move when back rows move - Heaven help a pregnant woman in the front passenger seat if the driver has to make a pitstop to pick up someone who has to get in the 3rd row as her seat folds almost perpendicular and slides towards the dashboard unexpectedly.

Captain's Chair passthru wasn't considered - It's like BMW went out of their way to say "nope, not going to let you use this car like a minivan, not going to make it easy for kids to go through the side doors and glide into the 3rd row" when it's something that would be a huge advantage to consumers and against their competitors. The armrests should have been made thinner or removable and that plastic tray cup holder shouldn't be on the floor. It takes almost 40 seconds to get a child into the 3rd row with all the time to wait for the motors to move everything and a second row passthru would have been a welcome addition. It's like BMW doesn't know who is buying these things.

Stunning lack of 3rd row air vents - This one is so outrageous its mind-boggling. If you don't have a tough winter and you think you don't need the Cold Weather Package, guess what- without it, you don't get A/C vents for the passengers in the claustrophobic 3rd row. They should call it a Hot Weather Package instead or at least train their salespeople on the subject. My kids are going to hate me on hot days. What $100K 7-passenger luxury SUV doesn't have rear air vents?

Wireless charger target zone - Every time I lie my phone down on the wireless charging pad it's an adventure, the sweet spot of the coil is too small, and one has to pull it down and towards the right to maybe get a solid connection that will last the duration of one trip.

Wireless charger blue light location - The car must have been designed for the UK as the blue light that indicates your smartphone is actually wirelessly charging is on the left edge of the pad which is impossible to see from the drivers seat unless you stretch your head across the center console.

Awkward way the front compartment opens - I'm not sure who thought that pushing down and forward on a wood door coated in shellac was a good idea but my wife can't figure it out and its a matter of time before she scratches the hell out of it.

Really small glove compartment - For the biggest car in BMW history it surely has the smallest glovebox in BMW history. Can't even fit the usual amount of napkins and papers in there, and it doesn't bow down deep inside. It has an almost flat bottom so keys and pens move all over the place including forward right into your lap.

No red/blue temperature shortcut - For long-time BMW enthusiasts this one is a huge miss, that little red/blue temperature wheel really made a quick and easy business of tweaking the temperature to be just right in winter, spring, summer, and fall. Now it's buried in the climate control menus. And unlike the Sync function, you can't make a 1-8 shortcut button to it. I use this wheel all the time. Now I have to drill through menus and it's awful.

Armrest leather and delicate aluminum trim unprotected with 3rd row folded down - We spend most of our time with the last row stored and use the back space for hockey equipment, groceries, soccer gear, etc. I wish BMW would have engineered for that use case and protect the 3rd row's armrests and aluminum trims so they aren't so exposed and won't get scratched.

No remember last position on auto start/stop - BMW used to, as a courtesy upon request, code the car so that those of us who hate the start/stop feature could have it disabled. Now they don't do it. And the button on the X7 is small, slippery, and doesn't take on the first attempt half the time.

The car can lower itself but it doesn't - I really like this one. Want the car to squat down when you put it in Park? Nope. Want the car to stay low down to make it easy to get back in on the next trip? Nope. Want the stance to be way down for a lower sense of gravity in Comfort or Sport mode? Nope. Want the car to be as low as humanly possible so you can squeeze into a parking garage without decapitating the cargo box on the roof? Nope. What is the point of this feature? It's an airbag to nowhere.

No bottle strap in rear compartment like 4 Series or containment of other types - Over the years BMW has added some nice touches in the trunks and rear compartments of its cars like the elastic bottle strap in my X5 which was the perfect place for a sports bottle enroute to baseball practice. In the X7, the SUV flagship, we get a small space with a tiny net and no other options in the most cavernous rear compartment in brand history.

Big Picture #1: It's like the designers assumed a world where everyone was using all three rows all the time. The electric folding seats are pitifully slow. The leather armrests and aluminum trim are exposed to damage from sliding cans and hockey sticks. There is no sense of tie-downs or nets to hold groceries or water bottles in place.

Big Picture #2: They call this "automation"? To get going on my trip, I need to a) start the car, b) hit the Auto Stop/Start button to off, c) hit the radio menu and d) navigate to Presets, e) drill in menus to get to the red/blue temperature wheel, and f) hit one of the shortcut buttons to set climate control to Sync. That's 6 actions in my X7 that used to be 1 in my X5. Not good.

There are many wonderful things about the X7, but in almost every case BMW has taken a step backwards on consumer conveniences and I can't fathom why. Their User Interface may be the best in the business but whoever is making the User Engagement decisions has most definitely never had kids, never owned a minivan, is never in a rush to get anywhere, and really likes to push a lot of buttons for the sake of a clean looking cockpit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by toddwalton View Post
Presets is not remembered as last position and instead defaults back to XM, FM, etc. - This is my biggest nitpick with the X7. I would believe most people on Day 1 set their radio stations as Presets and spend the rest of the time they drive the car jumping between stations on the Presets list. Despite this, every time you end a trip and start a new one, the radio defaults to the last band you were listening to instead of the Presets list.

Slowness of 3rd and 2nd row seats - I get the fact that the car is automated in this regard, but it's way too slow to be practical and frustrates the family. And since there are 4 different ways to trigger the movement of the middle row, couldn't one of them have been good 'ol manual mode so that my kids can get in and out in a fraction of the time?

First row seats move when back rows move - Heaven help a pregnant woman in the front passenger seat if the driver has to make a pitstop to pick up someone who has to get in the 3rd row as her seat folds almost perpendicular and slides towards the dashboard unexpectedly.

Captain's Chair passthru wasn't considered - It's like BMW went out of their way to say "nope, not going to let you use this car like a minivan, not going to make it easy for kids to go through the side doors and glide into the 3rd row" when it's something that would be a huge advantage to consumers and against their competitors. The armrests should have been made thinner or removable and that plastic tray cup holder shouldn't be on the floor. It takes almost 40 seconds to get a child into the 3rd row with all the time to wait for the motors to move everything and a second row passthru would have been a welcome addition. It's like BMW doesn't know who is buying these things.

Stunning lack of 3rd row air vents - This one is so outrageous its mind-boggling. If you don't have a tough winter and you think you don't need the Cold Weather Package, guess what- without it, you don't get A/C vents for the passengers in the claustrophobic 3rd row. They should call it a Hot Weather Package instead or at least train their salespeople on the subject. My kids are going to hate me on hot days. What $100K 7-passenger luxury SUV doesn't have rear air vents?

Wireless charger target zone - Every time I lie my phone down on the wireless charging pad it's an adventure, the sweet spot of the coil is too small, and one has to pull it down and towards the right to maybe get a solid connection that will last the duration of one trip.

Wireless charger blue light location - The car must have been designed for the UK as the blue light that indicates your smartphone is actually wirelessly charging is on the left edge of the pad which is impossible to see from the drivers seat unless you stretch your head across the center console.

Awkward way the front compartment opens - I'm not sure who thought that pushing down and forward on a wood door coated in shellac was a good idea but my wife can't figure it out and its a matter of time before she scratches the hell out of it.

Really small glove compartment - For the biggest car in BMW history it surely has the smallest glovebox in BMW history. Can't even fit the usual amount of napkins and papers in there, and it doesn't bow down deep inside. It has an almost flat bottom so keys and pens move all over the place including forward right into your lap.

No red/blue temperature shortcut - For long-time BMW enthusiasts this one is a huge miss, that little red/blue temperature wheel really made a quick and easy business of tweaking the temperature to be just right in winter, spring, summer, and fall. Now it's buried in the climate control menus. And unlike the Sync function, you can't make a 1-8 shortcut button to it. I use this wheel all the time. Now I have to drill through menus and it's awful.

Armrest leather and delicate aluminum trim unprotected with 3rd row folded down - We spend most of our time with the last row stored and use the back space for hockey equipment, groceries, soccer gear, etc. I wish BMW would have engineered for that use case and protect the 3rd row's armrests and aluminum trims so they aren't so exposed and won't get scratched.

No remember last position on auto start/stop - BMW used to, as a courtesy upon request, code the car so that those of us who hate the start/stop feature could have it disabled. Now they don't do it. And the button on the X7 is small, slippery, and doesn't take on the first attempt half the time.

The car can lower itself but it doesn't - I really like this one. Want the car to squat down when you put it in Park? Nope. Want the car to stay low down to make it easy to get back in on the next trip? Nope. Want the stance to be way down for a lower sense of gravity in Comfort or Sport mode? Nope. Want the car to be as low as humanly possible so you can squeeze into a parking garage without decapitating the cargo box on the roof? Nope. What is the point of this feature? It's an airbag to nowhere.

No bottle strap in rear compartment like 4 Series or containment of other types - Over the years BMW has added some nice touches in the trunks and rear compartments of its cars like the elastic bottle strap in my X5 which was the perfect place for a sports bottle enroute to baseball practice. In the X7, the SUV flagship, we get a small space with a tiny net and no other options in the most cavernous rear compartment in brand history.

Big Picture #1: It's like the designers assumed a world where everyone was using all three rows all the time. The electric folding seats are pitifully slow. The leather armrests and aluminum trim are exposed to damage from sliding cans and hockey sticks. There is no sense of tie-downs or nets to hold groceries or water bottles in place.

Big Picture #2: They call this "automation"? To get going on my trip, I need to a) start the car, b) hit the Auto Stop/Start button to off, c) hit the radio menu and d) navigate to Presets, e) drill in menus to get to the red/blue temperature wheel, and f) hit one of the shortcut buttons to set climate control to Sync. That's 6 actions in my X7 that used to be 1 in my X5. Not good.

There are many wonderful things about the X7, but in almost every case BMW has taken a step backwards on consumer conveniences and I can't fathom why. Their User Interface may be the best in the business but whoever is making the User Engagement decisions has most definitely never had kids, never owned a minivan, is never in a rush to get anywhere, and really likes to push a lot of buttons for the sake of a clean looking cockpit.

Some of this is fixed with proper BimmerCode or rg33 remote coding. However the slow automated power seats is a common complaint. While it's not a defense, they are all slow. The manual ones are quick and almost every luxury maker power ones are slow.
I think you need to step down to a minivan or something like an Escalade or Tahoe for better 3rd row access.

For default settings and auto start stop, that's an easy coding job. For $20 buy a od2 tool and $30 BimmerCode and you can fix that. Same with start in sports or comfort mode.

The second row pass through is rough, but I think they expect you to move the seat and go behind the chairs, not over the top middle. But I kinda agree with you on that one.

The wireless charger and glove box are the same in the 4, 6, 8, x3, x5, x7 series, etc. they made it small to fix all the cars and suv. It kinda suxs, but it's designed to improve assembly line process in SC for all the USA cars to have same parts to build quicker.
It's how all the cars manufacturers are going actually across the board. Again, sucks, but you're going to find it everywhere.

The temperature can be controlled by "bmw I'm cold" or "bmw turn up seat heaters" voice commands; so I don't have a problem. Also you can set the auto rules: if the temperature is under 70, auto set the heat to 75, etc. it's automatic and it works awesome.

The air vents in the third row, my sales agent told me before and said everyone in DC buys the cold weather air vent package. So we do it too.
And to cover the third row, we got a weather tech mat to protect the rear areas.
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      02-24-2020, 04:39 PM   #14
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Presets is not remembered as last position and instead defaults back to XM, FM, etc. - This is my biggest nitpick with the X7. I would believe most people on Day 1 set their radio stations as Presets and spend the rest of the time they drive the car jumping between stations on the Presets list. Despite this, every time you end a trip and start a new one, the radio defaults to the last band you were listening to instead of the Presets list.

Slowness of 3rd and 2nd row seats - I get the fact that the car is automated in this regard, but it's way too slow to be practical and frustrates the family. And since there are 4 different ways to trigger the movement of the middle row, couldn't one of them have been good 'ol manual mode so that my kids can get in and out in a fraction of the time?

First row seats move when back rows move - Heaven help a pregnant woman in the front passenger seat if the driver has to make a pitstop to pick up someone who has to get in the 3rd row as her seat folds almost perpendicular and slides towards the dashboard unexpectedly.

Captain's Chair passthru wasn't considered - It's like BMW went out of their way to say "nope, not going to let you use this car like a minivan, not going to make it easy for kids to go through the side doors and glide into the 3rd row" when it's something that would be a huge advantage to consumers and against their competitors. The armrests should have been made thinner or removable and that plastic tray cup holder shouldn't be on the floor. It takes almost 40 seconds to get a child into the 3rd row with all the time to wait for the motors to move everything and a second row passthru would have been a welcome addition. It's like BMW doesn't know who is buying these things.

Stunning lack of 3rd row air vents - This one is so outrageous its mind-boggling. If you don't have a tough winter and you think you don't need the Cold Weather Package, guess what- without it, you don't get A/C vents for the passengers in the claustrophobic 3rd row. They should call it a Hot Weather Package instead or at least train their salespeople on the subject. My kids are going to hate me on hot days. What $100K 7-passenger luxury SUV doesn't have rear air vents?

Wireless charger target zone - Every time I lie my phone down on the wireless charging pad it's an adventure, the sweet spot of the coil is too small, and one has to pull it down and towards the right to maybe get a solid connection that will last the duration of one trip.

Wireless charger blue light location - The car must have been designed for the UK as the blue light that indicates your smartphone is actually wirelessly charging is on the left edge of the pad which is impossible to see from the drivers seat unless you stretch your head across the center console.

Awkward way the front compartment opens - I'm not sure who thought that pushing down and forward on a wood door coated in shellac was a good idea but my wife can't figure it out and its a matter of time before she scratches the hell out of it.

Really small glove compartment - For the biggest car in BMW history it surely has the smallest glovebox in BMW history. Can't even fit the usual amount of napkins and papers in there, and it doesn't bow down deep inside. It has an almost flat bottom so keys and pens move all over the place including forward right into your lap.

No red/blue temperature shortcut - For long-time BMW enthusiasts this one is a huge miss, that little red/blue temperature wheel really made a quick and easy business of tweaking the temperature to be just right in winter, spring, summer, and fall. Now it's buried in the climate control menus. And unlike the Sync function, you can't make a 1-8 shortcut button to it. I use this wheel all the time. Now I have to drill through menus and it's awful.

Armrest leather and delicate aluminum trim unprotected with 3rd row folded down - We spend most of our time with the last row stored and use the back space for hockey equipment, groceries, soccer gear, etc. I wish BMW would have engineered for that use case and protect the 3rd row's armrests and aluminum trims so they aren't so exposed and won't get scratched.

No remember last position on auto start/stop - BMW used to, as a courtesy upon request, code the car so that those of us who hate the start/stop feature could have it disabled. Now they don't do it. And the button on the X7 is small, slippery, and doesn't take on the first attempt half the time.

The car can lower itself but it doesn't - I really like this one. Want the car to squat down when you put it in Park? Nope. Want the car to stay low down to make it easy to get back in on the next trip? Nope. Want the stance to be way down for a lower sense of gravity in Comfort or Sport mode? Nope. Want the car to be as low as humanly possible so you can squeeze into a parking garage without decapitating the cargo box on the roof? Nope. What is the point of this feature? It's an airbag to nowhere.

No bottle strap in rear compartment like 4 Series or containment of other types - Over the years BMW has added some nice touches in the trunks and rear compartments of its cars like the elastic bottle strap in my X5 which was the perfect place for a sports bottle enroute to baseball practice. In the X7, the SUV flagship, we get a small space with a tiny net and no other options in the most cavernous rear compartment in brand history.

Big Picture #1: It's like the designers assumed a world where everyone was using all three rows all the time. The electric folding seats are pitifully slow. The leather armrests and aluminum trim are exposed to damage from sliding cans and hockey sticks. There is no sense of tie-downs or nets to hold groceries or water bottles in place.

Big Picture #2: They call this "automation"? To get going on my trip, I need to a) start the car, b) hit the Auto Stop/Start button to off, c) hit the radio menu and d) navigate to Presets, e) drill in menus to get to the red/blue temperature wheel, and f) hit one of the shortcut buttons to set climate control to Sync. That's 6 actions in my X7 that used to be 1 in my X5. Not good.

There are many wonderful things about the X7, but in almost every case BMW has taken a step backwards on consumer conveniences and I can't fathom why. Their User Interface may be the best in the business but whoever is making the User Engagement decisions has most definitely never had kids, never owned a minivan, is never in a rush to get anywhere, and really likes to push a lot of buttons for the sake of a clean looking cockpit.
Lack of tie downs, cargo nets and slow moving seats is a problem and I do agree with you on that issues.

And the car should lower in park and such. But I think because it's an option in most x5, they didn't really configure it for x7 with kids and such.
That air suspension could be a lot better with some simple coding that wasn't done.
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      02-24-2020, 05:05 PM   #15
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I agree with most of those above but a few more to add from my standpoint.

I really wish there was a lot more customization available in the driver speedometer/cockpit area. It's a nice display but you really are stuck with a few options and I end up leaving it blank when I'm not using the radar cruise control. They could've done so much more with this space.

The access to the wireless charging spot could be a lot more open. It's kind of tucked away in the console and even though there's a reminder I'm constantly turning back because I left my phone in the car.

I really like the wireless CarPlay but it seems to be intermittent with initial connection for me at least. I think they could, and hopefully, will continue to improve the software so that it's a seamless quick connection. I would've liked to have a wired option as well for CarPlay.

Overall I love the car and we're coming from a 2016 Yukon XL which is just like the suburban. I'm not Experiencing any of the lack of warnings for backing up like the original poster. We do have the parking package with the 3-D camera etc. The ride and handling of a large SUV is amazing compared to the Yukon.
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      02-24-2020, 06:49 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by JFU View Post


FWIW, if I change the right height, the car remembers it now after I turn it off and on again - even after a few days. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the case before?
I'll check that out, thanks!

11/2019.55 firmware also fixed the audio remembering the last state in the gauge display when choosing Presets. I tweaked my list of beefs for that one.
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      02-24-2020, 08:03 PM   #17
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Windows seem to go up and down slow compared to other cars I have
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      02-24-2020, 10:59 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DSTJ99 View Post
The access to the wireless charging spot could be a lot more open. It's kind of tucked away in the console and even though there's a reminder I'm constantly turning back because I left my phone in the car.
Agree. I remember my Q7 used to remind me of the left behind phone by speaking "Your cellphone is still in the vehicle."
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      02-26-2020, 05:29 PM   #19
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Joemac8: Rear cross traffic alert is standard on X7 and is supposed to do all those things. I test drove 3 X7s at a local dealer in SoCal and none of the cars had this feature working. It was enabled and yet did not work. Representative from BMW NA came in his X7 to perform training, was informed about the issue and it was not working on his X7 either ( he checked and rechecked all the settings on all the cars). Sales rep never followed up and my email to BMW NA about this was answered initially but no real resolution followed. I decided not buy anything from BMW after this encounter. Standard safety feature should work and if they don't care about it, why should I give them my money. Btw, same things was with 2 or 3 X5s I test drove
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      02-27-2020, 03:54 PM   #20
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Joemac8: Rear cross traffic alert is standard on X7 and is supposed to do all those things. I test drove 3 X7s at a local dealer in SoCal and none of the cars had this feature working. It was enabled and yet did not work. Representative from BMW NA came in his X7 to perform training, was informed about the issue and it was not working on his X7 either ( he checked and rechecked all the settings on all the cars). Sales rep never followed up and my email to BMW NA about this was answered initially but no real resolution followed. I decided not buy anything from BMW after this encounter. Standard safety feature should work and if they don't care about it, why should I give them my money. Btw, same things was with 2 or 3 X5s I test drove


YUP, my five year old $60K Chevrolet had it but my $100K BMW doesn't. Had I known of this before I bought the car, it would have been a deal breaker. Don't get me wrong, I really like the car, but not at the cost of injuring some child who darts behind my car as I am backing up. I am aware that the driver should look all ways and ensure all is clear and constantly watch ....... however, drivers do not always see everything. Older drivers see even less. We need any advantage we can get and ample, in time, rear warnings should be standard on every car sold. The technology has been out in the marketplace a long time. It saves lives, injuries, property damage, ect. Are Veldt engineers just not smart enough to handle this???
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      02-27-2020, 04:27 PM   #21
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Joemac8: If I were you I would go to the dealer and demonstrate that the feature is not working and demand that they fix it. Rear cross traffic alert is standard on all X7s so it SHOULD be working.
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      02-27-2020, 04:56 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joemac8 View Post
YUP, my five year old $60K Chevrolet had it but my $100K BMW doesn't. Had I known of this before I bought the car, it would have been a deal breaker. Don't get me wrong, I really like the car, but not at the cost of injuring some child who darts behind my car as I am backing up. I am aware that the driver should look all ways and ensure all is clear and constantly watch ....... however, drivers do not always see everything. Older drivers see even less. We need any advantage we can get and ample, in time, rear warnings should be standard on every car sold. The technology has been out in the marketplace a long time. It saves lives, injuries, property damage, ect. Are Veldt engineers just not smart enough to handle this???
You guys have this feature on and it simply doesn't work when you've tested it? We're talking about CTA, right?

"Active Driving Assistant , includes Daytime Pedestrian Protection, Frontal Collision Warning with City Collision Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, Active Blind Spot Detection, and rear Cross Traffic Alert"

I tested this a couple times during test drives and it worked with cars coming from different directions. I haven't received my X7 yet, so I haven't tested it at home.
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