[Rangerbmr]

Hello everyone. First time BMW X7 owner—2024 X7 40i. Had the car since last June and I have to say I am not impressed at all. For a luxury SUV mine has been wrought with issues- two major recalls, display issues constantly and other design issues reflective of a much lower level vehicle. And closer inspection many elements like carpet quality and dashboard fitment and dang awful dash reflection in front and side windows. Let alone the clock will not auto adjust. What’s going on here??

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by Rangerbmr

Let alone the clock will not auto adjust.

Oh, the horror 😂

Jokes aside, modern cars basically put an app between you and the actual controls. What used to be a simple rocker switch or a button that used a simple electrical connection to turn a specific function on or off now has a piece of code in front of it. Quality software developers are expensive, so a lot of this is outsourced and reused from shared libraries, which in turn makes the whole interface and functional interaction extremely convoluted and often buggy. As we got used to that with smart phones, we’ll have to get used to it with cars, too. Bottom line is if everything is working more or less well, don’t force a software upgrade.

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by skrontz

Oh, the horror ��

Jokes aside, modern cars basically put an app between you and the actual controls. What used to be a simple rocker switch or a button that used a simple electrical connection to turn a specific function on or off now has a piece of code in front of it. Quality software developers are expensive, so a lot of this is outsourced and reused from shared libraries, which in turn makes the whole interface and functional interaction extremely convoluted and often buggy. As we got used to that with smart phones, we’ll have to get used to it with cars, too. Bottom line is if everything is working more or less well, don’t force a software upgrade.

Bottom line: BMW software/firmware is poorly developed, debugged, and released. There is no excuse or valid reason for that. That can be verified by comparison to other vehicle manufacturers. IMHO BMW is at the bottom of the barrel. I welcome opposing discussions or experiences that could alter my conclusions.

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by rjabend

Bottom line: BMW software/firmware is poorly developed, debugged, and released. There is no excuse or valid reason for that. That can be verified by comparison to other vehicle manufacturers. IMHO BMW is at the bottom of the barrel. I welcome opposing discussions that could alter my conclusions.

BMW is trying to lead the way with the features (and therefore complexity), and it’s naturally coming with some growing pains. Tesla has gone through this years ago and got a lot better. Mercedes took the conservarive path, but their interface is lagging in function and often response times. I’m not aware of any like-for-like comparison with the other manufacturers, but I would venture a guess they BMW can likely afford the same quality software developers as any other luxury brand.

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by skrontz

BMW is trying to lead the way with the features (and therefore complexity), and it’s naturally coming with some growing pains. Tesla has gone through this years ago and got a lot better. Mercedes took the conservarive path, but their interface is lagging in function and often response times. I’m not aware of any like-for-like comparison with the other manufacturers, but I would venture a guess they BMW can likely afford the same quality software developers as any other luxury brand.

Good points! To exemplify:
1. Having a clock in the car is a unique, advanced, and highly complex feature very recently introduced in the industry by BMW so, understandably, it doesn't display the correct time yet.
2. Auto leveling on entry and exit will be an industry 1st when BMW develops and releases it.
3. Auto speed limit adoption will be an industry 1st when BMW introduces it. Wait, I just noticed that Mazda beat them to it!
Let me know if I can help by providing other examples of BMW's advanced industry technology, leadership, and amazing quality.
On a serious note, these only reflect my humble opinions, and thanks for your consideration.

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by rjabend

Good points! To exemplify:
1. Having a clock in the car is a unique, advanced, and highly complex feature very recently introduced in the industry by BMW so, understandably, it doesn't display the correct time yet.
2. Auto leveling on entry and exit will be an industry 1st when BMW develops and releases it.
3. Auto speed limit adoption will be an industry 1st when BMW introduces it. Wait, I just noticed that Mazda beat them to it!
Let me know if I can help by providing other examples of BMW's advanced industry technology, leadership, and amazing quality.

I’m reasonably confident that all of these features would work just about as well as on any other car in the same segment (except for Range Rover who pioneered the auto-leveling suspension but couldn’t quite make it reliable after decades of owners’ suffering) if it wasn’t for the buggy user interface software. Speaking of the automatic DST and timezone settings, you’d be surprised how many reputable software companies reported completely bizarre issues this leap year.

You could certainly get snarky about individual bugs, but it’s hard to deny that BMW iDrive is one of the most technically innovative and responsive user interfaces in the industry. If it wasn’t, we would all be buying something else.

Just as a point of comparison, I checked out the forum for the 3-letter model from the main competitor. Just on the first page, there’s over half a dozen posts about multiple major failures within 3 weeks of ownership, suspension malfunctions, paint problems, audio issues, and who knows what else. Welcome to the cars of the 21st century 😂

[Young04]

Originally Posted by Rangerbmr

Hello everyone. First time BMW X7 owner—2024 X7 40i. Had the car since last June and I have to say I am not impressed at all. For a luxury SUV mine has been wrought with issues- two major recalls, display issues constantly and other design issues reflective of a much lower level vehicle. And closer inspection many elements like carpet quality and dashboard fitment and dang awful dash reflection in front and side windows. Let alone the clock will not auto adjust. What’s going on here??

Some of the issues are consistent with post-COVID trends affecting most brands. Our now-departed 2020 X7 has been really good to us. The experience I have had with a relative's 2023 X7 is vastly different than my X7. However, if you think the X7 is bad, go take a look at the groups for the Wagoneer and Yukon/Tahoe. Reports of new vehicles (fewer than 10K miles) being bricked, not starting, exterior trim pieces randomly falling off, and other Bush League issues are rampant.

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by Young04

Some of the issues are consistent with post-COVID trends affecting most brands. Our now-departed 2020 X7 has been really good to us. The experience I have had with a relative's 2023 X7 is vastly different than my X7. However, if you think the X7 is bad, go take a look at the groups for the Wagoneer and Yukon/Tahoe. Reports of new vehicles (fewer than 10K miles) being bricked, not starting, exterior trim pieces randomly falling off, and other Bush League issues are rampant.

I agree. The statistics show the Wagoneer and particularly the Land Rover at the bottom of the reliability list with BMW in the average category (#15):

https://www.jdpower.com/business/pre...ility-studyvds

For those satisfied with AVERAGE, I respect your desires, but I am not one of those and won't be buying another BMW. I am monitoring Lexus who has respectable technology and is about to leap forward with their latest highly rated "Teammate Advanced Drive" package. Lexus was the only company with acceptable Driver Assistance automation according to the IIHS. Lexus is also at the very top of the reliability list. I believe that is somewhat due to their thorough software debugging and release practices. On the subjective side, I just find BMW to be sloppy. We each have our own priorities when purchasing a vehicle.

[Kalvis]

Originally Posted by rjabend

Good points! To exemplify:
1. Having a clock in the car is a unique, advanced, and highly complex feature very recently introduced in the industry by BMW so, understandably, it doesn't display the correct time yet.
2. Auto leveling on entry and exit will be an industry 1st when BMW develops and releases it.
3. Auto speed limit adoption will be an industry 1st when BMW introduces it. Wait, I just noticed that Mazda beat them to it!
Let me know if I can help by providing other examples of BMW's advanced industry technology, leadership, and amazing quality.
On a serious note, these only reflect my humble opinions, and thanks for your consideration.

You have set automatic time update according to your time zone and time is not correct? Cant imagine how this is possible. Unlikely it is sw problem but rather HW malfunction.

Yes automatic levelling would be good for some owners.

Auto speed adaption i believe is country dependant. As i have tested it do not work in my country Latvia but it works in France for example.

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by Kalvis

You have set automatic time update according to your time zone and time is not correct? Cant imagine how this is possible. Unlikely it is sw problem but rather HW malfunction.

Yes automatic levelling would be good for some owners.

Auto speed adaption i believe is country dependant. As i have tested it do not work in my country Latvia but it works in France for example.

Thanks. Lots of other vehicle manufacturers in the USA have auto speed limit adoption, and I don't understand why BMW doesn't. Not clear why BMW chose to delete it in the USA and Latvia. I would be interested in knowing that answer if someone can provide it.

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by rjabend

For those satisfied with AVERAGE, I respect your desires, but I am not one of those and won't be buying another BMW. I am monitoring Lexus who has respectable technology and is about to leap forward with their latest highly rated "Teammate Advanced Drive" package. Lexus was the only company with acceptable Driver Assistance automation according to the IIHS. Lexus is also at the very top of the reliability list. I believe that is somewhat due to their thorough software debugging and release practices. On the subjective side, I just find BMW to be sloppy. We each have our own priorities when purchasing a vehicle.

I don’t know who at IIHS came up with the idea of comparing a top-of-the-line Lexus model with BMW X1 and MB C-Class, but it was obviously not a correctly executed test as clarified by BMW. I also find it very hard to believe that Tesla (who truly has absolutely superior self driving software) scored way behind Toyota.

Lexus is absolutely the leader in quality. I considered it until I saw the interior, which one cannot tell from any generic Japanese made mini van. It’s a comfortable yet floaty boat that will absolutely get you from point A to point B, but hardly generate any excitement. Like you said, to each their own, and we are all free to vote for the right choice with our own money. But to say that the BMW quality is unbearably bad is a massive overreaction to a few annoying yet minor issues.

[keg97]

The last Lexus LX600 I looked at a year or two ago was "fine". Like said, it felt like a dressed up fancy minivan. I realize it's mission is not the same as an X7, but the drive was worse than our 2017 Escalade ESV that had 160K on it. That's not good. At all.

Like I say to friends- Lexus is a fantastic purchase for those who want a luxury appliance. If you value the driving experience, it's highly doubtful you're considering a Lexus.

And that's to say nothing of the Lexus "design" language for the past decade. Oooof.

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by keg97

The last Lexus LX600 I looked at a year or two ago was "fine". Like said, it felt like a dressed up fancy minivan. I realize it's mission is not the same as an X7, but the drive was worse than our 2017 Escalade ESV that had 160K on it. That's not good. At all.

Like I say to friends- Lexus is a fantastic purchase for those who want a luxury appliance. If you value the driving experience, it's highly doubtful you're considering a Lexus.

And that's to say nothing of the Lexus "design" language for the past decade. Oooof.

Actually, I find the BMW ride and quiet to be better than the Lexus but I always take a long test drive before closing a deal. That said, I don't drive in the Sport mode.

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by skrontz

I don’t know who at IIHS came up with the idea of comparing a top-of-the-line Lexus model with BMW X1 and MB C-Class, but it was obviously not a correctly executed test as clarified by BMW. I also find it very hard to believe that Tesla (who truly has absolutely superior self driving software) scored way behind Toyota.

Lexus is absolutely the leader in quality. I considered it until I saw the interior, which one cannot tell from any generic Japanese made mini van. It’s a comfortable yet floaty boat that will absolutely get you from point A to point B, but hardly generate any excitement. Like you said, to each their own, and we are all free to vote for the right choice with our own money. But to say that the BMW quality is unbearably bad is a massive overreaction to a few annoying yet minor issues.

Did you expect BMW to agree with it?

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by rjabend

Did you expect BMW to agree with it?

It’s not a matter of agreement. They pointed out an obvious and verifiable flaw in the test methodology. Do you really think that the test was apples to apples?

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by skrontz

It’s not a matter of agreement. They pointed out an obvious and verifiable flaw in the test methodology. Do you really think that the test was apples to apples?

We are all entitled to our opinions

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by rjabend

We are all entitled to our opinions

Sure, but the facts remain the same. Enjoy your new Toyota!

[keg97]

Originally Posted by rjabend

Actually, I find the BMW ride and quiet to be better than the Lexus but I always take a long test drive before closing a deal. That said, I don't drive in the Sport mode.

So what's the appeal to Lexus then?

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by skrontz

Sure, but the facts remain the same. Enjoy your new Toyota!

If I decide on one, thank you

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by keg97

So what's the appeal to Lexus then?

Primarily reliability and support yet a test drive could disqualify Lexus; it is a new upcoming model and decision not made yet.

[bimmerdiesel]

Originally Posted by rjabend

Primarily reliability and support yet a test drive could disqualify Lexus; it is a new upcoming model and decision not made yet.

Don’t make the mistake of getting 1st year model of any brand. It is poised to be with lot of faults that it will leave a bad taste. It is well established fact in a BMWs and other bands. Sometimes problems don’t get fixed even for later years.

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by bimmerdiesel

Don’t make the mistake of getting 1st year model of any brand. It is poised to be with lot of faults that it will leave a bad taste. It is well established fact in a BMWs and other bands. Sometimes problems don’t get fixed even for later years.

Good point! I will tread carefully. Thanks.