You should be able to subscribe via the app. I did on a used 2024 ix M60 that I recently purchased. The options are for the first three months free, then a variety of lengths of subscription deals after that.

 

Thanks mojomike04. Interesting…the BMW sales guy keeps telling me that it’s not possible - that I need the drivers assistant pro package to have come with the car.

Does it show in the store that you can buy it outright and how much? Also is the adaptive cruise control with stop and go ?

Thanks.

 

WHAT? Driver assistance in new models is subscription-based?

 

It has always been an option. You just needed to have an enabling option, I think Convenience.

 

Hello,

So on the 2024 IX, I signed into the BMW connected services and the driver assistance plus is a subscription. Free for 3 months, $20 for 1 month and $150 for 1 year. I did not see a way to just buy it outright. I turned it on and it works even though the car does not have DAPP. I turned it for 3 months and it works - adaptive cruise and lane keep.

 

For my iX1 (iDrive 9), DA Pro and PA Plus were included (unlimited term). Nothing appears about these in the connected drive store. As an observation - it seems that in the UK and EU markets, there's a lot of features such as these which need to be added as options. Here in Australia, they tend to just have a few add-on packages, each including some of these features, but the basic stuff as all included.

 

No, you cannot purchase DAPP on the app. It is hardware that must be installed at the factory, on the original build.

 

Yes - the relevant hardware must be installed at the factory but, in some cases, the functionality has to be enabled via a subscription. A similar example is when BMW made heated seats a subscription - the hardware is installed at the factory but you had to pay a subscription to enable it. Thankfully, they don't do this anymore (at least in Australia as far as I am aware). Hopefully, they will just install DA Pro in all new vehicles as standard equipment. Now, I did notice that newer Teslas do the same thing for the FSD-S system. Older ones can't use it because the relevant hardware isn't installed at the factory. If you want to use it, the subscription cost here is over $10,000 ! I doubt BMW would charge such an outrageous sum for an option.

 

Thank goodness my 2023 doesn't require any subscriptions beyond data. And that I can do without.