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Delivery
I placed a reservation in Aug 2022 and was expecting a 2023 delivery. On Aug 31, I was browsing the facebook ix group and saw a post about an iX someone just backed out of (apparently due to family relocation). It had almost exactly the colors and options I wanted! The poster was a sales agent from Weatherford BMW in Berkeley, only 1hr away from my home. We arranged the deal within hours, and I picked up the car the next day. It was a win-win for me and the dealership --- it was the last day for them to receive some $750 EV related credit!
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Initial impressions
The good:
I placed a reservation in Aug 2022 and was expecting a 2023 delivery. On Aug 31, I was browsing the facebook ix group and saw a post about an iX someone just backed out of (apparently due to family relocation). It had almost exactly the colors and options I wanted! The poster was a sales agent from Weatherford BMW in Berkeley, only 1hr away from my home. We arranged the deal within hours, and I picked up the car the next day. It was a win-win for me and the dealership --- it was the last day for them to receive some $750 EV related credit!
Initial impressions
The good:
- All the praises about ride quality, handling, cabin quietness and material (with leather) are true. Overall a substantial step up from my 2018 Q7 (fully loaded).
- Efficiency seems excellent. With 21" wheels and AS tires, my consumption ranged between 3.5 and 3.7 mi/kwh, with outside temperature between 75F and 90F.
- HUD is absolutely the best in class. Kudos to BMW for integrating it with Android Auto, a super useful detail that is often overlooked.
- Infrared windshield glass seems more effective in blocking heat than a ceramic tinted, regular windshield.
- Cargo space is larger than it appears, thanks to the lift gate that protrudes outward more than other vehicles. I was able to easily fit 3 largest suitcases allowed by airlines. The storage under cargo floor is decent, especially if you remove the styrofoam and make use of the shallower space in the front.
- Rear-wheel steering max angle is too small; smaller than both the Q7 and the upcoming EQS SUV, resulting in observably larger turning radius.
- I wish there is a mode in which the car coasts whenever I'm off the accelerator paddle. The closest thing is Adaptive regen mode, where the car coasts if and only if there are no detected stopped vehicles in front of it. This is sometimes less efficient than a (good) driver fully controlling when to slow down. For example, I may want to continue coasting (which is more efficient) if I predicate that the car in front is about to move as the traffic light is turning green. Making the same prediction is hard for car computers. Hoping OTA updates will address this.
- Lacking comfort features: double sun visor, retractable sunshades for rear passenger and rear window, cooled/warmed cupholders, and grab handles (!). Second row seat positions cannot be adjusted.
- A single child lock controls both rear doors, an awful design mistake IMO. My previous vehicle has separate buttons for each rear door.
- There's a feature to auto unlock the car when you approach it. It needs an option to exclude a geography - your garage or driveway. Many people mentioned disabling this feature for this reason.
- Camping mode, please!
- Phone integration:
- I couldn't find a way to show Android Auto by default. My phone is configured to request the HU to switch to Android Auto upon connection, which worked in every other car I used.
- Google Maps resolution in Android Auto is not as good as say the BMW native navigation. Maybe a problem with the phone, not the car.
- On my Pixel 6 Pro, wireless Android Auto is power hungry and causes the battery to drop even when using the built-in wireless charger. Likely a problem of the phone, not the car. Anyway, for longevity of phone battery, it is better to use wireless Android Auto without charging, or only charging by USB.
- The phone used for Android Auto/Carplay should be linked to the BMW profile. This is currently not the case, and requires manual toggling since both my wife and I have linked our phones via wireless Android Auto/Carplay.
- There appears to be no way for a passenger to stream music from their phone, while the driver's phone is connected to Android Auto. Our current plan is to add music to a shared Youtube Music album so that it can be played from the driver's phone via Android Auto.
- Heat and sun protection:
- Will apply ceramic tint to side windows and sunroof. Won't tint the windshield since it's already infrared, and allowing more lights through helps night driving. Based on previous experience, tinting the windshield and rear window can cause minor vision distortion.
- Ordered the Covercraft UVS100 premier series sunshade.
- Paint protection: Debating about PPF and ceramic coating. Thinking about doing it for a fraction of the usual cost the next time we take a road trip to Mexico (!).
- Interior protection: I plan to get the 3d maxpider floor and cargo liners. Confirmed with the company that they are in the pipeline.
- Charging: Ordered the Lectron Tesla to J1772 Charging Adapter. May also get an adapter for TT-30 often found in campgrounds.
- Install the Stealth Hitch some time later this year.
