[mel12345]

Hi all,

Picked up my new BMW i5 edrive40 last week and am not enjoying it so far.
Coming from a full-spec G30, this is a real let down. At the moment the following issues make me not enjoying the car

- The sound (H&K) is REALLY bad! When doing a higher volume, the speakers just almost explode.
- Inconsistent digital key; Sometimes it just opens/closes randomly when near the car and keep standing on the same place
- Mirrors sometimes do not fold out; Maybe also due to the digital key thing? But i have had twice that the mirrors where folded in while driving and had to manually open them up with the button
- Build quality; Everything is CHEAP...the plastics, the (sport) seats, everything. I do not know why the did this, it is so bad compared to the G30.
- Wheels; I know, i picked them myself (without any example), but are there any cars with worse rims (< 21")?
- Software slow; The software is just really slow and not 'snappy'. When moving in the map, it looks like someone is flipping a paper roadmap or something...
- Missing door sill protection; Not even a sticker!
- Dripping sound; Already read about this (airco related), but no re-call according to the dealer
- Not live 'remote camera view'; The dealer said this would be like Tesla, however it is like getting a webcam visual from 15 years ago, no live view
- Normal home charger; This is not part of the default equipment (although they said it was)..the car is 95K, even a Kia of 30k has one

All combined, this is not the car for me...however i have a lease for four years, so have to deal with it i guess.
Anyone else having second thoughts on the G60?

[Deho]

Your comments are a mix of what seems to be real issues with the G60, potential problems with your specific car and subjective things.

1. The H&K sound system is a downgrade compared to the G30 H&K system. Even though it's ok for BMW to offer an entry level sound system for people who don't care that much about sound quality, using the same branding for vastly different sound systems is fishy.

2. I haven't heard about digital key problems before, don't know if it's widespread of can be fixed, but your dealer should know about it.

3. Same thing with the mirrors.

4. Shrinkflation hits BMW hard these days. Everybody seem to agree that BMW cheaped out in places with the G60. I agree it looks and feels less luxurious than the G30. However reviewers seem to think it's still way better than the competition (Mercedes and Audi mostly). Having tried the G60 I felt it was worse than the G30 but good enough.

5. Wheels: you agree that you should have seen them before choosing. I like some of the wheel choices, some others not so much.

6. Slow software: get that checked, because it doesn't seem to be a common complain. Didn't notice this myself and reviewers praise the software as being fast.

7. The missing door sill protections fall under the general shrinkflation complaint umbrella. I agree it's bad.

8. Dripping sound is not normal and should be fixed.

9. The dealer wasn't honest with you about the remote camera view :-(

10. The home charger wasn't included??? That's bad. It was in my MINI, which was half the price...

I'm sorry that you don't like the car. Feels like it's not a straight upgrade over the G30, I see it more as a sidegrade. You both win and lose some things when going from the G30 to the G60, which is not optimal for BMW....

[ToddRGuy]

Originally Posted by mel12345

Hi all,

Picked up my new BMW i5 edrive40 last week and am not enjoying it so far.
Coming from a full-spec G30, this is a real let down. At the moment the following issues make me not enjoying the car

- The sound (H&K) is REALLY bad! When doing a higher volume, the speakers just almost explode.
- Inconsistent digital key; Sometimes it just opens/closes randomly when near the car and keep standing on the same place
- Mirrors sometimes do not fold out; Maybe also due to the digital key thing? But i have had twice that the mirrors where folded in while driving and had to manually open them up with the button
- Build quality; Everything is CHEAP...the plastics, the (sport) seats, everything. I do not know why the did this, it is so bad compared to the G30.
- Wheels; I know, i picked them myself (without any example), but are there any cars with worse rims (< 21")?
- Software slow; The software is just really slow and not 'snappy'. When moving in the map, it looks like someone is flipping a paper roadmap or something...
- Missing door sill protection; Not even a sticker!
- Dripping sound; Already read about this (airco related), but no re-call according to the dealer
- Not live 'remote camera view'; The dealer said this would be like Tesla, however it is like getting a webcam visual from 15 years ago, no live view
- Normal home charger; This is not part of the default equipment (although they said it was)..the car is 95K, even a Kia of 30k has one

All combined, this is not the car for me...however i have a lease for four years, so have to deal with it i guess.
Anyone else having second thoughts on the G60?

That's quite a list. Why did you purchase the vehicle? Did you do so without a test drive or sight unseen? I would think many of the interior finishes that you take issue with would have been self-evident during the test drive.

Some forum members might have some suggestions regarding the digital/electronic issues you're experiencing.

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by ToddRGuy

That's quite a list. Why did you purchase the vehicle? Did you do so without a test drive or sight unseen? I would think many of the interior finishes that you take issue with would have been self-evident during the test drive.

Some forum members might have some suggestions regarding the digital/electronic issues you're experiencing.

Agreed with all of this - the interior questions have been mentioned for over a year now.

The digital key proximity is well documented here - you want it to unlock as you approach, the car will “listen” and lock/unlock a few times but if you don’t open the door it will go into a sleep mode to avoid constantly locking/unlocking. I also know not to take my phone outside if I’m walking past my car and don’t want it to unlock.

The side mirror issue sounds odd/unusual - I haven’t seen/heard about this before.

I find the software in my i5M60 to be quite responsive and not slow.

The a/c drain issue should be fixed by your dealer as it’s a known recall.

We don’t get free chargers with i5’s in the US, but that was clear from the website (compared to i7 for instance).

[RichardInCA]

I will add, beyond the look and feel of the car, I think you need to look at the i5 as being a whole new car, it’s not a next gen G30. The interfaces and way the i5 works are just different - I’m now very comfortable and familiar with it and have fully adjusted and enjoy the car for what it is, not trying to compare it to an ICE or an older BMW.

[COBodom]

I agree with you on cheap feel when compared to G30. I think this topic has been beaten to death now.

Maybe except the digital key issue your complains fall into two buckets:

• You have issues very specific to your car, such as the software slowness or dripping sound.
  
• Your expectations were completely off target. Did you NOT not see\test\spent any time in the car before you committed to 4 years?

[Ossian]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

I will add, beyond the look and feel of the car, I think you need to look at the i5 as being a whole new car, it’s not a next gen G30. The interfaces and way the i5 works are just different - I’m now very comfortable and familiar with it and have fully adjusted and enjoy the car for what it is, not trying to compare it to an ICE or an older BMW.

This comment should probably be stickied at the top of the G60 forum -- it actually took me a while to come to this realization and stop viewing this car through the lens of years of G30 ownership.

OP, iDrive is known to be a pretty quick and responsive system -- the combination of high lag and the digital key issue may mean a software or hardware problem with your car. I had issues that began as digital key intermittent failures, and progressed to general problems with traffic data, destinations and climate control commands sent from the mobile app never reaching the car, and intermittent failure of the emergency call system -- they ended up having to replace my TCB (telematics communication box) to resolve the problems (while they were also fixing the AC dripping sound issue). Picking it up today, so hopefully all will be well.

[mel12345]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your (quick!) responses. I also really like the respectful way everyone is helping each other, have seen (much) different on other forums. Thanks for that!

Maybe my biggest issue is indeed the comparison to the G30. This is just such a good (quality) car and has ruined the G60 experience. Will try to get a more open view to the G60 and follow the topics on the forum. Hopefully will learn to love the car and accept the quirks.

I will also contact the dealer and make sure they take a look at the 'dripping' and software issues and get them fixed.

Again thank you guys for giving me a more positive vibe!

[Ossian]

Originally Posted by mel12345

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your (quick!) responses. I also really like the respectful way everyone is helping each other, have seen (much) different on other forums. Thanks for that!

Maybe my biggest issue is indeed the comparison to the G30. This is just such a good (quality) car and has ruined the G60 experience. Will try to get a more open view to the G60 and follow the topics on the forum. Hopefully will learn to love the car and accept the quirks.

I will also contact the dealer and make sure they take a look at the 'dripping' and software issues and get them fixed.

Again thank you guys for giving me a more positive vibe!

Good luck with it -- my dealer fixed the AC issue with no protest.

If it's any comfort, I think that many of us who came from the G30 went through some of the same issues you're facing. For me it just comes down to the interior, and I don't understand why they made the decisions that they did on that front. I will say though, that I've adjusted at this point, and it doesn't get in the way of me enjoying the car like it did at first.

What's really surprising is that some of those same, cheap interior plastics made their way into the I7!

[patch5674]

Stuff like this makes me chuckle, because, yet, you've still bought the car.

BMW will never know the level of how much you hate the G60 if you still buy it...

I mean that in the nicest possible way, I never owned a G30, heck I've never owned a 5 but have a G60 incoming and after sitting in and test driving I couldn't be more excited.

As people have said above it does sound like you might truly have some issues with the car.

Particularly around software - iDrive 8.5 is widely accepted to be the best OEM car software available. Yes yes, we all want our HVAC controls back, but it far better than anything from VAG and Mercedes.

The G30 was a lovely car and I think the LCI particularly might go down as a seriously good 5'er. I also think iDrive 7 might go down as peak iDrive (Had it in 3 and 1 series' never had an 8 yet) so I am not automatically all about the new.

But I think the apparent issues with BMW cheaping out on the G60, some real and some perceived are well documented.

I went and sat in one a number of times and test drove a touring before committing. I am in the camp of the interior is absolutely stunning. I wanted an iX until I sat in a G60 in Smoke White with Carbon trim and interaction bar.

I think there is quite a lot of people who miss highly optioned G30's where there is no massage seats, there is no merino extended dash, but tbh the standard dash was covered in Sensatec, people apparently hate sensatec but then they are furious that their G60 dash isn't covered in it.

People love Veganza over Sensatec and fin but give BMW no credit for actually delivering a better product as standard.

The HK is standard, it is not designed to be comparable to the optional HK in the G30, and the B&W option isn't designed to be any way comparable to the old B&W Diamond system that cost £3K.

There is a huge amount of positives to be had in the car if you look for them, but I completely understand a faulty car can ruin your experience. I have had that in the past.

[ToddRGuy]

Originally Posted by patch5674

Stuff like this makes me chuckle, because, yet, you've still bought the car.

BMW will never know the level of how much you hate the G60 if you still buy it...

I mean that in the nicest possible way, I never owned a G30, heck I've never owned a 5 but have a G60 incoming and after sitting in and test driving I couldn't be more excited.

As people have said above it does sound like you might truly have some issues with the car.

Particularly around software - iDrive 8.5 is widely accepted to be the best OEM car software available. Yes yes, we all want our HVAC controls back, but it far better than anything from VAG and Mercedes.

The G30 was a lovely car and I think the LCI particularly might go down as a seriously good 5'er. I also think iDrive 7 might go down as peak iDrive (Had it in 3 and 1 series' never had an 8 yet) so I am not automatically all about the new.

But I think the apparent issues with BMW cheaping out on the G60, some real and some perceived are well documented.

I went and sat in one a number of times and test drove a touring before committing. I am in the camp of the interior is absolutely stunning. I wanted an iX until I sat in a G60 in Smoke White with Carbon trim and interaction bar.

I think there is quite a lot of people who miss highly optioned G30's where there is no massage seats, there is no merino extended dash, but tbh the standard dash was covered in Sensatec, people apparently hate sensatec but then they are furious that their G60 dash isn't covered in it.

People love Veganza over Sensatec and fin but give BMW no credit for actually delivering a better product as standard.

The HK is standard, it is not designed to be comparable to the optional HK in the G30, and the B&W option isn't designed to be any way comparable to the old B&W Diamond system that cost £3K.

There is a huge amount of positives to be had in the car if you look for them, but I completely understand a faulty car can ruin your experience. I have had that in the past.

I really agree with your assessment. I also have no G30 comparison reference and thus no G30 expectations. So far, the things I've seen mentioned most are soft closing doors and massaging seats. In the same breath, I've had people concede that the massaging seats in BMW's suck. Of course, the dash sensatec that you mentioned, as well.

I've also heard many comments that the G60 is actually more comfortable to drive than the G30, and more road compliant and comfortable. People take issue with this generation's weight gain.

I truly believe BMW did extensive research into what the majority of their drivers wanted, and what the majority of them ordered. Maybe the vast majority of drivers didn't order soft close doors, or massaging seats. To the point where designing it for the G60, manufacturing it, and offering it wasn't cost effective or even worth it to retain efficiency on the assembly line.

Most drivers are not out there pushing their vehicles to the edge of its performance envelope on a daily basis. This is likely such a small percentage of owners, that they aren't worth catering to. So, they've designed something with broad appeal to the majority of drivers that might be interested in their car. And also prioritized to the shifting age groups of drivers that are now coming into the 'target zone' of G60 ownership.

[dubb13]

I'm coming from G30 the only thing I didn't like is how BMW didn't add the interact bar across all G60 I mean I love my 530 but that I didn't like other then that all good here

[mjr24]

Yeah the wheel choices suck for this car. The 21s look good but it’s pointless for most of us because they don’t offer all season or winter options for those sizes.

[Scrapula]

For the camera, go into parking view. You can see views looking down at the car, viewing through the back camera, the front camera, car wash view, etc. My iDrive is extremely fast. I bought door sill plates. I made sure to get the upgraded stereo. I looked at cars for a year and test drove. Even after I ordered, I was offered an extended test drive to make sure I wanted the car. I think this is the best EV out there in this price range. If you just want more leather and wood , check out the Lucid Air. Very nice cabin.

[PeterC4]

Originally Posted by ToddRGuy

That's quite a list. Why did you purchase the vehicle? Did you do so without a test drive or sight unseen? I would think many of the interior finishes that you take issue with would have been self-evident during the test drive.

Some forum members might have some suggestions regarding the digital/electronic issues you're experiencing.

+1. Why take delivery, test drive or no test drive. You saw it, you bought it and for 95K Euro I assume. Why reinforce what is a bad decision - in your mind? HK choice under current changes is a novice trap.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by Ossian

What's really surprising is that some of those same, cheap interior plastics made their way into the I7!

Traded my 2024 i5 M60 for a 2024 i7 xDrive 60. Where are these cheap interior plastics in the i7?

[mjr24]

Yeah honestly….I was pretty set on an i5 M60 or M5 a month or two ago (my M8 lease is up next month) but I’m jumping to the i7 instead….its more an indictment of the G60 quality than it is I love the 7 series.

They didn’t need to cut a lot of this stuff out on the 5 that’s been standard or available as options for years. The fact they didn’t fix/change on the M5 any of the low quality stuff we’ve all been complaining about with the G60 kind of tells me the 5 series became a bit of an afterthought for BMW….which is crazy because it’s their bread and butter car.

[AiredaleDad]

I read their bread and butter sedan is still the 3 series. And the most sold BMW of all right now is actually the X3. They fit the vast majority of BMW buyers wallets. Most people move up to a 5er from a 3, and stay there, though some move up from a 5 to a 7. The 5 er is the top selling Executive Sedan. But not where most of BMW's sales come from.

2 series is made for slimmer wallets, and to build buyer loyalty. Most 2 series owners move up to a 3.

[RichardInCA]

I’ll re-up this point again as I think it’s germain - so much of the comments read like BlackBerry users griping about the lack of a physical keyboard when the iPhone came out.

After 10months of ownership I see issues that get posted here fall into three buckets:

1) It’s not a G30, materials are different, downgraded etc - fair enough, it is what it is, don’t buy one if you don’t like it - these things are knowable by walking into a dealer and sitting in one. We’re over a year post launch and there’s no shortage of cars to go see and touch now.

2) My car doesn’t seem to want to do X that I used to do with my G30 all the time, this car sucks - some aspects of the car just need relearning from scratch - iDrive 8.5, how to think about charging, use of shortcuts, haptic feedback on the center console etc, use of phone as key. Most of this type of issue is normally resolved by longer term ownership and relearning, chatting with existing G60 owners here. BMW user guides are passable I guess, but like a lot of new tech these days, much of it needs to be learned by using it. Most of the things in bucket 2 work out just fine when you switch from trying to reproduce your old car in the i5 and embrace it as a whole new thing which needs to be learned and setup.

3) Bugs, glitches and things that go wrong and aren’t just user related - these are real issues that need fixing

This forum is great at distinguishing 2) from 3) but a lot of new owners seem to be confusing things in bucket 2) for things in bucket 3) and getting bent out of shape. Over time this should get clearer as more users weigh in.

Things in bucket 1) are just caveat emptor to me. If you didn’t look at the car before you bought it don’t come here and complain about a poor buying decision, that’s on you.

[AiredaleDad]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

I’ll re-up this point again as I think it’s germain - so much of the comments read like BlackBerry users griping about the lack of a physical keyboard when the iPhone came out.

After 10months of ownership I see issues that get posted here fall into three buckets:

1) It’s not a G30, materials are different, downgraded etc - fair enough, it is what it is, don’t buy one if you don’t like it - these things are knowable by walking into a dealer and sitting in one. We’re over a year post launch and there’s no shortage of cars to go see and touch now.

2) My car doesn’t seem to want to do X that I used to do with my G30 all the time, this car sucks - some aspects of the car just need relearning from scratch - iDrive 8.5, how to think about charging, use of shortcuts, haptic feedback on the center console etc, use of phone as key. Most of this type of issue is normally resolved by longer term ownership and relearning, chatting with existing G60 owners here. BMW user guides are passable I guess, but like a lot of new tech these days, much of it needs to be learned by using it. Most of the things in bucket 2 work out just fine when you switch from trying to reproduce your old car in the i5 and embrace it as a whole new thing which needs to be learned and setup.

3) Bugs, glitches and things that go wrong and aren’t just user related - these are real issues that need fixing

This forum is great at distinguishing 2) from 3) but a lot of new owners seem to be confusing things in bucket 2) for things in bucket 3) and getting bent out of shape. Over time this should get clearer as more users weigh in.

Things in bucket 1) are just caveat emptor to me. If you didn’t look at the car before you bought it don’t come here and complain about a poor buying decision, that’s on you.

So from what I am gathering Richard (And I agree with you). Some of us that are either new to BMW or at least have been away form it for a long time, tend to have a much different point of view than people moving up from a G30. Because we are not constantly comparing the two, we look at what we are getting, Or have with different eyes.

Also it helps if you are tech savvy and adaptable to new technology, and the issues that go with it. I mean, how many times does your laptop or smartphone start acting weird? Isn't the normal practice to reboot to see if that solves the issue? It doesn't matter if you have a $500 computer or a $4000.00 Alienware gaming laptop. Sometimes there is a Fat Electron that refuses to let the rest of them through. So far, I have not heard of anything that has been safety related (Other than this Brakes issue) like someone driving on the freeway at 85 and the car suddenly goes haywire and shuts down or runs them into a guardrail.

Yeah, it might be embarrassing if you are trying to show some cool feature off to your friends and it won't work, or it takes you an extra 5 minutes to reboot IDrive before you leave to go to or from work. Hell, I make it a practice to reboot my phone about once a week anyway. I might just do that when I get my car.

So I agree. Either stop comparing the G60 to the G30, or don't buy one. Sit in, and test drive the car (Or at least the same model if you are custom ordering) before buying so you can see the materials, workmanship, Power, Ride comfort, technology etc.. or don't buy one, or at least stop complaining how you don't like it. Learn to embrace the technology, the wonders it brings, and accept the quirks that go with it, or keep driving a 1983 Buick.

If you have a problem with your car, look at the various Forums and see if there is a fix or if it is something that needs to go to the service Dept. I mean, if you know enough about computers and the internet to log onto this forum to complain about it, then you know enough to use Google and research it.

[ToddRGuy]

Originally Posted by AiredaleDad

So I agree. Either stop comparing the G60 to the G30, or don't buy one. Sit in, and test drive the car (Or at least the same model if you are custom ordering) before buying so you can see the materials, workmanship, Power, Ride comfort, technology etc.. or don't buy one, or at least stop complaining how you don't like it. Learn to embrace the technology, the wonders it brings, and accept the quirks that go with it, or keep driving a 1983 Buick.

This! I don't want the G60 to be like the G30. I wanted the big panoramic digital dashboard. I wanted DAPP and all the other high-tech comfort and safety features that this generation of 5 series has brought to the table. It reminds me of when people complained that AOL died, or Napster shut down, or the iPod croaked. Or as RichardinCA so perfectly described; the transition from Blackberry to iPhone. I promised myself a long time ago, that I was never going to be one of the people who feared technology or had the same angst as my elderly neighbors years ago, who struggled to learn to use a DVR or a smartphone.

Trust me, I get it. There are G30 owners who hate the G60. So, literally just don't buy one. Pen a letter to corporate BMW and tell them why you aren't. I'm assuming that informing other G30 owners about the reasons why you aren't getting one might be useful to them, as it does provide a compare/contrast point-of-view. Ultimately, they'll drive one and then form their own opinions. But quite honestly, it had zero influence on my decision to order a G60. When I first came to this forum several months ago, I came looking for information about what the G60 is not what it is not.

[Ossian]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

Traded my 2024 i5 M60 for a 2024 i7 xDrive 60. Where are these cheap interior plastics in the i7?

The overhead panel where the reading lights, SOS switch, etc. are located, and the piano black center console. Switch gear on the doors was also cheap plastic (the buttons to activate the automatic doors as well as the handle pull beneath the arm rest). Not the end of the world, but once upon a time, these touchpoints would absolutely have been made from higher quality materials.