Are 2014 i3s with the updates and recalls handled just as reliable as 2015 and on?

Greetings All,

The general consensus of various forums, seem to indicate to avoid the 2014 where possible. However, several have brought up the point that their 2014s have been trouble free after the software updates and recalls (ie motor bolt).

Does anyone know if BMW changed anything during production between 2014 to 2015, besides making the DCFC and heated seats standard?

SOmetimes, the supplier of a part may change, but that is really hard to determine for the owner. From a software viewpoint, having a different module may mean the software is different. FWIW, I'm told that one reason why BMW dealers don't have software to update the cars is that the permutations are quite huge...the core computers at headquarters knows what modules are in each build (assuming a dealer or the factory did the work), and if a software update is required, they build the right version and then download it to the car at the dealership...IOW, there is not a single, generic version that is available for every vehicle.

An example was one of the updates made available in 2015 (dont' remember all of the details), but initially, it was only available for the newer vehicles, but after a couple of months, they had created a version that worked on the original models which had different modules.

There are tweaks and enhancements/fixes made to parts as field experience dictates for either performance or cost of manufacture or reliability. If a part fails, generally, it gets the latest version...if it doesn't, it doesn't matter as the car is still working.

Buying a newer one means the possibility of better parts that had evolved to resolve a problem found in the field. In some ways, all cars are an experiment - BMW is not afraid to change things if required, unlike say GM that used known defective ignition switches for nearly a decade before being forced to change.

There were some small running changes. The early builds have a padded wrist rest behind the iDrive controller, cargo nets on the back of the front seats, etc. Based on my experience, I’d say reliability is the same. I had one of the first U.S. spec 2014 cars. Absolutely no issues over the three year contract. Other than the 94 Ah battery, the 2017 I have now has no advantage.