2017 to 2021 changes, peeves addressed (cruise, mute)...

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eNate

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Having recently picked up a 2021 i3 after two years driving a 2017, I went in knowing the obvious changes — larger battery, iDrive 6, improved high beam headlights, and much improved traction control (manifests as no regen drop-out on rough surfaces.

But there were a few unexpecteds that caught me by surprise.

Cruise Control - I use the ACC often, but I've complained it needs polishing. Consider, by comparison, the 2021 polished! Approaching a vehicle from behind, the ACC now tapers down more gradually, not the jerky deceleration of the prior system. And bonus, sad soon as I feel that slowing- down sensation, if I activate the the turn signal to pass, the system recognizes this and becomes less aggressive with the speed reduction. Sounds like a minute improvement as I write this, but the experience is so much better. But not as good as the ID.4 camera + radar system.

Stereo Mute - I've grumbled on the forum that the mute design is stupid, because if I turn up the volume of muted audio, it stays muted. I'm forced to decipher whether I'm muted, or I didn't start my streaming, or the Bluetooth has no connection. That's fixed. If it's muted, and I turn up the volume, it now unmutes. Excellent.

Clock: The dang clock now appears to keep proper time. Over a few days, the 2017 clock would advance a few minutes, then stop there. This is with "auto time set" checked. I'd have to uncheck / recheck every so often to reset it to the correct time.

Headlights - I mentioned the high beams, but the low beam headlights are also nicely improved in brightness and bean spread. Still haven't figured out the cornering lights.

Antenna - the mini whip antenna that sometimes gets in the way of my rooftop list (Sea Sucker Monkeybars) is gone, now just the shark fin.

Seat Bolstering - it appears to me the seats have a touch more side bolstering, appropriate for a hot hatch. That's not stopping me from swapping in the 2017's brown leather seats.

Performance - this is hard to qualify, but I'm switching between the two cars, and the 2021 strikes me as zippier. In the 2017, the throttle suddenly feels a little heavier, just like how switching from Comfort to Eco slightly deadens the throttle mapping.

Noise - again, not easy to qualify, but the 2017 has always had the slightest high pitched whine emminating from the trunk space. My old ears can hear it but aren't too bothered by it. The kids notice it more and have commented on it, but I don't think it has bothered them. My feeling is the whine is gone in the 2021, but it also has pedestrian acoustic protection, do it's possible that is drowning out the other.

Tactile -very fine grip texturing of the steering wheel, and the iDrive controller has a nice-to-touch rubbery touch. The cruise control speed toggle feels more precise, but that could be a matter of age, new vs. used spring tension.

Anything else I missed and should be looking out for?
 
Well I'm resetting my loan and paying $100 more per month for the privilege, so I don't want to make out like there isn't a cost associated with the goodies. So don't be envious. But I'm content with it.
 
Shoot, never mind the loss of the whip antenna — I think it's literally missing, i.e. there's a threaded hole in the shark fin. I emailed the salesman advising, requesting a replacement. Radio reception is fine, so maybe I'll leave it out.
 
I think the only change from 2018/19 retrofit to 2020 is the headlights (beside the battery). Have you noticed any other changes?
 
I have zero time in any of those in-between years, so not sure how much of this is LCI, how much is year to year fiddling and fine tuning.
 
Similar comparo to me, I went from a 2015 i3 REx to a 2019 i3s BEV (120Ah).

Cruise Control - this seemed unchanged on the 2019 compared to 2015, good to hear that they seem to be continuing to tinker yearly

Headlights - the new LCI bi-LED headlights are awesome... the cornering lights are strange tho, they only come on at low speeds (below 40kmh) when you turn the steering wheel. They don't light up if you're sitting stopped with your turn signal on like all other traditional cornering lights usually behave.
 
I've been looking for those cornering lamps and only just finally noticed them last night when I was reversing (of all things) into a parallel parking space. You're right, they're very odd.
 
My theory is that since this is a "city car" BMW decided to make the cornering lights active at lower city-like speeds (90 degree turns, underground parking lots etc).

I have two wishes for them:
1. turn on when signal is on (turn off when signal goes off)
2. be able to turn them on as "all-weather" lights since like fog lights they provide low and wide illumination to supplement the low-beam
 
I just edited one in: auto time set clock adjustments. My 2017 would advance by a few minutes and never self-correct. That bug seems to have been squashed.
 
eNate said:
I just edited one in: auto time set clock adjustments. My 2017 would advance by a few minutes and never self-correct. That bug seems to have been squashed.
I suspect that the difference is that a coding parameter's value had been changed for your 2021 i3 compared with your 2017. I changed the values of 2 coding parameters on our 2014 i3 which eliminated the time error (don't know whether both changes are necessary). As a result, time is now synched to the GPS. Why that wasn't done by BMW remains a mystery.
 
Hmph. That would be a really odd bug to carry over four model years.

I was certain I had mentioned this to my service department when I brought the car in with a laundry list of other items back in late 2019, but I just l looked at the post I wrote here at the time, and I didn't note it as a squwak.

Oh well, it wasn't a major grievance but I'm happy it's resolved for both of us.
 
Here's what didn't carry over to the 2021, and I'm guessing this is a result of changing (downgrading?) from Tera to Mega, but it could be a model year thing, I'm not sure.

I lost the LED ambiance lights in the two front door pockets, and also in the rear passenger door hand holds. Those areas have all changed from black plastic to beige with the new car's interior option, so there's a little more reflected light, but it's still noticeable when I transitioning back and forth between the two cars.

But the Mega retains all of the other ambiance LEDs from what I garner -- the footwells, the front door handles (inside and out), behind the center screen shining down on the dash, the overhead led that shines down on the center console area, and the car still lights up "blue" on the inside when I hit the keyfob unlock button.

Not to worry! I can still find the accelerator and brake pedals without looking. ;D
 
I have a 2018 mega (imperial blue with 20's)
And the wife has a 2015 (solar orange with 20's)
Things I notice
The Regen braking is way more aggressive on the 2015 or smother on the 2018 take your pick

It may seem silly but the charging cover on the 2015 is a cheap plastic cylinder the 2018 is more substantial and has a flattened side you can tuck against the charging handle to keep rain out but no slot to clip to the flap

The roof seems to have a smoother darker finish feels a little sturdier too

Strap instead of a net under the dashboard

Peeves
What foglights I think they are just blinkers on the 2018

Sure it has carplay but no Android auto and no third party solution to get it

Can't figure out screen mirroring I think you have too have hotspot too do it in other beemers

Any way that's what I notice
 
Lukewarmwaters said:
The roof seems to have a smoother darker finish feels a little sturdier too

What foglights I think they are just blinkers on the 2018

Sure it has carplay but no Android auto and no third party solution to get it


Carbon fiber roof? Or sunroof? Both mine have a sunroof so my roofs are boring black painted steel.


Have you ever looked at the front turn signals in operation? It was only recently I noticed on the 2017 that the round high beams doubled as the turn signal, and changed color. I haven't looked yet at how the LCI handles that with the "slit" style lights, or where the cornering light originates.


I'm also annoyed they've ignored AA. The aftermarket AA solutions I've seen appear to take over/run on top of iDrive, rather than running cooperatively inside it. My Ford factory AA implementation is like this — if I start AA, I have to exit out to go back to any car screens such as climate / heated seats, tune the radio, adjust car settings. At least the i3 has real buttons for climate, so that wouldn't be a problem. But I'm not sure about tuning the radio.
 
How do the improvements compare to 2018 models? I just got a used 2018 i3s and can't seem to see any difference between my out going 2019 i3s and my latest car.

Also, is the latest iDrive available as an update on older cars like mine? Is that a dealer flash or can I do that myself?

I see no discernable difference between my outgoing 2019 LED headlights versus my new 2018. They are both very good. The 2018 is quicker for sure since it's only a BEV.

Cheers

eNate said:
Having recently picked up a 2021 i3 after two years driving a 2017, I went in knowing the obvious changes — larger battery, iDrive 6, improved high beam headlights, and much improved traction control (manifests as no regen drop-out on rough surfaces.

But there were a few unexpecteds that caught me by surprise.

Cruise Control - I use the ACC often, but I've complained it needs polishing. Consider, by comparison, the 2021 polished! Approaching a vehicle from behind, the ACC now tapers down more gradually, not the jerky deceleration of the prior system. And bonus, sad soon as I feel that slowing- down sensation, if I activate the the turn signal to pass, the system recognizes this and becomes less aggressive with the speed reduction. Sounds like a minute improvement as I write this, but the experience is so much better. But not as good as the ID.4 camera + radar system.

Stereo Mute - I've grumbled on the forum that the mute design is stupid, because if I turn up the volume of muted audio, it stays muted. I'm forced to decipher whether I'm muted, or I didn't start my streaming, or the Bluetooth has no connection. That's fixed. If it's muted, and I turn up the volume, it now unmutes. Excellent.

Clock: The dang clock now appears to keep proper time. Over a few days, the 2017 clock would advance a few minutes, then stop there. This is with "auto time set" checked. I'd have to uncheck / recheck every so often to reset it to the correct time.

Headlights - I mentioned the high beams, but the low beam headlights are also nicely improved in brightness and bean spread. Still haven't figured out the cornering lights.

Antenna - the mini whip antenna that sometimes gets in the way of my rooftop list (Sea Sucker Monkeybars) is gone, now just the shark fin.

Seat Bolstering - it appears to me the seats have a touch more side bolstering, appropriate for a hot hatch. That's not stopping me from swapping in the 2017's brown leather seats.

Performance - this is hard to qualify, but I'm switching between the two cars, and the 2021 strikes me as zippier. In the 2017, the throttle suddenly feels a little heavier, just like how switching from Comfort to Eco slightly deadens the throttle mapping.

Noise - again, not easy to qualify, but the 2017 has always had the slightest high pitched whine emminating from the trunk space. My old ears can hear it but aren't too bothered by it. The kids notice it more and have commented on it, but I don't think it has bothered them. My feeling is the whine is gone in the 2021, but it also has pedestrian acoustic protection, do it's possible that is drowning out the other.

Tactile -very fine grip texturing of the steering wheel, and the iDrive controller has a nice-to-touch rubbery touch. The cruise control speed toggle feels more precise, but that could be a matter of age, new vs. used spring tension.

Anything else I missed and should be looking out for?
 
I haven't had any time in an '18, '19, or '20.

If your '18 has the older version of iDrive, you would need to install a new head unit to get iDrive 6. There are supposedly two head units (NBT and NBT Evo(). I don't know the difference.

Then of course there's the 120 Ah battery, assuming your '18 has the 94 Ah.

I expect the lights are the same. My question is whether the cruise control was last updated with the facelift, or happened more recently.
 
eNate said:
I haven't had any time in an '18, '19, or '20.

If your '18 has the older version of iDrive, you would need to install a new head unit to get iDrive 6. There are supposedly two head units (NBT and NBT Evo(). I don't know the difference.

Then of course there's the 120 Ah battery, assuming your '18 has the 94 Ah.

I expect the lights are the same. My question is whether the cruise control was last updated with the facelift, or happened more recently.

Not sure about the cruise since this is the first i3 I've had that had active cruise. All the others I've had never had it. I tested mine out today and have mixed feelings about it. I think it's useful on the highway but wasn't particularly thrilled with the over-aggressive way it reacted on the streets.

My iDrive unit seems to be the latest. The voice, mapping, etc. seem to be like the 2019 I had...although my 2019 wasn't a tech packaged car.
 
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