[hugo_nz]

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My dealer is letting me take their dealer demo for 24 hours. I have a few things that I’ll be checking and trying out myself but also want to throw out an AMA (about the iX) for the rest of the community. Dealer spec is:

X40
Sophisto Grey Metallic
Titanium Bronze exterior trim
Pano roof
Leather interior
Multifunction seats with massage
Panel heating
Laserlight
Soft close doors

A few initial observations:
* real world economy is fantastic compared to the e-tron (and others in this class)
* the crystal appliqué throw plenty of reflection (see photo below with the yellow circles showing the reflections)
* The trunk opening height is not very high. Fully open it's only a couple of inches above my head (I am 1.82m tall)
* When the grey charge port covers are open you cannot close the main charge port flap
* Lower right corner of the iDrive screen is pretty much always obstructed by the steering wheel
* Walk away lock, approach unlock is great but could be an annoyance if you have the keys in your pocket or use your phone as a key. The car would lock and unlock repeatedly if you just walk close enough by it.
* HUD settings are a bit annoying. You either have assisted view, nav view but cannot have a combination. EG, in assisted view the map instructions down show up when approaching a turn off
* The HUD is brilliant though...best I have ever personally seen
* Doors are surprisingly heavy, and take a little bit of heft to open, owing to the grab handle being far forward
* If you store a phone in the little pocket in front of the iDrive controller it will constantly rock back and forth while driving...which is annoying
* The key feels cheap and does not match the pricetag or overall quality of the car
* Reversing assistant is excellent. We live down a narrow drive and the iX is as wide, and the reversing assistant did exactly what it promises
* The space in the driver footwell is less than expected in height. I wear a size 12US shoe and there’s only about 2-3cm beween my toes and the dashboard underside
* The glovebox is very small given the overall size of the dashboard
* The dashboard speaker grille reflects in the windscreen from either front seats and given its size it’s difficult to miss said reflection
* My iphone flat out refused to connect to iDrive once requiring me to remove the pairing completely
* There truly is nowhere to store the parcel shelf pieces in the trunk area
* There are no usb-a ports in the interior, only type-c (discovered this when I was trying to charge my DJI Pocket 2)
* iDrive 8 cannot be rebooted by holding down the volume button like previous versions of iDrive
* It’s a little discussed feature but the windscreen washers are integrated into the wiper blades and as such you can’t just pop into a hrdware store to pick up replacements
* The warning beeps from the parking system sounds like an electronic church organ. It’s strange but not unpleasant
* Unlike the shifter in the e-tron the stubby shifter in the iX does exactly what you expect it to every time

[patbrass]

1) When using Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) in stop-and-go traffic, does it disengage if the car stops for more than a few seconds? (My Audi Q7 disengages after 3 seconds and I need to tap the gas pedal or some lever)

2) How many seconds can you keep your hands off the steering wheel before the ACC disengages?

Thanks!

[Paladin1]

- What's missing on the front passenger seat (lumbar delete?)?
- Is there an "Auto" darkening function for the sunroof, or exclusively manual via the button?
- Rear wiper flat (in line with the lower border of the rear window, as in the current X5) or angled up?
- Traffic Jam Assist or no?
- Controls for the following distance on the steering wheel (as currently) or through iDrive (and I suppose it's possible to make that function a shortcut if so)?
- Can the suspension height be changed (lowered) from the rear hatch door or cargo compartment?
- Any adjustments on the second row seats at all, or fixed?
- Size of the wireless charging pad (particularly length)?

Great opportunity - thanks!

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by patbrass

1) When using Adaptive Cruise Control in stop-and-go traffic, does it disengage if the car stops for more than a few seconds? (My Audi Q7 disengages after 3 seconds and I need to tap the gas pedal or some lever)

2) How many seconds can you keep your hands off the steering wheel before the seconds disengages?

Thanks!

1) not yet found a situation where it would not reengage. The e-tron also only allows 3 seconds I think before you have to either pull away or pull the acc stalk to restart acc.

2) timed it to 20s before the red warnings started.

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by Paladin1

- What's missing on the front passenger seat (lumbar delete?)?
- Is there an "Auto" darkening function for the sunroof, or exclusively manual via the button?
- Rear wiper flat (in line with the lower border of the rear window, as in the current X5) or angled up?
- Traffic Jam Assist or no?
- Controls for the following distance on the steering wheel (as currently) or through iDrive (and I suppose it's possible to make that function a shortcut if so)?
- Can the suspension height be changed (lowered) from the rear hatch door or cargo compartment?
- Any adjustments on the second row seats at all, or fixed?
- Size of the wireless charging pad (particularly length)?

Great opportunity - thanks!

1) no features dropped on the dealer model. It’s got lumbar, BWA and massage
2) no self dim for the roof other than when parked
3) rear wiper is slightly at an angle
4) traffic jan assistent yes
5) acc follow distance only through iDrive
6) my loaner has normal dynamic suspension but the air suspension cannot be lowered afaik
7) no adjustment for second row seats
8) wireless charger pad accommodates my iPhone 12 Pro comfortably enough. Will measure and update this later

[Ditlow]

- Any USB ports in the glovebox?
- are you in an area that you can check the efficacy of the air conditioner?
- Does it have ventilated seats? How are they?
- I've seen some reports of sluggish idrive, potentially only when the car is off. How's it been?
- Are you getting along with the non-round wheel?
- Is there anything exciting in the idrive automation app? I've seen roll the window down at a particular location, anything else?

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by Ditlow

- Any USB ports in the glovebox?
- are you in an area that you can check the efficacy of the air conditioner?
- Does it have ventilated seats? How are they?
- I've seen some reports of sluggish idrive, potentially only when the car is off. How's it been?
- Are you getting along with the non-round wheel?
- Is there anything exciting in the idrive automation app? I've seen roll the window down at a particular location, anything else?

1) no USB in the glovebox (and the glovebox is tiny given the size of the dash)
2) the ac works really well. It was a balmy 23/24 today and the ac was effective and quiet.
3) no ventilated seats on the dealer car sadly, but I'll do a writeup when mine arrives since I ordered them
4) no issues with idrive at all
5) the round wheel is fine. nothing really to write home about and gets the job done
7) window automation is present but that’s about it

[Hi]

In the X5, I can feel the radiant heat coming from the sun through the panoramic roof. The shade fabric shade helps a lot. How effective is the IX's electronic shade at blocking radiant heat from the sun compared to the fabric shade?

[Bmwphile]

Originally Posted by Ditlow

- Any USB ports in the glovebox?
- are you in an area that you can check the efficacy of the air conditioner?
- Does it have ventilated seats? How are they?
- I've seen some reports of sluggish idrive, potentially only when the car is off. How's it been?
- Are you getting along with the non-round wheel?
- Is there anything exciting in the idrive automation app? I've seen roll the window down at a particular location, anything else?

Idrive 7 already allows windows to be set to particular heights (1/4, half way, 3/4, just a little). Can be individual, front, rear, or all windows. Very handy feature. 😊

[TechCTU]

- How do the seats feel compared to the X5?
- Does the fixed headrest bother you while driving?
- Any fit and finish issues?
- Any bugs with battery / charging / new electronics?

Thanks!

[Jit_340i]

Managed to get an allocation for April delivery. ix 40 black. Production completed 1/3/2022. Waiting for shipping.
Few questions:
- does the dealer spec have the digital key plus (iPhone unlock/lock)
- does the augmented reality navigation work in New Zealand. Hoping that it works in South Africa.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

My dealer is letting me take their dealer demo for 24 hours. I have a few things that I’ll be checking and trying out myself but also want to throw out an AMA (about the iX) for the rest of the community. Dealer spec is:

X40
Pano roof
Leather interior
Multifunction seats with massage
Panel heating
Laserlight
Soft close doors

A few initial observations:
* The trunk opening height is not very high. Fully open it's only a couple of inches above my head (I am 1.82m tall)
* When the grey charge port covers are open you cannot close the main charge port flap
* Lower right corner of the iDrive screen is pretty much always obstructed by the steering wheel
* Walk away lock, approach unlock is great
* HUD settings are a bit annoying. You either have assisted view, nav view but cannot have a combination. EG, in assisted view the map instructions down show up when approaching a turn off
* The HUD is brilliant though...best I have ever personally seen
* Doors are surprisingly heavy, and take a little bit of heft to open, owing to the grab handle being far forward
* If you store a phone in the little pocket in front of the iDrive controller it will constantly rock back and forth while driving...which is annoying
* The key feels cheap and does not match the pricetag or overall quality of the car
* Reversing assistant is excellent. We live down a narrow drive and the iX is as wide, and the reversing assistant did exactly what it promises

Could you check the recline and front and back of the rear seat? Was wondering how much the seat can be moved front if more storage was needed in the back?

[xlover]

Have you tried the phone as a key fob function? Where you can use your phone just like the fob and keep it in your pocket?

I know you are just borrowing the car so that may require it being tied to your account or the dealer setting up an account.

[KoenG]

Maybe a strange question since not about accessories, nevertheless: how does it drive compared to the e-Tron?
thanks!

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by FCX5

Could you check the recline and front and back of the rear seat? Was wondering how much the seat can be moved front if more storage was needed in the back?

From all the reviews I've seen and my personal xp when the dealer had the car for two days back in November, the rear seats are fixed. They do not recline and cannot be moved forward or back.

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by Ditlow

- Does it have ventilated seats? How are they?

Not sure what your expectations are for them, but if you've never experienced them in other BMWs they are not going to be cooled seats like in some other brands. If they are anything like in the X5, you essentially don't really notice them when they are on but they keep you from getting too warm and sweaty. You may be able to feel the air circulate if you are wearing shorts/very light shirt and already have some sweat on you. I use mine all year long cause I am overly sensitive to heat (i.e. I am a big fat sweaty guy) and even use them when I turn on the heated seats in cold weather as I find it helps keep a good balance without getting too uncomfortable.

Of course they could be slightly different in the iX but they are likely going to be very similar.

[Ditlow]

Originally Posted by ggalanis

Not sure what your expectations are for them

I’ve had them in a couple of 5 series so I was hopeful they’d be improved at least a little. I swear I saw a video somewhere and there was a “very high” setting and it sounded like a ton of air was being moved around.

[Paladin1]

Originally Posted by Ditlow

I’ve had them in a couple of 5 series so I was hopeful they’d be improved at least a little. I swear I saw a video somewhere and there was a “very high” setting and it sounded like a ton of air was being moved around.

In my X5, air flows into the seat, not out of the seat, preventing your clothing from becoming (extremely) damp, and keeping you from sticking to the seat in hot weather. Ventilated is actually a good description versus cooling. I wouldn't imagine the general design has been altered for the iX....

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by Hi

In the X5, I can feel the radiant heat coming from the sun through the panoramic roof. The shade fabric shade helps a lot. How effective is the IX's electronic shade at blocking radiant heat from the sun compared to the fabric shade?

I have not had the car out in the sun for long periods but while driving yesterday afternoon with the sunroof dimmed I couldn’t particularly feel the afternoon sun shining through, if that makes sense?

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by TechCTU

- How do the seats feel compared to the X5?
- Does the fixed headrest bother you while driving?
- Any fit and finish issues?
- Any bugs with battery / charging / new electronics?

Thanks!

1) the seats are excellent. We had full comfort nappa leather seats in our X5 but the iX seats are more comfortable. The leather is similar to Merino so it’s supremely soft. The lack of adjustable thigh support is also not an issue
2) I personally never fiddle with the headrests. They are a set and forget thing for me. No issues for me at all
3) there is a barely perceptible ticking noise coming from the front of the car that can only be heard when the car is stationary and in “drive ready state”. Overall though the fit and finish are beyond 7-series levels
4) the only thing I noticed related to charging indication. I plugged the car in at home last night and after locking it there was no indication at all that it was charging. I suspect this may be a bug since theres a status light next to the charger plugs and also the ambient lighting on the doors should be strobing as well

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by Jit_340i

Managed to get an allocation for April delivery. ix 40 black. Production completed 1/3/2022. Waiting for shipping.
Few questions:
- does the dealer spec have the digital key plus (iPhone unlock/lock)
- does the augmented reality navigation work in New Zealand. Hoping that it works in South Africa.

1) yes the car has this but I cannot test since you need two keys in the car in order to activate it
2) works as expected though I probably won’t leave it turned on when I get my car. Would’ve been more useful if the augmented part showed in the HUD

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by ggalanis

From all the reviews I've seen and my personal xp when the dealer had the car for two days back in November, the rear seats are fixed. They do not recline and cannot be moved forward or back.

Was hoping it would be moveable especially since the trunk is smaller than the X5.