BMW i4 Lease Countdown: A Frustrating Journey with an Electric Car’s Crashing Software
In the realm of personal transportation, I’ve never been particularly enamored with automobiles. My motoring past is marked by a succession of functional vehicles – a hand-me-down Volvo with a hole in the floorboards and a series of pragmatic choices such as a VW Golf and a Mazda SUV that served our family diligently for 12 years. However, my perception changed when I decided to lease a BMW i4 electric car.
The allure of the i4 was not just its electric powertrain but its understated elegance – an electric vehicle that didn’t resemble a spaceship from the Jetsons. Its rarity in Northern California and diverse color options, including “Brooklyn Gray,” which I found oddly appealing, also contributed to my decision. Despite reading about early adopters experiencing software glitches, I optimistically set aside such concerns as visions of my stylish new BMW danced in my head.
However, nearly two years later, I find myself eager for the end of this lease due to the car’s software woes that make my once-reliable Volvo seem like a paragon of dependability by comparison.
Let me detail some of these issues, starting with the most fundamental task: gaining access to my vehicle. On multiple occasions, I’ve stood in parking lots, unable to unlock the car using my phone despite BMW’s Digital Key being specifically designed for this purpose. This might seem trivial until you’re grappling with melting groceries while giving the impression of trying to steal your own car.
Digital key problems have become so prevalent that BMW owners have shared intricate multi-step workarounds reminiscent of disarming a bomb: “1. Use the BMW app on your phone to unlock the door. 2. Sign in with your BMW ID in iDrive. 3. Place your iPhone in the vehicle’s charging tray. 4. Wait for the digital key to reappear in the Wallet app. 5. Double-click the side button, authenticate with Face ID, and—finally—start the car.”
The user profile system is another exercise in frustration. I’ve encountered difficulties creating guest profiles without being relegated to the bottom of the user hierarchy. This results in the vehicle grabbing whoever’s phone and playlist whenever they are within Bluetooth range, even if it’s not me. BMW appears to have over-engineered their profile system to a point where it requires explicit linking steps that should ideally occur automatically.
The car’s CarPlay integration ranges from poor to dangerously disruptive. Software updates frequently cripple CarPlay functionality, necessitating complete reboots of the iDrive infotainment system. The reverse camera issue is particularly aggravating; put the car in reverse while using CarPlay navigation, and when you shift back to drive, you’re dumped onto the home screen instead of returning to your directions.
The backup camera itself is almost useless in low light conditions, and the screen often becomes painfully hot to the touch.
Then there’s the lighting issue. Unless I remember to manually lock the car after walking away from it, I might later notice that the exterior lights are still blazing in my driveway. I initially thought this was a human error the first time it happened. By the third time, I realized it’s a “feature” where the i4 enters a “pseudo-sleep mode” that keeps lights and other systems running indefinitely. Numerous owners report the same issue: park the car, walk away, return later to find your vehicle illuminated like a beacon, draining the battery.
Beyond the feeling of dealing with a vehicle with memory loss nearly every day, there are genuine safety concerns. The 2022 i4 was subject to six recalls in its first year, including one so serious that BMW warned owners their cars were fire risks when parked and advised them to “stop driving this vehicle immediately.” Since then, other recalls have included battery control units that can cause a sudden loss of power.
BMW releases software updates for the i4 approximately every few months, but the process is fraught with issues. Updates routinely break connected services, causing owners to lose access to traffic information, weather data, remote parking functions, and even MyBMW app connectivity.
The over-the-air update system itself is unreliable, with owners reporting updates that get stuck at various percentages for days, forcing trips to dealers for manual installation.
What’s especially disheartening is that BMW positions these vehicles as premium products. If you’re buying rather than leasing, the i4 starts at over $50,000, with well-equipped models pushing $70,000 or more. Meanwhile, owners of less expensive vehicles, including Hyundais and Lexus models, report seamless connectivity and user experiences.
I’m not implying that BMW rushed these cars to market without properly testing their digital ecosystem, then proceeded to treat customers as beta testers without considering their well-being, but I’m also not ruling out that possibility.
I had high hopes for this relationship. The i4 is sleek, drives beautifully, and embodies everything I thought I wanted in an electric vehicle. However, I can’t continue a relationship where basic functions – unlocking doors, connecting my phone, getting directions – require the patience of a saint (and I assure you, I am not a saint).
Even my tech-savvy spouse, who is usually the first to suggest user error, recently emerged from the car after a particularly frustrating software meltdown and announced that he would “need to meditate for a bit.”
Car ownership should not be a constant source of aggravation. I should not have to maintain a mental database of workarounds for features that should just work. I should not dread software updates because they might break something that was (mostly) functional.
So, BMW, we’ve reached the end of the road together. You created a stunning car, then sabotaged it with software so flawed it’s almost comical. I thought we’d journey into the future together. Instead, I’m returning my i4 to the dealership as my lease ends. I’m surprised to say I can’t wait.
