I think it’s clear from the beginning. I’ve never been a car enthusiast. My driving history includes a crafted Volvo with a hole in the floor, and a range of active utility vehicles including a Volkswagen golf and a Mazda SUV that I towed my family for 12 years. Then I rented a BMW I4 electric car.
What attracted me to the i4? Unlike other electric cars, BMW doesn’t look like the Jasons. I love that their underrated cars happen to be electric. I like that they are far less common than other electric cars in Northern California. Plus, the i4’s color is similar to “Brooklyn Grey” and that includes me, it sounds ridiculous – making me happy in ways that Tesla’s few choices can never do. I read online and early adopters had software problems, but I conveniently brought up this information due to the sleek new BMW dancing vision in my mind. The first few drives are also exciting. The car was beautiful and the ride was smooth, and I think we were going to.
About two years later, I’m doing something I’ve never thought of: eagerly waiting for the luxury car lease to end, as its software is a disaster that makes my rusty Volvo look like a model of reliability.
A love story has a problem
Let me figure out how this relationship goes wrong, starting with the most basic function: getting into my own car. Many times, I stood in the parking lot and although the BMW digital key was designed specifically for this purpose, I still couldn’t unlock the door with my phone. This sounds trivial until you look like you are going to steal your car when you are in a grocery store.
Digital key issues have become so common that BMW owners sometimes share detailed Multi-step solution Read like the instructions for unbombing: “1. Open the BMW app on your phone and unlock the door with it. 2. Log in with the BMW ID in iDrive.
User configuration file system is another exercise in vain. I’ve been unable to create a guest profile without being downgraded to the bottom of the user hierarchy. In practice, this means that if someone else drives (even once), the vehicle will pick up the phone in Bluetooth range and play the list. BMW has over-designed its configuration system to link steps that need to be clear, which should really happen automatically.
TechCrunch Events
San Francisco
|
October 27-29, 2025
Automotive integration ranges from poverty to positive danger. Software updates usually break CarPlay functionality and require a complete restart of its IDRIVE infotainment system. The reverse camera problem is particularly annoying. Place the car in reverse when navigating with CARPLAY and when you move backwards, you pour onto the home screen instead of returning to the instructions.
In low-light conditions, the backup camera itself is actually useless and the screen often becomes agile.
Then Lighting problem. Unless I remember to manually lock the car after leaving the car, I occasionally noticed the exterior lights were still burning in my driveway later. I think the first human error occurred. By the third time, I realized that this was a “feature” where the i4 entered “pseudosleep mode” to keep the lights and other systems running indefinitely. Multiple owners reported the same problem: park the car, walk away, and return later to find their vehicle lit up like a lighthouse and drained the battery.
In addition to the feeling of having amnesia in the car almost every day, there are reasonable safety issues. The 2022 I4 was recalled six times in its first year, including a person so severe, BMW told owners that the car when parked was a fire risk and advised them to “stop driving the car immediately.” since then, Other recalls Including battery control units may result in sudden power loss.
BMW releases software updates for I4 about every few months, but the process is full of problems. Updates often break connected services, leaving owners unable to access traffic information, weather data, remote parking capabilities, and even MyBMW app connections.
The over-the-air update system itself is not reliable, and the owner reports that the update will fall into various percentages for a few days, forcing dealers to travel for manual installation.
BMW in particular positioned these vehicles as premium products. If you are buying instead of renting, the I4 starts at over $50,000, and the fully equipped model comes with $70,000 or more. Meanwhile, cheaper owners, including Hyundai and Lexus models, report bulletproof connectivity and seamless user experience.
I’m not saying companies are driving these cars to the market without adequately testing their digital ecosystem no Not that.
I really hope this relationship works. The i4 is very beautiful and drives well, representing everything I want in an electric car. However, I can’t continue with a relationship, and the most basic features (unlocking the door, connecting my phone, getting instructions) require the patience of the saint. (I don’t have the patience of a saint.)
Even my tech-savvy husband, often the first to raise user errors, recently emerged from the car after a particularly frustrating software crash and announced that he “needs a little meditation.”
Ownership of a car should not be a source of increasing weight. I don’t have to maintain a mental database of solutions for the functions I deserve. I shouldn’t be afraid of software updates as they can break (mostly) functionality stuff.
BMW, I already have it. You build a gorgeous car and then destroy it with software, which is almost ridiculous. I thought we would drive into the sunset together. Instead, as my lease ended, I sent the i4 back to the dealership. I was surprised to say I couldn’t wait.
