New X1: Is it just me?

[ArmaghMan]

So, got my brand new X1 company car 3 months ago.
Hated it the day I got it but wanted to give it time to grow on me before posting here.
Should have posted after a week.
What an absolute waste of metal and plastic.

Everything controlled from touch screen. Just because Tesla do it doesn't mean its right!
Lane departure has to be manually turned off on every journey.
Voice command phone...useless.
Sat nav ditto.

Heating and even heated seats...have to go through touch screen.
Sports seats, massively uncomfortable.
Flat load boot has massive space underneath it. Why?

2018 2 series grand tourer was way better in every regard.

£39000 list price. Half that would be too much.
Final joy .....it broke down first day I had it. BMW came and fixed it but hardly much of an advertisement.

Anyone got one and love it?
Please tell me I'm wrong.

[mattlovescars93]

I’ve also got an X1 company car but have the 25e hybrid version so list is £53k!!

Although I have the same frustrations with the touchscreen controls after coming from a 330e, I absolutely love the car itself! The amount of space they’ve managed to squeeze into quite a small size is incredible! Have done 4 hour trips 4 up with luggage and every one was really comfortable and commented how happy they were travelling in it! The lane departure is also really annoying but now I just press the three line shortcut button and press the button, takes 2 seconds maximum! Mine has loads of kit, head up display, massage seat, adaptive cruise with self drive etc and it’s a lovely place to be! Also with 240bhp it has a proper punch and 4WD for great traction.

[hilly10]

I have a 21 plate X3 and thought I might look to change to the X1 so booked a test drive, took me all of 10 mins to decide no thanks, like you the big no no is all touchscreen and no centre wheel for the menus.

[Chris Hinds]

Can’t comment on current X1 but will say that I’ve deliberately ordered one of the last G01 X3s to avoid the “all touch” approach in the 2024 X3 after having a try in the facelift X5!

I get why the manufacturers all want software defined user interfaces but FFS just give me buttons to access things!

[Pica-Pica]

Lane Keeping Assist is mandatory on all post 2022 cars, and are on by default, and have to be turned off, whatever the marque.

[G-wiz]

Hope the ownership experience improves, ArmaghMan.

[Court_S]

Can’t comment on many of your frustrations other than the lane assist which has been absolutely hateful in all recent BMW’s I’ve driven.

I wonder if it can be coded to stay off all of the time?

I’m definitely not a fan of moving everything to touchscreens.

[ArmaghMan]

G-wiz said:

Hope the ownership experience improves, ArmaghMan.

Nope.
Still think it's a waste of metal.
Also not seeing many of them about.
Wonder if they are not selling.

[I-am-the-reverend]

ArmaghMan said:

Nope.
Still think it's a waste of metal.
Also not seeing many of them about.
Wonder if they are not selling.

According to a friend at Sytners, they're not selling well. Folk have obviously seen through the nice badge and bought a 7 year warranted Kia for much less money.

I had the displeasure of a new second generation X1 loan car around 2017 and thought the thing was a dreadful piece of st: The original (really) ugly X1 wasn't too bad however.

Dunno: I see hard times ahead for all this 'prestige' crap once the mask finally slips. Example? 8 Series window regulators are dropping like flies - that's a 80+ grand car just out of warranty FFS. I bet they don't break very often on the Lexus Coupe.

[Jamescrs]

Hopefully they will take customers feedback onboard and go back to proper switches on the next versions/ facelifts as VW are doing with their cars.

I'm currently on my second F generation BMW and I don't have any desire to move forward to the newer models based on everything i've seen

[MikeM6]

Having experience the most current iDrive and owning the 2006 system in my car, as well having had a few in between, I can safely say that the whole touch screen system has a few fundamental flaws and is the most distracting system I have used.

Beyond the basic clutter and touchscreen everything approach, it has 2 further basic design flaws:

1. If you want to put on a heated seat, you have to go to a different menu, meaning whatever you had on the screen goes away. You therefore have to hit the button on the screen, tap the up icon three times, then navigate back to where you were. Voice control is slow and means stopping whatever conversation you were having to announce to all you are in need of a warmer seat. Madness...
2. If listening to a podcast, on YouTube for instance, I could find no way to pause it, unless I picked up the phone and did it. There are no media controls for it.

[Pica-Pica]

Jamescrs said:

Hopefully they will take customers feedback onboard and go back to proper switches on the next versions/ facelifts as VW are doing with their cars.

I'm currently on my second F generation BMW and I don't have any desire to move forward to the newer models based on everything i've seen

I’m with you there. I have looked at and driven a few cars, it’s all gone a bit too far.

[robsa]

Whilst I haven't driven the latest X1, I do have a G20 330e and my wife has a 23 plate Sportage and even though the build of the Sportage is absolutely fine, it is not close to the quality of the BMW. I would presume the X1 is closer to my G20 than a Kia in build quality. As for the complaints about the screen, the Sportage is exactly the same in that respect with lots of annoying things. All the manufacturers are doing it, some worse than others. I do wonder sometimes if they actually try using the cars every day before designing all these screen driven functions.

I had a courtesy G21 with the updated single long screen recently and was annoyed to find all the aircon controls and radio station buttons had vanished. It IS annoying, but BMW say that you can use the voice activation to change the temp, put the radio on, seat heating etc. and I have to admit that this does work pretty well once you get used to it. I would much rather have buttons though.

[Gary C]

Pica-Pica said:

Lane Keeping Assist is mandatory on all post 2022 cars, and are on by default, and have to be turned off, whatever the marque.

which knob came ups with that regulation ?

I am so glad I got my first car in 1984 and could actually 'drive' it

If I was 17 now ?, not sure I would have any interest in cars.

[MikeM6]

robsa said:

I had a courtesy G21 with the updated single long screen recently and was annoyed to find all the aircon controls and radio station buttons had vanished. It IS annoying, but BMW say that you can use the voice activation to change the temp, put the radio on, seat heating etc. and I have to admit that this does work pretty well once you get used to it. I would much rather have buttons though.

I found the voice activation quite slow to react. I had to wait for a pause in my conversation, say hang on dear, press the button, wait for it to be ready, then say turn on drivers heated seat, then it had to think about it for a second, then it told me that it was going to turn the heated seat on, before it then finally complied. It would have been quicker to actually ask my wife to use the touch screen to do it for me.

A single button is just a better solution in every way except cost.

[I-am-the-reverend]

Gary C said:

which knob came ups with that regulation ?

I am so glad I got my first car in 1984 and could actually 'drive' it

If I was 17 now ?, not sure I would have any interest in cars.

Ditto.

Especially in the UK with the overcrowded potholed tracks called roads. Take me back 40 years where I could open up a V12 XJS and only have to worry about police panda cars and the odd Rover SD1 Jam Sandwich. You could outrun those things anyway.

Today? Forget it.

[ArmaghMan]

So an update.

5 months and 10000 miles in, it goes in next week for warranty work on.......you've all guessed it, the touchscreen.
Guy didn't seem that surprised when I told him.
Screen has gone blank on 3 separate occasions now.
Usually for less than a minute each time.

[bmwmike]

Just rolling imitation iPads really aren't they. Good to hear they are not selling.

[G-wiz]

bmwmike said:

Just rolling imitation iPads really aren't they. Good to hear they are not selling.

Basic economics would suggest the price needs to be lowered.

Also consider that 20% of manufacturer's sales need to be electric in 2024, that will put more downwards price pressure on smaller electric cars like these/

[G-wiz]

ArmaghMan said:

So an update.

5 months and 10000 miles in, it goes in next week for warranty work on.......you've all guessed it, the touchscreen.
Guy didn't seem that surprised when I told him.
Screen has gone blank on 3 separate occasions now.
Usually for less than a minute each time.

Hope you get something nicer in way of replacement vehicle.