Skip to main content

BMW’s In-Car Subscription Feature Is a No-Good, Terrible Idea

For years, German automakers have offered consumers pages and pages of available options. Whether you want carbon fiber trim, red seatbelts, or different colored gauges, German brands will sell them to you for a hefty price. When it comes to regular features, like heated seats and smartphone compatibility, the majority of German automakers lock these behind expensive packages or pricey à la carte structures. It’s an annoying practice, but BMW’s latest in-car subscription service takes all of the worst qualities of its “everything is extra” system and multiples it by 1,000.

Recently, BMW caught a lot of flak for introducing an annual fee of $80 for owners to use Apple CarPlay. While nearly every other automaker in the industry offers Apple CarPlay as a standard feature or at least an upgradeable one with a one-time payment as part of a package, BMW thought it was a good idea to charge owners a yearly fee, because it thought some owners may not need the feature and wouldn’t want to pay for it with the initial purchase of the vehicle. Don’t be fooled; it was a money grab. The automaker eventually went back on the decision, but clearly hasn’t learned from it, because it recently introduced an even more heinous pricing model that would screw consumers over.

Related Videos

Earlier this month, BMW announced that it would be upgrading its latest iDrive 7.0 system. The wireless upgrade isn’t the culprit and it’s certainly nothing to be upset about. It brings quite a few things like wireless Android Auto support, upgraded BMW Maps, and a new version of BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. The real knife in the back that every consumer should see as Armageddon is the expansion of BMW ConnectedDrive.

BMW, in its own words, “sees the car as a digital platform.” And like a digital device, say like your laptop, BMW sees the future of car ownership as the automaker selling pricey, luxury vehicles to consumers and then requiring them to pay a subscription fee to unlock additional features. Just because your Macbook Pro can run Microsoft Office doesn’t mean it comes with it out of the box. You have to pay for it, just like you do with Photoshop, Final Cut Pro X, or any other application you use. BMW wants to do the same thing, but for car features.

In its press release, BMW specifically calls out high-beam assist, adaptive cruise control, BMW’s IconicSounds Sport (fake noises being pumped into the cabin), BMW Drive Recorder (a high-tech dash cam), and Adaptive M Suspension as features that could become available for purchase as part of a subscription plan in the future. While the automaker hasn’t laid out the way it will work, some features will be available through a monthly subscription fee, while others will be an expensive one-time purchase. Heated seats, for instance, will probably be a subscription thing. In the winter months, you’ll be charged a certain amount to be able to use the feature in your vehicle. In the summer, you don’t have to pay for it if you don’t want to, unless you like throwing money directly into the trash. For things like high-beam assist and adaptive cruise control, we’re sure those are more of a one-time purchase thing.

There are two ways to look at this. From one side, it does offer consumers flexibility. If you don’t want adaptive cruise control or high-beam assist, why pay for them? It means you’ll get a relatively low starting price on a shiny new BMW and can then add any features you want after the purchase. It’s a way to build the perfect car. If you happen to sell the car, the second owner can either choose to continue to pay the subscription prices for the features you chose or simply stop paying for them.

The way the system does things, if I’m being honest, is pretty cool. BMW put out a short clip of someone wanting to purchase high-beam assist. The driver is traveling on a windy, dark road and realizes that he needs high-beam assist at that exact moment. So, he pulls over, scrolls through BMW ConnectedDrive on the touchscreen, and purchases High Beam Assistant for $198 (€176). That’s it! All you have to do is wait five minutes, turn the car off and on again, and the feature’s on your car. It’s genuinely cool.

BMW ConnectedDrive. Add vehicle functions to your BMW over the air.

But on the face of it, this is such a sleazy way of doing business. If other automakers, especially ones outside of the luxury realm, are giving consumers all of these features as standard equipment, why would you ever buy a BMW? No, seriously. BMW’s cars aren’t cheap. The cheapest vehicle starts at around $35,000 and at that price, it’s almost inexcusable to charge consumers fees to get features that are already built into the vehicle. That’s the part that really irks me. In the future, BMW will knowingly build all of its vehicles with the same hardware, they’ve just told the computers not to switch the software on without some extra money.

For BMW, this is an easy way to make some coin. An annual fee or a charge of a set amount of money after the initial purchase raises its profits. It also means BMW can make even more money on the used market. Beyond that, it’s going to cause a lot of mayhem for used car shoppers, as having to figure out what features are currently being subscribed to, how much the initial purchase cost, and the date of when the pay-to-use features will end is going to be a nightmare.

We should point out that this is just in the works and BMW is still deciding whether it will actually introduce the program. But the fact that the company put out an official press release, made a video on how it works, and showcased the tech during a VR press event for some outlets makes us think that there’s a high possibility that it will be introduced.

This is truly an absurd idea. If consumers, shoppers, and anyone remotely interested in vehicles doesn’t yell at BMW for this, it could change the way cars are bought forever. Automakers follow one another; if one comes out with a program that works and makes money, it spreads quicker than the common cold. Wanting to change things to draw consumers in or introducing innovative ways to give consumers features is one thing, going out of your way to screw shoppers over while making them think that they’re getting more flexibility, though, is insane.

Editors' Recommendations

Lamborghini’s upcoming supercar will have a 1,001-hp plug-in hybrid V12 powertrain
Lamborghini news: Here’s a sneak peek at what engine will replace the outgoing naturally aspirated V12
Lamborghini LB744 PHEV Powertrain from overhead in the engine bay of a chassis.

Lamborghini is known for making world-class naturally aspirated engines. From the Huracan’s V10 to the Aventador’s V12, soulful engines are Lamborghini’s thing. Unfortunately, Lamborghini has discontinued the Aventador and its mighty V12 engine. While we don’t know what’s in store for the Aventador’s replacement, Lamborghini has given the world a look into its upcoming powertrain, which will include a plug-in hybrid component with three electric motors.
A PHEV from Lamborghini? It certainly sounds like the end times. But if you think Lamborghini is making something akin to the Toyota Prius Prime, that’s not what’s happening here. At the heart of the plug-in hybrid powertrain is a 6.5-liter V12 engine. The new L545 motor is a major upgrade of the Aventador’s 6.5-liter V12. The new engine weighs 37 pounds less, has more power, has a higher redline, and features a raised compression ratio of 12.6:1.

Getting into actual numbers, the new 6.5-liter V12 engine is good for 814 horsepower on its own. That’s a large upgrade over the Aventador, which made up to 769 horsepower in its most potent configurations. While peak horsepower comes at 9,250 rpm, the engine hits its redline at 9,500 rpm. If there’s one figure that hasn’t grown a lot, it’s torque. The new V12 is rated at 535 pound-feet, which is only 4 pound-feet more than the old 12-cylinder motor.
In addition to giving the engine a major overhaul, Lamborghini has also repositioned the way the gearbox and engine are packaged together. Unlike the Aventador, which had a single-clutch transmission that was positioned in front of the engine, Lamborghini has turned the new V12 180 degrees. Additionally, power is being routed through a new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that Lamborghini designed that will sit behind the engine.
So far, these would be massive changes on their own, but the engine is getting a large helping hand from a plug-in hybrid component. Lamborghini will assist the V12 engine with three electric motors. Two axial-flux motors are located at the front – one on each wheel – and a third electric motor at the back that’s integrated into the transmission. The front electric motors allow for torque vectoring, while the rear electric motor can act as a starter motor, generator, or an extra source of power. On their own, each motor is capable of producing 148 horsepower – roughly the same amount of power as a compact car. Combined, Lamborghini claims the V12 engine and the electric motors are good for 1,001 horsepower.

Read more
Despite its recognizable design, Mercedes’ best-seller has been fully redesigned
Everything new about the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV
2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC front end angle from passenger's side parked in front of mountains during sunset.

It’s no secret that the Mercedes-Benz GLC is the German automaker’s most popular model. Last year, Mercedes sold 342,900 units of the compact SUV globally. A staggering figure. Things, though, don’t slow down in the luxury class and after seven model years on sale, Mercedes believes 2023 is the right time to come out with a fully redesigned GLC and has officially announced pricing for the SUV. The automaker unveiled the redesigned GLC last June, but here's a quick recap if you missed it.
It’s not entirely surprising to see Mercedes roll out a new GLC for the 2023 model year. The GLC shares a platform, tech features, and powertrains with the C-Class. Given that the two models are closely related to one another, it only makes sense to see a new GLC that’s based on the C-Class.

Previous

Read more
This is what the fastest motorcycle in the world looks like now
Do you know what the world's fastest bike is?
2021 Kawasaki Ninja H2R

Modern motorcycles have been through several advancements in design, powertrains, and electronics over the past few years. This makes the current crop of bikes some of the fastest machines – even when you include cars – on the planet. Things have been picking up speed since the 1990s and some of the fastest motorcycles of all time are modern sportbikes. A lot of motorcycle manufacturers have been simply estimating the speed of their bikes since they can’t just ask a rider to test drive their bikes at top speed. 

The reason for why motorcycles are much quicker in a straight line than cars comes down to their power-to-weight ratio. A 500-pound motorcycle with 200 horsepower will offer a similar power-to-weight ratio as a supercar with four times the amount of power because there's a good chance that it weighs four times as much. Plus, without any doors, motorcycles have a greater sense of speed than cars, as 25 mph can feel like you're doing 100. 

Read more