2KVIEWS
11REPLIES
3APPRECIATES
08-08-2026LAST POST
I do not miss AWD at all in practice. Maybe it's a Florida thing, but I doubt it.
Have owned several cars with AWD: BMW 230i xDrive, Honda Ridgeline, BMW M8, BMW i4.
Have not really needed AWD but there are I know areas of the country -- heck even here if one lives in for example Bella Vista with all the hills -- where AWD in the winter is pretty important.
I like a heated seat and steering wheel.
I also like -- though I have not used it and hope to never need to use it -- dash cam. IMHO this ought to be as common as seat belts.
Have not really needed AWD but there are I know areas of the country -- heck even here if one lives in for example Bella Vista with all the hills -- where AWD in the winter is pretty important.
I like a heated seat and steering wheel.
I also like -- though I have not used it and hope to never need to use it -- dash cam. IMHO this ought to be as common as seat belts.
Agree that dash cam should be a standard feature. Especially since there are all those cameras already in the vehicle.
I hate to say it but I really like those safety features as it gives you an extra umbrella around you when driving. I miss them when I drive my kid's old Camry.
Heated seats/steering wheel
I hate to say it but I really like those safety features as it gives you an extra umbrella around you when driving. I miss them when I drive my kid's old Camry.
Heated seats/steering wheel
When I bought my 840, I hunted for a non-xDrive. I wanted the lighter, crisper steering and I didn't want the added weight and complications/maintenance that come with a transfer case, 2nd differential, CVs, etc.
IMHO, BMW should offer front and rear dash cams on all of their lineup. The added cost pays for itself if you happen is to be in an accident where the other driver is at fault and you want to document it for the insurance company or if a cop pulls you over for an offense you didn't commit.
Especially at that estimated $200 option cost at purchase, the dash cam would be a slam dunk. Event and Data Recorder or whatever I have in my vehicle is a bit convoluted by comparison.
Who knew Night Vision was so high on the list. Does anyone even offer that anymore?
Who knew Night Vision was so high on the list. Does anyone even offer that anymore?
I drove a 2005 vehicle with no backup camera for 20 years and did just fine without it. Now that I have the BMW with not just a backup camera, but the ability to also get the full simulated aerial view while executing the forward part of a K-turn (as part of backing out of a parking spot or whatever), whenever I'm in my wife's car and the backup camera only works while the car is in reverse, it annoys the heck out of me. LOL. In my defense, hers is a higher-riding SUV with a big hood and thus a much larger blind spot for things on the ground near the front of the car compared to my old 2005 sedan with no cameras at all.
In the great words of Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country: "I've never trusted AWD and I never will. I can never forgive it for interfering with the front wheels."
Some surprising results for me. We’ve had 4 bimmers since 2009. 3 of the 4 were X drives. For M cars, RWD can reign supreme but both of us prefer AWD. There’s a lot of wet weather, mud, and steep roads where we are. Heated seats are in high demand which makes sense.
I question the validity of these results....your average driver doesn't even know emergency braking exists.
I saw this list a few days ago, and thought it was an odd collection of options, combining some things together that buyers might want to be separated, and omitting some options that are important at least to me.
If this is what normal "New Vehicle Shoppers" want, then I guess I'd have to consider myself abnormal. 😉
✅ Heated seats (+$150)
✅ Parking sensors, front and rear (+$400)
❌ Rearward automatic emergency braking (+50) - The use of the word "rearward" here seems a bit unusual. Surely this doesn't mean applying the rear brakes, but more likely braking while in reverse. Either way, I don't see this as a desirable feature because I tend to be alert and careful when driving, especially in reverse. I don't want the car doing something unexpected.
✅ ❌ Power front driver's seat (+$300) - Power seats are nice, but what's way more important in my mind is seat memory, and even better than that is power seats with memory tied to the driver. If you've got seat memory, you've also got power seats, and a power seat without seat memory tied to the driver is kind of like a martini without olives.
❌ Lane change assist (+$150) - Meh. See comment about driving carefully.
❌ Night vision system (+$1,000) - Headlights and a big windshield seem like a better choice than staring at some small night vision display.
❌ Adaptive cruise control with active lane centering AND stop and go (+$400) - I guess I'm not a fan of this option because I like driving. I do like regular cruise control for long trips, but if I approach another car, I don't want to slow to its speed. I want to pass. Also, I'm a #savethemanuals fan, so no stop-n-go.
✅ Blind spot cameras (+$100, requires 360 degree camera at $350) - Likee. They help you drive carefully.
✅❌ Rear cross traffic alert with automatic emergency braking (+$150) - Alerts are good. Unexpected braking, not so good.
❌ Auto Park (+$300) - Nah. Part of driving is parking. Don't need the car to do this for me.
❌ Wireless charging pad for portable electronic devices (+$100) - I've yet to use one of these that doesn't cause some overheating issue (e.g. killing Google Maps navigation because the phone is too hot). Wired is good, and a nice place to put your phone.
✅ Power front passenger seat (+$300) - Nice, even nicer with memory.
✅ Dash camera (+$200) - With accident detection to save recordings.
❌ Large animal detection (+$100) - Sounds like this would also be tied to some sort of emergency braking, so no.
✅❌ All wheel drive (AWD)/4x4 (+$2,000) - I like RWD on my sportier cars and AWD on my SUVs, so yes and no.
Strangely, some options that are important to me are not on this list.
✅ Privacy glass. This seems pretty standard on SUVs, but not on sedans and coupes (and not even an option). What's up with that?
✅ Android Auto and Carplay. Let's face it. Automotive infotainment systems are outclassed by phones. Gotta have this. And, while we're at it: wired so you don't have to mess around with flaky connections and device priority. Use the phone that's plugged it, and coolly charge the thing while your at it.
✅ Charging ports. Most cars seem to have enough of these.
✅ Leather interior. Most cars seem to have this as an option. But cover the seats, the door cards, the dash, the center console, the steering wheel.
✅ Settings that stay where you set them. This business of changing settings back to default when you start the car is just user-hostile. It's your car! If you turn off, oh, I don't know, just a random example, Auto Stop Start, stay off! But this applies to things like sport mode, etc.
✅ Removal of any kind of acknowledgement required to start and drive the car. I want the car to start up and go without feeling like I'm signing a contract every time I drive.
End of rant.
If this is what normal "New Vehicle Shoppers" want, then I guess I'd have to consider myself abnormal. 😉
✅ Heated seats (+$150)
✅ Parking sensors, front and rear (+$400)
❌ Rearward automatic emergency braking (+50) - The use of the word "rearward" here seems a bit unusual. Surely this doesn't mean applying the rear brakes, but more likely braking while in reverse. Either way, I don't see this as a desirable feature because I tend to be alert and careful when driving, especially in reverse. I don't want the car doing something unexpected.
✅ ❌ Power front driver's seat (+$300) - Power seats are nice, but what's way more important in my mind is seat memory, and even better than that is power seats with memory tied to the driver. If you've got seat memory, you've also got power seats, and a power seat without seat memory tied to the driver is kind of like a martini without olives.
❌ Lane change assist (+$150) - Meh. See comment about driving carefully.
❌ Night vision system (+$1,000) - Headlights and a big windshield seem like a better choice than staring at some small night vision display.
❌ Adaptive cruise control with active lane centering AND stop and go (+$400) - I guess I'm not a fan of this option because I like driving. I do like regular cruise control for long trips, but if I approach another car, I don't want to slow to its speed. I want to pass. Also, I'm a #savethemanuals fan, so no stop-n-go.
✅ Blind spot cameras (+$100, requires 360 degree camera at $350) - Likee. They help you drive carefully.
✅❌ Rear cross traffic alert with automatic emergency braking (+$150) - Alerts are good. Unexpected braking, not so good.
❌ Auto Park (+$300) - Nah. Part of driving is parking. Don't need the car to do this for me.
❌ Wireless charging pad for portable electronic devices (+$100) - I've yet to use one of these that doesn't cause some overheating issue (e.g. killing Google Maps navigation because the phone is too hot). Wired is good, and a nice place to put your phone.
✅ Power front passenger seat (+$300) - Nice, even nicer with memory.
✅ Dash camera (+$200) - With accident detection to save recordings.
❌ Large animal detection (+$100) - Sounds like this would also be tied to some sort of emergency braking, so no.
✅❌ All wheel drive (AWD)/4x4 (+$2,000) - I like RWD on my sportier cars and AWD on my SUVs, so yes and no.
Strangely, some options that are important to me are not on this list.
✅ Privacy glass. This seems pretty standard on SUVs, but not on sedans and coupes (and not even an option). What's up with that?
✅ Android Auto and Carplay. Let's face it. Automotive infotainment systems are outclassed by phones. Gotta have this. And, while we're at it: wired so you don't have to mess around with flaky connections and device priority. Use the phone that's plugged it, and coolly charge the thing while your at it.
✅ Charging ports. Most cars seem to have enough of these.
✅ Leather interior. Most cars seem to have this as an option. But cover the seats, the door cards, the dash, the center console, the steering wheel.
✅ Settings that stay where you set them. This business of changing settings back to default when you start the car is just user-hostile. It's your car! If you turn off, oh, I don't know, just a random example, Auto Stop Start, stay off! But this applies to things like sport mode, etc.
✅ Removal of any kind of acknowledgement required to start and drive the car. I want the car to start up and go without feeling like I'm signing a contract every time I drive.
End of rant.
