I’m a big guy. I love the BMW M Series but I need a 540 X Drive with the M packages to get what I want.

 

Fortunately you like tech. Imagine not liking tech and all the cars having features you'd rather not have. Features that add complexity and are a ticking time bomb.

The thing I don't understand is why do we have to link an iPhone or similar to the car to have the features we've already paid for like nav??????

And fortunately for me I have a 2012 Tahoe without the silliness so I plan to sell my low low mileage ES, never been in salt stored during winters hint hint, next year and drive the Tahoe forever. I'm done with these computers on wheels that are one update away from a brick.

 

My Service Advisor and the tech who has been working on my car called me late yesterday. They told me that the reason it took longer to get the software update than it did to get the firmware update was because Lexus had not officially released it yet. I hope my car isn’t the test vehicle for this update.

That also tells me this can’t be the first Lexus with electronics issue like mine because they have been working on a software update for it. They are keeping it until Friday to make sure that it works.

 

>I'm looking for a sports sedan ... I don't want a two door.
IS 350 F Sport perhaps?
Or maybe a IS500 w a V8... =8-0

Just say'n, that's all

 

Yes - that's a four door but I have two problems with it:
1. My dealer is the reason my wife is now driving a 2025 BMW X5. We first went to my Lexus dealer and were trying to get her a RX500 F Sport last October. She liked it but the Sales Manager low balled me on our trade - a low mileage 2020 Yukon Denali - and would not come off MSRP. I told him that I was shopping and he suggested the BMW X5 as a comparable. I told him that I had already picked one out to drive across the street at the BMW dealer. When we got there the salesman gave me exactly what I wanted for her Denali, knocked $4,400 off MSRP, made sure I got tax credit for my trade, and we drove it home. Lexus lost a customer that day after doing business with that dealer for 12 years.
2. The BMW 540i xDrive is faster than a IS350 F Sport

 

I drove a couple of 5 series, the 540i and the M550, a few years ago and liked them very much except for the price, depreciation and maintenance expense.

 

Because the native NAVS in most cars suck

 

Not sure why exactly, maybe higher profit margins or factory inflated MSRP, but I’ve noticed Euro dealers are quicker to play ball on pricing. I had a hard time getting a good deal from Acura & Lexus compared to BMW. It took almost 4 dealer walkouts before I secured a decent discount on my 300h.

The IS500’s got some muscle, but its cabin is on the smaller side, closer to the ES than an M Series 5. The M540 is more comparable to the LS in size.

 

It's gets me to where I'm going. I also have a drivesmart for the other vehicle that does everything I want it to do and more. The things I like about the drivesmart are that it can be removed from the dash when not in use and it doesn't have to link to another device plus it has free updates for the life of the product no subscription required. I retired from tech so less tech the better.

 

Would you know what percentage to shoot for when shopping BMW?

 

If you do I’m interested.

 

The #1 thing that I am impressed with about this car is the platform it uses in the Navigation system for real time traffic. In my experience the last 20 months the Lexus system is better than Waze at alternative routes due to traffic.

 

BMW: No idea, but I was offered almost $5k off the dealer sticker price on the M340i without even asking; on a first day visit.
Lexus: Only offered a $500 off on the ES350 after I asked for their best deal to take the car home on that first day.
Acura: Claimed the Type-S sticker was already below margin. Two days later? They magically found $1,000 to knock off.

After a week of back-and-forth, I drove off with my 300h; $5K off the original sticker price.

Funny how numbers shift down when you're in no rush to buy a sedan (does not apply to SUV's).

 

I like the hands free ability with spoken commands. It found an obscure repair shop out in the boonies once I got the name correct. Does it require a phone to have real time traffic?

 

If it truly is a software glitch, I can tell you from experience, it’s a common occurrence in the software development world, especially when integrating with third-party platforms like Apple and Google. I don’t use Apple products myself, but in the Android ecosystem, support forums are flooded with complaints from users across various car and phone brands where a future is suddenly broken or a new glitch appears. Usually the updates to Android Auto, the OS, or even Google Maps break previously working features. I imagine Apple CarPlay has its fair share of similar issues. Unfortunately, sometimes, specific phone configurations trigger these kinds of glitches. And with how rapidly device updates roll out, it’s probably tough for Lexus developers to debug every possible scenario.

That said, I’m not entirely convinced yours it’s a software issue. Your base loaned model likely shares the same firmware as your own, just displayed on a different screen, and it's working correctly. But if it's, its a good outcome.

On a side note, Toyota’s track record with infotainment updates isn’t the strongest. There were early discussions about the 2019 U.S. RAV4 getting Android Auto through a software update, but it never materialized. Not even as a paid upgrade.