A Reddit post first brought attention to this when it showed BMW Slovenia offering M Adaptive Suspension for 30 Euros a month as a subscription. This got people talking about how car companies price their features.
A BMW spokesperson cleared things up. They said U.S. customers can get Adaptive Suspension through the Connected Drive store, but they don't have to subscribe. Drivers can choose to add it when they buy the car, pay monthly or yearly, or make a one-time payment of $500.
Here's the kicker: the hardware for M Adaptive Suspension is already in the eligible cars. Customers have paid for it as part of the car's price. So, when they pay extra, they're just unlocking software for equipment they already own.
This setup is part of a bigger trend. Car companies are putting more features behind paywalls or offering them as subscriptions. It lets them be more flexible with pricing and potentially make more money. But it might also confuse or upset some customers who feel they're paying twice for the same thing.
The cost to add this suspension varies depending on the model. For a base 3 Series, it's part of a $1,050 Dynamic Handling Package. The same package costs $1,500 for a base 4 Series. If you want it on a Z4, you'll shell out $2,450 for the Dynamic Handling Package. For the X1, X2, and X5, it comes with the M Sport package, which ranges from $2,000 to $2,750.
It's worth noting that M Adaptive Suspension comes standard on most of BMW's performance-focused models. Also, these packages include other upgrades besides just the suspension.
Source: Motor1