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Hi,
New poster here (new reader as well, admittedly) - nice to e-meet all BMW 8 gurus :-)
I'm about to take the plunge on a moderately used (900km/560mi) 2019 M850i, so I've started reading up and I have to admit this thread has me confused. I hope you can help clarify for me.
As I understand it, the latest iDrive software affects the sound of the car. My understanding, or rather assumption, was that the iDrive software is for the infotainment system and driver interactions - e g what's displayed on the HUD. I would understand if the update makes changes to the synthetic engine sound being piped through the speakers. But what I'm reading here is that it actually affects the engine/exhaust sound, and here is where I struggle.
I am no engineer nor a mechanic, but in my world the engine sound comes from the actual combustion of the fuel/air mixture in the engine, and that would be affected by the physical properties of the engine and the engine bay. How can that be affected by software? I guess if the iDrive software made changes to e g the fuel injection the fuel/air mixture could be richer or leaner and that might have an impact, but that should also affect performance and other characteristics, right? And the exhaust sound, isn't that a product of the design of the downpipes, catalytic converters, mufflers etc? I would again understand if BMW started putting in a particle filter, but software?
So my question is, how can a software update actually affect the sound? Or are the changes described referring to the artificial sound played through the speakers?
Hope I make sense, sorry if the answer should be obvious to me...
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