BMW will offer heated seat subscriptions in Australia

You pay monthly for service subscriptions like Spotify and Netflix, and BMW figures you may be happy doing the same for features like heated seats.

With its in-car technology supporting over-the-air updates, this has opened the door for BMW Australia to offer features that can be added after purchase on its ConnectedDrive store.

UPDATE, 12/07/2022 3:40pm: BMW Australia has confirmed the features recently added to the ConnectedDrive store will not be available via subscription on its current range.

BMW has a slew of new models arriving this year, including mid-cycle updates for the 3 Series and X7, and new generations of the 7 Series and X1 and their i7 and iX1 electric counterparts.Our headline has been updated to reflect this development.

The store currently features heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and BMW Drive Recorder, which can be added to your vehicle provided it has the hardware. These can be activated and subscribed to for a set period of time.

These subscriptions first appeared on the ConnectedDrive store earlier in July.

That gives you the option, for example, to only pay for a heated steering wheel for the coldest part of the year.

All of these features are also available for a free one-month trial.

One month of heated front seats is listed at $29, while a month’s use of a heated steering wheel or BMW Drive Recorder costs $19.

Other subscription prices are as follows:

• BMW Drive Recorder – 1 year: $79
• Heated steering wheel – 1 year: $169
• Heated front seats – 1 year: $289
• BMW Drive Recorder – 3 years: $189
• Heated steering wheel – 3 years: $259
• Heated front seats – 3 years: $419

You can also add these features permanently, with heated front seats costing $589, a heated steering wheel costing $349, and BMW Drive Recorder costing $429.

BMW Drive Recorder can automatically or manually record the last 40 seconds of footage from outside your vehicle, whether you’re capturing memories from a scenic road trip or obtaining evidence to send to your insurance company.

These new features join a range of features already available on the ConnectedDrive store, but only as one-off purchases.

These include adaptive M suspension ($650) and automatic high-beam ($259).