BMW E89 sat nav update

Which sat nav does the Z4 E89 have?

The E89 Z4 is a roadster with a folding hard top, sold from about 2009 to 2016. Navigation was an option rather than standard, so many Z4s were built without it. Where it was ordered, though, the picture is fairly consistent:

Treat the 2009 to 2016 span as approximate. Unlike several BMWs of the same age, the Z4 does not appear to have switched navigation hardware part-way through: as far as we know it kept CIC from start to finish, so there is no changeover date to work around. What varies from one car to the next is whether navigation was ordered and at which level, and the VIN check above answers both.

Navigation or radio only? How to tell on a Z4

Before thinking about maps, make sure the car has something to put them on. A Z4 with factory navigation has a screen and an iDrive controller on the centre console, which you use to reach the navigation menu. If yours has no screen or controller of that kind, it was most likely built as a radio-only car, and a map update has nothing to install onto.

If there is a screen, the remaining question is whether CIC runs it, as on Navigation Professional cars, or possibly CIC Mid on a Business car. We can update both, but they take different maps, and the VIN check identifies which one yours needs.

• Screen and iDrive controller on the console: navigation fitted
• Navigation Professional: CIC, PREMIUM maps
• Business navigation: may be CIC Mid, MOTION maps
• Radio only: nothing to update

Business vs Professional navigation in the Z4 E89

On a Z4 that does have sat nav, Navigation Professional is the straightforward case. It runs on CIC, and as far as we know that stayed true for the entire run, so it takes our PREMIUM maps whatever the build year.

Business navigation is less clear-cut on this model. Where a Z4 has it, the unit behind it may be CIC Mid, which takes the MOTION maps, but we would not assume that without checking the car. Both maps cost the same, £39.99 with a typed code, so the practical point is simply to order the one that matches your unit, and the VIN check makes that choice for you.

How to update the maps in your Z4 E89

Each map comes in an East Europe and a West Europe version. Install the one that suits the roads you drive most; it still carries the main roads of the other half. Where your unit supports it, the order includes a Lifetime FSC code, which means later releases at no charge when you email us for them. While the update runs, keep the Z4 parked in a safe, open spot and let it complete. If you are curious about the activation step, BMW FSC code explained goes through it.

Apple CarPlay in the Z4 E89

There is no CarPlay to switch on in an E89: CIC, CIC Mid and the radio-only setup all lack it in their software. Adding it means fitting a hardware retrofit. Our USB CarPlay activation covers later BMWs with NBT EVO ID5/ID6 and Navigation Professional, and the Z4 E89 is not one of them; does my BMW have Apple CarPlay? lists the cars that are.

Z4 generations either side of the E89

The E85/E86 Z4 that came before does not have iDrive navigation of the CIC type, and it is not a car we cover. The G29 Z4 that followed switched to iDrive 7, which uses the LIVE maps. These update over the air while the car’s map update subscription or free period is active; once it has ended, a USB update with an FSC file keeps them current. For a BMW from the same years as the E89, the 3 Series E90 family has its own BMW E90 sat nav update guide, where the mix of units is wider.