BMW F32 sat nav update

Which sat nav does the F32 have?

The 4 Series was built from about 2013 to 2020, with a facelift in 2017, and is closely related to the F30 3 Series. Cars with Navigation Professional start with NBT and move to NBT EVO from about mid-2016. That split matters more than the facelift does, because the two units take different maps, a different kind of activation and a differently formatted USB stick. Later cars with Business navigation have a separate unit again:

The dates are approximate and follow the build date, not the registration, so a late pre-facelift car can already have NBT EVO. Among the 4 Series cars we have checked by VIN, an F32 Coupé had NBT EVO. The VIN check above tells you which unit your own car has.

NBT or NBT EVO: how to tell them apart

On the 4 Series the iDrive controller is not a reliable clue. The touchpad on top of it arrived with NBT, and it appears to have carried on into NBT EVO, so a touchpad alone does not settle it. The build date is a better guide and the VIN check is the definitive one.

What really changes is the update itself. NBT uses the NEXT maps with a code you type on screen. NBT EVO ID5/ID6 uses the EVO maps and an FSC file that the car reads from the USB stick, so there is nothing to type. The wrong package will not work on the other unit, which is why we check the VIN before you pay.

• About 2013 to mid-2016: NBT, NEXT maps
• From about mid-2016: NBT EVO, EVO maps
• Business navigation: EntryNav or EntryNav2
• VIN check: the definitive answer

Business vs Professional navigation in the 4 Series

Navigation Professional is the system with NBT or NBT EVO described above. Some later 4 Series cars have Business navigation instead, which uses EntryNav and the ROUTE maps, activated with a typed FSC code. Some late Business cars may have EntryNav2, which takes the WAY maps with an FSC file.

The level of navigation also decides whether CarPlay activation is possible: USB activation is only for NBT EVO cars with Navigation Professional, so a Business-navigation 4 Series is not covered by it.

How to update the maps in your F32

NEXT and ROUTE come as East or West Europe: you install one, and each includes the main roads of the other. EVO and WAY cover Europe in one package. For NBT and EntryNav, a Lifetime FSC code is included where your unit supports it, so future map versions cost nothing extra; email us when you want one. If your car takes an FSC file, don't rename it. Keep the car parked in a safe, open place while the update runs, and see BMW FSC code explained for the difference between codes and files.

Apple CarPlay in the F32

4 Series cars with NBT EVO and Navigation Professional can have CarPlay activated by USB from £49.99, with optional FullScreen and Video in Motion at £10 each. Our compatible list covers 2017 to 2020 F32, F33 and F36 cars, plus the M3 and M4 (F80, F82, F83). Earlier cars with NBT need a hardware retrofit instead.

NBT EVO arrived around mid-2016, but the compatible list starts at 2017, so if your car is one of the earliest NBT EVO builds, check the VIN before ordering. The BMW F30 Apple CarPlay guide has a section on the 4 Series.

The 4 Series, the F30 and what came next

Because the 4 Series is so closely related to the F30 3 Series, the BMW F30 sat nav update guide is a useful companion, particularly if you have one of each. The 4 Series that followed, the G22, moved to iDrive 7 and 8 with the LIVE maps. Those 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 the maps current.