After 6 weeks of waiting, last Friday was my PCD. Below is a write up of the experience and attached pictures. Start with the top picture and work your way down.
We landed in Spartanburg late Thursday night and got picked up curbside in a 5 series wagon. We got to the Greenville Marriott just before 11pm so our driver told us that he'd get the kitchen to stay open so we could get our "BMW dinner". I had been wondering what the free food during the PDC would be like. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. The wife and I both had 8 oz Fillet Mignon with a couple of really good salads. The special menu also had Mahi and some kind of pasta. All free, including tip. Just sign your name and room number.
At 7:45am the shuttle bus took the group to the Performance Center. There were 6 of us this day. Three 3 series, a 7, an M3, and our X. It was a great experience meeting the other people talking with them throughout the day. The owners taking delivery of the 7 had actually done the European delivery and this was reuniting them with the car after a month or so. They had put 2500 miles on it over the course of two weeks in Europe.
After the initial orientation and waiver signing, they took us outside to the track where they had similar models to what we bought lined up waiting for us. Next to us was a bunch of M's waiting on the M car driving class held later in the day.(See picture).
The actual driving portion is broken up into 4 parts. The first was handling, where you do laps of slalom, high speed turns, chicanes, etc. This was amazing to feel what the X can do. I was able to outrun the 7 series and stayed even with an ameteur driving the M3. What a waste.
Next, Braking, where you test the ABS system. They told us to remember INYC. "It's not your car". Basically you accelerate to 50mph - I hit 60, and hit the brakes as hard as you can while making a bailout maneuver on the course. Eyes where you want to go, not where the hazard is. They told us that if we break the brake pedal by hitting it too hard, we get a free car to go along with the one we're picking up.
Third, is the skidpad and Traction Control demonstration. They put each person behind the wheel of a 330 and got us to drive slowly around the skidpad with the system deactivated, let off the gas, and then hit it hard. The car immediatly goes out of control and does a 360. After you do that a few times, the instructor activites the system and tells you to steer around the pad and put your foot on the floor. The system automatically controls the power and braking to each wheel and you only have to make minor steering adjustments to go around. No loss of control even with the pedal to the floor. Amazing safety feature.
After this was our Delivery and lunch. See attached pictures. Mine had 1 mile on the odo. After lunch was a hot lap with an instructor driving an M5. This was unreal. The guy was drifting around corners, spinning the wheels on demand in 3rd gear, cruising the skidpad without DSC. The instructors at this place are top notch.
After this was the offroad testing in the X5's. Everyone get in one and they lead you around a rocky area where you put it on two wheels, balance on the left side over a hill, ford a water hazard up to the axles, test the hill control on a 40% downslope, and feel the suspension working over a bunch of camelhumps. See pictures.
After the factory tour, where there was no production going on but a few people working and testing(saw the new X5 and X6Ms, as well as a camoed X3 that will be produced in the new factory addition) we left for our drive home to Nebraska. See pictures.
Overall, it was an amazing experience.
Worth the trip. I'd love to go back and do the 2-day M school.
If you have any questions, let me know.