E70 thoughts, questions.

[shäferhunde]

Hey guys - I've been drooling over this car for the past week. My e53 lease is up this spring, and I'm so glad that the new model didn't turn out to be another e60. I do have a few nitpicks, and some cool things I don't think others have mentioned, plus a few questions:

The exterior overall is great, but the front end, with the hood over the headlights and the mailslot is just bad. I'd like to know what the design discussions were like on that one.

The interior is incredible. I'm so glad that they didn't go with the double hump for the dash. The higher, widescreen nav display is a welcome improvement, though I wish they'd have put a little more overhang at the top to keep the glare down. Does anyone know what the current nav systems are like? Is the input any easier than on the e53?

I notice in the pics that we don't have to give up the heated steering wheel on the 3-spoke. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that's been possible on the e53.

I don't see where anyone has mentioned the 3" wider track.

The little compartment in front of the iDrive is perfect for an iPod dock. I hope someone is working on a snap in adapter - hint, hint.

The new shifter is dumb, imo. The reason the mechanical lever works where it is, is that is gives a visual indication of what gear you're in (sort of like the landing gear switch on an airplane - you pilots know what I'm talking about). Without that, it may as well be buttons on the steering wheel as far as I'm concerned. Having a monstrous switch on the console right in the middle of everything is a waste of space. Plus it's ugly.

Has anyone seen pictures of the wheel options? I assume the ones in the photos are the base 4.8 option. I'd love to know what the 3.0 options are.

Any idea of what added kneespace we might get in the rear? Will the rear seatbacks still be adjustable?

Lastly, I'm a bit concerned on the pricing. An e70 optioned out like my current e53 is about $5k more. Of course it's a better vehicle, but still. I noticed that Porsche has cancelled the '07 Cayenne due to slow sales. Perhaps BMW will offer some discounts, or at least some good financing options.

But overall, nice work BMW. This, the new 3 coupe, and the new Z coupe have restored my faith in BMW's design team.