Post your first see/drive impressions here!

[josejb70]

Hi everyone,

Here’s my VERY PERSONAL recap of my first encounter with an E70. Please feel free to agree or disagree. I am sure we will all have very different opinions of the truck as it starts to surface and we get to see it and drive it. Lets use this thread to post our first impressions of the E70.

Jose

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I got up early yesterday morning to go have my X5 washed. The carwash happens to be a couple of blocks away from my local BMW dealer and naturally I drove by to see if by any chance they happen to have an E70 on the lot. Low and behold, there she was! In all its glory, parked facing in on the lot’s corner.

As I approached the truck my first view was of the rear. It is gorgeous. We’ve all seen the pictures so there’s no need to explain. I parked next to it and contrary to what others have said; all of a sudden my E53 looked dated. The E70’s stance is much more athletic—almost prance-like. Yes, evolutionary, but definitely a totally new design.

I walked around for a few minutes before a saleslady approached me, asked if I liked it, and only after seeing that I was driving the E53 parked next to it did she offer to go get the keys (typical Florida BMW dealer).

While the saleslady got the keys I had a chance to really examine the E70. Unfortunately, that love at first sight quickly vanished. At close inspection, the front end is very complex. There are a lot of cuts and angles that make it appear as if the truck had a million panels put together. The way the hood slopes over the headlights indeed makes it look like there’s a fit problem (when there isn’t). Has anyone else noticed it?

This was a Space Gray Silver 3.0is with Jet Black interior. It had the Premium Package and 3rd row; MSRP $54,000. And, just like in the E53, there is plastic galore. And, just like in the E53 3.0 there is no chrome accent anywhere, which makes the truck look rather plain. The cool square exhaust pipes are also MIA. The 3.0si has the same round pipes found in the E53.

The first thing I noticed when we got in is the awkward position of the key hole. The sales lady had to lean over to find it. The steering wheel blocks it from view. Perhaps the stop/start button could have been moved up and the hole placed underneath it (like in the E90). The steering wheel in the 3.0si doesn’t have the nice chrome accent from the 4.8i. This is a shame as it makes the steering wheel look very plain.

The iDrive screen is TINY. This vehicle didn’t have navigation. The saleslady explained that the navigation screen is larger and takes the whole width of the indentation. This screen takes about 2/3 of the width and it looked silly—almost like it was after-market. The position of the screen is not as set back as the photos lead to believe. I am wondering if we are going to have glare problems like we have with the E53.

The iDrive controller is hard to move. I had never used a BMW iDrive and only have experience with the Audi MMI controller. Audi’s doesn’t jog, it only turns. But it is easy to turn and it moves intuitively. One must really use force to jog the iDrive controller; it is by no means something you’ll be able to move naturally while you drive.

Interestingly enough, I mentioned to the sales lady that in my E53 I can use the buttons on the stereo to direct-dial a telephone number. She said, oh, the Bluetooth in this truck is much better (I grinned). And then she goes “go get your phone and I’ll show you!” So I did. She fumbled with the iDrive for two minutes and could not find the Bluetooth screen. I couldn’t help it but laugh! In any case, there are only 8 buttons on the stereo which means that in order to direct-dial a number you’ll have to jog-turn-push-jog-turn-push-again the iDrive. The E90 has 10 buttons on the stereo, by the way. Why couldn’t BMW do the same on the E70?

The seats were hard. This really surprised me. When I got my E53 I remember sitting in the truck for the first time and thinking, WOW, these feel nice. The seats in the E70 were nothing like that. The leather is not soft and the padding is hard and flat. The third row is miniscule. I think none of us expected the third row to be anything other than what it is considering the size of the truck. Nonetheless, it appears much larger on the photos we’ve all seen.

Overall, the interior is gorgeous. The electronic shifter is very cool (it looks larger in photos). The dash flows beautifully and everything is within adequate reach. The materials feel solid and the fit and finish is expectedly BMW. I didn’t get to drive it but I am sure it drives amazingly.

Unlike many of the other forum members who are driving enthusiasts, I am an old soul. I like luxury and pampering. I love techno toys and buttons. I want to slide into the seat and feel it wrap around me. I want to look at the cabin and feel like I am looking at fine furniture. I want to walk up to my truck and feel that it really looks like a $50,000 car. Unfortunately, unless you move up to the $70,000 plus 4.8i with all the accoutrement, the E70 3.0is falls short of that promise. Yes, I am sure it drives like a million bucks, but I my humble I-can-only-afford-a-six-cylinder world, that is not enough.