Write up and answers

[jcreed]

I went through some of the other threads and my thread and saw people asking the same questions so i ll try to answer as many as i can here as well as a write up.
i own a 4.8 and i havent driven a 3.0 so i have no clue how is 3.0 is.

Performance

1.. currently im getting 11MPG for city use. very light foot but im expecting better after break in

2.. initial acceleration under 1500-2000 rpm is very slow but acceleration really picks up after 2000rpm

3.. the engine sounds really nice and loud with a deep roar.. i like it..but then im only 21.. so im not sure if everyone appreciate the level of loudness

4.. huge brakes. brakes as well as any sports sedan.

5.. as previously said.. great handling... i have the sports package with 20in rims.. . cant expect anything better because it really is perfect... however im only 21..and im driving a slk55 and clk 500 so what i think as comfortable and good handling might seem a bit rough for others...

6.. comfortness really depend on the person. i have some ppl saying my car is great.some say too rough... so i would suggest test drive different options and try what works for you... i love my car.. i think its very very comfortable

7.. the steering wheel is a bit on the heavy side but they are great for higher speed (40mph or higher).. the steering wheel is very very firm. just like m3's steering wheel...parking is not a problem as the steering wheel is adaptive to speed but i find it a little heavy and slow between 10-40mph, but just a little

Transmission
8. removed. will double check before reposting

9. shifting between gears is very very fast. much better then current cars. i would dare to say it shift almost as fast as the SMG onthe m3

Sports mode

10. the biggest thing i noticed with sports mode is that acceleration becomes better. my car is still in break in so i havent really pushed it yet. but the difference in acceleration is noticable even though i didnt drive pass 4000rpm. ill do another review of the sports mode after i put on more miles

Electronic gadgets

11.. the comfort seats are really really really comfortable. if you havent ordered your car you really should try it and think about getting it

12.. the head up display works great. it display a range of things from current speed to navigation. HOWEVER unlike the m5 it does not display rpm. i dont know if you could some how play with the program and mod it but it is certainly capable as the navigation could display some color. e.g. when its cold outside and you startup the car. a little snow flake is displayed in yellow and it display the outside temp. and display red when i didnt close a door properly

13.. my car uses DTC... there is a little button below the radios that activates it, as per the instruction booklet is meant for unplowed snow, mud etc. havent seen any snow so i cant report on how well it works

14. the back up camera is almost useless near places with no light ( too dark) . but they work ok if there are street light and so forth

15. i have experience minor problem with the brightness of my screen. i turned the brightness to full but 2 days later it just somehow went back to mid.. i dont know if thats a problem with the software or something..but it happened twice already. minor problem


Climate controls/Seat

16 .. heated/cooled seats are controled both by button and i drive. there are two button to control the heated/cooled seats for driver and front passenger.. both are 3 staged and through i drive you can also adjust the intensity and the intensity to a certain area. e.g back. butt

17. front, passenger and back climate control can all be controled through the i drive as well as well the vent setting intensity and so forth

18. i have the rear climate control. so on the back there is a seperate button and display for dual climate control in the rear..i dont know if this is standard so you might or might not have this.. . the button can be manually adjusted or auto.. and back left and right passenger can have different temps

19. active seats - well basically what this does it the seat pumps up and down the part that you sit on.. its very noticable.. im just not sure how well it works yet.. but yes is very noticable.. its not like the audi or mb..it simply pumps up and down on the butt area...

Other options
20. the kick board is a 300 option.. however i noticed it to be further out then the door so if someone open their door and provided they aint another suv ( its too low for suv doors) then their door should dent again your kick board instead of your door.. however it does make getting in and out the car a little bit clumsy

21. black get dirty like nothing else.. my car look like it hasnt been washed for a month.. its only been a week.

22.. the new glove box is cool.. really really cool.. it just.. pop open from no where

23.. the arm rest box opens by pressing down on it.. and then press the button... i think this is good so it doesnt randomly pop open if you play with the buttons and maybe confuse some not so honest valets?

24.. comfort access is great for winter and summer.. i have yet to take out my car key from my overcoat.. all you do is pull the car door and it just opens... and just press the engine start and the car starts... no searching through pockets... no trying to find that little hole to insert your key.. just get in and go

anyways.. i did not test drive any car before purchase. and i have only driven my car so i cannot tell you the difference between having and not having some of the options. and they are subjective to begin with.. i can only say its one of the best cars i have ever driven..

[trueX5er]

Thanks for the honesty!
A few comments:

On vehicles with out the sport package, when you place the gear shift to the left, it will engage sport mode shifting.

And how does the navi work? intuitive? tried voice control? Is it simple to enter destinations and store and retrive them? How do you like iDrive? Bluetooth?
Have fun with it!

Thanks!

[dmlgc]

wow 4 cars, in California one more and they declare you a car dealer
and make you get a business license.

[330i2X5]

So are you saying that in an E70 WITH sports package, when you shift lever to the left that "DS" does NOT ENGAGE??????? That there is NO DS mode in sports package X5's and just AUTO/Manual step???

Why would that be??

I AM SURE I SAW a "DS" in a standard 3.0si demo with no sport package for sure, but why would they change transmission for a sports package vehicle?

[FatX5]

Jcreed - Good luck with ride - i did see your pics and it's very similar to my e70. I also have a 4.8 black, black interior, about 1 month old with 1500 mls.

I agree with you about the display screen - Mysteriously defaults back to to the middle setting after i repeatedly put it brighter. Dont know why - i have this on my list for when i bring it for service.

Sport package with 20's - Amazing handling. I am able to get the DS selection, automatic with more aggressive shifting, by clicking left only once. The SPORT button below the shifter only firms up the suspension and does not effect the transmission.

ArmRest - Hard to open, but yes - push down and it opens reliably, not sure if it was designed for this. Did you catch the autospie review? Comical when he tries to open!

Camera - agreed - useless at night.

TPM - works great - got a nail in the tire - picked it up on TPM with loss of only 3 psi.

Mileage - I am averaging about 11.8 - mostly NYC driving - it has gotten better. Highway MPG is much better 20+.

Navi - works great - Real time traffic helps.

Voice Command - Excellent feature - i have not seen many people talk about this feature but it works great.

So far quality has been pretty much flawless, except for the small items that you have come across. Are you having a difficult time with wide 20's and car washes?

[jcreed]

The nav works like any other bmw.. Personally i think its a little slow when trying to find route compared to my old lexus 350.. and the navi is harder to use but i think its intuitive enough..
i have tried voice command.. its not 100% correct.. its about 80%... but thats better then the 5% on other cars..
i think its simple to enter destinations and store them.but again its not as good as the lexus..but i say its better then mb..
retrive wise mb is better. and i-drive is a little slow..it lags a little and bluebooth does not work for me..but i got a odd phone.. so i dont really blame bmw..but it works with my mb and lexus..

im not sure about transmission but when i moved my shifter left it just went into manual.. i havent really played with it since its in break in.. maybe i accidentally pressed it a little when i shift it ??? ill double check that one..

fatx5
- i think the arm rest is designed that way because it works EVERYTIME when pressed down
- i realised that i get much better mileage by accelerating to a higher speed and hold it there. i guess the car is too heavy
- the 20inchs are HUGE.. i thought my slk wheels was wide.. but hell..and
this car is so so wide.. its as wide as a ford pick up and im not kidding..i havent washed my car yet so i dont know if there is a problem.. but the wheels looks awesome
- i have problems with parking though.. the car is just too wide..

[trueX5er]

Thanks for the nav info....a bit less worried...
But I do like the simplicity of my '03.....but whatever....
Is there a website that you know of that will give me more specific info on my order? (besides dealer) BMW OC Online says "scheduled or in production". Not too specific. It should be only a few weeks! (I only know I have a Feb. production date)