Speedo/cruise accuracy?
 

My E70 has the most inaccurate speedo/cruise of any car I've had in a few years. With previous cars if I set the cruise to 71k I'll get 70k on the GPS, or 112k to get 110 on the GPS. But with this car it's more like 74k to get a real 70, or 115k to get 110. The car has standard wheels and tyres so there should be no effect from that area.

Is this normal for these cars?

Yes. Normal for all BMW's. You can do some coding to the cluster and get it to show actual speed but I just operate the vehicle knowing I am 3-5mph slower than the cluster reads.

I just drilled a hole in the bezel and slightly bent the pointer......



.

How did you verify the speed displayed by the GPS was accurate?

:rofl:
OP, The Kombi is programmed to display a higher reading, you can code it to display actual if it bothers you that much

Ditto the above. Blame it on European regulations:

In Europe cars must conform the UNECE Regulation No. 39, which requires that the indicated speed is not less than the true speed of the vehicle.

If you want more details...just google UNECE regulation 39...download the PDF and take a gander at why your speedometer reads as it does. :D