PCD 11-13 observations
 

To calibrate my thoughts, this is my first BMW, and my first priority in buying a new car this year was to get a diesel. As a 30 year Cummins guy, I really wanted a diesel, yet the US market tanked just as Cummins and the Old Chrysler were about to release a V6 & V8 for the Aspen, Durango and ½ ton pickups……I am thankful for the change that Obama promised or I wouldn’t have an X5 in my garage..

PCD is unbelievable. They represent the brand in an amazing way. Friendly and organized, I’m sure it’s a combination of BMW and Southern hospitality. They treated everyone well. My 16 year old daughter, with a driver’s license with wet ink, was treated as well as all the adults, and was able to put their cars through the paces as did her dad.
For those that buy a BMW to look good in their garage or at the country club, they miss the most important part of the brand unless they take part of the PCD. The technology far exceeds the Roundel and status of the vehicle. The NYC factor (Not Your Car) when driving on the track, really makes you take notice of how everything works, and you won’t want to go back to another vehicle ever. (and don’t buy a used car from the PCD!)
The professionalism of Donnie and Ray on the driving course was great. They made everyone feel good, regardless of their experience or technique, and all their instructions were made to the person by name……not car #4 or the Black X5. A job well done. I’ll post a U-tube video of the M5 hot lap with Donnie……it was a great ride.
As the van pulled up from the Marriott in front of the PCD, and all of the deliveries for the day were in front……I commented to the group..”this is way better than Wally World” and it certainly was.

Impressions of the X5.

978 miles to Boston…….averaged 27.6 MPG. Need I say more?
I will.

Likes:
The Diesel. Forget about turbo lag. Unless you’re delivering mail, you don’t notice it. When you do notice the engine’s power, is when you’re cruising along at 70 MPH, and some Tuner in an RX-wtf? tries to pass you on the right. A little pressure to the throttle, and you spread the gap in a heartbeat…..his, not yours. Truly awesome !
The Nav. Great technology. Much faster than the 09 iDrive. The screen is amazing. The Map can be the entire screen, or you can split the map to the right, and have everything else on the left 2/3. The dial itself is very quick, especially when entering addresses, and the ability to email a destination to your X5 is great. No problem with polarized lenses, and night mode is really good too.
If you don’t like iDrive, you’re either stupid, stubborn, or just a bed wetter.
Bluetooth. I have a Mortorola VU204 from horizon. The cheapest phone my company could buy. It was set up and all my contacts uploaded in less than 3 minutes. It works great. Same with iPod. Plug in to the y cable, and access everything from the display as though you were turning the thumb wheel.

Dislikes.
Can’t figure out how to have the rear doors unlock when you park without having to hit the button on the dash or your remote.
Cruise control lever takes a bit to get used to. I kept getting the resume confused with the BC button on the turn signal lever. Operator Error.
Dumbest thing I’ve done….tried to use the iDrive to manage the air controls. There is a thumb knob by the vents that will open them up. DOH !

Cool Things I didn’t know I got.
The 3 signal indicator for changing lanes. Great tool.
The indicator for the cruise control that sweeps up the speedometer when set.
The 3D panoramic view of the Map. Looks like the view from your windshield. Really great for road trips.
The 20 way seats are great. The front bolster on long trips really keeps your legs from fatigue.

The one option I wish I got.... the rear climate controls. I will tint my rear windoes, yet having it done from the factory would be the better bet. The best thing I did.... the spare tire. Not cheap at all. I'll post later.

Factory tour. I like factories. It became more interesting the deeper you got. Seeing all the color combinations, wheel choices and interior colors for those shipped to the EU and Middle East was neat. The X6 Hybrid, in a light-Cloud Blue metallic was gorgeous. The EU options were cool. Lots of diesels in X6 and X5 Sport trim…different interiors…some right hand drive…… an option in EU to have no badging……. And the last thing they do…….put the Roundel on the hood….. really cool.
The plant was clean, the people were busy, and happy to be making our BMWs.

I have pictures that I’ll share in another posting……I’m tired from having so much fun. Glad I could share the day with my daughter and cmyx6go !!!!

Good write up. Glad u enjoyed the PCD as much u enjoy ur car.
Waiting for my day to come. Though I'm not doing PCD, I want to feel my baby.I hope we have a setting on iDrive to overcome this.

Great write up.

- there's no auto-unlock on this vehicle

- does the perspective view of the new nav show street names? It doesn't for the old version and that's why I think it's useless in that view. I don't think it ever speaks the street names either regardless of view does it?

This is a spot-on comment.

This cannot be overridden. To BMW, it's a safety feature. Press the button or open the door handle twice.

Good write-up. For my last few BMW purchases I've been telling myself that I will do a PCD. Something always seems to come up. Next time, really.

I don't think it does for now.
Though it calls out high way names, not the local street names yet.

bummer on the door locks..........I'll have to learn. The 3d perspective view can be adjusted from 200 feet to who knows how high.......on the open road, 2.5 miles is good to give you a picture of what's ahead. You can split the screen and have the right side at 400 feet, and the left side at 2.5 miles, and it gives you details as to what's coming up, and an overview of what lies ahead.

It does show all of the side roads, but I haven't been in an urban area to know about side streets. If you have radio on left screen and map on right, the map goes to road with arrow and name to tell you what to do at the intersection.

The voice isn't bad. I've named her a good bavarian name "Heidi". I think it's Heidi Klum when she speaks to me.

The top view camara is really cool. Backing into a space in a parking garage couldn't be easier.......you don't have to open the door to see if you're between the white lines any longer.

It shows street names, yes.
The nav voice guidance does not speak the street names.

I think it was pretty cool that we had PCD the same day. Too bad we weren't in the same group but it was fun all the same.

:iagree:

this is one feature i love the most...

Congrats on your car, but: hogging left late while right one is open and preventing others from passing you is not cool. Yes, passing on the right is not cool either, but it doesn't make you a cop - mind your business and move right.

So that was you in Virginia Saturday afternoon that kept trying to pass me on the right ! If I had recognized you I would have let you over..............not !!!

If I'm running with the flow in the left lane.....keeping my distance from the vehicle in front of me.....I'm ok with that..........it's the rapid lane changer that's coming up from behind and passing on the right that's unsafe......I do mind my own business.......just wish everyone else would too.......

Just FYI, what you're doing is illegal in VA: if the right lane is open, you have to move right, no matter whether you go in the left lane with the flow of traffic or all by yourself. Unfortunatelly, it's almost never enforced due to pretty much permanent congestion on VA roads.

FYI it's technically illegal in all states. So is passing on the right..........even in congestion or stop & go traffic.

Nice write up on your X5 delivery and driving experience.

I don't know about other states, but passing on the right is legal in Illinois if there are two lanes in the same direction:

"You may pass on the right (but not on the shoulder):

• when you have enough room on a two-lane roadway, and when the vehicle you are passing is making or is about to make a left turn.
• on a one-way street or on a roadway with two or more clear lanes in each direction.
• at an intersection widened for this purpose."

Sorry to continue the hijack
 

I wanted to kill someone driving home from PCD. Cars were hogging the left lane from SC all the way home. :wtf: I don't care if you're moving, but damn. These people get on, shoot for the left lane and stay there. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY....Even worse, the jerks that have a need to drive steering wheel to steering wheel and block the roadway. I wish I had a :gun:

To Diesel Guys defense, I've been in the left trying to push ahead with traffic also in the right. There's no way I'm letting someone hole shoot me. It's just one more jerk to get around later.

My original point was....there is no turbo lag with the diesel when you're at speed and want / need to accelerate quickly. I was refering to those that attempt to exceed the flow of traffic by weaving in and out of lanes.........somehow the thread was hijacked by a law abiding citizen that wanted to point out the VA traffic laws to me.....I don't care.

Yeah, I don't mind the lack of auto-unlocking, but I wish they had put the unlock button on the driver's door like 99% of the other manufacturers do. With the lock button on the door handrest, unlocking the doors for passengers gets to be pretty automatic, vs. reaching over to the center of the dash.

I'm mellowing in my old age I guess. Anymore, if I see somebody driving like an idiot and weaving in and out of traffic like he's at a racetrack, I decide that I would rather have him in front of me, where I can keep track of him and watch the accident he causes, than have him behind me, where he's more difficult to keep track of and might include me in his accident.

it will become more familiar, yet I'm not uet used to getting out of the car in the AM, coffee in hand.....and trying to open the rear door to get my briefcase .....and then having to go back in and lean over the seat.....carefull not to spill my coffee...and press the button......or fish the remote out of my jacket pocket and press the unlock button........just not thought out well..

perhaps I'll return to my mellow ways too........but certainly not during the first week or two !!!

Precisely. If the control was on the driver's door, rather than the center of the dash, it would be much more convenient.

I want him behind me. If he's in front of me, I may get caught up in his havoc. If he's behind me, I can watch the havoc in my rearview.

You'll get used to used to it. Just hit the button before you get out with your coffee in hand. Next time, get comfort access. Then you can open any door as long as the key is in your possession :D

If it works for you, that's great. In my particular experience, I've found that if you have a maniac driver behind you, who is willing to drive wildly and take stupid risks, the only way to stay ahead of him/her is to similarly devolve... often causing the crazy driver behind to adopt even more erratic and stupid behavior. Oft times, fueled by alcohol or drugs.

I just want to get those drivers far away from me, so I let them pass and slow down a bit until they disappear down the road a bit to bother other drivers.

But then what works for one person might not work as well for others.

I keep terds in front of me as well. This way you can always slow down to get away from him/her. It's easier to slow than to speed up through traffic trying to outrun a maniac.

Now I know why BMW doesn't put the lock control on the driver's door -- it would cut into comfort access sales if they did that! :D

I get your point, yet if they were trying to grow Comfort Access sales......they should make it available through the dealer's parts department to guys like me that can't learn to push the button before exiting the vehicle....

I think BMW does this so that the front seat passenger can also unlock all the doors. FWIW the E53 X5's unlock button is on the center console near the shifter.

Funf Dreisig

Probably. Too bad they couldn't afford to put a lock-unlock control on both the driver and passenger door, like my 1992 Ford Explorer does. I guess if you go for the BMW instead of the Ford, you have to give up a few features. :D