$5k for paint and no Nav?... zoinks.

Got a Garmin, a 3G iPad, and a Blackberry. If I can't find where I'm going without BMW's nav system, I shouldn't be driving . . .

I do wish BMW offered the larger iDrive screen without the Nav system, though - I'd like to have a bit more screen real estate for my iPod . . .

John C.

...and the nice thing about that Garmin is that when it is old, outdated or broken, it is very simple and cheap to replace. It is also very inexpensive to update the maps as well.

Looks great!

Interesting colour, congratulations on your perseverance! I was building an X5 today with the configurator (Canada) and saw the Ruby Black. I also liked the Azurite Black, with a blue layer in it similar to your red. I would go for Aventurine Silver, or Pearl Silver. For $5900 here (list price), we get a choice of four Individual colours, but we also get Piano Black, Eucalyptus, or Walnut Amarone interior trim; anthracite roofliner; satin aluminum shadowline trim; and pearl leather instrument panel. There are also Style 265 19" Individual wheels for $900 more, only available with the Individual paint.

Yes, you get the full Individual program in Canada. That was what drove me nuts; if I lived in Windsor, Ruby Black would have been just another option (albeit relatively expensive). But I live in the USA, so no Ruby Black for us as a "regular" option. The Azurite Black is very nice; blue is my favorite color (witness the Deep Sea Blue 128 'vert in the background of the photo), and I could definitely see doing this color some day.

John C.

I guess I shouldn't feel special w/an Imola E53 as it was only a $2k upcharge or something like that (I bought it CPO).

The Ruby Black looks really nice.

The BMW individual program is really neat, with a zillion options in Europe. I don't understand why we can't get them except through heroic efforts. This is especially frustrating when what you want is a vehicle built in the USA.

The BMW Individual Program for the X5, whatever the country, doesn't have anywhere near the number of options that they do for the 5, 7, etc. There are a few more items for the X5M, like the individual sound system, but even on the corporate site they only list 4 individual X5 colours. We get those four individual colours in Canada, and the three individual interior trims, but we don't have the full individual program, and so don't get all the Individual leathers that the rest of the world gets. So it looks like the X5 is somewhat limited in options due to the US manufacturing, and then regional sales companies limit it further.

BMW M Individual models : Overview

I am not sure the US manufacturing is to blame. When I ordered my '09 E90 Individual in Moonstone here in Canada, the leather part of the Individual package was not available either. And as we all know, 3 series is still made in Germany.

I thought very hard about having this colour on my new E71 as it looks absolutely fabulous in sunlight. It's a standard option for the UK. Unfortunately it just looks black in dull light, which we do get a lot of in the UK - in fact we only know it's Summer when the rain is warmer!!

I agree it is a beautiful colour! Very Jealous:(

I hope you continue to enjoy the diesel 'kick', it gets better as they break in ;)

My E71 is the new 40d and should be fabulous considering I'm going from 218bhp to 306bhp and a mountain of torque coupled to an 8 speed tranny.