Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdubya
I have just about a month with my new 540i now, so I thought I'd post some thoughts on it.
Here is the build spec:
Bluestone
Ivory white nappa
Cold weather
Drivers Assistance, Plus, and Plus II
Luxury Seating
Premium pkg
M Sport
20" wheels 759i
Piano black trim
M Sport Brakes
Power tailgate
Soft close doors
HK sound
RC parking
Apple CarPlay
Gesture Control
M Performance Exhaust
I came out of a 2014 550i M Sport, so I'm using that as my recent comparison experience. I've also recently owned E93 M3 DCT, 650i convertible, and a slew of X3s and X5s for the wife. I drive about 20,000 miles a year here in SoCal, so I get a lot of wheel time. That factor played into many of my option choices.
Performance: I was worried going from the V8tt in the 550i to the smaller engine, but my lease was up before the 550xi was going to be available. I'm glad both that I didn't wait and that I got the 540 and saved the money. The car is a rocket. After four weeks of driving, I haven't encountered a situation where I wish I had more power. In fact I'm convinced by the butt-o-meter that this car is as fast in normal driving as my 550i was. And on top of that, I'm averaging 24.1 mpg, which is 5 mpg better than I got in my 550.
Comfort: hands down the G30 is light years ahead of my F10. The luxury seating package in the new car is so much better than the one in the old car. The seats are ridiculously comfortable, the ventilated seats work better, and the massage is just what the doctor ordered at the end of a long day. You can auto program the heated seats, steering wheel, and vent seats to come on when it is certain temperatures outside. Backseat room is better by about two inches of legroom. According to my kids the rear seats are more comfortable.
The ride quality of the car, even on the 20" wheels, is far better than the F10. It also handles better, and is crisper feeling where the F10 felt a little more dull.
Sport Mode - this is a seriously improved feature. The fact that you can individualize Sport Mode for your liking is a nice feature. What is really nice however is that unlike the F10, the car will shift up to 8th gear in Sport, so you can use Sport Mode and not feel the need to drop back to Comfort Mode when on the freeway. The seat side bolsters hug you when you shift into Sport. The steering feel and turn in crispness and steering ratio changes. The car truly feels like a different car when you click Sport, not just that your car holds the rpm's longer before shifting!
Gesture Control - I ordered this as a gimmick but it has ended up being one of my favorites. Especially if you are a station changer when listening to music or playlists. Or if you use nav a lot, and there are a lot of "route changes" due to traffic. The swipe function is nice to avoid having to touch the idrive or screen. For $190 (residualized in the lease even less) it's an automatic "get". And it's cool to show off to passengers.
Display Key/Automatic Parking - one month in, I haven't used auto parking once. I'm going to wager I won't actually use it ever. The cycle to use it is so cumbersome that I'll just park and squeeze out of the door. Also, it won't work unless the starting spot is flat, which means that I can't pull in to my driveway and have it pull the car into my garage spot. I'd pass on this if I ordered another, as most of the key features can also be accessed on my connected drive iPhone app.
Exhaust - MPE is loud. And it drones at low rpm on the freeway. I solved these issues by having a OEM BMW exhaust valve welded inline for one of the exhaust outlets, and connecting the EVC plug that is used with the stock exhaust. Now it is perfect. Superb sound, and not annoying for my work clients etc.
CarPlay is nice but I get static sometimes on phone calls.
ACC is awesome. Lane assist is helpful. I only wish it would follow closer to the car in front of you. In bumper to bumper traffic, it leaves too much room and cars cut in front of you. Heads up display is way nicer than F10.
M Sport Brakes - Get 'em. Brake dust is bad, but they are oh so good.
HK sound - way better than in the F10. Bass is better. Crisp highs. I wouldn't spend the money for B&W until you drive a car with the HK.
Piano Black Trim - every person who gets in the car compliments the trim and the ivory white interior. It's a stunning combo.
All around this car is more than just a small advancement from the F10. This car will end up causing a good many buyers to NOT move upmarket and get a 7 Series. It is significantly more luxurious, sporty, and expensive feeling than the outgoing car. The 540 motor is so nice that it's going to be a tough sell to get people to spend the extra cash for the 550. I can't even imagine what the M5 will be like.
As another forum member said, if you are waiting for delivery of a G30, you won't be disappointed.
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Itīs nice to hear these positives. I am really looking forward. I can īt wait a minute longer..
I had the e91 which I sold.
I am driving almost for a one year Opel Corsa 2002 so I guess the improvement for me will be huge
