[roozybeh]

So here is a full update and review of the experience:

I picked up the car in Munich at BMW Welt. The drive to the facility was great, a driver met us at the airport and transferred us in a brand new 7 series limousine. At the BMW Welt, we checked our luggage and proceeded to the check-in counter. There we were given special printed BMW card and was given access to the lounge. The lounge was stylish and a variety of great food and German beer was at your disposal. My parents and brother were scheduled for the factory tour as I took delivery of my X1. The paper work and wait time took about 45 minutes, but you have access to the lounge with your card at all time. Also the check-in representative printed the tour cards for the family before we started, so they can continue on and not miss the tour.
Since I didn't do the tour, I can't talk about it, but my brother was very impressed. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed, but he said that it was like the "charlie and chocolate factory" where you get to see every step of the way.

She is named Sissi by the way, after Elizabeth the Austrian queen.

I was greeted by a product specialist who took me through a presentation room in which he explained various performance and capabilities of the car on an interactive screen. Then I was walked to the show room from the stairs with a view from above (pictured). At this point my car begun to spin on the platform (super great feeling). The specialist then walked me to the car where the luggage was already transferred to. We did a walk around and he helped me setup the car and the profile and answered any questions I had at the time. I then was given the opportunity to drive the car down the ramp and out of the showroom. The timing was perfect as the factory tour was finished and i met with the family right after.

I was given a 20 Euro gift card which covered the cost for a new USB charger for the backseat and they also give you a free engraved BMW keychain as well. They also gave me 2-free hazard/reflective jackets (as it is required by the german law). I had bought 4 from IKEA in the states in advance since in Austria and CZ you are required to have a reflective vest for each occupant of the car (I believe France as well, but we didn't drive there). I was also given a free BMW hazard triangle and first aid kit that fits nicely in the boot-door. BMW also provides you with the green #4 sticker so you can drive the car inside the city zone (in Germany). The specialist said that this is how you can often point out which cars were delivered in Europe (for ED customers).

We drove about 3740 Km going from Munch > Verona Italy > Venice > Salzburg > Attersee Lake > Wachau > Wien > Budapest > Slovakia > Prague > Nuremberg > Frankfurt > Heidelberg > Köln > Den Haag & Amsterdam where I dropped the car at the port.

Over all it was an amazing trip. I maxed out at 220 Kph (130 mph) but the road conditions weren't great due to rain and my mom was having a heart attack in the back seat. But the car still had room and energy to go on. My final gas milage was 30.4 mpg with 4 adults and full luggage load. Also, i was told by the BMW specialist at the Welt center to use the 95 octane benzene/petrol, but on 3 occasions I used the 101 when the difference wasn't more than couple of cents. I did fill the tank with the 101 in the Netherlands before going to the port =)
The German sticker is only for parking/driving inside the city zones in Germany! You will need special vignette (road stickers) for couple of the countries that will be placed on your windshield. They are Austria, CZ and Switzerland, and for the rest expect Germany and The Netherlands you will have to register your plate at the border by paying for the stickers (but you won't actually get a sticker).

The sliding rear seats were great as it allowed us to keep all the luggage in the boot without compromising any space. I'm 5' 7" and my dad is 5' 8" sitting behind me without any issues with the back seats moved forward for the luggage.
The panoramic window was great. My mom would constantly comment on how open it felt in the back and how she did not feel like she was in the back seat at all.
I should have gotten the parking assistant package! Either the sensors or the camera! big mistake on my part, but it is a lesson learnt!
The seats were comfortable, but i must admit not as comfortable as my last A4! I felt that after 2 hours i could i had to get out and stretch. In the Audi I would never had to! haha... but they were great nevertheless.

I drove mostly on the eco-mode. The car isn't as responsive in sense of pickup when in this mode, but it is enough to overtake on the highway even when coasting at about 80-90 mph; just push the pedal to the max and within a second the car realizes what it is being asked and jumps. I used the sports mode when traveling in the alps and the alpine lakes. I even got to use the hill-decent option twice going down a slippery local alpine roads.

I had no issues with the bluetooth or the USB. My brother even had his 2.5" portable hard drive attached to the USB and it had enough power to power the drive and pull the music from it to stream. very impressive =)
The radio didn't show the name of the songs being played. I didn't pay attention to it much and didn't play with it either, but it was something that i noticed. We will see when the car is in states and i will update on that.
One interesting feature was that the radio station list automatically updates, so you don't need to scan every time. You can just scroll down and select a new station from the list.

Road noise was minimum. I don't have the RFTs but above 60/70 mph the noise didn't change much. The passenger doors in the back were sometimes awkward to close. I felt as you really had to slam the door or close it firmly.

At the drop-off location in Amsterdam they informed me that the car will be shipped back to Germany and then transferred to a boat to come to the states. So we will see how long it will take to make it back to the east coast.

Also, the number plates were attached by strong double sided tapes and not screwed in case you were wondering.

Attached are pics from the trip. From top to bottom:
1- Petrol station in Frankfurt Germany
2- Crossing the Danube river in Wachau, Austria with the river Ferry
3- The fastest I drove the car on the German Autobahn. RPM was only at 3,500 and the car was still accelerating nicely.
4- Delivery at BMW Welt with Sissi on the platform spinning. They moved the checked-in luggage to the car side.
5 and 6- After driving the car down the ramp at BMW Welt, just outside the BMW museum
7 and 8- Waiting for the river Ferry in Wachau. It was a great day.
9- I finally managed to get 5 stars across the board while driving in the Netherlands. I actually managed to get an extra 90 miles (according to the car) for that tank (74 miles was when i took the picture).
10- Sandpoort-Noord in the Netherlands by the ocean. Before driving to the port for drop-off.


Quick Video:

[ando]

Congrats on the ED. Sounds like a great trip.

[hyperspeed]

thanks for sharing! i'm so jealous that we didn't opt for ED on our X1... gunna have to force myself to do it on our next car!!

[Saintsman]

Great to hear you enjoyed your trip.

I didn't know we all had to have a reflective vest in Austria, so will have to buy some more, for our holiday.

[AusF20/F48]

Congrats on your new X1
It sounds like all our local BMW dealers could lean a thing or two about customer relations from BMW Germany.
Thanks for the review

[Bill_P]

Fantastic review. Beautiful photos. You could get that published in a car mag and it would not look out of place - well done

Are we jealous - you bet we are - no ED option for UK owners

[hart4bmw]

Very nice !

[Saintsman]

Originally Posted by Bill_P

Are we jealous - you bet we are - no ED option for UK owners

That makes me feel so much better, I thought I was missing out.
I assumed we could get an ED as well, but as I have to get some mobility adaptations taken off my car and put on the new one, I have to get that done when I pick it up.

[pbjjj]

Thank you for sharing! You sure went through a lot of countries! Sounds like an amazing trip! Would love to see some of your favorite pictures from your trip!

[roozybeh]

Have to figure out how to upload a video. Took a nice timelapse video driving in the alps and going through the tunnels.
I'd honestly rank that drive as one of my all time favorite routes. You really don't know what to look at, the road or the view of the snow capped mountains in front of you.

[simon.]

Enjoyed reading that, thanks for taking the time to write it up.

& as said, no ED for us Brits. Rubbish

[roozybeh]

Originally Posted by pbjjj

Thank you for sharing! You sure went through a lot of countries! Sounds like an amazing trip! Would love to see some of your favorite pictures from your trip!

I posted a quick video of the trip. Honestly, it is so hard to pick a favorite. I know the number of the pictures doesn't do each country any justice, especially Slovakia but the Alps were by far my favorite part. Especially going through Austria from the south into Salzburg (been there many times and still love it) and then driving through Attersee Lake and Wachau wine region.


Video:

[pbjjj]

Originally Posted by roozybeh

I posted a quick video of the trip. Honestly, it is so hard to pick a favorite. I know the number of the pictures doesn't do each country any justice, especially Slovakia but the Alps were by far my favorite part. Especially going through Austria from the south into Salzburg (been there many times and still love it) and then driving through Attersee Lake and Wachau wine region.

Nice!!! Looks like an amazing trip! I will have to refer back to your itinirary when I plan my ED next time!

Thank you so much for putting that together and sharing it!

Was there any part of the trip that you wish you didn't drive? I have traveled to a large part of Europe but never drove in most of the cities I went. I would love to drive to explore the places where it's hard to get to without a car. I did a 2-week driving vacation through England and Scotland. That was an amazing trip that I could never forget.

[roozybeh]

Originally Posted by pbjjj

Nice!!! Looks like an amazing trip! I will have to refer back to your itinirary when I plan my ED next time!

Thank you so much for putting that together and sharing it!

Was there any part of the trip that you wish you didn't drive? I have traveled to a large part of Europe but never drove in most of the cities I went. I would love to drive to explore the places where it's hard to get to without a car. I did a 2-week driving vacation through England and Scotland. That was an amazing trip that I could never forget.

Honestly, I was excited to see those cities, some for the first time and some to see them again. So the drive was exciting nevertheless. I wasn't crazy about Slovakia. Really not much there. And most of these cities weren't really driving cities. We parked the car at the hotels and explored the city on foot.

But I would definitely recommend the Italian and the Austrian wine country, especially around spring/summer. My 8 min ferry ride across the Danube was just a thrill.

Also, The Netherlands is an amazing drive IF you go during the tulip season! but stay away from the cities and bikes. I lived there for couple of years with my ex and was always very nervous around the bikes and trollies

Altogether the trip was so amazing that my mom wants her car as an ED as well next year. So our plan is explore the northern Europe by way of Switzerland.

AND if your trip takes you by way of Verona Italy, stop at a village restaurant and try the donkey meat! My dad got the dish and it is apparently a delicacy of that area. It was a unique and somewhat delicious dish with the locally made pasta.

[Saintsman]

Great video mate.
If you go to Switzerland next year be sure to avoid the tunnels and go over the passes, the scenery is amazing and the roads scary.

I was just about to post after that sentence but got interrupted by a call from my dealer, my car is built and on its way.

[roozybeh]

Originally Posted by Saintsman

Great video mate.
If you go to Switzerland next year be sure to avoid the tunnels and go over the passes, the scenery is amazing and the roads scary.

I was just about to post after that sentence but got interrupted by a call from my dealer, my car is built and on its way.

that's a great tip Saintsman! thanks a whole bunch
and sorry about the pics! i rally didn't spend anytime editing the colors AND congrats on the new X1... mine is still on the boat in the middle of atlantic making its way over here. It's such a pain to wait for the car you had a couple of weeks ago. It's like giving a child candy and then take it away. haha