[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.

[Jdubya]

Pics

[54Me]

Refreshing post, brother! I was going to take a hiatus from the boards because it seemed like never ending negativity. I'm grateful to everyone who is educating us on the potential issues and fighting the good fight for championing the continued quality and luxury standard of BMW, but I'd like to get married and enjoy a little of the honeymoon before being subjected to the inevitable reality adjustments

Great to hear that reality is in fact a beautiful thing when you value the car for what it is.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by Jdubya

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.

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.

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.

It definitely sounds like there are some nice improvements. I also get the impression that the 540i (rather than the M550i) is the one to get in this generation.

The MPE drone is disappointing... I think the M550i comes with it, so that's another reason to think twice before getting that one.

How is the ACC when the traffic is flowing rather than stop-and-go?

Aren't the M Sport Brakes just a blue paint job?

It seems like there isn't a good reason to get the dynamic handling package if the M Sport suspension is so comfortable.

[Jdubya]

The ACC in moving traffic is fantastic. I should have mentioned that. It's a new feature for me, and I've noticed that it makes the long commute drives less strenuous. All cruise control should be like this.

The M550xi exhaust is valved, so while the core exhaust is loud, I'm guessing it'll actually be perfect and have no drone with the valves closed while cruising on the freeway. That exhaust is probably the only thing that would make me want the 550. Mine is fine now with the valve mod done.

I think the M Sport brakes are a mechanical upgrade as well. Regardless they are much better than the F10 brakes.

Oh and yes I'm very happy with the stock M Sport suspension. It's a good blend of ride quality and handling.

[BiGFather]

Originally Posted by Jdubya

Pics

oh crap.. that car is mega nice. Thumbs up!

[Nivarox]

Thanks for your review , nice car also.I haven't ordered mine yet I will be ordering ,if I do,the car with luxury package but I don't know whether M Brakes is standalone option or not which means it's only available with Sport Package or M Wheels .
Happy Driving

[jukkha156]

A really nice report Jdubya. Thanks for sharing. Your car is beautiful, infact as I had already decided on Bluestone, it was the shots of your interior that convinced me to get ivory. Congrats.

[Chuckyarla]

Great review of a beautiful car. How do you find it for wind noise round the drivers window?

[AP]

bluestone with ivory white interior is looking to be THE colour combination .

[Hustjo]

Expecting my 540xi end of may. Almost the exact same spec, only difference is mocha nappa with aluminum trim.
Nice to hear you're loving it, makes the wait even harder ;-) !

[rcliff]

Originally Posted by Jdubya

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.

Congrats on the new wheels and thanks for the review.

I'm trying to decide whether to go for the MPE but your comments are giving me pause. I love a "nice" aggressive sounding exhaust although this is obviously subjective. Freeway "drone" does not good but perhaps one persons drone is another's music? To me, AMG "43" cars sound great. I would like to hear this MPE before deciding but that doesn't look like an option.

Did your dealer do this mod that you described? And if so, how big a job was it?

Cheers

[babaikram]

Originally Posted by 54Me

Refreshing post, brother! I was going to take a hiatus from the boards because it seemed like never ending negativity. I'm grateful to everyone who is educating us on the potential issues and fighting the good fight for championing the continued quality and luxury standard of BMW, but I'd like to get married and enjoy a little of the honeymoon before being subjected to the inevitable reality adjustments

Great to hear that reality is in fact a beautiful thing when you value the car for what it is.

Seconded. I have consciously stopped defending G30 on this forum as well. Get your reviews from people who are using the car rather than motor journalists that only spend few to some several hours in the car. A good example is the gesture control. It works rather well. The more you use it the better you get at it. Even my children are becoming adept at using it

The driving modes actually do what they say: So those who wants a lot of steering feel should be driving in Sport mode.

The quality and expensive interior ambience of G30 has reduced my 'Mercedes interior envy'.

[dbbude]

Thanks for your thoughts especially regarding remote parking. I was thinking similarly and this solidified my choice. Ordering soon, also Bluestone!
Dan

[BiGFather]

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.

It´s nice to hear these positives. I am really looking forward. I can ´t 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

[Jdubya]

I find the car to be very quiet now. The noise insulation is much better than the F10.

Of course when getting on the gas the performance exhaust is the only thing you hear, sweet exhaust music!!

[Jdubya]

I find the car to be very quiet now. The noise insulation is much better than the F10.

Of course when getting on the gas the performance exhaust is the only thing you hear, sweet exhaust music!!

[BMW4JJA]

Curious about your opinion of the Bluestone color. I ordered Bluestone sight unseen. Really wanted black but pragmatism won over. How is Bluestone in person?

[BiGFather]

Originally Posted by BMW4JJA

Curious about your opinion of the Bluestone color. I ordered Bluestone sight unseen. Really wanted black but pragmatism won over. How is Bluestone in person?

Hi. It´s one of the colors which are really like how they are called.
So like a blue stone :-)

It´s like color of the iron but u can see dark grey and feel a tiny bit of light blue in it..
For me it´s one of the nicest bmw colors ever. (My other favourite are Carbon black, sophisto grey and the M4 green)

[Jdubya]

It's a cool color, it can look five different shades of gray depending on the light. And it hides dust well.

[54Me]

I never thought I'd want one shade of gray, let alone 5... maybe 50 would at least spice things up at home
I bought based on the promo cars so hopefully they didn't change the color with light tricks too much and I will occasionally see that Blue hue... I like your pics but it is definitely more gray/silver than blue, at least in that direct sunlight. Snap a few at the end of the day with fading sunlight if you get a chance...

[dbbude]

jdubya,

Looking at the pictures of your car, are the windows tinted or is that the light effect? Considering tinting and have Bluestone on the way.
Thanks!
D