As promised, here’s my report after 1500 miles. I’m past the break-in period now and have driven the F10 for a month.
Specs
Model/Options: 535i Dark Graphite (Sophisto), Oyster/Black, Anthracite, ZCV, ZCW, ZDA, ZDH, ZP2, ZPP, ZSP, 2TB.
Here’s the “Delivery” report with photos.
Performance
This is really a story about 4 cars (Comfort, Normal, Sport, Sport+), when talking about performance. You can definitely feel the difference when driving.
In comfort mode, the acceleration is controlled and smooth – the transmission keeps the rpms relatively low. There’s some damping in the acceleration from a start, which minimizes any jerks and jumps. The steering is relatively loose and the handling is soft. I would say the F10 feels similar to the E350 as far as steering and handling is concerned in this mode. Minor differences would be that the F10 in comfort mode feels a slight bit stiffer; the E350 a little smoother. The F10 in comfort mode also accelerates with much more authority than the E350. I drove them back-to-back at the UDE at Hunterdon BMW in NJ this weekend. Overall, the car is very comfortable in this mode – quiet, smooth and luxurious. My wife likes it the best as a passenger.
In normal mode, the steering and chassis stiffen a bit and the acceleration is a little less damped. It’s a good balance between sporty and luxurious. It revs about the same as comfort mode but feels more solid in the turns. The car handled cobblestone roads, tough patches of highway and road sections under construction much better than I expected in both normal and comfort mode. Great for highway cruising. The F10 cruises at 80+mph smoothly and effortlessly.
In sport mode, the chassis and steering become very solid and the throttle becomes instantly responsive. The shift points move up by about 500 rpms or so and the power is immediate at any speed. It's a blast to drive. We all know the specs. This is my normal mode for smooth, windy local roads and on-ramps. The ride can be a harsh on uneven roads or through a pothole minefield. But that’s sport mode. I honestly have not yet explored sport + mode.
There are two instances where I really notice and enjoy the sound of the N55 engine: (1) when accelerating modestly in normal mode it makes a powerful, low rumble, (2) when screaming at high rpms in sport mode you really feel it.
The bottom line is that the car behaves differently depending on the settings. You can change its performance based on your mood, passengers, road conditions, etc. This driving dynamics control is one of my favorite features.
The brakes are typical BMW -- extremely powerful.
Comfort/Convenience
The Navigation system has some very nice features. I like the split screen where you can have a perspective view on the left and the north facing view on the right. There are info windows that show you exactly what you need to know – current time, radio station, arrival time and distance to destination. I also like the dynamic routing to avoid traffic as much as possible as well as the alternate routing feature. Well done.
I remain impressed with the audio system. Satellite radio, ipod integration, and audio performance are all first class. Good quality sound is important to me and this car has it.
The Multi-contour seats are great. I like the way they conform to your back. On these hot summer days I sometimes think about the ventilated seat option. If you live in a hot climate, I could see lots of comfort value here.
The Convenience Package remains the one package I could have skipped and not missed. It works fine but I don’t think it’s worth the extra $. I got it based on the reviews and coolness factor – it’s just not very thrilling to me in real life.
The Fold-down rear seats make a huge difference for loading up the trunk with stuff at Home Depot or Costo. An 8x10 rug, 8 cases of drinks, 10 bags and boxes of grocery stuff with plenty of room left over for more.
BMW Assist with “reading” the news feature is almost useless. The engineers didn’t quite get this one finished before the code freeze deadline. Klunky.
After driving it around for a month, I’ve concluded the space is fine. I was debating on the F01 7 for space reasons but went with the F10 5 for the drive, keeping my fingers crossed that the rear legroom would be ok for my teenage kids (6’0” and 6’4”). No problem.
Safety
The Driver Assistance Package is, without question, the biggest positive surprise on this car. The lane departure warning and blind spot detection help make one a better driver. I like these features and almost always use them. They’re an extra check. I’m amazed at how well Auto high beams works. It works much faster and better than you could by manually shifting from high to low and back. And Parking Assistant – I’ve tried it in real combat parking situations and it works great. It has worked perfectly every time, including the first time I tried it. I highly recommend this package.
Looks
I’ve received a number of complements on the car, to my surprise. On the highway, people driving similar class cars pull up parallel and drift back a few times on either side to check out the F10. I’ve found people peering in the window in the parking lot. Typical comments include: “Hey is that the new 5? Sweet!” The best was in a parking lot when guy stopped and yelled out window, “Hey man, that car is hot as shXX!”
For those in the decision stage, I hope this helps in your car/options choices. I'll report again after a few more thousand miles.