[andyrp]

I'm about to order my company car as follows:
525d SE (chose the SE rather than M Sport as tax was going to get silly and to give more scope for options)
Sports auto
Sports steering wheel
Sports seats
Professional media
Powered tailgate
Folding mirrors
LED fog lights

Colour will be glacier silver with black leather interior; I've gone for glacier silver as nearly every 5 series car I see nowadays is either white (Usually M Sports), black or grey (with the exception of my current F10 520d with is xirallic blue.)

Does anybody have access to the latest UK ordering guide that shows any changes being made to the standard specification since the last LCI? I think BMW apps is now included with the professional media pack but wouldn't mind seeing what other changes have been made. I think the model is referred to as MY15.5 but happy to be told otherwise.

Thanks, Andy

[andyrp]

Took delivery of the car mentioned in the previous post today and it is superb. It does come with BMW apps as standard and whilst Enhanced Bluetooth is no longer standard with the Professional Navigation I don't seem to be missing a great deal (still have voice control, audio over Bluetooth and ability to connect more than one phone / device). Also the integration with Siri on the I-phone is very good.

The 525d engine is great; there is marked difference over the 520d but in a strange way it makes you want to drive more slowly - it's almost like you don't have anything to prove. However when you want to give it some oomph it does accelerate very nicely.

The i-Drive is a great improvement over my 2012 F10 with the image appearing to be much sharper / clearer and the system is clearly more responsive.

I didn't specify Soft Close Doors this time and I don't think I am going to miss them. Instead I chose sports seats which are very good but they don't appear to have the adjustable back width as stated on the BMW configurator.

Just waiting on my sat nav activation code as the BMW systems were down today so the activation code couldn't be entered by the dealer.

The car is great and it's no wonder this is my 3rd 5 series in a row now.

Andy

[eliw]

congrats!
My F10 has just been delivered to the dealer today and he reckons I will be able to go pick it up on Thursday.. can't wait.
Mine is an Msport with a fair amount of options but I'm sure I will regret not speccing powered boot.

If anyone know of a place that can retrofit the powered boot please let me know..

Also I missed out on the "internet" option (browser), but I have media pro and enhanced BT.. can it be added through coding ?

[xenon]

Internet cannot be added by coding as an FSC code is required which is dealer only. Generating FSC codes for map updates is dead easy though.

The internet is so slow that it's largely pointless anyway IME.

[shiner]

Congrats on your new car. I agree with you, with the bigger/smoother engine I also rarely feel the need to "muscle it" either unless overtaking when it really can fly!

I never use the online services - too slow. I love the folding mirrors - I use that all the time.

I'm also on my third 5 series and will be moving my current one on to a 535 Touring in December when there should be some deals on I hope.

[eliw]

Hi Xenon,

I thought the new internet is 3g ... I had a 2012 X3 and that was indeed slow as it used gprs !

Can the dealer add the option then if FSC codes are required ? Or can these codes be bought through some alternative means ?

Not the end of the world I know as I never used it on the old car but just curious.

Thanks

[xenon]

Yes it's 3G but still shite. The FSC code for Internet is not available outside of the network - whether your dealer can do it depends on their knowledge level. My dealer insisted it was impossible to set the tailgate to close on one touch of the button until I showed him mine.

[peter91118]

Congrats on the new car!

Give these guys a call for all your retrofit needs

http://www.bimmer-tech.net/

[andyrp]

Originally Posted by eliw

Also I missed out on the "internet" option (browser), but I have media pro and enhanced BT.. can it be added through coding ?

You can add the "internet" option via the connecteddrive store in the car; its £15 for 1 month, £50 for 6 months or £95 for 12 months subscription.

Andy

[eliw]

Thanks Andy.
That's quite reasonable and a good implementation... Pay as you go basically.
Cheers.

[Balster]

I opted for the internet option when I ordered my car. My opinions:

Good points.
Looks good when showing off the car to friends and family, they all go ooooooh!
When searching on Google, your not using a handheld device illegally.

Bad points.
Slow - I gave up and started to use my iphone 5 on 4G instead.
Roundtrip on searches is via BMW Germany.
Default server for the internet option are in Germany, not the UK.
Google search is defaulted to Germany - and you have to add a bookmark to Google UK.
Flash video being able to play option, always turns itself off when you come out from the app. You have to go back in an turn it on again.
No sound when when playing music/video- I tried everything.
Eyes off the road when typing in url's - never used the voice function though.
Very fiddly to use.

Summary - waste of money. Try it for one Month and see what you think.
Hope this helps.

[xenon]

^ 100% agree with Balster.

[eliw]

Yes I agree with you as well.

Added it today for just a 1 month trial .. pretty rubbish.
On the other hand the 395 pounds option "online entertainment" which I did not go for is also available through the Connecteddrive store .. did the trial for that and it seems to be a decent service though not sure if id pay for it again once the trial expires..

I am now trying to remove the front seats back plastic panels to route some cables for a set of headrest monitors.. anyone know how to remove those panels, had a look today but could not figure it out