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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo GT (F07) Forums General 5-Series GT (Gran Turismo) (F07) Forum What am i missing....(new order)
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      01-25-2011, 10:04 PM   #1
jakepratt
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What am i missing....(new order)

Hi all. I'm a long time lurker and am getting close to placing an order so thought i might say hi and get some expert opinions. I'm m narrowing down my choices but would like to hear opinions on anything i missed (HUD?, Sport?) or don't really need. Here is my plan as of today

535ix GT - Space Grey - Ivory/Black Dakota Leather
  • Active Vented Seats Package
  • Camera Package
  • Convenience Package
  • Premium Sound Package
  • Cold Weather Package
  • Ipod and USB Adapter
  • SmartPhone Integration (is this worth it?)
  • Active Cruise Control
  • HDD Navigation

I know its crazy but i'm looking for more of luxury car so thinking of skipping the sport package (i assume i still get the sport/sport+ button?) My daily drive has gotten long lately and my SLK is beating me up on oklahoma's crappy streets.

One other thing i am considering is European Delivery. I have read lots of great experiences and the prices i have negotiated are pretty good for ED or Local delivery but i would like to know if people know of any "gotchas" Are there any drawbacks other than the obvious issue of waiting for your car to arrive after enjoying it in Europe?

Thanks all. Can't wait to be back in a bimmer after a 15 year troubled flirtation with Mercedes
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      01-26-2011, 10:45 AM   #2
jdubbs
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I opted against the Smartphone Integration option, even though it wasn't much money... it consumes about 1/2 of the center armrest compartment, and I doubt I would remember to snap in my iPhone every time I get in the car (not to mention forgetting it there when I leave the car). From what I can tell, the built-in Bluetooth connection does everything this adaptor does, and lets you leave your phone in your pocket.

Active Cruise Control is an expensive option, so if you don't use cruise control much on your current car, you might consider applying that money to something else instead. I became addicted to HUD on my previous M5, then got it again on my 650i, and just ordered it on my new GT. I rarely look at the dash now, given that most everything I need is line-of-sight on the windshield... it makes following navigation directions a lot easier, since you don't have to divert your eyes from the road to keep up with turn-by-turn instructions. I would not order another car without it.

I considered Euro Delivery but found that the cons outweighed the pros. It did not amount to as much savings as I expected... I think it would have knocked $25 a month off my lease payments... and it would have bumped my 45 day wait (from order to stateside delivery) up to 3 months, even assuming the briefest of European trips. Plus if you take delivery in Europe during the winter, they make you put snow tires on it, which I would never use at home.

Active Steering is something you might consider, but not before trying it out. I loved the steering on my M5 and the Active Steering on my 650i gave a close approximation to it. I test drove a 535i sedan and a 535i GT without active steering, and immediately missed it... it gives a much more luxurious feel to steering, though some people say it takes the fun out of driving, insulates you too much from the road, etc.
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      01-26-2011, 08:11 PM   #3
jadnashuanh
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I'm probably going to do European delivery. The disadvantage I see are that you end up paying for it in advance, then have a wait after you receive it the first time before it shows up at your dealer. If you have a trade-in, it really isn't available for awhile, so you may be out the full amount until you get it back to the states.

One thing, if you are going to order it rather than taking it off the lot, is to consider taking delivery at the SC plant (available even with European delivery) - they give you a night in the hotel, meals, and a day at the track in a similar car.
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      01-26-2011, 10:18 PM   #4
jakepratt
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Thanks all....yeah....good idea. I figure the SC pickup would save at least a week and ensure the PDI is done by someone competent. It also kind of solves another problem i was having....where to buy the car. The price i am getting locally is about 1000 higher than i can get from a dealer 4 hours away....if i pick up at the SC plant that solves that problem as i can just fly out there and enjoy the day and drive home.

I am thinking i may ditch the smartphone integration. It hadn't occurred to me that it would take space away. I probably will drop an ipod in the car and that can live in the center console with the normal cable so i don't really plan to use my iPhone with the car except to answer calls.

I am really waffling on the HUD. I'm reading that its going to be in color starting in march and seems like a good safety feature....but not sure its worth the extra expense. I'm thinking maybe ditch the smartphone integration in favor of the HUD.

I have one other question....if anyone is still reading What would you say are you major disappointments with the GT. It seems every care i have ever bought had a few that i never realized till i lived with it. Are there any little gotchas that are annoying you? Cupholders driving ya crazy? Seats to hard? AC not cooling as well in the summer? ....stuff like that
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      01-27-2011, 03:31 PM   #5
jadnashuanh
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While you vehicle can be serviced at any authorized dealer, if you prefer to service it at the closer dealer and didn't buy it there, their policy on loaner cars during service may not be as liberal. The quality of service, in theory, should be the same, though.
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      01-27-2011, 05:59 PM   #6
jdubbs
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My dealer puts a little round sticker on the windshield of cars they sell that says "SFBMW Preferred Customer". Presumably this translates to better service, but I don't notice any difference from the last BMW I took to them, which I bought from another dealer.
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      01-27-2011, 11:01 PM   #7
nosnoop
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jakepratt View Post
I am thinking i may ditch the smartphone integration. It hadn't occurred to me that it would take space away. I probably will drop an ipod in the car and that can live in the center console with the normal cable so i don't really plan to use my iPhone with the car except to answer calls.
The only thing is that if you plan to order the 6NR BMW Connected option, you may need the smartphone integration option as well. Even though I can't see why it cannot work through a USB cable, but that's what listed in BMW documents. 6NR is available after March build. The first app allows Facebook and Twitter on your iDrive. Not too exciting stuff, but they are promising more in the pipeline. The soon to be revealed Connected Concept car should give us some idea what BMW has in its plan.

And rather than leaving an iPod in your car, you can use a cheap USB flash thumb drive instead. You get album art, playlist support etc. And there is no cable to mess around with.
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