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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum New 2013 535 X Drive MSport
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      11-16-2013, 10:36 PM   #1
Grover432
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New 2013 535 X Drive MSport

So, After waiting 3 1/2 weeks for my 2013 535 XDrive M Sport to arrive (from another dealer to mine), I took delivery of my car today.

I have to say it was quite strange driving it after spending a week behind the wheel of a 2013 F30 225 X Drive. My 535 is quieter, more comfortable and has allot more room, but you are dulled to the road experience a bit at the same time. After putting 50 kms on it, I'm starting to feel at home in the car though.

The iDrive control software is a bit different than in the F30 I was driving, so a bit of learning there. I've played with the voice control a bit to dial phone numbers, but I was a bit shocked to discover that there isn't a menu to call up a speed dial screen like in our 2011 Odyssey or my mother's 2006 Lexus IS250. The SA says you can program any one of the 8 buttons for the speed dial, but you have to remember what is what (which I think is a poor design).

Anyway, I don't mean to gripe, because it is an amazing car - but will take a bit of getting used to the features, etc.

I got the car with 30 kms (18 miles) showing on the odometer. As I was driving home from the dealership, I found the steering to be very stiff, something I didn't remember from test driving a 2013 at another dealership or the 2014 at my dealership. Perhaps it is that I've come out of the F30 loaner with 6,600 kms on it and a much lighter steering feel, or perhaps it is because the car doesn't have any miles on it yet, or perhaps because the M Sport steering is heavier?

We were out at a movie tonight and I noticed maneuvering in the parking lot at slow speeds that when making a 90 degree turn, the steering wheel didn't go back to center when I let go of it. I'm thinking this is the reason the steering feels so "stiff" and I seem to recall this on my E39 years back. I think the stiffness is starting to work its way out already, after driving the car for an hour or so (or maybe I'm just getting used to it??).

I'd post some pictures, but there are already so many of this car on the forum, I'll spare you.
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      11-16-2013, 10:46 PM   #2
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Run your finger over the buttons and their assigned function is shown on the displays
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      11-16-2013, 10:53 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ErnestHouse View Post
Run your finger over the buttons and their assigned function is shown on the displays
Thanks for that tip, I'll give it a try. I'm also trying to figure out how to find artists and songs quickly on my attached (USB) iPhine 5. Seems like allot of menu drilling to get to where I want to go. Also, do I have to plug into USB or can I access the phone (music) through the USB connection? Thanks
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      11-17-2013, 05:44 AM   #4
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You can do your music over Bluetooth. I don't know if there's any functional difference with USB. It's in the Entertainment Manual but to search for an artist do: Multimedia->External Devices->[your phone]->Search

I find iDrive is generally more drilling across the board but at the same time, it's design point is to do all these tasks while driving. I think it's actually less cognitive load stolen from the driving task than a full blown iPhone touch screen interface. Two different design points.
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      11-17-2013, 06:04 AM   #5
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Run your finger over the buttons and their assigned function is shown on the displays
+1

It is actually a fantastic set up, once you start to use it, you will wonder how you ever did without it!
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      11-17-2013, 06:44 AM   #6
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I have driven the F30 (as loaner) for about 2 weeks and when going back to the F10, it's night & day difference on the steering feedback. The F30 is very loose and the F10 has the heavy feel to it which I prefer.
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      11-17-2013, 07:52 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobblehead View Post
I have driven the F30 (as loaner) for about 2 weeks and when going back to the F10, it's night & day difference on the steering feedback. The F30 is very loose and the F10 has the heavy feel to it which I prefer.
I don't mind the heavier steering feel - it was the stiffness and the failure to go back to centre after rounding a turn that caught me off guard. I'm thinking that behaviour will change as the steering system works in.
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      11-17-2013, 09:18 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grover432 View Post
I don't mind the heavier steering feel - it was the stiffness and the failure to go back to centre after rounding a turn that caught me off guard. I'm thinking that behaviour will change as the steering system works in.
I would check the tire pressure.
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      11-17-2013, 12:07 PM   #9
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Does the F30 xDrive have hydraulic steering? I believe the F10 (AWD) does, and this could account for a significant part of the difference in feel, weight and centering characteristics.
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      11-17-2013, 12:15 PM   #10
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There are two problems for me with the iPhone and USB: first, I forget to plug it in; second, I forget to unplug it from the car.

So, I have bought a very small 32GB flash drive for use in the car. I can make a "car music" playlist in iTunes and copy that (after formatting the flash drive to FAT32) to the flash drive, where it does a fine job of displaying tags and album art, and allowing search by song, artist, album, etc. My only quibble is that sometimes it forgets where I left off with the music.

(I also bought a USB charger that fits in the 12V socket in the center armrest, so I can charge the phone if I need to.)

What you get if you plug your phone in, though, is access to BMW Apps. I have yet to find a use for them. There are some car monitoring functions, and ways to chew through your monthly data allotment from your iPhone service provider.

Another music solution would be to stream from the phone, using bluetooth. I have yet to try this so I don't know exactly how user-friendly the iDrive interface is in that case. I assume it is very much the same as for the USB connection.

And I agree that the short-cut buttons on the dash can be very useful for iDrive functions of all kinds. So far, I've found uses for only three -- a couple of FM stations and my "Car Music" flash drive. For the rest I'm still learning, after two months.

The best iPhone thing I've found so far: the BMW remote app, which allows you to do a google map search and send the resulting address to the car for navigation. (You can also send to the car from the Google maps web page from a computer or other browsing source.)
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      11-17-2013, 10:33 PM   #11
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F30 has electric steering, and has a very light feel. Feels like a Lexus. 535 AWD has hydraulic, and has that classic heavy BMW steering feel.
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      11-18-2013, 06:54 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diesel_Lover View Post
F30 has electric steering, and has a very light feel. Feels like a Lexus. 535 AWD has hydraulic, and has that classic heavy BMW steering feel.
Are you sure that applies to X Drive f30 models? In any event the steering is starting to loosen up a but (driven about 100 Km's since delivery) and I'm starting to adjust to it. It has snowed here so I'll be switching to my winter set soon (sadly), but the summer tires (square) aren't too bad on the 4cm of wet snow that fell Saturday night. Getting going is zero problem, but cornering and stopping performance is not great - I expect that is where I will see the most benefit from the winter tires.
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      11-18-2013, 06:57 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grover432 View Post
... do I have to plug into USB or can I access the phone (music) through the USB connection?...
Quote:
Originally Posted by raleedy View Post
...What you get if you plug your phone in, though, is access to BMW Apps. I have yet to find a use for them. … Another music solution would be to stream from the phone, using bluetooth. I have yet to try this so I don't know exactly how user-friendly the iDrive interface is in that case. I assume it is very much the same as for the USB connection….
This is getting off topic and I am sure there are a plethora of posts on the topic. I did quick 10 minute check in my car and compared USB vs Bluetooth for music. Using Bluetooth, Pandora, the iPhone Music player, Podcasts and presumably any audio playing app delivers sound to iDrive and after drilling into the Multimedia section of iDrive, I got the title of the song/Podcast and the ability to do a Next and Back function. Using USB, I got album art with Pandora (which is a BMW enable App) as well as the ability to access my stations, Favorite Button and thumbs up/down all via iDrive. When connected by Bluetooth, I had to use the iPhone screen for that.

As far as BMW Apps go, I like the Web Radio app. It burns cellular data same way Pandora does. If I'm in a new city, the Wiki Local app is amusing and anytime I'm on the road for more than 20 minutes and get bored, the BMW App for Facebook voices the entries on my wall. I couldn't get Twitter to work but I presume it's the same. The BMW App for Calendar let me see my calendar entries but I prefer Siri to voice it to me. More experimenting needed. It would be cool if the BMW App for Calendar let me call phone numbers or start guidance from data in the calendar.

There are some other apps for audio books I assume are similar in that with USB, I could control the app from iDrive instead of the phone. But unless my phone is mounted outside the armrest, I have a tendency to forget it and end up going back.
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      11-18-2013, 07:08 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grover432 View Post
Are you sure that applies to X Drive f30 models? In any event the steering is starting to loosen up a but (driven about 100 Km's since delivery) and I'm starting to adjust to it. It has snowed here so I'll be switching to my winter set soon (sadly), but the summer tires (square) aren't too bad on the 4cm of wet snow that fell Saturday night. Getting going is zero problem, but cornering and stopping performance is not great - I expect that is where I will see the most benefit from the winter tires.
I drove the F31, and it only comes in X Drive. It has very light steering. I was going to buy that car, but didn't largely because of the electric steering, and the lack of diesel six cylinder.

I decided to go with the 535dx because it was more like the classic BMW with hydraulic steering. I wish there was an F11 in the states.
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      11-18-2013, 09:36 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diesel_Lover View Post
I drove the F31, and it only comes in X Drive. It has very light steering. I was going to buy that car, but didn't largely because of the electric steering, and the lack of diesel six cylinder.

I decided to go with the 535dx because it was more like the classic BMW with hydraulic steering. I wish there was an F11 in the states.
Just because the steering is lighter doesn't mean it is electric. I drove a 528 X Drive for an afternoon (colleague's loaner) and the steering was significantly lighter than in my car, yet they both have hydraulic assist.
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      11-18-2013, 09:49 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grover432 View Post
Just because the steering is lighter doesn't mean it is electric. I drove a 528 X Drive for an afternoon (colleague's loaner) and the steering was significantly lighter than in my car, yet they both have hydraulic assist.
Click models that use this technology.

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t..._steering.html
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      11-18-2013, 03:04 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diesel_Lover View Post
Click models that use this technology.

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t..._steering.html
Thanks. That would settle the issue for the 3 series cars (US market, but I assume Canada is the same).

If that is the case, I'm not sure why the magazines complain about the 3 series steering. I thought it was near perfect in the car I drove.
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      11-18-2013, 03:46 PM   #18
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An interesting article in last December's C&D testing electric steering systems:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...n-test-feature
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      11-18-2013, 05:08 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ErnestHouse View Post
We learned from these measurements that the rise in steering effort immediately off-center is significantly quicker and higher with HPS, giving the 535i a tighter, more connected feeling in straight-ahead driving. Also, all 12 of the 535i traces (only two of which are shown) depict significantly less wander and deviation than is evident in the 528i plots. In other words, the buildup and decay of steering effort during back-and-forth maneuvers is more consistent with HPS, an advantage useful during passing maneuvers. Higher efforts do not equate to better feedback, but at least the 535i’s on-center characteristics lend a more secure sensation on the highway. http://www.caranddriver.com/features...n-test-feature
This is the reason I like Hydraulic steering. I have logged over a million miles on the highway in the livery business. I have also driven across country many times. Through Canada, and up to Alaska. I have spent many hours on the highway sometimes driving as much as 18 hours a day, or more.

I like the hydraulic steering because as I get jostled around on our poorly maintained roads in the U.S. the steering wheel doesn't move around with me. It stays put, and fatigues me less. It is more work, and feels less secure than EPS.
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      11-18-2013, 07:11 PM   #20
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Try out the scroll wheel on the right side of the steering wheel. It will give you information based on what you have selected on the iDrive and display it in the bottom of tachometer. On my iPod it scrolls through the song titles and on the phone it scrolls through last calls. I always seem to be calling the same people so the most frequent calls are right there on the wheel.

It might be all you need.
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      11-19-2013, 09:20 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MOTODAVEO View Post
Try out the scroll wheel on the right side of the steering wheel. It will give you information based on what you have selected on the iDrive and display it in the bottom of tachometer. On my iPod it scrolls through the song titles and on the phone it scrolls through last calls. I always seem to be calling the same people so the most frequent calls are right there on the wheel.

It might be all you need.
Thanks. I'll give that a try.
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      11-19-2013, 09:55 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MOTODAVEO View Post
Try out the scroll wheel on the right side of the steering wheel. It will give you information based on what you have selected on the iDrive and display it in the bottom of tachometer. On my iPod it scrolls through the song titles and on the phone it scrolls through last calls. I always seem to be calling the same people so the most frequent calls are right there on the wheel.

It might be all you need.
All this does is show you what's in the currently selected playlist or Podcast Group. You have to drill down using iDrive.
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