[Hoss NY]

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about. In my driveway!

My first impression upon seeing my car at the dealership was that it was black instead of gray. Sophisto Gray is dark, especially on a cloudy day or in the evening, and I really like it. Outstanding detail on the headlamps and dual exhaust. With the sport package, the proportions are perfect -- the car's a beast.

The Oyster/Black/Anthracite interior is very classy and comfortable. My wife thought the overall look and feel was like "sipping on a great cup of coffee." The layout of the controls, idrive, indicators and are intuitive and convenient.

I was surprised at how large and roomy the interior is. The huge moon roof really gives the car an open feeling. Plenty of leg and shoulder room in front and back. I'm 6'2" and sometimes feel kind of jammed into my E39. I feel very comfortable and sit much more upright with plenty of headroom in the F10. Visibility is excellent. My dealer posed the question, "Why would anyone buy a 7 series?"

Now the drive. Smooth as silk. Serene and composed. It's very easy to not notice the 8-speed auto transmission change gears when accelerating. It takes off like a coiled spring with surprisingly strong torque and zip. Very strong from a stand-still and lots of pop at 80 or 100 mph. The handling is exceptionally well balanced; the impact of the wide track and long wheelbase is obvious to the driver. It gives the sense of being crouched low, hugging the road. It really puts a grin on your face. I drove around all afternoon thinking about the line from the movie Office Space, "I did absolutely nothing all day, and it was everything I thought it would be..." I'm very happy with the 535i.

Now for some comments on the options.

• Sport - love the look. Multi-contour seats significantly better than standard.

• Dynamic Handling - Clever feature I viewed as a must-have to tune your driving experience to the road, your mood, the type of trip, fellow passenger preferences, etc. I see myself using this a lot. It's fun.

• Premium and Premium 2 - Navigation screen is spectacular, deep/clear audio.

• Driver Assistance - Was a little unsure when I ordered but very much like it so far. I've only tried lane departure and blind spot detection and find them excellent. I'll post an update once I test out the auto high beams and park assist. This is $1750 well spent. UPDATE: Auto high beams are excellent.

• Cold Weather - No brainer for Northern climate.

• Convenience - OK, I probably went overboard on this. Power tailgate and soft close doors are marginally useful features but keyless entry is cool. Probably not worth $1700 but what the hell.

My overall thought is "What a great car!" Great job BMW! Enjoy the photos and post any questions you may have. I'll post more after I've had some more time in the saddle.

Model/Options: 535i Sophisto, Oyster/Black, Anthracite, ZCV, ZCW, ZDA, ZDH, ZP2, ZPP, ZSP, 2TB

[ibimmer954]

Congrats! I'm glad you finally got it. It's nice, huh? Be prepared for all those impromptu "drives without a reason." They are common with this car. That exterior color is really something. It looks slightly different in every picture. How are you feeling about the Oyster interior? I hope to see that color in person on Monday at the local BMW Drive event.

[bavarianboar]

Looks Sick! Congrats! Enjoy the ride.

[AwesomeM3]

Beautiful...congrats! I love the wheels...they look a lot like my 20" M Sport X5 wheels.

[Hoss NY]

Originally Posted by ibimmer346

How are you feeling about the Oyster interior? I hope to see that color in person on Monday at the local BMW Drive event.

Very happy with the Oyster/Black. I think the two-tone is very well done. The seats match the headliner for a clean, integrated look. The black lower section I expect will keep the dirt from footwear easy to maintain. My guess is the Oyster will require a little more cleaning than cinnamon or black but I think the looks are worth it.

[Hoss NY]

Originally Posted by stingray23

WOW! almost $20K in options. why not the 550?

Probably went overboard with the convenience package...

As for the 535 vs. 550, here are my thoughts:

• 535i has excellent power and acceleration, great balance and handling, and good mileage

• I'm a fan of BMW's sweet spot -- the Inline 6. The N55 is an outstanding engine.

• I like the 535i sport package wheels better

• I like the 535i dual exhaust tips better

[Hoss NY]

Here are some more photos taken at noon in full sun. A couple of these bring out the depth of the Graphite/Sophisto color.

[MBrown1003]

Originally Posted by Hoss NY

Probably went overboard with the convenience package...

As for the 535 vs. 550, here are my thoughts:

• 535i has excellent power and acceleration, great balance and handling, and good mileage

• I'm a fan of BMW's sweet spot -- the Inline 6. The N55 is an outstanding engine.

• I like the 535i sport package wheels better

• I like the 535i dual exhaust tips better

Hey, Hoss -- you gave me something to think about. Thanks. I'd been considering a 550i to follow my M3, but I drove a 535i today (automatic trans, no sport) and was surprised at how well I liked it. The low-end torque was delightful after the high-strung V8 in the M3 (you gotta really rev it to get to the torque/power). So with the manual, sport pkg, and all the handling electronic goodies, that would be a VERY interesting alternative...especially with the lower payments!

[kred]

SO clean!

[Bols]

Awesome car, congratulations!

That color is awesome, some of those shots really do remind me of sparkling graphite but a bit darker.

enjoy!

[turb0mik3]

wish it came with a N54 so you could tune it, lol.

[AK-F10]

Looks Amazing, Congrats Hoss NY....beautiful car, I love the graphite metalic and the wheels. Can't wait to pick up our E/D 550 in a few weeks and open it up on the Autobahn but still really dislike the sport wheels that it will come with. Recently sat in an F10 at the Santa Monica dealership. One thing I noticed is that the doors felt lighter/less solid than I expected. Do you notice the same with your car?

[Vintage]

thank you for this write up - very helpful. i love the sophisto gray - awesome!

[quattrogmbh]

Lovely car, but are your sure you got Sophisto? The sticker suggests Dark Graphite..

[Mike@F1 Autohaüs]

Beautiful and congrats!

Love that interior combo

[iwannabimmer]

I don't know why but I'm still not feeling this Dark Graphite exterior. The interior though is . Nevermind....Hoss, have fun driving it! Congrats!

[uhn2000]

I totally believe in fully optioning these cars. Awesome ride - just stunning! Congrats.

[Oulixes]

A beautiful car - elegance and class. The body color is just what you need for the interior combination you have chosen, and you have just about every option that's on the list. Congratulations!
BTW, your photographs are as good as the car.

[positiveions]

wow. good color choice-very tastefully done. I am thinking your wife chose those combo .
Being a tall person, and having a moonroof, are you able to sit without your top of your head touching?
I wish you can take a photo of the moonroof-since you claimed it is large.
Congrats.
Nice clean area btw.

[bdardashti]

Here are two photos of the F10 moonroof:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdardashti/4596519689/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdardas...n/photostream/

I was at the Welt last month and took a lot of pics of the F10. They are all here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdardas...7623911659045/

You can search for F10 at the top search box and it will show you just the F10 pics.

[dpwr]

nice, could you take few pictures of working navigation?

[Hoss NY]

Originally Posted by AK-F10

Recently sat in an F10 at the Santa Monica dealership. One thing I noticed is that the doors felt lighter/less solid than I expected. Do you notice the same with your car?

Yes, the doors are definitely lighter than my E39. If I recall correctly, they're made of aluminum rather than steel to save weight. They commented on this during the intro pitch. They don't have that heavy, "bank vault" feel of other 5ers.