gIzzE

I agree, the HUD and Nav together are the cars 2 best features, even more so for use that drive on the continent and in the UK, whilst on the train over you can switch the car to kmph, l/100km and km and it all comes up on the HUD. Fantastic!

wmbiii

That's classic - it will get here, you sound like me a few weeks ago!!!

wmbiii

No worries at all Gad!

wmbiii

I do wish I could have gotten HUD without Nav, must be cool to see people's faces the first time it lights up on window!

Ricracing

Why is your wife driving a Volvo?

The new X5 will be launched late this year!

luxembourg

(SORRY GUYS FOR THE LONG POST - But I loved the subject so much, just couldn't help myself....)

Since I have recently tested all possible NAVI options (BMW NAVI Prof. + NAVI Buss., previously: laptop + GPS USB combo, TomTom 700, and recently PDA+GPS combo), here are my (subjective - of course) thoughts on the subject:

Well, first of all: I am tech-freak - as one could say, so I try to keep-up with all tech-gadgets as soon as they are out and always love to keep my hand on the high-end products. Enough said - when ordering my E60 I had a weekend test-drive-loaner from my dealer (520d NAVI-Proff equipped), and I was really looking forward to buying this option + Logic7 (as opposite to the M-sports package = pretty much the same price for both, here in EU)..... Boy, how disappointed was I over that weekend...
In one sentence, personally: for me BMW NAVI functionality is really limited, use: truly user-unfriendly and features - so unworthy such high price!
OK, if BMW charged 300-400 EUR for Prof. system, it would be max what it would be worth (to me), especially with the GPS technology growing so fast nowadays and falling cheaper every day - and after all, I would use portable system anyway...
And here are few reasons why:

- BMW among all the EU countries still somehow CANNOT feature map of Poland on their DVD!!! :thumbsdown: (and trust me: Poland is a reeeaaally big country - hard to miss while crossing Europe...) So - no functionality of NAVI there at all (I'm Polish, although living in Luxembourg - but quite extensively driving around Poland, too). On the other corner, in my GPS quipped PDA I have the best possible (and extremely detailed) map of Poland with a great functionality including all current speed cameras POI list.

- I also have a full TomTom Navigator 5 installed - it works smooth and to me: significantly faster than BMW NAVI. It also gives you all the traffic options, weather updates, along with GPS functionality.

- My PDA (Asus A636) also has a BT and WIFI on board + 2GB memory + fast Intel chipset, so whenever I need to use my BT phone - it connects right through (also for a data stream via GPRS), or whenever I am in the hotspot and any free wireless internet connection appears (more and more of them around) - I immediately log in, and can talk via skype directly from my dashboard - for free or for almost-free, aside from browsing the net or working on my mail while stopped (next generation 5-series perhaps should finally be such business-equipped cars, I hope?) Oh, and at the very end: did I mention mp3s played directly from my PDA through a BMW in-car audio system?

- largest possible scale of the BMW's map is just ridicule when compared to the others' producers, and in BMW's I hate being unable just to move map around manually (well, aside that touchscreen should have been in long time ago), searching around for places, routes, sights and just pointing out the place I like to make my destination - which I can do virtually with almost every other map (MS Autoroute, MarcoPolo, Destinator PN, TomTom, Automapa).

- I used laptop + USB GPS combo in my car for a long time previously and for the functionality I just loved it even more (15" NAVI screen beats everything up) - but carrying a laptop around all the time could be quite a problem, and also there's a power factor :'( I had to have it plugged into my lighter most of the time, which is not the case with Asus PDA where a battery lasts up to 3-4 days without any charging (checked this weekend in Paris - 3 days of driving and walking with NAVI on, and even some WLAN net-browsing, still enough power to get back home and without any charging - so no cables in my BMW cockpit Of course, this PDA has a GPS antenna built in, but as it has a latest chipset (SIRF III), you don't even need to open it out for the PDA to constantly catch at least 5-6 satellites solid, with around 12 at a good weather conditions! Once the SAT signal is cought you can even leave PDA under your seat or in the glove comp. - and still hear voice commands from the GPS-girl...

And 2 more cents at the end:
During the looong waiting time for my own E60 (I am so upset with my BMW dealership: over 4 months waiting already! and now I got a dealers-loaner with... NAVI business... GOD! If there is an ultimate money-waste option in the E60 line - well try NAVI business... It does not even show you the map! And all for 1996 EUR / or 2395 USD?? (NAVI Prof. costs here 2643 EUR / 3171 USD) WOW... My "Almighty GPS-PDA-BT-WLAN Asus" cost me something around 350 EUR, including the latest Windows Mobile 5.0 system... And as soon as something better appears I will change it - without any resentment... Not the case with BMW NAVI though...

And one last thing.
I drive around now with both, my PDA TomTom 5 applications on and BMW NAVI Buss. at the same time. And I constantly get this strange impression:

- PDA is always 5, 10, sometimes even 15 seconds faster with its voice communication than BMW's. To me, it really counts on the busy 5 or 6 lanes freeway in the big city when you really need to change your lane on time, why is BMW so slow? Anyone noticed that?? Anyone made such simultaneous comparisons?

- And yet another thing: BMW quite often guides me against the traffic law and signs - OK, these are usually small things, but let's say it tells you to "change the lane and turn right, now", and what do I see painted on the road? Wide, white lines = no crossing. If I listen to BMW's and the police radiocar is following me, is it the BMW NAVI application developers' team who gets the ticket?? And the same time, same place and same situation - TomTom told me clearly go all the way to the next roundabout (in Kirchberg) - and then turn right at the roundabout - did not even suggest me to break the traffic law...

Well, these are just few "cons" I wanted to point out which drive me off from considering buying BMW NAVI anytime soon.
Now it comes one, but solid "pro": with either Prof. or Buss Navi you get DVD slot which will nicely play mp3s from your DVD-R... which is superb!
Well...
Can't always have it all
Finally, to fit into my budget instead of other gadgets I went for the whole M-sports package instead (4620 EUR / 5544 USD) - and as it eventually appeared to be the only reason for postponing delivery of my car for 2 months due to some strike in some mysterious M-package BMW factory - now I am really getting sick waiting and waiting, and waiting... And given that I could have driven my E60 with no sports but with navi, for several weeks already... No comments...

aybeesea

TBH I would've had HUD if it actually displayed anything (IMHO) useful.

As for Nav, when I ferried my 80 year-old Mother up and down 250 miles of Motorway four times over two consecutive weekends she really appreciated the "reassuring voice" and it made her forget all her ills and she didn't even notice the 3ish (cough cough) hours it took each way.

Mind you the comfort seats are REALLY comfortable...

Just yet another 2p...

ABC

PS Just upgraded to Europe Professional 06-2.

MaxBuck

I'm happy that I purchased neither HUD nor adaptive cruise control, and that I DID order everything else.

jmdhuse

My reasons for not getting NAV are quite similar to yours. I've lived in the Phoenix metro area for over 25 years, and 99% of my driving is within that region. Streets in the Phoenix are arranged in a very regular 1-mile square grid, and you can get from anywhere to anywhere with 1 right turn and 1 left turn (ok - I'm simplifying a little...). I also don't often set out without a destination in mind, so the ability to find places while on the go does not do much for me.

When NAV systems do a *lot* more than show your location and where to turn, my interest level will be higher. For now they are very expensive and very limited, and simply don't meet any real need that I have.

znod

While I like your logic, personally, I still would get NAV. I like the big screen, split whatever, etc. And, I do like having the ability to get directions in a pinch--since I don't have another means when in my car. Also, I am a bit too lazy to get web directions all the time. I have no use for HUD. On my Z06, all I ever display is MPH, but who looks at that anyway.