maver

Hi everyone, I've been lurking for a bit now, but am putting plans together to do an ED of a 530i in the Spring. I've been reading the board and would like to get some input on options that I am considering:

Mystic Blue (90% sure, hopefully it doesn't go away in September)
Anthracite Maple Wood (60% sure, in some pictures it looks like tiger stripes rather than wood grain)
Gray Leather (90% sure)

Cold Weather Package (100%, Wife requires heated seats)
Premium Package (100%)
Sport Package (50%, I need to drive both to compare)
Premium Sound (10%, I'll be using an iPod and that's a lot of $$ for speakers)
Steptronic (100%, dealer said SMG will be discontinued shortly)
Comfort Seats (35%, was 0%, but posts here rave)
Split Folding Rear Seats (100%)
Rear Seat Heating (100%, see wife comment)
PDC (20%, dealer steered me against it - my only need would be parallel parking, I'm moving to the 530 from an SLK, and it seems to not detect curbs too well)
Nav (100%)
HUD (20%, dealer said it's a waste of $1K)

I'm interested to see the September changes. I'd be interested in the Comfort Access, but it seems from the buzz here that it'll only be available on the 550.

So in effect, the direct questions here are:
Does the Anthracite interior look like black wood or an art project?
Considering, I'm not after a CD player, is the Logic 7 system worth the $$?
Are the comfort seats worthwhile on a daily driver, I tend to fly for long trips?
Is my dealer right; are the the HUD and PDC toys? The HUD does seem a bit silly considering the instrumentation is just below it. (the inner geek in me thinks its cool, though). Is PDC basically techno-curb feelers?

Other than that, thanks in advance! I'm a lurker no more.

alohalc

welcome aboard, maver ! to answer your questions:

the anthracite looks very nice .
most of the members here love logic7 and comfort seats, especially if you have back problems.
most of the members here love hud and pdc. they are not toys. very useful tools.

well, in short, most of the members love their cars .

Iceman

L7 and comfort seats are well worth every cent.
I currently drive a loaner with standard seats and don't drive long distances these days. I really miss the comfort seats and can't wait to get my car back. They are great!
Sound on L7 is fantastic! Way better than standard or Hi-Fi.
If SMG will be discontinued (this rumour is out for a year now), you'd have a car with a better resale value...
If you get nav you should get HUD too.
HUD is one of the best features on the E60. With HUD it is really cool and extremely usefull. You don't need to look down on your instruments anymore, you keep your eyes on the street.

Frank310

I just got my 545 on Friday and I regret not getting the comfort seats. The sport seats are uncomfortable even on short rides. Drove 300 miles Saturday and I was adjusting the seat the whole time. Logic 7 is a must. HUD is great if you use Nav alot, shows directions in front of you so you don't have to look down at the screen.

stream

I have anthracite (with black interior) and like it a lot. Had it in my E55 also. I think it looks more sporty than the other woods. The pix you'll see do exaggerate the graining, due to photo lighting--it's very understated and classy in person.

I honestly haven't heard the standard sound system, but my view is that I spend a lot of time in the car and enjoy music, so I want a high quality sound system, and Logic7 is just that. I got an iPod and aux input installed a month ago, and with your music ripped properly (I use Exact Audio Copy @ 256kbps VBR) the sound quality is excellent.

I have sport seats and like them a lot. Never drove in comfort seats.

PDC came standard on my 545i, and I also had it on my E55, but if ordering a car, I wouldn't waste the money on it. Not a techno curb feeler--the signals only go forward and backward!

Don't have HUD, but would trade PDC for it in a New York minute.

pharding

Sport Package is a must have package.
Logic 7 is a must have option.
PDC is a must have oprion.
HUD works great with NAV.

meyersm

Sports package is a must.
Logic 7 got to have.
PDC no question about it, it will save you when parking.
Comfort seat, I went with sport seats big misstake.
Nav is a must, not sure about hud.

wiszmaster

my personal oppinions about your choices/possible choices:


Mystic Blue - NICE COLOR
Anthracite Maple Wood - I HAVE IT ... AND NOT THAT EXCITED ABOUT IT ANYMORE - since its dark, it shows swirls & scratches .... on the high gloss.
Gray Leather - i'd prefer beige over gray ... it stains too easy & looks kind of cheap ... have had gray before.

Cold Weather Package - if you live somewhere with seasons .. i'd def. recommend it ... otherwise .. i'd still recommend it
Premium Package - YES!
Sport Package - i've driven both, and not that crazy about it ... but it def is FUN
Premium Sound - OH YES! nothing worse than a near $60K car with standard/shitty sound
Steptronic - very smooth shifting ... SMG was too expensive for my taste ... so i got a manual for the new car
Comfort Seats - if you can afford it go for it ... most comfortable ... if not, the Premium Seats with dakota are comfy too.
Split Folding Rear Seats - can be handy
Rear Seat Heating - [color=red]if you carry back seat passengers around then i'd do it too
PDC - YES - i would NOT get the car w/out it. always comes in handy!!!
Nav - 100%
HUD - NOT necessary ... but i got it again .. very handy ... especially with nav, or if you do lots of highway/interstate/fast driving



So in effect, the direct questions here are:
Does the Anthracite interior look like black wood or an art project? -

DOES NOT LOOK LIKE WOOD

Considering, I'm not after a CD player, is the Logic 7 system worth the $$?

YES


Are the comfort seats worthwhile on a daily driver, I tend to fly for long trips?

PROBABLY ... GO SIT IN A 7 SERIES FOR A WHILE TO TRY OUT.


Is my dealer right; are the the HUD and PDC toys? The HUD does seem a bit silly considering the instrumentation is just below it. (the inner geek in me thinks its cool, though).

I WOULDN'T SAY SO ... IT IS NICE NOT HAVING TO LOOK DOWN & LOOSE VISION AHEAD OF YOU DURING HIGHER SPEEDS, OR AT NIGHT.


Is PDC basically techno-curb feelers?

NO ... NOT A CURB FEELER ... ITS A (ULTRASONIC) FORWARD/BACKUP MONITOR ... WILL SHOW YOU HOW MUCH SPACE YOU HAVE TO YOUR FRONT/BACK & RIGHT AROUND THE CORNERS - HOWEVER NOT FOR CURBS.

LuvE60

I will start with HUD. Best thousand bucks I ever spent. Especially when using NAV, you cannot do without it. An absolute must from here on.

Comfort seats. Without question. They make the car feel like a cockpit. The head rest is incredible. They without a doubt are the best seats I have ever driven in.

Sport Package. Non sport cars lack the ARS. You can get it as an option, but you might as well just get the whole deal.

If you have children, I would definitely look at the black interior. It does get warm, but once the air comes on you will be fine. The grey gets very dirty, and the black is smoked, almost a dark grey, and stays great forever.

I have never heard the standard sound, but Logic 7 is great for a stock system.

Good luck.

jsal

Most people covered it by here is my 2-cents worth. It sure is fun planning a BMW.

Sport package is a MUST! And, if active steering is an option, then I would say YES - I really like mine and no problems. Personally I think it is a waste to buy a BMW with the sport package. I was worried about the ride on my long comute, but it is very comfortable. The only downside is the cost of higher performance tires, but that too is a characteristic that is a MUST on a BMW.
Premium package is a MUST - there are a lot of things that you would miss.
Logic 7 is a must - too good of a car not to get it. Bad for resale if you don't have it.
I was stretching to get the 545i so I dropped the NAV and HUD option, but now I would like to have them.
With kids, any of the interiors have thier problems. I have black which I like and will be good for the long term - it does show dust and the back of the seats if the kids hit them with thier shoes, but does clean off easy. With the blue, I think the grey is a good combination. Don't like the BMW beige - it looks too yellow.
Trim is personal - I like the wood, it gives a rich look to the interior (which it needs).
I opted NO for the comfort seats as I thought I did not need them and it looked like you lost a little rear seat knee room, which was important to me (I am 6'4" and have my seat pretty far back). So that is something you may want to look at. I have been happy with my sport seats (I have a 80 mile round trip comute as well as some long drives). I have been able to adjust the lumbar and the seat to be comfortable, but have never tried the Comfort Seats. I would recommend spending some time in both.
Rear Folding Seat - YES, it is usefull every once and a while and it does not rattle as one sales person told me.
PDC - would probably get on my next car - would be handy for tight parking spaces and if worry about kids running behind you - the truck is kind of tall. It is not a very expensive option.