After A Weekend With My New 550i.....
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 4,979
Likes: 2
From: SJC/CA/US
The only sucky things I don't like about this car is slow i-Drive response and throttle lag. Other than that, this car is perfectly fine. There is an expansion slot for memory addition. I wish it can be added. 
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 9
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From: Los Angeles, CA
My Ride: 2007 550i Saphire Black on Dakota Black with Anthracite Trim, 6-spd manual, Sport Pkg, HUD, Active Steering, Ipod Connect...
Its great to hear about your weekend with the car... I picked up my 550 last thurs night and also managed to put 200 miles on it over the weekend. I had a blast learning all the tech stuff inside the car and I am absolutely blown away by all the great accessories. At the top of my list is the Ipod adapter... I'm not sure if you and I are speaking of the same Ipod adapter because all I had to do was plug it in. A roundel appears on the Ipod screen along with the "Do not disconnect" language. I go to CD in Idrive, and there is my Ipod; all my playlists (25+) show up and navigating through the song titles is a breeze with the Idrive knob, or the steering wheel controls. I have Sirius as well but with the Ipod system functioning so seamlessly, I'm not sure I will ever listen to Sirius.
The bluetooth phone connection and voice command are great! I have had difficulty with call waiting though, how do I put one call on hold, answer the other, and then return to the original? Also, is there a way to switch the conversation back to the handset during a call? ie. after you park and are exiting the vehicle but wish to continue the conversation? I tried several times by switching bluetooth off on my phone device (Blackberry 8700c) but was unable to continue the call.
The car's performance was great! I went on a little drive yesterday with some buddies in the hills above Malibu and had a blast (with the exception of some rock nicks as it rained the night before and there were a lot of pebbles in the middle of the canyon roads). The cars we drove included my friends 2006 Carrera S, another friend's brand new E60 M5 with 400 miles on it(purchased the same day as mine - 12/7), a 2002 (i think) M coupe that belonged to another friend's mom, and then my measly commuter car the 2007 550i sport 6-speed (only 200 miles). I was taking it pretty easy as I hadn't had much experience with the car yet, and didn't want to rev above 5300 rpms with such low mileage. Also, being at the back of the field, I felt the full wrath of the pebble storms and tried to back off a bit... thank god its leased.
We got to a nice straight away and let the Carrera and the M5 take some quarter mile runs head up. The Carrera S (6-speed manual) took the M5 SMG on all 3 successful runs. The last run you could see the M5 starting to pull on the Carrera in the 105+mph range. Otherwise the Carrera had a solid car length+ lead throughout. I don't think the driver of the M5 was used the the car yet, and he is also not the best driver in general. Through the curves on the canyon roads the Carrera was teaching the rest of us a lesson. My buddy took delivery of the Porsche in August and has been to the track 3 times and has literally memorized the canyon route we were driving. Its a lot of fun to see that car perform so well.
I forgot my camera, so the only pic I have is from my friends phone, not very good.
The order goes, Carrera S, M5, M Coupe, 500i.
I will be sure to do this again when I am more comfortable with my car and willing to rev it all the way up.
The bottom line is that after 250 miles with the new car, I LOVE IT!
Does anybody have any thoughts / reccomendations on me trying out my 19" Breyton Spirits that are currently on my e39 540i on the new ride?
-Brian
The bluetooth phone connection and voice command are great! I have had difficulty with call waiting though, how do I put one call on hold, answer the other, and then return to the original? Also, is there a way to switch the conversation back to the handset during a call? ie. after you park and are exiting the vehicle but wish to continue the conversation? I tried several times by switching bluetooth off on my phone device (Blackberry 8700c) but was unable to continue the call.
The car's performance was great! I went on a little drive yesterday with some buddies in the hills above Malibu and had a blast (with the exception of some rock nicks as it rained the night before and there were a lot of pebbles in the middle of the canyon roads). The cars we drove included my friends 2006 Carrera S, another friend's brand new E60 M5 with 400 miles on it(purchased the same day as mine - 12/7), a 2002 (i think) M coupe that belonged to another friend's mom, and then my measly commuter car the 2007 550i sport 6-speed (only 200 miles). I was taking it pretty easy as I hadn't had much experience with the car yet, and didn't want to rev above 5300 rpms with such low mileage. Also, being at the back of the field, I felt the full wrath of the pebble storms and tried to back off a bit... thank god its leased.
We got to a nice straight away and let the Carrera and the M5 take some quarter mile runs head up. The Carrera S (6-speed manual) took the M5 SMG on all 3 successful runs. The last run you could see the M5 starting to pull on the Carrera in the 105+mph range. Otherwise the Carrera had a solid car length+ lead throughout. I don't think the driver of the M5 was used the the car yet, and he is also not the best driver in general. Through the curves on the canyon roads the Carrera was teaching the rest of us a lesson. My buddy took delivery of the Porsche in August and has been to the track 3 times and has literally memorized the canyon route we were driving. Its a lot of fun to see that car perform so well.
I forgot my camera, so the only pic I have is from my friends phone, not very good.
The order goes, Carrera S, M5, M Coupe, 500i.
I will be sure to do this again when I am more comfortable with my car and willing to rev it all the way up.
The bottom line is that after 250 miles with the new car, I LOVE IT!
Does anybody have any thoughts / reccomendations on me trying out my 19" Breyton Spirits that are currently on my e39 540i on the new ride?
-Brian
Contributors
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 752
Likes: 0
From: Seattle, WA
My Ride: 2006 525i Silver Gray/Gray Dakota Leather | Steptronic | Cold Weather | Xenon | Premium Package
Modifications:
M Aero Kit | Carbon Fiber Kidney Grill | K&N Air Filter | Charcoal Filter Removed | Radenergie R10 Silver 20" soon | kW coilover V3 | SprintBooster soon | M5 trunk finisher
Next planned mods:
?Hamann quad exhaust + Hamann quad rear diffuser + Hamann Front Lip?
Originally Posted by my530i' post='366149' date='Dec 11 2006, 11:47 AM
The only sucky things I don't like about this car is slow i-Drive response and throttle lag. Other than that, this car is perfectly fine. There is an expansion slot for memory addition. I wish it can be added.
Contributors
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 752
Likes: 0
From: Seattle, WA
My Ride: 2006 525i Silver Gray/Gray Dakota Leather | Steptronic | Cold Weather | Xenon | Premium Package
Modifications:
M Aero Kit | Carbon Fiber Kidney Grill | K&N Air Filter | Charcoal Filter Removed | Radenergie R10 Silver 20" soon | kW coilover V3 | SprintBooster soon | M5 trunk finisher
Next planned mods:
?Hamann quad exhaust + Hamann quad rear diffuser + Hamann Front Lip?
Originally Posted by 550iman' post='366158' date='Dec 11 2006, 11:56 AM
Its great to hear about your weekend with the car... I picked up my 550 last thurs night and also managed to put 200 miles on it over the weekend. I had a blast learning all the tech stuff inside the car and I am absolutely blown away by all the great accessories. At the top of my list is the Ipod adapter... I'm not sure if you and I are speaking of the same Ipod adapter because all I had to do was plug it in. A roundel appears on the Ipod screen along with the "Do not disconnect" language. I go to CD in Idrive, and there is my Ipod; all my playlists (25+) show up and navigating through the song titles is a breeze with the Idrive knob, or the steering wheel controls. I have Sirius as well but with the Ipod system functioning so seamlessly, I'm not sure I will ever listen to Sirius.
The bluetooth phone connection and voice command are great! I have had difficulty with call waiting though, how do I put one call on hold, answer the other, and then return to the original? Also, is there a way to switch the conversation back to the handset during a call? ie. after you park and are exiting the vehicle but wish to continue the conversation? I tried several times by switching bluetooth off on my phone device (Blackberry 8700c) but was unable to continue the call.
The car's performance was great! I went on a little drive yesterday with some buddies in the hills above Malibu and had a blast (with the exception of some rock nicks as it rained the night before and there were a lot of pebbles in the middle of the canyon roads). The cars we drove included my friends 2006 Carrera S, another friend's brand new E60 M5 with 400 miles on it(purchased the same day as mine - 12/7), a 2002 (i think) M coupe that belonged to another friend's mom, and then my measly commuter car the 2007 550i sport 6-speed (only 200 miles). I was taking it pretty easy as I hadn't had much experience with the car yet, and didn't want to rev above 5300 rpms with such low mileage. Also, being at the back of the field, I felt the full wrath of the pebble storms and tried to back off a bit... thank god its leased.
We got to a nice straight away and let the Carrera and the M5 take some quarter mile runs head up. The Carrera S (6-speed manual) took the M5 SMG on all 3 successful runs. The last run you could see the M5 starting to pull on the Carrera in the 105+mph range. Otherwise the Carrera had a solid car length+ lead throughout. I don't think the driver of the M5 was used the the car yet, and he is also not the best driver in general. Through the curves on the canyon roads the Carrera was teaching the rest of us a lesson. My buddy took delivery of the Porsche in August and has been to the track 3 times and has literally memorized the canyon route we were driving. Its a lot of fun to see that car perform so well.
I forgot my camera, so the only pic I have is from my friends phone, not very good.
Attachment 26748
The order goes, Carrera S, M5, M Coupe, 500i.
I will be sure to do this again when I am more comfortable with my car and willing to rev it all the way up.
The bottom line is that after 250 miles with the new car, I LOVE IT!
Does anybody have any thoughts / reccomendations on me trying out my 19" Breyton Spirits that are currently on my e39 540i on the new ride?
-Brian
The bluetooth phone connection and voice command are great! I have had difficulty with call waiting though, how do I put one call on hold, answer the other, and then return to the original? Also, is there a way to switch the conversation back to the handset during a call? ie. after you park and are exiting the vehicle but wish to continue the conversation? I tried several times by switching bluetooth off on my phone device (Blackberry 8700c) but was unable to continue the call.
The car's performance was great! I went on a little drive yesterday with some buddies in the hills above Malibu and had a blast (with the exception of some rock nicks as it rained the night before and there were a lot of pebbles in the middle of the canyon roads). The cars we drove included my friends 2006 Carrera S, another friend's brand new E60 M5 with 400 miles on it(purchased the same day as mine - 12/7), a 2002 (i think) M coupe that belonged to another friend's mom, and then my measly commuter car the 2007 550i sport 6-speed (only 200 miles). I was taking it pretty easy as I hadn't had much experience with the car yet, and didn't want to rev above 5300 rpms with such low mileage. Also, being at the back of the field, I felt the full wrath of the pebble storms and tried to back off a bit... thank god its leased.
We got to a nice straight away and let the Carrera and the M5 take some quarter mile runs head up. The Carrera S (6-speed manual) took the M5 SMG on all 3 successful runs. The last run you could see the M5 starting to pull on the Carrera in the 105+mph range. Otherwise the Carrera had a solid car length+ lead throughout. I don't think the driver of the M5 was used the the car yet, and he is also not the best driver in general. Through the curves on the canyon roads the Carrera was teaching the rest of us a lesson. My buddy took delivery of the Porsche in August and has been to the track 3 times and has literally memorized the canyon route we were driving. Its a lot of fun to see that car perform so well.
I forgot my camera, so the only pic I have is from my friends phone, not very good.
Attachment 26748
The order goes, Carrera S, M5, M Coupe, 500i.
I will be sure to do this again when I am more comfortable with my car and willing to rev it all the way up.
The bottom line is that after 250 miles with the new car, I LOVE IT!
Does anybody have any thoughts / reccomendations on me trying out my 19" Breyton Spirits that are currently on my e39 540i on the new ride?
-Brian
Contributors
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,052
Likes: 0
From: Thailand
Originally Posted by arcleid' post='366162' date='Dec 12 2006, 03:02 AM
With that sprintbooster, your throttle lag is gone right?
Members
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta, GA- USA
My Ride: 2007 550i - Monaco Blue with Auburn Interior. Sport, auto. Ordered 10-30-06
Originally Posted by stanatl' post='365864' date='Dec 10 2006, 07:21 PM
I love the car more than I thought I would. Some observations after putting about 200 miles on the car on different types or roads:
1. I love the Active Steering. It took almost no time to get used to it and it works great. Parking the car is a snap. Handling in tight quarters at slow speeds is effortless and intuitive. On twistie roads at moderate speeds, the movement of the steering wheel is minimal. At highway speeds, the steering is solid. This was one option I questioned but I am very glad I decided to get it.
2. The acceleration is all I expected and the transmission shifts seem very smooth.
3. The car was very stable in all situations with minimal lean in the turns yet the ride was not harsh. Pretty much a perfect compromise.
3. The seats are the most comfortable of any car I've owned including Lexus and Audi.
3. The car is very quiet. The only noise I hear is the Dunlop run flats.
4. The Logic 7 sound system is by far the best I've had in a car - including Nakamici and Mark Levinson
5. While I would like to have had some more buttons (ie radio), the I-Drive system is pretty easy to learn. While it is not perfect and can/should be improved, it is certainly not the terrible system the various magazines rant over.
6. The HUD is pretty cool and effective. The height of the display is not a problem for me.
7. The I-POD adapter system seems to work o.k. but I have to play around with the Playlists to make it more friendly.
7. Night Vision really works. I used it on a country road at night and it picked up a deer running across the road that was out of the range of the headlights. I don't think I would have hit it if I didn't have the option but it's nice to have.
7. I would have liked to have more storage but it is a small price to pay for the rest of the car!
What a great vehicle!!! Pictures to follow as soon as I get my digital camera back from my friend.
1. I love the Active Steering. It took almost no time to get used to it and it works great. Parking the car is a snap. Handling in tight quarters at slow speeds is effortless and intuitive. On twistie roads at moderate speeds, the movement of the steering wheel is minimal. At highway speeds, the steering is solid. This was one option I questioned but I am very glad I decided to get it.
2. The acceleration is all I expected and the transmission shifts seem very smooth.
3. The car was very stable in all situations with minimal lean in the turns yet the ride was not harsh. Pretty much a perfect compromise.
3. The seats are the most comfortable of any car I've owned including Lexus and Audi.
3. The car is very quiet. The only noise I hear is the Dunlop run flats.
4. The Logic 7 sound system is by far the best I've had in a car - including Nakamici and Mark Levinson
5. While I would like to have had some more buttons (ie radio), the I-Drive system is pretty easy to learn. While it is not perfect and can/should be improved, it is certainly not the terrible system the various magazines rant over.
6. The HUD is pretty cool and effective. The height of the display is not a problem for me.
7. The I-POD adapter system seems to work o.k. but I have to play around with the Playlists to make it more friendly.
7. Night Vision really works. I used it on a country road at night and it picked up a deer running across the road that was out of the range of the headlights. I don't think I would have hit it if I didn't have the option but it's nice to have.
7. I would have liked to have more storage but it is a small price to pay for the rest of the car!
What a great vehicle!!! Pictures to follow as soon as I get my digital camera back from my friend.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,790
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From: Helsinki, Finland
My Ride: My ex-ride: EU '08 LCI 520dA. Space Grey, Sport Seats in Black Leather/Fabric Anthracite, Sport Steering Wheel, A/C with Extended Features, Hi-Fi Speakers, Cup Holders, Cruise with Braking function, Folding Rear Seats, Xenons, Park Distance Control.
Nice post stanatl
200 miles is not much, I'm sure you love the car even more after 2000 miles...
Great options!
200 miles is not much, I'm sure you love the car even more after 2000 miles...
Great options!
Thread Starter
Senior Members
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 305
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From: Atlanta, GA
Originally Posted by lllwlf' post='366543' date='Dec 12 2006, 01:17 PM
Great write up. I'm picking mine up on Tuesday. I'm very interested in your observations on the sound system. I'm coming from the Lexus with the Mark Levinson, so I was thinking I might be taking a downgrade in sound systems with the Logic 7. Your feedback is encouraging. I was going to get a new phone to match up with the compatability list on BMW.com, but I think I'll wait to see how my blackberry 7100 does before I switch it out.
Enjoy your car - I certainly am.