luxembourg

I was stuck in the traffic the other day and started to think that since I do +50.000km (30K miles) per year, by the time when new F10 arrives I will have just about enough miles to get rid of my E60, which obviously will be out of waranty, etc... Then I started to wonder what possibly BMW will update / upgrade in their new 5-series in terms of standard equipment...
I assume there will be again (usual?) inrease of price, however...
It got me thinking that I would even be willing to pay significantly more but... if the upper mid-size car like 5-series would be equipped as standard in few things which I find missing in the current one... (well, at least in terms of EU specs)

So, I wonder what are your opinions?

In my opinion F10 should definetely have:

1) much much better NAV system:
- preferably change of map / software provider towards something more user-friendly (how about NAVITEQ?)
- all maps stored on built-in HDD, with easy way of downloading updates, current radars' positions, maybe even by going online with your car (register to the BMW world network via car's BT or WLAN? )
- touch screen should be "must have" in 2010... huh?

2) much better standard audio
- BMW should buy few other cars made by competition to listen to their audio and... maybe call their audio suppliers ASAP?
(how about this amazing Mark Levinson's audio in Lexus???

3) X-drive available for ALL engines (now, I am forced to buy at least 530d to have xd, why not with 520xd?)

4) much better standard seats - they should be really up to its class (fortunately I own sports-seats, but I know few people who got standard seats and are soooo dissapointed... :thumbsdown: )

5) comeback to the electronic air-condition as it used to be in good old E39 or is now in E90 and X5 (instead of tons of possibilities via current iDrive)

6) standard back-up camera with automatic on-screen preview instead of PDC (truly useless for tight parking in cities like Paris....

7) RFTs should be optional - not "the only right choice" standard for the M-paket (my dealer did not even understand my request to sell me the car with the normal tires...

As far as engines are concerned, I could even live with the current line-up as I love my 520d (which is quite enough in terms of daily performance and super-economy with both: lowest tax/insurance class imaginable for such car and 6L/100km average consumption). It's basically the standard and optional equipment set-up which drives me off...

But then again, would I give up new F10 if the equipment stays as it is now and go shop for MB, Audi or Lexus...?
Definetely not...
(*Althugh I recently test drove IS 220d and damn.. it's tempting with this equipment...sorry about that... just a weak moment there...)

What do you think?

hinckley

I don't know . . .

In the US, cars tend to be much better equipped and although I'm sure that there will be good evolutionary advances in things like nav and audio, I'm hard pressed to find anything in the E60's features list that is wrong or bad. Although I'm finding a new feature that I love every once in a while (HUD on my '04, CA on my '08), most of the new stuff that I see coming out is technology for the sake of technology (active cruise, night vision, lane departure, Lexus's automatic parking system). Maybe I'm getting old, but I think that most of this stuff is just silly and take away from a purer driving experience.

My hope is that the F10 gets a styling make-over to something like the CS concept. Although I appreciate BMW's attempt to do something different in the first Bengle era, I think that it missed the mark and the 5er and 7er lost the sleek, sophisticated look of old.

Don't flame me . . . just my $0.02.

fox72

I really have nothing substantial to add to your wish list. If BMW had got rid of their runflats some tiime ago, it would consistently be ranked first in car magazine reviews, instead of being beaten in comfort by Citroen C6 or Mercedes E-Class.

big_ipaq

The air conditioning in E60 LCI is exactly the same as in E90 and E70. Except there is no separate display for temperature. Otherwise, there's nothing different. What are you trying to say? Also, they brought back the vent settings on the dash. However I just don't need any other vent setting, just auto with different intensities. And I live in a country/city where in summer we have over 34 degrees celsius and in winter there are many days well below freeezing.

I am a BMW purist. I drive in winter with rear traction with no fear. I did BMW winter driving courses and feel very confident. I wish BMW would give up xDrive in their sedan and coupe lines. Audi needs it, we don't.

I would not opt for xDrive on my cars even if they would pay me. I would not carry with me my boots all summer, just in case there is a bit of snow.

narvselius

A dashboard that is more focused on the driver, thank you!

The new design opened up a space that Audi were keen to take - they are now the ones with driver oriented dash board.

narvselius

Plastic quality should also be increased. With the LCI it's on a decent level, but really... paying this amount of money and getting a car with hard plastic here and there - and especially around the aircon really annoys me. :thumbsdown:

poleposition

How about getting rid of the fuel burn gauge and give us a temperature gauge or something as useful? I just never understood that thing.

big_ipaq

While my current E64 dash is more oriented towards the driver, I always said that BMW always wanted to have driving oriented dash board as opposed to driver oriented dash board. In the past, they succeded by angling the center dash towards the driver. Nowadays, they did it by focusing the driver towards what's most important through iDrive and no so more knobs on the dash.

big_ipaq

In my 650i E64 they did just that. Isn't this the same for 550i E60/E61? Just for E63/E64?

Hopco

Some ideas:

1. Faster CPU & More memory - Startup is too slow.
2. Second the view that the Navigation DVD should be loaded into a hard drive
3. A vote against a touch screen - they really get messed up with fingerprints
4. A way to plan a route one ones desktop/laptop computer and then load the route into the Navigation system and go.
5. Have a choice in iDrive so that Headlights would automatically come on when the Automatic Wipers are working
6. Rear Fogs for the USA ? driving in very bad fog ? like the winter tule fog (Tule fog (IPA: [ˈtuli]) is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of California's Great Central Valley.) in the central valley of California can be very scary. Oftentimes one does not see a car 50 feet (15 Meters) ahead - even at night.
7. Active Roll Stabilization(ARS) and sports suspension calibration for X-Drive automobiles
8. Second the vote for rear TV ? especially for Touring autos
9. Sports Auto or two-clutch SMG transmissions for X-Drive automobiles
10. Improve the iDrive interface. Make it more intuitive. Perhaps BMW could get Apple, a firm that really understands man-machine interaction, to help them design the new interface.
11. No runflats or a choice when one orders the car ? runflats or not. Keep the mini-spare tire and jack.

I will stop there ? these are small/large nits that BMW can consider to improve what is already a wonderful automobile.