[plob]

Hi all
Now that I’ve had a couple of days to get used to my new car, I thought I’d post a quick write up of my experiences and opinion of the car (and the options I bought). I hope you find them interesting.
Typically, it was raining when I picked up my car. Straight on to the motorway in the rush hour traffic and, 30 minutes later, it needs a wash - typical.

Engine/box:-
I bought the 30d variant and I’m so glad I did. It makes the car effortless to drive with more power than I was expecting on the open roads. The engine note is good too - kind of a growl.
The auto gearbox is wonderful. It is difficult to notice the gear changes unless you listen to the engine note change slightly or see the rev counter dip. The revs stay at around 1500 which I guess is the most efficient. The gear selection lever takes a little getting used to as it is not like a regular auto box selection lever. Now that I have got used to it – I like it.
The only slight complaint about the box is a short delay in the drive taking up when moving off from a standstill. This has been mentioned elsewhere on this forum and, whilst noticeable, I’m not concerned by it. Once I am moving, all gear changes are quick and smooth.

Auto start/stop:-
This is the first car I have driven with this feature. It feels strange at first but is easy to get used to. I discovered (by reading the excellent manual accessible via the iDrive) that I can prevent the engine stopping at any given time by pressing the brake pedal harder just after I come to a stop.
It is worth reading the manual to understand all the features of this function – including times when the engine won’t stop automatically (e.g. when the engine is cold, when facing uphill etc.)
When I release the brake, the engine starts promptly and it ready to go by the time my foot starts to press the accelerator.

Cruise control:-
This works well. I particularly like the little marker that whizzes round the periphery of the speedometer when I turn it on. It is easy to change the target speed using the thimb wheel on the steering wheel.
One only thing I noticed is that cruise control seems to affect the regeneration when coasting. Without the cruise control on, I can see the ‘efficient dynamics’ legend come on in the control display when coasting or going downhill. With cruise control on, I assume that the system brakes for me when going downhill so I don’t see the ‘efficient dynamics’ display doing its thing.

Fuel efficiency:-
So far so good. I mainly do town driving and I’m getting around 36 to the gallon. This is below the quoted figures but I never believe those anyway. This is about the best return I have had from a car and, considering the 3L engine, I’m quite pleased with the result. Motorway driving does not seem to yield the best efficiency (70mph). The engine seems to be at its best at around 40-50mph.

Reverse camera with top view:-
Reversing onto my drive, I tried out the three reversing cameras (one in the tailgate, the others under the door mirrors). It takes some getting used to as it presents a plan view of the car and shows what is happening either side and at the rear.
In the end, I turned off this feature as I feel I get a better view using the rear camera only. Both top view and rear camera only have the ability to overlay lines on the display showing where the car will go – I find this very useful.
Because the field of view is wider when using just the rear camera, I find it to be the best view when reversing onto my driveway.
That doesn’t mean I don’t use the top view at all. I find top view handy when parallel parking. When I couple the top view with the passenger mirror that angles down in reverse, I feel confident that I don’t be kerbing my allow wheels any time soon (famous last words).

Xenon headlights:-
In my opinion, these are a must. The difference between these and halogen type headlights are quite literally night and day. Of course, the Xenon headlights come with those wonderful LED corona rings. I love daytime running lights (DRL’s) as I feel they contribute significantly to driver safety. I am an advanced driver and am quite impressed at how everyone who is joining from a side road seems to see me – whilst I never have this confidence in other cars.
The headlight beams are well defined and provide great road illumination.

Adaptive headlights:-
This is my third car with this feature. The X3 rates as the best I have seen so far. The beams turn noticeably into a bend or curve and make a big difference on unlit roads. The fog light also comes on if turning the steering wheel far enough or if using the indicator. Being honest, the fog light makes some difference but not enough to shout about.

High beam assistant:-
I didn’t think this was going to be any use but I am pleasantly surprised at how well it works. I had trouble getting it to work at first as I think I enabled it only once I was already on an unlit road. I don’t think the camera in the windscreen had chance to ‘learn’ about streetlights and other car lights so it didn’t work.
The next night, I tried the same unlit roads but enabled the high beam assistant whilst I was still on roads with street lights. Once I went onto the unlit roads, the high beams came on really quickly. It seemed to scare itself once or twice as the high beams bounced back off reflective road signs – which I think the camera interpreted as oncoming traffic and dipped the lights quickly. I don’t think this is a problem as the Xenon lights reflecting back at me from a road sign was blinding – I’d have manually dipped the headlights in any case.
Further up the road, I could see other cars travelling in the same direction as me (away from me). I used this to see how the high beam assist would handle tail lights. Of course, this meant I had to put my foot down to catch them – purely for research purposes of course. As I came round a bend behind these cars, I had my hand on the headlight stalk ready to manually dip them – but the high beam assist beat me to it. It also worked for bicycle headlights and tail lights.
So, overall I’d say I’m impressed with the high beam assist too. For anyone reading this, I can therefore recommend the visibility package as it includes the Xenon lights, high beam assist and adaptive lighting (and dimming side mirrors too – which also work well).

Access package (comfort access and power tailgate):-
I quickly got used to leaving the key in my pocket. To unlock the car, I just grab the door handle and pull. To lock the car, I just touch the top of the door handle with my finger. If I touch the pad on the top of the door handle for about 2 seconds, it also folds in the door mirrors (and closes the windows and sunroof if they are open).
The tailgate feature is great. I have to operate the handle on the tailgate as I would on a car without this feature (waving a foot under the bumper doesn’t work and just made me look very silly). Once it starts to open, step back and leave it to it. To close the tailgate, there are two buttons that are easy to reach. One button closes the tailgate under power; the other closes the tailgate and locks the entire car.
I regularly use the car for a role that requires me to arrive on scene, get my kit out of the boot and lock the car quickly. The access package allows me to do this easily.
When I arrive on scene, I press the tailgate release button (just by my right foot) as I get out of the car. The tailgate is open by the time I shut the door and get to the back of the car. I grab my kit and press the right hand button on the tailgate – and just walk away to the job. As I am walking away, the struts close the tailgate and, once closed, all the doors and tailgate lock automatically. This is perfect for me as, sometimes, seconds count.
Anyway, I think this is a really useful feature and saves you having to manually slam the tailgate.

Variable damper control:-
I was a bit apprehensive about spending a lot on money on this feature – but I’m really glad I did. Although I bought the M Sport variant, I included the VDC. This automatically deletes the sports suspension.
Most of the time, I leave it in Normal mode. The ride is very comfortable. At one point I confused myself as I knew I was running over bumps in the road but couldn’t feel them.
Selecting sports mode makes noticeable changes to the car. The suspension stiffens (not sure if this is to the same degree as the sports suspension); the engine revs rise (frisky mode) ready for action and the steering becomes more responsive.
I have heard some comments about how the steering feels detached. IMHO, far from it. I liked the sporty feel and always feel in control even if I drive quite briskly.
Sports mode can be configured via iDrive to include the chassis and/or drivetrain. I’ve not been brave enough to turn off the safety features yet and go for it in Sports+ mode.
Personally, I think this is a great option.

Sunroof:-
I changed my mind at the last minute and included the panoramic sunroof – I’m so glad I did. Although I have oyster leather, the M Sport includes an anthracite headlining. Without the sunroof, I reckon the car would feel dull and slightly claustrophobic. It operates well although the controls took a couple of attempts before I figured it out. Again, I would recommend this (I should be on a commission from BMW at this rate).

Professional loudspeakers:-
At first, I wasn’t impressed. However, I spent some time changing the balance, fader and equaliser settings. I’m now quite pleased with the sound. I listen to a right load of rubbish anyway but I was surprised about how well even some of my more familiar tracks sound.

Summary:-
Joy – nothing more, nothing less. I find myself inventing journeys so I can appreciate the car more. I’ve yet to find anything that I regretted buying. For me, the auto box and visibility package are a must. Anything else is down to personal preference. Please let me know if I missed anything out and I’ll do my best to share my experiences.